It is common knowledge that trends come and go. However, there are few rare occasions when some trends simply stick. Such is the case with Facebook. Introduced to the public in February 2004, the social media network has now grown to a linkage of over 800 million active users, and is continuing to grow every single day. However, with growth comes change, but can too much change be a bad thing?

Facebook, a company known for being innovative, is now the subject of discussion within the respective households of its many users. Mark Zuckerberg, founder and chief executive officer of the website, held a massive press conference last week to announce the latest modification happening to Facebook…a complete and thoroughly comprehensive overhaul. It seems Facebook is getting a bit of a facelift.

Among the changes being made to the site is a new feature called the Timeline. With it, Facebook users are now able to better organize photos, key events and things shared that do not disappear whenever new stuff is being added. This, of course, is an existing problem on the current Facebook, but Timeline strives to rectify that.

However, with it comes complete refurbishment. According to Facebook, in addition to being visual, Timeline is wider than the old profile and features a gargantuan photo at the top which can be changed by clients. As Facebook users scroll down their respective home pages, they’ll find wall posts, status updates, images and life events as they happened in time. While some individuals may find this new change rather invigorating, others believe it to be a little cringe-worthy. After all, Facebook just made changes last week, and is known for making routine adjustments practically every year.

Nevertheless, these new changes definitely pale in comparison to the older ones.

Furthermore, competition is on the horizon. With Google Plus growing in users, could Facebook be on the brink of losing clientele? According to information found on CNN.com, the latest changes have sparked some controversy from users dissatisfied with a new rail on the right side of the home page. Facebook calls it The Ticker. Others call it stalking.

And while we’re on that particular subject, recent reports have indicated that Facebook could be tracking its users on the web. Based upon information found on lifehacker.com, Facebook can keep track of its users even after they log out. Scary, right?

While Facebook has denied such claims, the issue has stirred up debate.

Naturally, this should be good news for Google Plus, Facebook’s new competitor. Recent reports indicated that Google’s new social networking site is one of the top 50 websites in the United States. It also had a 30 percent growth in just two days, which is actually worthy of note.

So, should Facebook users jump on the Google chuck wagon? Well, that’s up to them. The changes that Facebook implement always tend to ruffle a few feathers, but is it ever really enough to leave? In all fairness, that depends on the user. Still, Facebook may want to hold off on the facelifts.

After all, a nip and tuck is one thing. A complete overhaul is something else entirely.

- Jaylen Christie

Are you geared up for Facebook’s new changes, or are you tired of the modifications? Let us know at our Facebook Page, our Twitter, or by sounding off in the comments below!