Facebook launches new ‘couples pages’

Because a simple "In a Relationship" announcement just isn't enough, Facebook has decided to roll out a new-and-improved page layout dedicated to your love life.

That's right. Whether you like it or not, a separate Facebook page chronicling your marriage, engagement or two-week-old relationship already exists under the url facebook.com/us -- provided, of course, you've first listed yourself in said relationship on the popular social media site.

Like the Friendship pages that list your entire history of interaction with everyone on your friends list, the couples page collects every bit of togetherness you and your sweetheart have shared on the site.

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And over the coming months, these semi-public records of your togetherness will get the timeline treatment, complete with larger photos and easily accessed details on each event you've attended together, comments you've written on each other's wall, even the pages you've both "liked".

"Starting today, we're introducing a new layout for friendship pages. Friendship pages combine posts, photos and events that you and another person have shared," writes Facebook software engineer Arun Vijayvergiya on the site's Nov. 8 newsroom blog.

"Click the gear menu at the top of a friend's timeline to see a friendship page. If you've listed yourself as "in a relationship" with someone, you can also visit facebook.com/us to see the friendship page you share with that person."

While some may see this as a wonderful way to honour their relationship, the new layout has attracted a chorus of criticism.

"It doesn't appear that there is a way for users to block friends or acquaintances from creating these pages about them… [so] if a jealous girlfriend sees that a page has been created with your name and an ex-girlfriend's name at the same event, your life is likely to get difficult," writes Shane McGlaun of website SlashGear, alluding to some of the privacy issues that have long plagued the website.

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The Telegraph went as far as to entitle their article, "Facebook 'couples pages' make me want to wretch," leaving no doubt as to how the author really feels about the subject.

"Mr Zuckerberg: by all means keep giving people new tools - as you did when you created Facebook. But when you start doing things for us — the experience is anything but social or remotely positive. You have infantilised my relationship for me with the creation of www.facebook.com/us. Only I should get to do that," writes women's editor Emma Barnett.

If your love is like a summer's day that simply bears sharing with the world, then the new couples page layout may seem a welcome bit of software technology.

If, on the other hand, you're a bit freaked out by the unrequested relationship curation, you may want to consider removing your relationship status from your Facebook page.

Of course, that opens an entirely different can of e-worms.