Facebook Timeline: The Last Straw or the Reason to Stay?
Some wonder why they still have a Facebook account. The site is a social media giant that is always changing something, even though many people simply use it to post mundane things like, “Pumpkin Spiced Lattes complete me!” More importantly, a major issue is arising regarding Facebook, and it is likely that a huge portion of the 800 million users are going to be very upset in the coming weeks. A recent article posted by CNN.com explains Facebook is completely changing the layout of profiles.
The traditional Facebook profile will soon be the “Facebook Timeline.” A lot of changes will come with Facebook Timeline, and a good portion of the nearly 800 million users might threaten to quit out of frustration. Some of the changes include going to two columns instead of one with several boxes each designated to text, photos or videos and featuring a map of your favorite places. Overall, instead of listing your latest activities, Facebook Timeline will be more of a scrapbook documenting your entire life.
You might be shocked as we were at first, but it wasn’t long before we saw the benefits of the new Facebook Timeline, especially for small businesses. This is an opportunity to be even more strategic about the information being seen on your profile. Regarding the “Pumpkin Spiced Latte” posts, Pete Cashmore, Founder and CEO of Mashable.com, a popular tech-news blog, said, “Facebook takes these thousands of seemingly inconsequential events, discards the irrevelant ones, finds the most emotive, the most visual, the most striking and emotionally touching moments and pulls them into sharp focus.”
How do they do this? “A marvel in computer programming: an algorithm that comes eerily close to emulating human memory.” You may find yourself frustrated when the launch of the Facebook Timeline comes about, but we hope that you’ll realize soon after that this is a remarkable change. The new Facebook will continue to be a meaningful social network which can transform the way businesses market themselves through it.
Realistically, few people have the time to watch the official 90-minute announcement of the Facebook Timeline, but you can make the change now by visiting Mashable.com for step-by-step instructions. It will give you time to understand the new format and will give you a head start against competition.
Sometimes, the best way to handle change is to embrace it.
Published on: September 29, 2011