
Mark Zuckerberg describing Facebook Timeline
Right, time for everyone to start loudly protesting about Facebook’s latest change. And protest they will if the past is anything to go by (and it usually is).
Timeline, the new profile redesign from Facebook, has gone live.
A recent post on Digital Trends described it so:
Timeline is a complete revamp from the previous version of the Profile. Topped by a giant profile picture, your new Timeline page organizes your Wall into chronological order, making it possible to look back over your entire life on Facebook. All new posts appear front and center. As you go back through time, Facebook automatically shows the posts that received the most interaction. Users can then expand certain periods of time to see more posts.
As mentioned in the intro, users of Facebook tend to freak out en masse whenever a redesign occurs, so in an attempt to minimise the anticipated backlash, Facebook has given users a 7 day period from activating Timeline to review it and all items on display, before it publishes as your default profile.
I’ve started reviewing mine, and I must say it’s pretty cool. Although it does make it far easier for friends to see your “not as funny now as it was a few years back” posts and status updates. My 7 day review period ends on Thursday, but I decided to live dangerously and activate it a day early after giving it a review. Coz that’s how I roll. Note that this is because I elected to activate Timeline. I’m not certain when it will become mandatory for all users to adopt. Facebook states that users will soon start to see a notification about activating Timeline at the top of the profile.
For more details, including video, about this change check out Facebook’s official info link: http://www.facebook.com/about/timeline.
Additionally, you might want to glance over this PC World article about making the switch from a security/privacy standpoint, Prep for Facebook’s Timeline Layout: 6 Must-Do Privacy Tweaks, just to be sure.
Note that the new profile does allow you to view your Facebook profile as it appears to either the public, your subscribers or any of your friends. A snippet from the above-mentioned PC World article explains:
After you’ve edited your Timeline, you may want to check what others will be able to see on your revamped profile. To do this click on the cog icon underneath your cover photo and select “View As…” from the drop down menu. This will automatically show you how your profile looks to the public and your subscribers if you have any. You can also enter the name of any of your Facebook friends at the top of the page to see exactly what they’ll see on your Timeline.
So no dong photos circa 2006, alright? We don’t wanna see that.