Facebook Timeline Mandatory: You. Are. Next.

you are next, bloodsport, career developmentDo you have a Facebook page of yourself yet? If not, download the free #CareerGravity Blueprint, which gives you the basics on how to get up and running there. If you’re already on Facebook, that’s great. Have you switched to the new-ish Facebook Timeline View yet? If not, that’s not so great.

Resistance is futile; in fact, Facebook Timeline mandatory switchover looms (though you may still be able to get out of it). But don’t feel guilty. Yours truly, for instance, doesn’t like change. I felt comfortable in the old layout and avoided the switchover at every step. About a month ago, however, I relented. Why? Within the Facebook ecosystem, it’s a better expression of your online self. In fact, it’s just better, period. I’ve now embraced Facebook Timeline, and…

You. Are. Next.

Fans of “Bloodsport,” the camp-ish 1988 film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and journeyman character actor Bolo Yeung, who is known for playing martial arts villains, will understand that subhead. And whether or not you’ve seen the movie, you’ll get a kick out of the following clip, inspiration for that subhead:

It’s a bit foreboding, especially to those of us who dislike change, but if you’re serious about making Facebook work for your #CareerGravity, then you are next to convert your wall to Timeline view.

Visually Compelling

So, let’s get back to the inspiration for this blog entry, not just one of the entry’s subheads. Facebook Timeline enables you to project yourself online in a compelling, visually big way. Yes, Facebook has always enabled users to post images of themselves and whatever else, but the art is in the presentation, and the presentation in Timeline view is a quantum leap over the previous layout’s look. For example, here’s mine:

brent skinner, facebook profile, facebook timeline images

 

See? It’s visually inviting and big. That’s not because it’s my profile. Yours can be, too, and just about everyone I know who has converted to Facebook Timeline now enjoys a far more visually compelling presence on that network.

facebook timeline scrollBut Facebook Timeline isn’t attractive just because of the way it transforms the presentation of images and photos. Facebook Timeline’s eponymous timeline also makes it easier than easy for anyone to search through the entire history of your activity on Facebook—something that used to be challenging indeed. It’s not even searching; it’s scrolling, and the static image next to this paragraph shows you what Timeline’s central feature looks like.

To get a sense for its functionality, just visit the wall of any friend on Facebook who has switched to Timeline and give the scroll a try. Straightforward and effective, it takes the user to any point in your Facebook-using history, in seconds.

Timely Facebook Timeline Advice

That’s big, and the features are deep. The website Mashable provides several good primers and deep dives into the intricacies of Facebook Timeline’s functionality and features.

image credit: Two Degrees: Legacy of Rage [image of Bolo Yeung], by Ingrid Richter
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