• The Associated Press, Thursday, September 11, 2008 11:02 AM

Ready or not, Facebook is undergoing a massive redesign. By the end of the week, the social network's 100 million-plus users will be forced to adapt to a new-look Facebook. For the last seven weeks, the company allowed its users to switch back and forth from the old to the new format. That option is now being taken away.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledges the risks behind the makeover, which include alienating some of its audience. This, in turn, could help drive traffic to rivals like MySpace and Bebo. "Any change can be a big deal to our users because this is how they connect with their family and friends," Zuckerberg said. "So when you move things around, it can be perceived as being not a positive thing even when it's a positive change."

However, Facebook has done a good job alerting users to the pending change. Already, 40 million users have tried the new redesign and about 30 million have made the change permanent. Of course, several groups and petitions have also popped up in protest of the facelift, saying that the redesign forces users to navigate more, making it more difficult to access information about their friends. One of the key changes noted in the AP report is the freeing up of more white space -- a move that one of the protesters worries will lead to more intrusive advertising.

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