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Facebook Paper: Does It Fall Flat?

facebook_paperFacebook has just unveiled a brand new app called Paper, which, according to the company, will allow users to “explore and share stories from friends and the world in immersive designs and fullscreen, distraction-free layouts.” The app aims to give users a streamlined and engaging way to read their newsfeeds and view photos, like a unique, customizable newspaper.

Here at 4E, we like Facebook. And we like paper. We also like “immersive designs,” and we certainly love storytelling. So we downloaded Paper for ourselves to see if it lives up to the hype surrounding its release. Here’s what you need to know about our experience:

1. Paper is pretty We aren’t kidding. The app divides your newsfeed into easy, customizable categories. Photos are vivid and crisp (tilt your phone and watch what happens!), and just check out all that glorious white space!

2. Paper is also pretty pointless If you’re looking for a new Facebook experience, you’ve come to the wrong place. That being said, if you’re looking for a new place to read the news and stories you like, you’ve come to the right place.

3. If you have a tablet, Paper is great iPad users, you’re in luck. Paper’s simple, clean layout will be wonderful for your tablet device. It’s almost meant to be viewed on a Goldilocks-like screen: not too big, not too small, just right. For all you iPhone users out there, the app really seems lukewarm. Does Paper make for better viewing than the original Facebook phone app? We think yes. Is it dazzlingly better on such a small screen? No.

4. Who says my paper can only have nine sections? Another downside is that your customizable “Paper” can only have nine sections that you choose. These sections can range from Headlines, to Tech, to Pop Life, to Score, to Glow. (Side note: What in the world is Glow? Name one newspaper that has ever had a Glow Section. Is Glow like a Lifestyle section for aliens? If I choose Glow for my Paper, will I get a glow stick?) If you’re anything like us, you’ll want all the sections in your Paper, and having to choose is a bit of a letdown. Actually, never mind. We’ll just stick with Glow.

5. Try Paper for yourself And when you do, let us know what you think about it. Is Paper the next big thing? Is it revolutionizing media? Will the app bring Mark Zuckerberg some major “paper?” Or is it just a prettier newsfeed? Let us know in the comments below.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, Glow is a section about “Style, substance and beauty that’s more than skin deep.” I think it’s a section about Beyoncé.

Photo: readwrite.com
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Staffer of the Week: Sheena Karkal

Once a week, The Hoya recognizes a staffer that has done a particularly awesome job — now you can get to know about them, too. As part of our Leavey 421 series, we’ll be posting quick interviews with each Staffer of the Week. This week’s title went to someone who “guided” things along “B”-eautifully: Sheena Karkal!

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Name Sheena Karkal
School College
Year 2015
Major Biology of Global Health, Government
Hometown Orlando, Florida
Positions on the Hoya Guide editor

Why did you earn staffer of the week?
I earned staffer of the week for my work on the Guide and the Game Issue in the B-section on Friday. Ian “Autumn Goose” Tice (senior layout editor) and I got to create a novel layout and design for the Guide cover to go along with the feature on Hurricane Sandy. The second half of the B-section, the Game Issue, was a collection of fun challenges and quizzes. It was something we had never done before, so it was fun to be able to experiment freely.

What’s your favorite part about working for The Hoya?
The comfort in knowing I’m not alone in my weirdness. Also, the sweatshirts. If we can continue to make a new version each semester, I can practically have one for every day of the week!

What is your favorite Halloween movie and why?
Hocus Pocus, because it’s so delightfully terrible (and ridiculously 90’s).

If you had to make a playlist of only three songs, what are they and why?
It would really have to depend on my mood, but I do like playlists with some contrast. So I picked three which each match a different vibe from some of my favorite artists:
Fat-Bottomed Girls by Queen
These Streets by Bastille
Separator by Radiohead

How do you feel about midterms right now?
A little overwhelmed since they’re never-ending. But I’m coping pretty well.

Congratulations, Sheena and keep up the good work!

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Staffers of the Week: Personnel and Blahg Power

SOTW Lindsay Michal Addie

Names Lindsay Lee; Michal Grabias; Addie Fleron
Positions on The Hoya Senior Blog Editor; Director of Personnel; Human Resources Manager
Years 2016; 2015; 2016
Schools COL; MSB; COL
Majors Economics; Finance/OPIM; Undeclared
Hometowns Albany, NY; Northborough, MA; Westfield, MA

What did you do to earn staffer of the week?

Lindsay: You’re lookin’ at it! I redesigned the layout for the blahg. (Writer’s Note: Lindsay requested this special spelling of “blahg,” and I also find it hilarious because she is going to have to edit her own interview.) (Editor’s note: it is currently making me uncomfortable to edit my own words.)

Michal and Addie: We forced people to judge other people and then compiled it so we could judge people in the least judgmental way possible. (Writer’s Note: The Personnel team actually conducted peer reviews, which provided feedback and constructive criticism for a large part of the Hoya Staff. The process took hours of hard work and professionalism!)

What is your favorite part about working for The Hoya?

Lindsay: People sending me aggressive numbers of funny articles online and also not feeling like a dork for making grammar/typography jokes.

Michal: How great the people are. That’s why I’ve stayed around so much. We have personnel dinners and I love hanging out with them.

Addie: I get to know everything about everything! And I love everyone … even though I know everything about them. Which says a lot.

In your opinion, which person in the office is most likely to be president? Least likely?

Lindsay: Most likely: Wow. This is hard. This shouldn’t be this difficult! I’ll say Nicole Jarvis (Deputy Guide Editor) because people just gravitate toward her. She’s really deceptively cute, but I feel like she could be ferocious and a very strong leader. Least likely: Chris Grivas (Deputy Photo Editor) because he consistently spells my name wrong and that’s a skill you just need as president. Oh, also Ryan Bacic (Senior Sports Editor), because he’s too sassy for his own good.

Michal: Most likely: I could see Braden (Executive Editor) as president. (Note: Braden is not American and cannot be President.) But we’ve amended the Constitution before; why not now? Least likely: Zoe (Senior Layout Editor) for reasons that everyone in the office knows. (Writer’s Note: Actually, I’m pretty sure Braden is less likely than Zoe for obvious reasons. As in, his nationality.)

Addie: Most likely: Jon Rabar (Former General Manager) could convince you to vote for him or your life would end. So yeah… that. Least likely: Michal because he’s Polish. Like Alexander Hamilton, who would’ve been a great president but wasn’t American. (Editor’s Note: DANG IT, JUST KIDDING I CHANGE MY ANSWER TO JON RABAR.)

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

Lindsay: I would want to be able to shoot Nutella out of my fingertips. I feel like I would just spread happiness/Nutella, which are synonymous, everywhere I go.

Michal: Oh my gosh! It’s obvious: to be able to freeze time! Anyone who says otherwise is wrong! Have you seen the movie Clockstoppers? (Writer’s Note: He then proceeded to rant about the movie at a pace that no human could ever keep up with and talk about robbing armored cars of money. Yes, Michal wants to freeze time so he can steal armored cars of money.)

Addie: I would like my superpower to be whatever inborn power you get to be a wizard in Harry Potter, which would also allow me to freeze time and rob armored trucks. But why would I want to do that when I could just spontaneously generate cash as a wizard?

If you could have an alter ego (possibly an alias to hide the above-mentioned superpower), what would it be and why?

Lindsay: Beyoncé-Queen. I don’t need to explain that. (Writer’s Note: Lindsay said this answer in approximately 0.3 seconds. She has thought about this before.)

Michal: I had a couple fake names back in high school. People would recognize me in the mall, but they wouldn’t know my actual name. They’d call me David or Alex. So, I essentially already have alter egos. (Note: egos. Plural.)

Addie: Subtractie. As in, Addie, Subtractie.

Michal also insisted on ending the interview by saying, “No matter what, Personnel is always watching.” Hoya Staffers, beware.

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Staffers of the Week: The Lovely Ladies

Lady Staffers of the WeekOnce a week, The Hoya recognizes a staffer that has done a particularly awesome job – now you can get to know about them too. As part of our Leavey 421 series, we’ll be posting quick interviews with each Staffer of the Week!

As already mentioned this week, there were an astounding 5 staffers chosen for this week’s coveted award. We featured Hunter Main and Steven Piccione earlier, and so this second post will feature the other three staffers of the week: the lovely ladies.

Names Zoe Bertrand, Emory Wellman, Sarah Amos
Positions on The Hoya Current Senior Layout Editor, Former Senior Layout Editor, Former Senior Guide Editor
Schools College, College, SFS
Years 2015, 2015, 2013
Majors Women’s and Gender Studies; Government and History; Culture and Politics
Hometowns White Plains, NY; Boxford, MA; Ft. Lauderdale, FL

What did you do to earn staffer of the week?

Zoe: I used an Adobe program I had never used before to make a whole bunch of cool graphics for our GUSA election poll.

Emory: While the current Layout Editor Zoe was doing an inordinate amount of beautiful GUSA garfs and pie charts, someone needed to design the rest of the A-section [of the paper]. Deputy Editor Autumn Rice and I were up to the challenge. I also made a lot of hilariously uncomfortable comments about a certain feature story.

Sarah: Because only a Catholic School Girl would be naive enough to take on The Guide’s first sex issue (along with co-editor and fellow Catholic School Boy Steven Piccione).

If you could eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Zoe: Peanut butter & Jelly. No question.

Emory: This is probably the girliest answer possible, but Sweetgreen all day, everyday.

Sarah: Wisey’s Oreo cookies.

Who is your office crush?

Zoe: Ryan Bacic (Senior Sports Editor) 

Emory: Anyone willing to give me food. Braden is usually the most obliging.

Sarah: They (plural) graduated. They know who they are. (Kissy face. XOXOXO.)

What is your favorite part about working for the Hoya?

Zoe: Sitting in broken chairs with fun people.

Emory: Having a similarly insane group of people to hang out with. It’s also fun to pretend we are from “All the President’s Men.”

Sarah: Being a part of the last bastion of print journalism–the college newspaper–it’s a beacon of hope and learning. And having Steven Piccione buy f’real milkshakes for me.

What is the scariest experience you’ve ever had?

Zoe: I was riding very quickly down a very large hill on a mountain bike, and either my brakes or my brain stopped working. Either way, that hill was really scary and ended in a lot of pain.

Emory: Having my computer go “static-y screen of death” while I was on page 18 of my unsaved history paper during exam week. Or the times I have actually almost died while on a bicycle. Wear your helmets everyone.

Sarah: That time I almost joined The Voice …

What’s your favorite Pokémon and why?

Zoe: Phanpy, because I googled “cute Pokémon” and he was definitely the most endearing one. Also, his name wasn’t something stupid like “Munchlax.”

Emory: I know nothing about Pokémon but I’ve been told I look like a Lapras…? Don’t know if that spelling is correct.

Sarah: I didn’t watch Pokémon or trade the cards. I was still playing with Barbies at the age.

Editor’s note: I would like to revoke all three of their ‘Staffers of the Week’ because they all gave largely unsatisfactory answers to this last question regarding Pokémon.