Commentary

What Do You Think of Facebook Timelines vs. Profiles?

by Erik Sass , Staff Writer, September 22, 2011

Well, all those previous changes and additions sort of shrink into insignificance compared to the major changes announced today by Facebook at the F8 developer conference: the world's largest social network will be replacing all user profiles with a new "Timeline" format, which looks a little bit more like a personal blog than the old profiles did. This includes a big picture at the top, with posts and updates appearing vertical-chronologically beneath it. Of course I have my own opinions about this drastic revamp, but since social media is all about sharing -- and since I am privileged to address an audience that is uniquely attuned to such issues -- I thought I would turn this column over to its readers in the comments section today.

So what do you think of the new Timelines format, and the decision to do away with Profiles? Fire away! (And feel free to write at length).

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3 comments about "What Do You Think of Facebook Timelines vs. Profiles?".

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Kate Lafrance from Hartford Woman Online Magazine, September 22, 2011 at 4:14 p.m.
I was just about to accept the new profile changes as something beyond my control that I would just have to get use to - HOWEVER - there is a new wrinkle in FaceBook where I keep getting messages that "so and so" wants my approval to add me to their work history - further examination and it is asking for me to "agree" that I worked for people that I have NEVER worked for - and I somehow don't think that's what they intended to trigger. I might have ignored this "glitch" if not for the fact that now I have disgruntled people contacting me and asking why I have done this to them? I also was contacted by an angry lady who wanted to know just why I had added her to the group page for my High School reunion - which I never did. SO - as someone in Social Media - I can accept some glitches as this process sorts itself out - but FB seems to have forgotten the MASSES of people out there that only use it to trade recipes and post pics of their cats who take it VERY seriously. They believe their privacy has been invaded when they get an alert or request that they don't understand - I can't imagine that those people will stick around - they already mistrusted the internet and now they see their privacy as under attack. Epic fail FaceBook.
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Tom Mackendrick from The Kern Organization, September 22, 2011 at 4:48 p.m.

I am so happy that Mr. Zuckerberg knows what's best for me. And I a happy that he has decided to make changes without my input, knowledge or consent. Brand who do this often enough lose market share and consumers. This is a social ecosystem, perhaps he has never heard of sharing his thoughts first around changes and seeing how it flies. There is a RELATIONSHIP between consumers and brands. In this particular relationship I believe it is only one sided.

Mike Donatello from Opinions expressed are personal, September 23, 2011 at 10:28 a.m.

I've been on FB for around five years, I think, and have weathered most of the feature and interface changes gracefully. Last straw here, though.

Improvements and additions to the feature set are great, if they're driven by customer needs or wants. But even if customer desires are behind FB's latest moves, there seems to be no easy way to maintain or tighten privacy controls across the FB experience. Bad, bad move in the face of mounting public concerns about privacy online.

So, I'll let my account lie stagnant for a while, until FB introduces privacy protections that meet my needs -- ease of use among them. If that doesn't happen, well, there are other social hubs on the web.