SAW A GOOD IDEA

Facebook Timeline: A Love Story

Despite full acceptance of my social media addiction and narcissism, I have fought hard against my demographic’s title of "Generation Me." Generation Me is characterized by our supposed egotism and lack of professionalism and drive - all of which may be demonstrated by our delight in sharing through social media. Although I do not agree with the stereotypes of laziness and lack of motivation, egotism and narcissism are pretty apt themes. So, as a reluctant part of Generation Me, I stand here to declare my absolute love for Facebook Timeline and the infinite possibilities it presents for personal ego inflation…and business growth.
 
After Mark Zuckerberg announced Facebook Timeline at the F8 Developer Conference last September, I sat in eager anticipation with my pointer trigger finger ready to click as soon as testing opened. A few hours of poking and prodding at my profile later, I was full on head over heels for Timeline (not that it was a hard sell).
 
At the F8 Conference Zuckerberg said, "We're more than what we did recently." With that in mind, Facebook Timeline expands social sharing to what users did in the past -- last week, last year, their first Facebook post, or even their birth. Imagine the possibilities!!! I get giddy at the idea that the next time I go home to visit my parents I can rummage through a dusty box of pictures and then later upload to my Timeline photos of when I lost my first baby tooth or crammed my toddler face full of birthday cake.

Not only does Facebook Timeline indulge my social sharing (that may sometimes border on over-sharing), it's also pretty. While the old profiles weren't poorly designed, Timeline features a profile picture and a cover photo that gives profiles more visual customization without them getting circus-like (see MySpace profiles of late). Links to my Twitter, Foursquare and Instagram are now all featured more prominently, and those feeds are shared automatically on my Timeline, making it easy for Facebook to be the hub for social media. As with previous Facebook makeovers, there have been a fair amount of complaints from users, but in time, Timeline won't seem so foreign and users will forget that they were angry.

Currently, there are no Facebook Timelines for brand and company pages; however, given Facebook's commitment to continuity, I think we can look forward to those soon. Timeline for business will provide all the perks of the revamped, visual-heavy design (and more visible Facebook ads) but also present some challenges like an even shorter window of opportunity to catch users' attention.

So, I may not be fond of the term "Generation Me," but I accept that I am a part of it and gladly embrace media like Facebook Timeline that speaks to all my self-centered sensibilities. After flirting with social media and courting different platforms, I think Facebook Timeline just may steal my heart.
 
How do you feel about Timeline? Have you made the switch yet? Tell me below in the comments!

- Kristi Murphy