How To Prepare Your Facebook Profile for the Timeline Update
Update (3/24/2012):
IMPORTANT – When you upgrade to Facebook Timeline almost all of your old posts will be available to the public, even if they were previously only visible to your friends. Take a look at this video to learn how to see what the public can see on your profile and to learn how to “bulk” change the visibility of your public facing posts:
Update (01/29/2011):
Facebook recently announced that Timeline will be rolled out to all users within the next couple weeks, regardless of whether or not the user “opts in”.
Because of this, it is even more important that you and all your friends properly prepare your Facebook profiles – don’t forget to share this guide when you’re done!
Facebook Timeline Update
Facebook Timeline has been released worldwide and you will notice that there are some very important steps you need to take in order to prepare your new Facebook profile before publishing it.
Once enabled, Facebook Timeline completely changes the Facebook profile page into a timeline view of your life. There are mixed opinions of the new profile but preparing your profile before publishing it can really improve your experience.
The main benefit and weakness of the new Facebook Timeline is that users can more easily see your older posts, pictures and Facebook activity.
Once Timeline is enabled, users will be given a few days to alter their profiles to their liking before publishing to their friends, family and subscribers.
If you haven’t yet enabled Facebook Timeline, you can also watch my video tutorial on how to enable Facebook Timeline.
Tips to Preparing your Facebook Timeline Profile Before Publishing:
- Review All of Your Old Facebook Posts
- Set the Default Privacy for Posts
- Restrict the Visibility of Past Posts
- Set Your Canvas Picture
- Customize Facebook Quick Links
- Add Life Events and Accomplishments
- Connect Apps to Your Facebook Profile
As I stated earlier, the new Facebook Timeline will make old events and updates much more visible to your friends. Ex-girlfriend and boyfriends may appear on your profile, posts you made back in 2006 will be much more visible and pictures that you’ve been tagged in or uploaded will be displayed more prominently.
Once Facebook Timeline is enabled, the first thing I recommend you do is scan over all of your old posts. If you don’t want the post to be displayed at all on your timeline, click on the “Pen Symbol” in the top right corner of the post and select “Hide from Timeline“. This will make the post invisible to anyone viewing your profile. If you want to delete the post entirely, click “Delete post…“.
When you post an update or link to your Facebook page without customizing the privacy settings for that specific post, Facebook will post the update with the default privacy settings configured for your account.
You can modify the default privacy settings by clicking on the “dropdown arrow” and then “Privacy Settings” at the top right corner of the Facebook screen.
Once at the privacy management screen, you can modify your default post privacy settings in the section labled “Control Your Default Privacy“. You can set your default privacy to public, friends or a custom setting (recommended).
Update 12/20/2011
After writing this post, I discovered another important feature of Facebook Timeline that everyone should take a look at. Because of the way Facebook has implemented Facebook Timeline, a lot of your posts, galleries and comments that were previously only visible to your friends, are now publicly visible to anyone in the world.
I wrote another post on how to check if your posts are publicly visible and how to restrict the visibility of all your old Facebook posts to only your friends. This is a very important privacy concern of Facebook Timeline and I recommend that everyone take a look at this post to make sure that only the people you want to have access to your Facebook activity are the people actually do have access.
Facebook Timeline features a customizable “canvas” that can be displayed at the top of your page in addition to your profile picture. The canvas definitely adds some personality to Facebook profiles and allows the user to be creative when selecting an image for their canvas. You can upload an image to use or crop one of your already existing Facebook images.
At the top of your new Facebook profile page you will notice some thumbnail image links that allow friends and subscribers to view your pictures, places, likes, friends and information about apps that you use.
If you click on the “drop down arror” to the right of the thumbnails, you can customize which sections you would like to be displayed.
If you use certain Facebook Apps like Spotify and/or Slacker Radio, you can add them to the thumbnail area to allow your friends to see your activity within the particular app. If you don’t want people to easily access the “maps” section of your profile, which displays all the places that friends have “checked you in”, you can remove the thumbnail link altogether by clicking on “pen icon” at the top right of the thumbnail.
The goal of Facebook Timeline is to serve as a constantly updated biography of your life. One of the new features available in Timeline is the ability to add events and accomplishments such as getting a new job, getting married, having children or going on a vacation.
To add a lifetime event to your timeline, move your mouse over the vertical line in the middle of your timeline and click the “+ symbol“. You can then choose which type of event your like like to add (work and education, family and relationships, living, health and wellness or milestones and experiences).
You can add photos, tags and/or comments to events you add to your timeline.
In addition to the timeline feature, Facebook has also added an updated apps service that allows users to link specific applications such as music services, news websites, exercise tracking services and movie services to their profile.
When you connect an app to your Facebook account, your activity within that app will automatically display on your Facebook page. If you connect a music app for example, your Facebook profile will display which songs and/or artists you listen to within that app.
I’ve compiled a full list of new Facebook partners if you’re having trouble finding which apps you would like to connect.
I would definitely recommend that you connect Spotify to your Facebook account.
About Anson Alexander
Anson Alexander is a graduate from the University of Tampa with a degree in International Business and Information Systems.A previous IT Administrator for a medium size publication company, Anson has recently decided to work full time on his own business by publishing on AnsonAlex.com, publishing technology tutorials on YouTube and offering SEO, IT training and digital marketing services.His main interests include technology, social media, infographics, economics, marketing and web design.Connect with Anson on Google+.
[...] a sneak peak at the new feature. I was right! Once Facebook Timeline is enabled don’t forget to prepare your timeline before publishing it! Note: This tutorial may require some basic technical knowledge but you [...]
Can the Facebook Timeline template be edited in any way? I'm a picky professional photographer, and I don't want Facebook's amateurish software mortising my mug shot into my cover photo or cropping my precisely framed, horizontal and vertical photo posts into poorly-composed squares.
[...] How to prepare your Facebook for the timeline update [...]
is their any way you can go back to the old view after trying out the timeline view?
is their anyway you can go back to the old view after trying out the timeline view?
Timeline has serious security issues. When I set my profile to 'friends' or 'custom' I can view my facebook profile IN FULL, including 3-4 years of personal posts (despite setting the 'limited posts' option). This is really bad. I have not heard any positive comments about timeline yet, mainly because of security problems. Whoever designed it should be fired.
I have the same problem, its just unbelievable how facebook can allow such a thing. Have you found a solution ? I've been surfing the web but cant find anything.
i found a solution! back to myspace.. its a sad sad day
I don't see why EVERYONE who doesn't want the new Timeline to be implemented into facebook just closes off their FB accounts altogether for a week in protest of having all of their info placed out there for EVERYONE to read. FB has gotten really sleazy, in the same way Google has gotten really sleazy. Once FB goes public, it will get even sleazier to keep investors happy. It's a shame that this has turned out just as bad as My Space. Every so many weeks they find a way to leak our private information out there. I sometimes wonder if governments and government pressure is behind all of this so they can spy.
This dude looks like Joran Van der Sloot
* I meant to say that I can view it in full when i'm logged into another profile and not added as a friend. So basically timeline leaves your profile public regardless of security measures taken in the account settings.
I have discovered that in spite of blocking the ability of friends to be able to see my friends list, that they can on timeline. I have contacted facebook about this but they haven't responded.
iwant dhatd facebook timeline
i like this
ffine
nice profile
likes
Hi,
When i am clicking the pen to edit the a timeline update…it is showing edit…but not showing 'delete' ??
Or this is country specific ? any idea?
Best Regards
subscribing now
I really appreciate your post and you explain each and every point very well.Thanks for sharing this information.And Ill love to read your next post too.
awsome
I like timeline
salam my all friends
So what about gaming and game requests? Is FB making gaming harder for gamers. The profiles I have seen don't have any game requests on them.
I took a nice, tasteful close-up pic of my wife last night when we were out to dinner. I did it with my iphone and I immediately posted it to Facebook, telling everyone that we were having a nice evening out. This morning, I go and look at my timeline profile, and I was horrified to find that the pic posted was completely cropped by Facebook on the Timeline frontpage. The Timeline pic cut off her entire head, and centered on her breasts. There's been a lot of talk about how the cropping issue is at play with Timeline's profile pic and canvas pic – but it is also very much occurring with regular pics being posted to facebook when using Timeline. HELP!!
like this
Timeline is one of the worst ideas yet, which according to reviews, will seriously hurt Facebook's subscriber base and participation.
Nine out of ten participants interviewed regarding this obtrusive update hate it.
I totally agree with Lawrence Hayward, It sucks big time
Hmmmm…seems like everyone wants to complain about Timeline, but no one wants to take action to protest against it.
What a way to lose us. Bye Facebook…………
I hate Timeline, I will be leaving FB soon, most of us have moved to Google+ and wow 10x;s better!
I like this.
I'm having major issues adding the "quick links" none of my apps other then 2-3 that I don't use anymore are selectable there. How do I get Spotify and other apps to show up there?!?! This is driving me nuts
Hi there, i have a question: When i look at my own timeline, or my friends, i can't see family members listed together, like on the old one…how can i fix that ? I mean, i can't even find them….
SO I THOUGHT YOU WERE UPDATING TIMELINE LAST WEEK..??? WELL IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO UPDATE THEN I WANT MY OLD FACEBOOK PAGE BACK !! PLUS WHATIS THE PROBLEM NOW WITH TIMELINE AND TH iPHONE? IT WAS WORKING GREAT .. THEN QUIT!!! YOU CAN NOT CHANGE YOU TIMELINE PIC. I'VE EVEN DELETETED THE APP FOR FB AND PUT IT BACK ON. SO WHAT'S UP? EVERYTIME I TRY YO LOAD A NEW PIC IT SAYS REPOSTION AND THEN USE AND I SAY OK, LAST ABOUT 3 SECS. THANKS !!! IF YOU ALL ANT'S CHANGING GIVE ME BACK THE OLD FACEBOOK !!! THANKS!!!
i like it
[...] în social media Anson Alexander explică, pe blogul său, care sunt paşii pe care trebuie să-i urmezi înainte să treci la [...]
I play Cafe World. Their application is supposed to post requests. Since Timeline I cannot get posts on Facebook's Timeline..I am seriously depressed as I like my games.
can i get on facebook
Common, some one gotta know this:
1. Where on my timeline do i find those I've listed as FAMILY ?
2. Where on my friends timeline do i find those THEY have listed as FAMILY ?
Basically: Where has family members gone ?
Maria,
Go to your homepage and find the "groups" section on the left side. If you mouse over it you will see an option to click "more". If you click that, all of the groups that you can't find should show up.
Hope it helps!
- Anson
This new timeline,despite having my privacy settings set to FRIENDS, when i log on through another profile and search my name,i can view my full timeline and photos too(scary !!!!)think the privacy needs urgent attention .
Just Awesome
Hello…May I ask, how can I change the appearance of my photo thumbnail in this new facebook timeline?
Thanks…
Ailyn,
Go to your profile page on Facebook and mouse over your thumbnail picture. You will see an option to "Change profile picture…" You can then click and choose where you would like to select the photo from.
Hope that helps!
- Anson
How can I go on timeline?
[...] How to Prepare Your Facebook Profile for the Timeline Update [...]
I have many groups & pages to which I belong or like. Where are the groups visible on the Timeline? As it is now, they are accessible on the left -hand side bar. I want to switch to the Timeline but don't want to lose that easy access.
Sherry,
Timeline does not affect your homepage so all of your groups will still be available in the left side of your homepage.
- Anson
Thanks for your helpful tutorials. I followed the instructions to get Timeline now so I can make some changes. While I was toggling back and forth between my profile and your tutorials, my page went back to the current format. I went back to facebook.com/timeline but the green 'get timeline" button is no longer there. The only change I made was to switch the privacy setting from friends to custom. How do I see the Timeline page again so that I can continue to clean it up before it goes live?
Kay,
So you had Timeline but now when you go to your own profile page it is the old format of Facebook again? When you updated to Timeline, did you do so by clicking on the green button?
- Anson
I just had the same problem as Kay (posted here Feb 25). I was working on updating my page for timeline before publishing. After updating my profile pic I closed my browser and did some work on the pic I was planning on using as the cover. Then I logged back on, but the green timeline button is gone. I cannot figure out how to "get it back". Going to the Timeline intro page on FB – the button is missing there as well. I've updated 2 other pages on my account but have 2 more the update – they both are missing the timeline preview or publish buttons. Any help is much appreciated.
Well I tried again today and the Timeline option is back. I finished my updates and published. Facebook frustrates me.
Sleezy UGLY Facebook, they change stuff w/o user input, changing security (or eliminating it by changing settings without user permission), I'm fighting really hard not to close my account altogether, If I'd not have recently connected with family though FB, I'd tell them to F*CK *FF
AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGHHHHHHHH
Thank you for your tutorials on Timeline. Maybe you addressed this and I just missed it but is there a way to choose which images Timeline shows in the thumbnails for things like "Photos" "Likes," etc… at the top of my page? I really don't like the photo and "likes" that it is choosing.
FHWH,
Thanks for reading! I actually have a video tutorial that explains exactly what you're talking about. Take a look and if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask:
http://ansonalex.com/social-media-2/customize-facebook-timeline-quick-link-boxes/
- Anson
Thanks Anson. I can see how to move them around, add and delete new ones, etc… But I'd like to be able to change the image for each of those quick links. Timeline seems to be choosing the image randomly – is there a way for me to choose the image for the "Photo" link, choose the image for the "Likes" link, etc…?
Hey FHWH, I want to know exactly that, I wanna change the little thumbnail images too! Help!
Well, I've been looking around and apparently the only way to modify the images in those quick link tabs is that your Facebook page has to be "public", as in if you have a business, a band, or something like that… see here:
http://www.marketinggum.com/facebook-timeline-upgrade-sizes-faqs-how-to/
Good Morning!!!! I work for a Non Profit Organization, and am responsible for our Facebook page. My problem is this, I MUST increase our "Likes" ASAP!!!!!!!!! I post updates, activities and so on about 3 – 4 times a week. Also, I post pictures albums from the many many events we have. Is there any way that I can control if someone visits our page and wants to click on any photos, flyers, and so on, must LIKE US before they can view these items????? Any help, any suggestion of any type would be most appreciated!!!!!
I apologize but I still can't quite figure out where my groups are shown on Timeline. Am I missing something?? I really need to see my groups. Thanks!
Mary,
Groups are shown in the left toolbar on your homepage. They in the same area as "friends" and "apps".
Hope that helps!
- Anson
I have what used to be called a "fan page" for my business. In the old format, I had 37 testimonials in the form of wall posts. In timeline, only 10 show up (distributed by year, of course). The others have vanished entirely with no apparent way to retrieve them. Luckily, I copied & saved them and can post them on my own website, but this totally destroys the look – and the purpose – of my FB page. Is there any way to restore these old posts?
HELP HELP HELP!!! I'm reposting this question in the hopes that someone might have missed it the first time and have an answer!!!!!
Good Morning!!!! I work for a Non Profit Organization, and am responsible for our Facebook page. My problem is this, I MUST increase our "Likes" ASAP!!!!!!!!! I post updates, activities and so on about 3 – 4 times a week. Also, I post pictures albums from the many many events we have. Is there any way that I can control if someone visits our page and wants to click on any photos, flyers, and so on, must LIKE US before they can view these items????? Any help, any suggestion of any type would be most appreciated!!!!!
Abbey – it's my understanding that NO, Facebook won't allow Welcome pages any longer as the default page. You can still have a Welcome page, but it's an "App" or one of the tabs, would appear alongside the tabs for Photos and Location and such.
How do I edit who sees all of my photos? I found a way to do one album at a time but on 2 or 3 albums it will only let me do them one photo at a time is there a way around this?? I really appreciate all the you've already given me with your posts
thank you very much.
I have been hearing that the timeline format will become automatic for all users, and that it would be done in the first 2 weeks of February. Here it is the end of march and my fb page is still the old format, which I prefer. My question is, has fb reconsidered their stance and allowing users to choose which format they use?
I just want to remove it, I don't like all that junk out there and don't want to have to go through everything so that everyone knows my business which isn't much I just want to go back to the old one.
Michael says:
"QUOTE:"
I have been hearing that the timeline format will become automatic for all users, and that it would be done in the first 2 weeks of February. Here it is the end of march and my fb page is still the old format, which I prefer. My question is, has fb reconsidered their stance and allowing users to choose which format they use? "END OF QUOTE"
That is what I want to know!!! They talked and talked about it all switching over to TIMELINE by the end of March. It is now April 7 and I still have my old version, which I prefer anyway! I HATE Timeline!!!
FB always says one thing but does another!
Does anyone have an answer to this question???
Are they going to give us the choice now or what???
hu? at the top it says "Update (01/29/2011):
Facebook recently announced " but thats last january
… confused
but someone told me that it is changes on the 20th -_- stupid
Do any iPhone users know how to display the cropped cover photo on the mobile device?
It USED to be the cropped photo (similar to when viewed on a computer), but then one day, POOF, the full uncropped cover photo is now displayed.
it seems that by default my timeline is stuck on "now" and only the most recent timeline posts are visible unless I click on last month or the entire year to see the older posts. Is there a way to keep everything posted visible without having to click on different time periods over on the timeline selector? It's seems that all of my posts were all visible until recently but then I may have lost most of them to storage when the month changed.
my facebook doesnot login on my computer though i delate all cookies,history,etc,help me please
i dont have atimeline why
hello