The Timeline feature on Facebook was something that most people were hesitant to accept as the new look. It’s well known that Facebook will often change completely without warning, causing confusion and complaints from users for a day or two, which then subside. Timeline, however, took a harder beating than most of the other changes, being that it was complained of for months. However, there is now more reason to fall in love with the new design, for it seems the people of Facebook had big ideas for Timeline the entire time.
Although the idea seemed a bit unusual and to many, useless at first, Facebook has recently announced in their blog that they will be bringing new apps to the Timeline feature. Most of the apps being included are very well known and well used. According to the blog, Facebook will be bringing Foodily, Ticketmaster, Pinterest, Rotten Tomatoes, Kobo, TripAdvisor, and more to their newer layout. The apps will be there to reflect a user’s specific interests and help them to share the things that they find.
Facebook’s Carl Sjorgreen writes on the company blog, “Soon, there will be apps for all types of interests, as more apps will launch over time. Whether you love snowboarding, gardening, hiking, or knitting, or something else, there will be an app for you.” As if it weren’t interactive enough, Facebook is adding these new apps so that users can share things they love, and maybe talk with others who love them as well. This new addition has brought life to the questionable new feature of Facebook.
People will be able to turn Facebook into a sort of learning experience. People will be able to post anything they find interest in really, and others who see what has been shared can click and see what their friend has shared. Timeline is also being used to teach Facebook users about products and services in a new way.
On the Facebook pages of certain brands, some very creative advertising methods are being used. For example, on the Old Spice or KLM Airlines pages, the new Cover Photo feature is being used with their profile pictures to create one image, resulting in a very creative design to their page. Also, big names like Ford and Call of Duty: Black Ops are using the timeline to note important dates in their history. Ford posts the countless historical breakthroughs in the company on the actual dates they happen. Call of Duty: Black Ops posts the fictional events from the game on the dates they were said to have happened in the plot line. The Timeline opened new doors to brands that hadn’t really been seen anywhere before.
With the constant growth and improvement occurring with Facebook, it’s sure to be around for a while. Keeping the site fresh and exiting with new features helps users stay interested, even if they don’t know it yet. Facebook’s new Timeline apps are just another step in the direction of growth, for Facebook itself, and anyone else that takes advantage of it.
