Scrapbook + Nostalgia = Facebook Timeline

By the time you’re reading this, assuming you’re one of over 750 million Facebook users, you’ve probably already met the new Facebook Timeline. This replacement for what had been Facebook Profiles was expected to go live in late September and provided a significant change in how a user’s profile information is displayed. Harnessing the power of nostalgia, Facebook has turned a profile into a scrapbook of their life, from birth to today in a visually stimulating interactive timeline that provides quick access to the moments that have impacted our lives. Facebook’s algorithms, as laid out in ‘The Social Network’, do an excellent job at predicting human emotion and desire. Facebook Timeline is no different, somehow separating the most impactful moments of our history from those more mundane and presenting it as a story. While it’s a significant change at first glance, no doubt an uncomfortable one for some, a bit of use showcases a new form of social networking that makes Google+ already seem almost obsolete.

Facebook Timeline – Cover Photo

Upon first launching Facebook Timeline you’ll notice the addition of a Cover Photo, a giant user-controlled photo that can be anything you want it to be. For me, I selected a shot of myself playing guitar high above the Sea of Cortez in Mexico. Together with my profile pic of a Bell’s Brewery beer flight they do a great job at getting the message of “who is Rick Jessup” across quickly. Immediately underneath you’ll find some of that basic profile info that’s all too familiar, along with boxes for Friends, Photos, Likes and Map.

Facebook Timeline – Map

What is Map? Connected to location-based updates and Facebook Places check-ins, it’s a reminder of where you’ve been through check-ins, photos, status updates and even profile information like Work, Education and Milestones.

Facebook Timeline – Profile

Your profile is now divided into two columns showcasing the same content you’re accustomed to in a slightly tweaked look and feel. Recent Activity, Photos, Links, Statuses and more are all there, and scrolling down shows an overview of Friends, Likes and Events. All of this is divided by Month, defaulting to the current month.

Facebook Timeline – The Timeline

Which brings us to the strength of Facebook Timeline – the timeline itself. Along the right side you’ll find a vertical bar from Born to Now, with months and years between. Clicking on them brings you to either Facebook activity from those periods of time or relevant other events, often including friends and family. Each item in the Timeline can be accompanied with Photos, a Location, a Story, and even isolated to specific users or groups of users for those more privacy-conscious users. Did you get married before there was a Facebook? Simply scroll back, upload some wedding photos, tag the location and guests that were with you and the entire Timeline (and the Timelines of those you tagged) become updated. Imagine a scrapbook that those important to you can update and you’re getting an idea of the power present in Facebook Timeline.

What Does it Mean?

So what does Facebook Timeline mean for marketers, retailers and advertisers? One challenge is the removal of an automatic presence for most apps. Users of this new Facebook are noticing less content in their feeds from brands they Like, and perusing one’s Timeline soon proves that Facebook puts little historical relevance on when you first plowed a Farmville field or clicked Like to win a free bag of chips. Facebook is, however, stepping up the relevance of location. Checking in or tagging people and locations in status updates and photo uploads receive a solid home in the Timeline and Map features. Sounds to me like a significant opportunity for a retailer who suddenly now has better access to profiles and newsfeeds than most large companies will, at least in the short term.

To dive a bit deeper check out these articles:

First Look: Facebook’s New Timeline Design by Richard MacManus, ReadWriteWeb

Why I Love Facebook Timeline by Charlie White, Mashable