Facebook has sent out press invites for an event scheduled for Thursday, March 7, 2013.  The invite did not give out much information aside from it being about the new News Feed.

So what’s Facebook going to change this time?

Facebook is said to be integrating ad-sponsored messages on its News Feed, which means the ads which are seen on the right side of your Facebook page will be eliminated and News Feed will take up the bulk of the page.

This will allegedly happen across the entire Facebook platform, from web to mobile.  So Facebook will be ad-laced, and if you subscribe to brand pages on Facebook, aside from getting updates from the brands, there’s a huge chance that sponsored messages from them will come your way as well.

Simply put, when you open your Facebook account, whether on your computer or your mobile device, you’ll be slapped with so many ads you’d think you were at an advertising convention.

That’s not all — it seems Facebook is also updating its Timeline with a single-column design, and a new “Like Page.”  The evidenced surfaced from TheNextWeb’s Owen Williams, who showed photos of the new design being tested in some Facebook users in New Zealand.  There would be a bigger spot for the “About” section, but the other features have been reduced to tabs instead of thumbnails.

When you or someone post a link on Facebook, it usually just shows the story, image, or video, but a new “Like Page” button is in testing which, when clicked, can bring you to the official Facebook page of a brand or publication.

A side of user backlash with that?

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Facebook may be excited about the changes happening on the social networking site, but are users going to be happy about it?  If we know anything about Facebook users, probably not.

Remember when Timeline was unveiled and started to roll out?  A lot of people begged Facebook to return it to its original state, even threatened to leave the service, but lo and behold, they are still using the service, they just got over it and stopped whining.  At least people were happy with the Ticker, since it lets them know about what people are talking about and join the conversation without actually leaving the page.

So what does News Feed needs aside from ad-sponsored messages?

3 things we want from a new News Feed

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Instagram integration – This may be the time for Facebook to put into play its Instagram acquisition.  The new News Feed may become more photo-centric which will be better appreciated on mobile devices by users on the go.

Smarter News Feed – Facebook recently introduced Graph Search and is rolling out to more users with each day passing.  What Facebook can do is offer a more personalized News Feed content based on what the user has previously queried in Graph Search.

Local news and alerts – As rivals like Google and other consumer-centric tech providers like Apple and Samsung look to provide more services to consumers, Facebook will have to do the same.  As far as productizing its services, the News Feed presents Facebook the perfect opportunity.  While the current  News Feed brings real-time updates from friend and pages you’ve subscribed to, there’s not actually much real news or content that’s specific to your needs beyond the social graph.  As Google Now begins the provisioning of action-oriented alerts based on time, location and habits, Facebook’s News Feed could also find a way to “wisely” interrupt users with updates and alerts that are highly personalized and more engaging than ads or brand updates.

The right time for change?

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The redesigned News Feed may be what the social networking giant needs to reel in more users, specifically teenagers.  According to Facebook’s 10K filing, fewer teenagers are using the service since they are more engaged in other services like Instagram, which ironically, is owned by Facebook.

Appearing on today’s NewsDesk with Kristin Feledy, SiliconANGLE contributing editor John Casaretto stated that teens are more interested in services such as SnapChat and Instagram because they are more mobile, picture-centric and in-the-now.  Teenagers have this constant need to be connected in real-time to their audiences, be it offline friends or someone they met online.

See Casaretto’s full analysis below.