Feature
February
2
Timeline to Become Facebook’s New Face
by Terry Trahan Jr.
There’s no turning back now, friends.
The countdown has begun. Profile pages for Facebook’s 800-million-plus active users will take on a new look as the leading social network rolls out Timeline, the newest feature that promotes the rehashing of one’s past.
Like it or not, there’s no escaping it.
The company announced that its users will have no choice but to embrace Timeline if they want to continue networking on the site. While the concept of a new page layout seems to impact only users who shun change, the mandatory feature goes beyond basic visual enhancement.
Timeline tells the story of the user’s life, even dating back to his or her birth. That means for those who knew what free time was before Facebook existed, milestones and minor events that occurred before a user registered an account can be added to Timeline to complete the picture. In other words, Facebook will become a virtual scrapbooking tool.
Friends of the user will be able to see summaries of these events on the user’s profile page. And like a traditional timeline, Facebook’s Timeline catalogs these events told through status updates and pictures according to the posted dates.
Once a user launches Timeline, he or she has seven days to tweak the profile page before it goes live for friends to view. The user can publish the page at any time during that period, but the full trial period may be needed for those who wish to review the past.
The good news is that nothing will be published that hasn’t been on the site before. But that doesn’t mean friends and relationships haven’t changed, and the rehashing of information that hasn’t been deleted or protected by privacy settings is what has some users concerned about the new feature.
Sophos, an online security firm, recently asked 400 Facebook users about their opinions of Timeline; the response wouldn’t be music to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s ears. Over half of the users expressed worry about the new feature, while 32 percent questioned why they even remain on the social network. Another 8 percent said they would get used to it, and the remaining 8 percent said they like Timeline.
The “worry” stems from the information overload that can potentially be shared as part of the Timeline interface. All past status updates, quotes, locations and other posts become visible again to write the user’s story. And without managing privacy settings, the resurfacing of information may reveal more than a user bargained for.
Still, Facebook allows its users to choose who sees posts using an audience selector. If the selector is set to friends, only friends can view the information. The public setting invites the world in. Users can also tweak who sees what others have posted on their page, and individual posts can always be removed.
Aside from the visual aspect, the main difference between the traditional profile page and the new Timeline layout is the flood of information that can be viewed simply by scrolling through the years.
When a user’s Timeline loads for the first time, Facebook automatically sequences all former posts. The user then selects a “cover” image, which acts as a large horizontal banner across the top of the profile page. A profile image rests at the bottom left-hand corner of the cover. Typical profile information like name, profession, education and hometown follows, along with a friends list and optional apps.
Status updates and tagged posts and photos complete the customized Timeline, highlighting all activities that took place in a particular year. Apps also track the user’s latest interests and share them with anyone who has been given the green light to view the user’s profile.
And that’s exactly the point.
Facebook, now more than ever, keeps communities connected. But as it gets a little more intimate and digs deeper into the past, some of its 800-million-plus active users are saying no thanks—the site has gone too far. Others embrace the open communication, and that’s what it’s going to take to stay in this conversation.
