Remember my post of March 14 extolling the virtues of Facebook’s new Timeline? Well, I’m exercising the right to change my mind! I have come to the conclusion, after making use (or trying to make use) of the new Timeline that, in actuality, it kind of sucks!!
Furthermore, I’m not alone. I’ve done some research and have spoken to numerous people, and this seems to be the overwhelming response to what is arguably Facebook’s most critical transformation to date.
To be fair, I’ll admit that there are a couple of features that are actually beneficial, at least from a business standpoint. The Cover is a great idea for businesses due to its large size – perfect for branding. The fact that you can ‘star’ stories that you want to highlight is also a good thing. When a story is starred, it is prominently displayed in widescreen mode and presents your business with the opportunity to highlight important messages like promotions and special events. Same deal with being able to now ‘pin’ stories to the top of your business’ Page timeline. A story can remain pinned at the top for seven days – again, an effective way to draw attention to crucial events, sales or promotions taking place.
But, that’s about it. Over and above what I’ve mentioned, there’s really nothing that impresses about the new Timeline. In fact, some of the comments I’ve read hold nothing back. Here are few snippets:
“It’s just too cluttered.”
“…a pain in the arse!”
“Hate it. Now I have to look forward to styling my life as a sort of public magazine…”
“Google +, here I come!”
“I can’t find anything…”
You get the point. And, I’m afraid I must agree. Here’s a link to a poll featured on msn.com that drives the point home: http://www.technolog.msnbc.msn.com/technology/technolog/facebook-timeline-poll-overwhelming-negative-reaction-84717
The new Timeline appears jumbled, confusing and just downright unappealing. It’s simply not well-structured or user-friendly. And to boot, there seem to be a lot of people expressing concerns with the issue of privacy – or lack thereof – with the new set-up. I heard one person say that it certainly makes Facebook more “stalker-friendly”. And, uh … well, that’s just not a good thing! To that point, I’ll reiterate one more time – watch what you post! Never post any content or photos that you don’t want the whole world to see – and don’t forget to make use of those privacy settings.
In summary, I’ll concede that, given the past positives of Facebook and all it does have to offer from both the personal and business points of view, I believe that most of us will stick it out and try to adapt. But, only time will tell…
What do you think about Facebook’s new Timeline? Please leave a comment and let me know! And, in the meantime – Happy Facebooking!!!
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