Browser extension gives Facebook a 'better' face lift

Still hate Facebook’s new look? Maybe this browser extension can help. Dubbed “Better Facebook (BFB)," the extension allows users to control what appears on their Facebook pages, even as its developer claimed it has been downloaded nearly 200,000 times. “I’m keeping track of the problems that still exist and I will be rolling out patches to address issues as I fix them. I know I have some catching up to do, and I hope you’ll stay patient," developer Matt Kruse said on his Facebook page. Kruse said he is “watching closely" to see how recent new changes in Facebook might affect BFB, and what might need to be done to make the changes better for Facebook users. Facebook held its F8 Developer Conference this week, where it announced more significant changes to the site and its functionality. He hinted at an initial patch release to address some of the immediate bugs and quirks of BFB with the new Facebook layout. “As BFB approaches 200,000 users, I want to thank all of you again for spreading the word to your friends and the web, and also for all the generous donations today and always. To have such great support makes me strive even more to fix FB’s blunders and add great features as quickly as I can," he said. In the BFB website as of Friday morning, Kruse said some of Facebook’s recent changes caused BFB to stop working. But he said the latest version to date, 5.931, “should work correctly." The BFB extension is available for browsers including Mozilla’s Firefox, Google’s Chrome, Apple’s Safari, Opera 11, and GreaseMonkey. 75 individual options BFB claims to have over 75 individual options which control many features of Facebook, including:

• Tabbed news feeds
• Themes/Skins
• Feed Filters
• Hiding posts already read
• Automatically removing “Recent Activity" from one’s profile
• Enlarging thumbnails on hover
• Character counter in Status Updates
• Hiding annoying “Update Your Email Address" notification

Big bump in traffic Tech site CNET said since Facebook revamped its news feed this week, BFB has seen a big bump in traffic and new users. “Wow, it’s been kind of a crazy day. Big FB changes, Dropbox stopped serving my images (and started again), the web site got over 100,000 hits, and this page acquired 5,000 new fans!" Kruse had said in the Facebook page for his BFB extension. CNET said the latest version of Kruse’s brainchild gives an option to hide the new ticker, a cause of annoyance for many Facebook users. — TJD, GMA News