Facebook introduces “Timeline” – Facebook’s new look and concept – on October 1, 2011. Timeline is bound to revolutionize the way we use Facebook because it will make us begin to think of our lives as something to be documented for our grandchildren, great-grandchildren and for generations to come. With Timeline, Facebook has truly become the scrapbook of our lives.
For those of us who wanted to start using Timeline before anyone else, we had to go through the steps of applying for being an API developer with Facebook. (Go here to follow Mashable’s instructions.) But for everyone else, your profile will automatically change on October 1, 2011. Here’s a peek:
People Photos Emotionally Connect With Your Audience
I always preach this to my clients who want to put a picture of their office building on the homepage of their website: photos of people emotionally connect with your audience. An emotional connection is critical in marketing anything. The first thing people will see when they land on your Timeline is the huge picture called the “cover.” Facebook advises you to use “a unique image that represents you best.” I’m beginning to respect Facebook more and more because of these brilliant details they’re including in design.
Below the cover picture is your Timeline. Facebook encourages you to highlight the most interesting and memorable posts. You can make a post be two columns wide by clicking on the star in the upper right corner. You can also remove the posts you want to hide by clicking on the pencil icon:
The featured post will then look like this, taking up space on both columns:
Apps Actually Bring You Closer to Your Friends
The apps you use are also part of your Timeline. New apps, such as Spotify, automatically tell your friends what music you’re listening to while on Facebook. If you have the NetFlix app, the movies you just rented online appear in your Timeline. Either you’ll really like that or you’ll find it a bit invasive of your privacy. If you don’t like this, don’t download the app. It’s your choice. But by using these apps, you’re sharing more of your life with your friends. If all your Facebook friends are people you hang out with IRL (In Real Life), no problem. If many of your Facebook friends are people you’ve never met in person and you’re using your profile to network and attract business, then, you’ve got to decide how much of your life to share on Facebook.
Use the Web to Leave a Legacy of Your Life
One more thing: be sure to go to different years on the Timeline and post a picture of you during that time, if possible. For instance, the year you graduated high school is the perfect place on the Timeline to post your graduation photo or senior year picture. Think of the Timeline in terms of your whole life and the milestones within it. Just relax and have fun with it. Use your Facebook Timeline as another tool on the Web that allows you to leave a legacy.
