Recent changes by Facebook to its Edge Rank algorithm brought an onslaught of criticism from brands and advertisers. Edge Rank determines which posts show up in Facebook users’ news feeds; since the change, brands have been seeing a decline in views of posts they make to their pages as the algorithm favors posts from individual profiles rather than pages. Now, there’s an answer. Facebook has created a feed where users can see only the posts from Pages they like. In addition to making up about 20 percent of news feed content, users can look at their very own Pages-only view any time.

So is that good news, or bad?

The answer is mixed, but mostly good. Unlike the other newsfeed views, “most recent” and “top stories,” users have to look for Pages updates in the Pages tab in the left hand navigation bar. It’s not the most obvious integration for most; after all, how many people spend time in their Pages menu?

However, once alerted to the change, the Pages feed offers a great resource for people looking for updates from their favorite brands, bands, businesses, and celebrities. Posts that were once buried by Edge Rank are available to be uncovered with ease — all the more important during the time of year when consumers are looking for holiday shopping deals or recipe ideas, for example.

ReadWriteWeb suggests another plus: Brand-weary consumers may stick to Facebook if they don’t feel they’re getting a lot of unwanted advertising shown to them all the time. They point out that a U.K. poll from the summer shows people like multiple pages but hide them from their news feed. With Facebook’s new model, maybe users get a better deal. Facebook fans now have  a way to maintain valuable connections on their own terms.

Have you tried the Pages view? What do you think? Is it helping you connect to people and products you don’t often see in your news feed?

TIP: Let fans know they can ensure updates from your Page by alerting them to the “Get Notifications” option. Users can hover over the “Liked” button on a favorite page and then click “Get Notifications” to get updates similar to those from close friends.

I don’t like to talk politics and religion on my blog, but when you live in the region that defined the term “Media Circus,” and is most often characterized by its political instability, sometimes you just have to say something. 

Regardless of how bad The Innocence of Muslims video is (and it is BAD in every sense of the word - cheap, offensive, disgusting, etc..), people everywhere are giving the video much more respect and attention than it deserves. It has unfortunately sparked protests in many Muslim countries, some violence in the Middle East, and many anti-Muslim movements.

Rather than allow it to highlight violence, Lupe Fiasco is doing social media right by promoting the hashtag #MuhammadShowedMe. And who would have guessed - he’s helping the world see the peaceful majority of the Muslim World. 

Mulsim and Non-Muslim, Arab and Non-Arab have taken notice of the rapper’s Twitter account and responded:

The social media lesson here is that real wins on social media occur when organic content surfaces after being shared by people who care. Twitter’s public and immediate nature makes it the perfect scene for that.

I’m not Muslim, but let me say #MuhammadShowedMe that true bravery is not to defeat your enemy, but to defeat the enmity in the heart of your enemy and make him a friend.