Facebook is currently testing a new feature in the form of a Happening Now sidebar. It is believed to be undergoing limited testing with some user pages and lets them see in real-time what is going on in their network. The feed displays what their friends are sharing, commenting on or liking, as well as who they are adding as friends and displays check-in notifications as well.
It sits on the right side of a user’s feed. Thus far, only a fraction of a percent of the limited number of users got the bar to test out, Facebook said. What the social network learns from the test, it will apply to a refined Happening Now bar accordingly and may expand it to more users.
Thus far, it seems as if content is being doubled up on, with the News Feed getting updates as well as the live bar, but Facebook is likely to refine this as well.
