Facebook Releases New Timeline Profile at f8

Today, during the f8 2011 keynotes in San Francisco, Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg revealed the completed revamped Timeline Profile.

“Timeline is the future of profiles, it’s where profiles are going…”, said Facebook Product Manager, Sam Lessin during his f8 interview early this afternoon.

What exactly IS Timeline?

Timeline is a way for you to tell your complete story the way you want to tell it.  Up until today when you log into your Facebook account, you have your timeline, your profile, your photo and the most recent updates are viewable on your profile page.  Timeline will bring about the future, or rather the past, of your updates.  Instead of a few likes, updates and other interests you’ve posted in the past few days, you will now have a continuous view of everything that has ever been posted on your Facebook wall.  Yes, you heard me, EVERYTHING!

The profile will look similar to a blog or magazine layout.  With a large image, which Facebook is calling the “Cover” at the top.  This image will give you the opportunity to choose one photo that represents who you are.  In addition you’ll still have your profile photo, as well as the most recent posts from your timeline at the top of your wall.

 

Out with the Old, In with the New!

Previously new posts or likes could only be added to the top of your wall.  With Timeline you have a much more interactive way of expressing what makes you, you.  This means you will be able to scan throughout your wall history back to the beginning of time and delete items you no longer want to be viewable, such as your Kindergarten photos, or the cross country road trip you took back in those crazy college days or even that awesome perm and bangs that your Mom and Grandmother told would look “so cute!” -  no one, should have to relive the Lisa Turtle, Saved by the Bell days.  Example A: Please see the ‘beautiful’ photo of my super hip, rad do to the right.

No! Don’t Show my Awful Perm Photos!

Don’t worry, Facebook is not all of a sudden going to turn on Timeline.  Instead, it will be rolled out at your discretion.  What you’ll do is accept Timeline, Facebook will turn it on for you, and you will be given a grace period to go through your timeline and delete items you no longer want included. (Whew!)  Allowing you to create your perfect history and express yourself in the way that you see fit.  Even better than deleting items you no longer want will be the ability to interactively add in items into your Timeline, where you notice large gaps in the history.

To watch the complete f8 2011 interview with Facebook Product Manager, Sam Lessin check out this video and scroll to 2 minutes and 57 seconds