To entice more people to keep using its social network, Facebook has unveiled several new updates for its user profile feature.
One of these is the option to use a short looping clip as a profile picture.
Facebook rolled out the new changes earlier today to a certain number of users for testing purposes.
As explained by Tech Crunch, this new feature, once officially unveiled to the public, will allow users to create a unique profile video. By clicking on the profile pic button, users will have the option to record a short clip of up to seven seconds with or without sound. They will then be able to set the recording as their new profile video which will be displayed in a loop. Of course, users will still have the option to use a still picture for the cover image.
According to Aigerim Shorman, a project manager from Facebook, the concept behind the profile video was inspired by one of the company's employees.
"Earlier this half [year] we were having a brainstorm, and sometimes you find a gem," she told Tech Crunch. "One of my designers called me over [to look at an engineer's] Facebook At Work account."
"His profile pic was moving," she added. "I thought 'This is going to be a great expression opportunity.' It brought the profile to life. You got to know the person better. So we got inspired to create an option to create a profile video."
Aside from the looping video, the profile section of Facebook will also receive a few changes. Below the profile picture or video, users will be able to write a short description about their selves. Other details such as location, work and school will then be displayed below this section.
Users will also have the option to pin up to five images in Facebook's Featured Photos which can serve as additional or supporting profile pics of users.
According to a spokesperson from Facebook, the new features are designed to give users more customization and personalization options for their profiles.
"We've seen a lot of people 'hack' their profiles to show bits of their personality like nicknames, and we wanted to give people a new, freeform space at the top of the profile to do that," a Facebook representative told Wired.
Currently, the new features are only available to a small number of users in California and the U.K. Facebook is currently testing them out which means they can still be changed before being released to the general public depending on the feedback from testers.
