Facebook adds Wikipedia-like pages

Facebook has replaced users' personal information with links to Pages

Facebook has updated its web site to create more connected profiles and added a Community Pages feature that could compete with Wikipedia.

The social networking giant has also begun to discourage users from adding too much personal information to their profile, and has updated its privacy settings once again.

Facebook said in a blog post that Community Pages will act as online groups of interest and information. The groups are still in beta, but Facebook said that its long-term aim is to make them the "best collection of shared knowledge on a topic".

The service seems likely to rival Wikipedia, the largest community-generated online encyclopaedia. Wikipedia could not immediately be reached for comment.

Facebook even admitted that it will use Wikipedia content on Community Pages to start off, before building up its own content.

"We'll let you know when we're ready for your help," said Facebook software engineer Alex Li in the blog post.

"On each Community Page, you'll be able to learn more about a topic or an experience, whether it's cooking or learning a new language, and see what your friends and others in the Facebook community are saying about this topic."

Facebook has also revamped the information section on users' profiles. Any previous text for the current city, education and work, and likes and interests sections, will be replaced by links to official Facebook Pages belonging to celebrities, musicians and businesses.

"If you would still like to express yourself with free-form text, you can still use the 'Bio' section of your profile," said Li, referring to the box underneath the user's profile picture.

"You also can also use features and applications like Notes, status updates or Photos to share more about yourself."

Facebook claimed that this update will create "more connected profiles".

"Your profile will become immediately more connected to the places, things and experiences that matter to you," Li said.

The reason for the change is that Facebook users are three times more likely to connect to Facebook Pages than to fill out the likes and interest section in their profiles, according to Li.

The next time Facebook users log-in to their profile page, they will see a box recommending Pages based on interests or groups they had previously added to their profile. They can then pick and choose the Pages they want to be connected with.

Finally, Facebook has provided more privacy, and updated the 'Friends, Tags and Connections' part of the site's Privacy settings. Users can now hide connections from their profiles, as well as their friend lists.