The Official Wix Blog

What is Facebook’s Timeline & How to Get it Now

Posted by The Wix Team | October 25th 2011

Did you get a chance to experience Timeline, Facebook’s latest sensation? Not long ago, we published a post where we we introduced and demystified Facebook’s latest features. Now it’s time to focus on the most anticipated feature on that list, “the evolution of the profile” aka Timeline.

Timeline is not yet available for all Facebook users, but the few lucky ones who already have it are creating amazing new profile designs.

If this is the first time you hear about Facebook’s Timeline, it’s basically a new way of displaying and collecting personal data that turns your news feed into a life story. Let’s break Timeline into sections to understand what it actually means:

Main Timeline Features

Cover Photo

A major improvement to the profile’s appearance. The cover photo is a wide, banner-like image that adds a whole new dimension of personalization to Facebook. At the bottom-left corner, the good old Profile Picture is still present.

This combo of two pics allows users to get wild and creative with their profile. Here are some great examples of how people are playing with the cover photo:

Timeline Activity

This feature tracks and displays highlights of your Facebook existence, from the present moment to back in the day when you first joined Facebook. It displays milestones, moods, changes, all set in a  a chronological framework which creates your very personal story. Wow.

Photos, posts and events all intertwine on your timeline: the music you started listening to while in college; the haircut you got when you landed your first serious job; how you learned to cook when your kids were born, your new pet dog etc.

Just in case you want to rewrite your history, Timeline allows you to go back in time and do a little retouching. You can also emphasize certain events in your life by highlighting them on your Timeline.

Easy Updating

One of the major downsides to the current Facebook profile is the clumsy and user-unfriendly editing process.

With Timeline, however, it becomes much easier to update your profile, both through the Edit page and with the new status-line field that will share real-time events. Your city, your relationship/s, your job, your car – all these updates will be one click away.

Want Your Own Timeline Today?

Right now, Timeline is still in beta. You can sign up HERE to make sure you’re in once it’s open to the public.

But we’re not going to leave you all high and dry. Here’s how you can install Timeline right now!

• Make sure that you’re logged into your FB account and go HERE.
• You may be requested to click “Allow”. If you’ve already allowed the developers’ page access before, you will be forwarded to a page, where you should click on “Create New App”.
• When asked for “Display Name” and “Namespace”, feel free to enter anything you want. Don’t forget to check the Platform Policies’ checkbox and click “Continue”.
• You may be asked to verify your account by entering a valid phone number or credit card number.
• All verified? Good. Now click on “Open Graph”.
• You will then be requested to enter an action. It doesn’t matter what you put in there, so feel free to improvise.
• On the next screen, just click “Save Changes and Next”.
• Again, click on “Save Changes and Next”.
• You will land at a screen that sort of summarizes everything you’ve done so far. Wait about 10 minutes and check your Facebook homepage, where you should see an invitation to use Timeline.
• If it takes more than 10 minutes, just wait a while longer. Facebook now recognizes you as a developer and will eventually invite you to Timeline on the homepage.
• When you see the “Introducing Timeline” box on your Facbeook homepage, click on “Get It Now”.
• Start editing your Timeline and make all of your less-savvy friends super jealous.  You’ve done it!

 

Got Timeline? Tell us how you’re enjoying it or share your awesome cover photo with us on the comments. 

Tagged with: Facebook . Social Media