NEW YORK — Facebook is redesigning and streamlining the profile pages of its 500 million-plus users to make it more of a reflection of their lives and emphasize one of the site’s most popular features, photos.
Facebook said the changes are meant to make it easier for users to tell about who they are, where they work, their philosophy, and the most important people in their lives. The changes place a bigger emphasis on visuals, from photos to images of users’ interests.
A new biography section includes not just who users are and where they live but a set of the most recent photos their friends have “tagged’’ with them. Previously, users had to click on a tab to see the latest photos on a profile. Users can also feature important friends in their profiles, while previously only a random selection appeared. In addition to listing their jobs, users can now add the projects they worked on.
The changes come as Facebook intensifies its competition with Google Inc. as the primary destination for Internet users.
