Still working damage control from the internet-wide outcry against its recently-modified Terms of Service, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced new rules he's putting in place to give users more feedback options and control over how the site makes these kind of policy changes in the future, potentially letting users directly vote on proposed amendments. Further hoping to clarify the site's mission and relationship with its users, the site is working on two documents, The Facebook Principles and the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities.

Sites change their terms all the time, and mostly it goes unnoticed. In Facebook's case, once enough people read and understood the effect the changes would have on content ownership rights, the word spread quickly, growing into a virtual storm of unrest. After reverting to its old terms the Facebook crew has had some time to think over the incident and work out how it can avoid the communication problems that led to it.

Today Zuckerberg and company announced their new plan, first posting any potential changes up for discussion before they'd be implemented. It reminds us of the Obama administration's commitment to posting new bills online for comment before the President signs them into law. It's unlikely that most changes will draw the sort of ire as last week's did, allowing them to move along to implementation quickly, but if enough people comment on a proposed change, it will go up for a formal vote. The first two changes going up for votes will be The Facebook Principles and the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, needing approval from about a third of active users to pass.

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