With the new profile, Facebook Timeline, rolling out to everyone, there are few things I want to share with you.
Here is 5 things to do before you publish your Timeline.
1. Clean Up Your Content
In the old profile, it was possible to check old posts but one has to go on clicking on older post again and again. With Timeline, all your activities are stream more visually and searching for old post is breeze. It’s like a time machine, giving all your friends the tool to easily dig up your past. So, the first thing you’ve got to do is clean up any embarrassing or unwanted post, before it turns out to be a privacy nightmare.
You can edit your posts – show/hide in your Timeline, remove posts, or adjust the privacy settings – either through the Timeline stream or from the Activity Log.
Facebook gives you three options to decide who sees what: You can make all your post friends-only; You can limit the posts by others on your Timeline; Or you can review every item ever posted to your wall individually.
Activity Log button is located on the right next to “Update Info” below the cover photo.
2. Cover Photo
Cover photo is the most significant difference between the old profile and Timeline visually. Your cover photo is the wide photo that spans the width of your profile. Your old profile photo will still be there, but it will be smaller and inset beneath the cover photo. However, it is still important as it is the one that shows up in News Feeds and searches.
Remember that the cover photo is the first thing people will see when they visit your timeline. So, don’t forget to use images that represents you the best.
So, don’t forget to experiment with different images and have fun with it.
3. Life Event
After you switch to Timeline, you will see a new button on your Status Update bar called the Life Event.
As the name suggests, this button allows you to add important events that happened in your life to your Facebook timeline.
Clicking on the “Life Event” tab will provide you with a menu of different categories, each containing a number of options. It is like adding profile information, but much more. To add an event, choose a category to update and fill in details in the provided form and you are done.
4. Highlighting The Things That Matters
Below the Timeline Cover and other profile information, you will find the Timeline stream of your Facebook life in reverse chronological order.
On the Timeline stream, you will be able to mark which post deserve more prominence and which don’t. As part of Timeline’s more visual experience, your selections will be reflected in the size on the post.
If you want to highlight a particular item, hover over the item and click the star icon. Now, that item will be displayed more prominently.
Similarly, you can hide particular item from your Timeline, or delete it by hovering over the item and clicking the pencil (edit) icon. Note: Removing an item from Timeline will not delete the item.
5. Review Your Likes
Unlike the old profile, Timeline your likes are easier to see as Timeline places the pages you liked below your cover photo. So, don’t forget to review all your likes from each year.
Click on the “Likes” icon. The first section will show you your interests and the next section will show you the pages you like, and your friends who also liked that page, by year. To add or remove some, click the “Edit” button at the top. To remove a page, click on the page’s name, then select “Unlike.”
Remember that you can take charge of who sees what, what is displayed, or how something is displayed. You just need to take some time customizing your profile. Have fun and good luck creating your Facebook Story.
