Facebook confirmed that the repetitive reminders of a birthday on a user’s wall was actually a bug. Recently, birthday notifications on the social networking site became a bit awkward, when the same birthday was notified more than once in various formats.
Facebook resolved the issue
Generally, the social networker sends one notification per birthday, and emails only those users who selected the option to receive such alerts. However, in recent weeks, many users reported a significant rise in birthday notifications from Facebook. While many assumed it to be a new test or done deliberately, it eventually turned out to be a bug.
Confirming the bug to Slate’s Jacob Brogan, Facebook said that that the bug has now been fixed. “It was not immediately clear whether the other, similarly persistent, notifications were part of the same problem”, Brogan wrote.
Separately, a couple of weeks back, a bug was reported on Facebook that restricted users from posting new links, and then posts disappeared automatically. The bug only infected links that included links outside Facebook, but that problem also seems to have been resolved.
Add a link will save time
In a separate development, Facebook is reportedly developing a new search engine which could become serious competition to Google. Over the past few weeks, some Facebook users noticed a minor change in their iOS apps. A new page called “Add a link” was added, where a user could get relevant answers to queries posted. These answers can also be shared with friends.
Google is the undisputed leader when it comes to search, and even if Facebook rolls out this new feature, it is long way from creating any sort of threat for Google. Eleni Marouli, a Senior Analyst at IHS Technology, notes that the Graph search from the company had a very limited impact, therefore, this new search feature is pronably not that bog a deal. Marouli said that the social networking site is perceived to be a personal space and find content with friends, and not a “classification engine for the whole web.”
However, some experts believe that the new feature will help users save time, and believe that the new feature will eventually work in Facebook’s favor even if the search engine is not that effective.
