About Facebook’s New Timeline: I’ve Changed My Mind!!!

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!!!

BIGGER & BOLDER: WHY FACEBOOK’S NEW ‘TIMELINE’ IS A GREAT IDEA FOR YOUR BUSINESS

You’ve probably noticed by now that Facebook is offering a new Timeline that can replace the standard Facebook profile that we’ve all come to know and love.  In doing so, Facebook is introducing a grand overhaul for business pages that will go live for all on March 30! 

You are now offered more control with respect to the look and ambience of your business’ page.  The new page is designed to allow even easier interaction with your fans – a priceless feature for any business.  It also enables enhanced graphics, the capability to feature posts and it allows for private messaging with fans.  Better still - have you seen the size of the Cover photo???  Facebook maintains that the ideal size for your cover is 851 X 315 pixels.  It’s huge – so use the space wisely – think branding and letting people know what your business is all about.  And, you’ll still be afforded your standard, smaller profile picture (which you might want to consider re-positioning for the sake of the look of your new page if you already have an existing business page).  The profile picture is still a great way to feature your company logo!

Here are a few more reasons that the new Timeline business page is a no-brainer when it comes to the greater good of your business:

- The New ‘About’ Section Showcases the Core of Your Business – This is the section that was previously concealed within the “Info” tab (on your existing business page).  It’s now displayed prominently at the top of the page for all to see.  Ensure that it’s brief and to-the-point.  Include something that captures the essence of your business without going into too great detail.

- You Can Now Control How Content is Displayed – Now, your most relevant and important post can be pinned to the top of your page, where it can remain for up to seven days.  If you’re offering a special deal of the week or if you’ve just changed the location of your business, these are things that you want people to see first and foremost when they visit your page.   This feature also enables you to change the dates of postings in order to keep more relevant posts displayed prominently at the top of your page.  You can furthermore “Star” a post and enlarge the size of the post (so that it dominates the entire width of the page!).  How’s that for getting your message across?

- You Can Showcase Your Business’ Highlights, Milestones & Accomplishments – You’ll be able to track your company’s history and along the way, feature the business’ milestones - you’ll be afforded the opportunity to highlight your business’ events, news and accomplishments.

- The New Admin Panel makes Your Life Easier – The admin panel is where you can go to view notifications, see and respond to messages from people/clients that you might not want others to see, view your page’s activity and view your page’s stats.  This very cool feature will simplify your online business practices.

Business pages will be universally upgraded on March 30, but Facebook is offering a preview of what your page will look like.  Just click on the preview button located at the top of your existing page to have a look.  And, if you like what you see, you have the opportunity to publish the new page now rather than waiting until the end of the month!  Exciting stuff!