If you're one of the 'lucky' 'fraction of a percent' that have been selected to test-drive a new Facebook feature where the live feed becomes a realtime stream along the right hand panel then no doubt you'll have initially thought it was just you, a Facebook bug, and something to temporarily put up with.

Then you gradually realise that it's a new layout "feature".

Well, I don't like it. And - honestly - I'm not the type of person to shout "arrgggh, I hate change!".

I'm not complaining because something's changed, I'm complaining because the feature they're testing isn't that well thought through in its current state, is forced upon me without warning or option to opt-out and has actually caused problems with my web browser.

And so I put that in a Facebook feedback message in the hope that they may read it. Probably won't make a blind bit of difference but hey, at least I tried!

Here's what I sent to them via their feedback process...

I'm one of the guinea pigs you have chosen to try the new realtime live feed on. Two words: hate it.

I'm sure you took your idea of a realtime stream from your Twitter rivals, but for the Facebook feed it just doesn't work in the way you've got it now. The old method of separating 'top' stories and live posts was much more user friendly, but now you have to scroll down the page and - if you're lucky - you'll spot the 'Recent Items' header to read the rest - usually after you've passed a stupid mix of old and new items.

On top of this, features that have been long-associated with the right-hand side of the screen - events, birthdays, pokes, etc. - have disappeared completely.

If you are going to persist with this idea, please don't make it a separate panel - incorporate the live element in to the existing live feed style and you'll alienate fewer users.

It also appears that you are unable to scroll through the live feed - again, if you are going to persist with this, then this needs fixing!

Aside from the visual aspects, I've noticed high CPU loads when the live feed is displayed and if, for whatever reason, you have Facebook open in more than one browser tab both instances of Facebook appear to break (incomplete page loads, live feed not displaying, even higher/100% CPU load).

I really hope you realise that these kind of changes really do irritate your users, especially when you force them, or the tests, upon us without prior warning, permission or the ability to opt-out. They're even more invasive and insulting when they cause problems in a browser. 

Despite all of this I will, however, be staying with Facebook. For now.

And I will be. But I'll be keenly watching Google+ to see what it can offer.