Exclusive 'Snow White & the Huntsman' Clip (VIDEO)
Arrest in Etan Patz Missing Child Case (VIDEO)
A Chilling Past Life Experience Recounted
Controversy: Gwen Stefani Bleaches Her Son's Hair
A '50 Shades of Grey' Shortcut for Busy Moms
Latest on Baby in Washing Machine Case (VIDEO)
Are People Who Eat Organic Judgy & Mean?
A Dad's Perspective on Playdates
Bagged Salad Recall Sparks New Fears
Help Dying 4-Year-Old Fulfill His Bucket List (VIDEO)
Melissa McCarthy & Sandra Bullock's Buddy Cop Movie
Do Working Moms Have It Easy?
Your Morning Coffee Could Save Your Life
Join the Fight Against Toxic Kids' Products
8 Summery Sweet Popsicles You Can Make at Home
Have you heard? Facebook is making major changes -- AGAIN. I know, I know, we love to hate the Facebook changes. Ugh, can't Facebook stay the same for longer than three days?
Not to worry! The change is optional (for now), it's just on your profile page, and it's even kind of cool. Now, instead of a lot of text, it's a large photo that dominates the page. It looks a little more like a blog. And there's this nifty little timeline to the right of that photo. So what else do you need to know now that Facebook is finally making the Timeline mandatory? Keep reading to find out!
First of all, where do you get the timeline? Go to this page, scroll down, and look for the green "get timeline" button. It will take you back to your Facebook page -- which may look exactly the same as ever. Just refresh your browser and you'll get that prompt to set your page on "timeline."
About that timeline -- it allows you, or your friends, to dig into the past and view photos and status updates from days of yore. I don't know quite how I feel about that -- sounds handy for ME, but maybe I don't want everyone else remembering everything I've said for the past few years.
Keep in mind, you have seven days to get it just the way you want it before your friends can see it. OR DO YOU? I changed to the Timeline version and then got a notice: "Your Timeline is now live." Huh? Just be careful when you hit those "set" buttons.
You have some choices -- what images to highlight -- and you still have control over who sees what. Then again, figuring out how to set those privacy controls is tricky as ever. And you've now got that one BIG picture that sums you up. That's a lot of pressure on one photo -- kind of more than the pressure on your avatar, in my opinion. Fortunately you can change that, too, whenever you want.
I do like the new profile page layout. Under that main photo/location box, everything else falls into a grid, with your updates in their own boxes and a special box for your friends. It's like an online lunch tray. Meanwhile, your news feed page looks the same as usual, so no need to panic over that -- yet!
What do you think of the Facebook Timeline? Are you going to try it out before you have to make the switch?
Image via Adriana Velez
Emma Lives with Severe Food Allergies
How to Pack a No-Waste Lunch
Memorial Day Survival Guide
Backstage at Mamma Mia! with Irene Bunis
Comments (10)
It's not optional, they're moving everyone over eventually. I downloaded this a few months ago under a beta test when CNN first reported on it. Honestly I never see it, since it's MY profile. I work off my news feed and ticker.
Bye bye facebook.
@ashjo85 Yeah she says in the article it is optional ( FOR NOW)..
You never even notice it... I've had it since they first rolled it out as well. It's not a big deal.
Its just like Myspace now
I think its creepy.
Giving your location, and allowing people to dig into your past is NOT my cup of tea. I think privacy should be respected...
I like it! I've had it for a while now. If you want more privacy, frankly, don't be on facebook. FB is free, WE are the commodity on FB, not the other way around. I am mindful of what I post but I think I probably always was.
I might add that I find it hilarious that the person saying "I think privay should be respected" has an avatar picturing a naked pregnant woman I an only assume is her! LOL!
Eh, I've had it since September when it was in beta form. I like it. And you can still control the privacy on your page, it's really simple. I wondered when they were going to make it official, it was supposed to be out in early October, I believe.
Giving your location has always been optional, and if you choose to share that information, you can control who and who doesn't see it, just like you can control who sees certain statuses and photo albums. If you only want your best friend to see it, you can just make it visible to her. You can go back and change privacy settings on certain statuses, if you have the time. I've played around with it and it's not as complicated as you think.
I've been using it since it since it's Beta testing period as well. It's pretty easy to control privacy. I like to think of it as a online diary to see what I've been up to over the years. The birth and growth of my kids, the new friends I've found, etc. If you don't want others to see so much, either put on privacy control or don't post to FB!