Long-discussed Timeline, a digital scrapbook feature on Facebook, is launching globally. More pictures, more information and more chronology -- and your archived stuff will automatically populate the new feature.
Timeline is similar to having an auto-generated personal website, replete with everything -- that's everything -- you've ever posted to Facebook. So, if you have a segment of your social graph/history you don't want the world to revisit, better remove those pics and posts before hitting the upgrade button.
Importantly, there is a one-week review period before your new page/site goes live, so you may want to cull the herd of borderline pictures you may have posted. Of course, someone else may have already posted those and tagged you, so there's that, too.
And if you're censoring what you're posting, doesn't that migrate Facebook from a 'friends' experience to a 'marketing' or 'best foot forward' model? Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wasn't kidding when he announced that Facebook is not a site, it's a platform -- a platform for developers and a platform for users to put their best face on themselves for the world.
Here are some getting started tips from Facebook and Outcast Agency:
· Cover: The first thing you should do when you get Timeline is upload a photo for the “Cover.” Your Cover is the first thing people see when they visit your Timeline and it is visible to the public like your profile photo. The picture should be of something that's unique and personal to you. It’s basically the cover of your digital scrapbook. You might choose a photo from your wedding or a cool shot from your vacation.
· Activity Log: Think of your Activity Log as the private box of stuff you keep under your bed – it is only visible to you. Your Activity Log lets you review all of the stuff you've posted on Facebook and that other people have posted about you, like photos or status updates. From here, you can decide what stuff to show, who to share it with and what you don’t want displayed on your Timeline. You have complete control over what you want to share and who sees it.
U.S. & World
· Add your personal touch: Fill out your Timeline with life’s significant moments. You can add life events that occurred before you even joined Facebook – your baby photos, your high school and college graduations, your engagement, your wedding, your new house, your baby being born, whatever you want. You can add photos and posts special to you by creating a ‘Life Event.’
· Edit your Timeline: Once you’ve selected to move your profile to appear as the new Timeline you will have seven days to make adjustments to the content that people can see when they visit your Timeline. During this time, you can adjust the sharing settings, remove status updates, pictures and anything else you previously shared on Facebook over that period. After seven days the Timeline will automatically go live.
Timeline was held up for release because of some development hang ups (typical for major rollouts on any platform) and a September 2011 lawsuit by a small Chicago company called, yes, Timelines.com -- a site concentrating on historical fact. Facebook countersued that company about a week ago.
