Not a Fan of Facebook’s Timeline Feature? Get Ready to Cry a Chronological River

By: Kuljit Grewal  |   August 2nd, 2012   |   News, Social Media

It seems like Facebook’s polarizing Timeline format is here to stay. According to various sources (including Today Online), the chronologically based format will become the standard  for all Facebook users as early as August 8, 2012.

 

Available since December 2011, the revised format has been completely optional for all of the social network’s 950 million users. Beginning in January of this year, the company even went so far as to allow those who opted in to use a seven day preview period in order to adjust their information and content as they saw fit prior to fully adopting the format.

 

That same seven day grace period will now be afforded all remaining Facebook users who have resisted joining the Timeline format.

 

According to company CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the Timeline format was created as a way for people to present the story of their entire lives. The format allows for the curation of stories and history that was never before available on users’ profiles.

 

Although millions of users have voluntarily switched to the updated format each month since its introduction, many are not appreciative of being forced into something rather than maintaining the ability to politely say “no thank you”.

 

Their decision regarding the switch hinges on whether the format is a big enough deterrent to keep said users off of the site completely, or whether they simply decide that minimal upkeep and effort to enhance their timeline and page is the most viable option to keep up to speed with the world’s most popular social networking website.

 

Now that Facebook is a public company, one has to wonder how the Timeline feature may be used to earn revenues moving forward, particularly on the mobile front. Facebook has struggled to monetize their mobile platform and should be considering every conceivable way to change that.