Stampede! Facebook Opens Its Profile Doors

This morning, Facebook is planning on showing a little leg to the press, throwing a “casual Open Door session… to learn more about the upcoming New Profile Design.”

You know, the long-expected renovation of main Facebook pages consumers use daily, which has third-party developers in a hubbub and is likely to cause an even bigger one among users no matter how good it is?

Because even though change is the operative word in politics this season, no one likes the furniture in their digital homes rearranged, even if it looks better.

The new design is set to roll out live to Facebook users in a few weeks; developers will get full access soon.

The social-networking site said in a blog last month that it would push back its massive Profile page redesign, which was supposed to be released in early April.

Facebook said then it was due to feedback the company had gotten from its legions of developers, who had actually been griping a lot to me about their many worries about the new look.

As I wrote in a post in mid-April about the Profile redesign: “It will require almost perfect execution technically speaking, huge educational efforts early and often for users and a total buy-in from third-party developers, whom Facebook made integral to its success when it made the very sharp move of opening its platform to them.”

Of course, Facebook has been putting on a brave face that it will all go smoothly, with a remain-calm attitude one must always take in the face of a possible stampede.

So, holding down the fort at the hour-long session, starting at 10 a.m. PT, it will be the social-networking site’s VP of Product Marketing Chamath Palihapitiya, Director of User Experience and Design Katie Geminder and Director of Platform Product Marketing Ben Ling, as well as other product managers.

That’s a lot of directors directing!

Unfortunately, BoomTown will be blogging from the perfect beach in Santa Monica, Calif., and will be unable to attend, although kibitzing in Palo Alto, Calif., over where I get to receive SuperPokes in the future would be my obvious preference.

OK, not so much.

But I will provide updates from ATD’s temporary oceanfront HQ. Until then, you can see some of the previews on this Facebook Previews page here.

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