February 10th, 2011 marks a day of changes in Facebook that open to door for brands to compete. It comes with no surprise that we’ve witnessed another set of big changes to Facebook pages, otherwise known as fan pages or “like” pages. The community of Facebook users will never completely agree that the changes (past and present) are or were a good move, and thus once again this is the case. Unfortunately it is not up to the users to determine what they want as Facebook makes the ultimate decision – if you don’t like the changes you’re more than welcome to stop using Facebook, but that rarely every happens. Keep in mind, the new facebook pages will be pushed live for all pages by March 10th. Take some time to look over the new features/layout to get comfortable before it’s set in stone.

The new layout will show a page in the same format as a user profile. Though it will not be as clear whether you’re looking at a page or a profile, there are still a couple differentiators to distinguish the two; you still “Like” a page and below the name of the page you still see the type such as “Website” or “Public Figure”. So what are the changes? Here’s a list:

Jumping into the restaurant business can be a dumpy road. Many have to close due to lack of customers whether it’s due to location, poor management or the most obvious unsatisfactory food. Due to the hot, growing trend of local shopping and services like 4Square and Yelp, getting your customer to come back is your #1 long-term goal- no returning customers will eventually kill your business.

So how do you target customers who don’t eat at your restaurant? Simply answer: give away food for free.

Yup, you read correctly, and Panera Bread has pulled off something unbelievable. As CEO, Ron Shaich, explained at a TED event, Panera Bread “cares” is all about a give-and-take concept. Instead of telling everyone they must pay XX dollars for a sandwich, bowl of soup or cold beverage, they decided to leave it up to the customer. Some people can’t afford a $7.50 sandwich so they give $2.00 (or nothing at all) while others are willing to pay $9.00 for that same sandwich.

But just how successful can this be – wouldn’t everyone just want a free meal? Much to my surprise the concept has worked amazingly. At the beginning, according to Ron, it was certainly a learning experience as people attempted to abuse the system as they didn’t understand the concept. The idea isn’t about taking free food but rather about helping those who are unable to enjoy a Panera meal (or any decent meal).

When you listen to Ron talk about the story and purpose of Panera cares you can’t help but think “You know, this is such a great idea and I hope to see it throughout the country.” Do you think this idea can continue to be a success in many more cities throughout the country?