Your manager at Meta asks about Facebook News: should we prioritize more sources with basic personalization or fewer sources with advanced customization?

Introduction

The trade-off we're examining today is whether Facebook News should prioritize more sources with basic personalization or fewer sources with advanced customization. This scenario touches on the core of content curation and user experience within the Facebook ecosystem. I'll analyze this trade-off by considering user engagement, content quality, technical feasibility, and business impact.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Based on recent user feedback, I'm thinking engagement might be a key driver here. Could you share any insights on current user satisfaction with Facebook News?

Why it matters: Helps understand the impetus for this potential change Expected answer: Mixed satisfaction, with some users wanting more variety and others seeking deeper personalization Impact on approach: Would influence whether we lean towards breadth or depth in our solution

• Considering our revenue model, I assume News impacts ad inventory. How significant is Facebook News to our overall ad revenue?

Why it matters: Determines the financial stakes of this decision Expected answer: Moderate contribution, growing in importance Impact on approach: Higher revenue impact would justify more investment in advanced customization

• Looking at our user segments, I'm curious about the demographics most engaged with News. Can you provide a breakdown of our most active News users?

Why it matters: Helps tailor the solution to our core audience Expected answer: Skews towards older, more educated users Impact on approach: Would influence the complexity and depth of customization options

• Regarding technical feasibility, what's our current capability for advanced customization? Are we starting from scratch or building on existing systems?

Why it matters: Determines the effort required for implementation Expected answer: Some existing personalization algorithms, but advanced customization would require significant development Impact on approach: Would impact timeline and resource allocation for implementation

• Considering our current priorities, how does improving News align with our overall product roadmap?

Why it matters: Ensures alignment with broader company goals Expected answer: High priority, part of efforts to combat misinformation and improve quality engagement Impact on approach: Would justify allocating more resources and attention to this initiative