Big change to Facebook

Facebook is currently undergoing one of the biggest changes in its history. The introduction of Timeline has polarised its users and sparked some very passionate responses from people.

At the moment Timeline is optional but it within a couple of weeks it will be rolled out to all users and become compulsory. Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg says that this new format will help to tell the story of your life. There have also been suggestions that Timeline will allow you to use Facebook as an online scrapbook, documenting times in your life before Facebook even existed. There is definitely a greater emphasis on photos and Facebook are spruiking it as having more of a “magazine” look to it.

Detractors of the change – and there are plenty – don’t paint such a rosy picture. While there is always some resistance to change, there are some valid points this time. One common gripe at the moment is that there is now more access to your previous activity on Facebook. Information such as relationship status, unflattering photos and regrettable postings are now more readily available. However, when you make the change to Timeline you do have a seven day grace period where you can do a little housekeeping, deleting certain photos and hiding information as you go. For some people this could be a very valuable time. Not everyone wants others to know your relationship history especially if you have just started seeing someone new.

Another criticism of Timeline is that Facebook seems to be seeking more and more personal information. As mentioned earlier, the Timeline feature is promoted as the opportunity to create an online scrapbook documenting all the most important parts of your life. This obviously increases the already significant amount of data that Facebook holds on its users. This data is obviously used to improve the advertising that is targeted very specifically when you log on to your account. Ever noticed just how specific the advertising is on your page? When you change your relationship status to ‘single’ you’ll often see more online dating ads on your page. Conversely, if you’re listed as ‘in a relationship’ for a period of time you might start to notice ads for jewellery stores. So by collecting even more data on us, Facebook can become even more specific with targeting their advertising.  

Regardless of your views on the change, the reality is that it is going to happen. So it’s best to find out as much as you can. We have prepared a short guide on how to make the most of Timeline. This is not only important for increasing your enjoyment of Facebook, but also for protecting yourself and your information because another feature of the change is that more of your page will be available to the public unless you make the appropriate changes to your profile.

Have you already changed to Timeline? What are your thoughts? Do you like it or do you hate it? Will the change affect how you use Facebook in the future? Share your thoughts with us.