Facebook's New Profile 'Timeline' Debuts At f8 2011: 7 Things You Need To Know

SAN FRANCISCO (BARBARA ORTUTAY AND MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP/THE HUFFINGTON POST) -- Facebook is dramatically redesigning its users' profile pages to create what CEO Mark Zuckerberg says is a "new way to express who you are."

Zuckerberg introduced the Facebook "timeline" Thursday in San Francisco at the company's f8 conference for some 2,000 entrepreneurs, developers and journalists. The event is also being broadcast to more than 100,000 online viewers.

The timeline is reminiscent of an online scrapbook, with the most important photos and text that users have shared on Facebook over the years. It's Facebook's attempt at growing from an online hangout to a homestead, where people express their real selves and merge their online and offline lives. The timeline can go back to include years before Facebook even existed, so users can add photos and events from, say 1995 when they got married or 1970 when they were born.

Zuckerberg took the stage after a humorous skit, in which Saturday Night Live actor Andy Samberg impersonated him. The real Mark Zuckerberg looked considerably more playful and at ease than he has in past events, suggesting he is growing into his role as the public face of Facebook.

But he quickly got down to business as he introduced the timeline as "the story of your life – all your stories, all your apps and a new way to express who you are."

Expanding on its ubiquitous "like" buttons, Zuckerberg said Facebook will now let users connect to things even if they don't want to "like" them.

"We are making it so you can connect to anything you want. Now you don't have to like a book, you can just read a book," he said. "You don't have to like a movie; you can just watch a movie."

Check out our live blog from f8 to read about the biggest announcements as they happened.

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Ortutay reported from New York.

Comments

[alexunlv]

02:18 PM on 09/26/2011

Was Bianca suppose to redact her face on her profile picture? I ask because her photos were redacted except the MAIN PHOTO on her page! lol

Cutie!

[captain hooker]

01:58 PM on 09/26/2011

Is it me or is Facebook devolving into MySpace?

[OMGWTH]

03:08 PM on 09/25/2011

I want to defriend one person. How can she tell if I do this? What are the steps? I went on and I cannot figure it out. I hesitate because I don't want to anger her, but I really don't want her seeing my wall anymore. Anyone?

[youngjm82]

01:08 AM on 09/26/2011

for real? go to ur privacy settings.

[David Tạ]

09:27 AM on 09/26/2011

You can always unsubscribe from her posts. That way you can keep her as a "friend," but not see any of her posts. You can also put her on a list so she will only see part of your profile and not all your wall posts.

[OMGWTH]

07:14 PM on 09/26/2011

Thanks, David. Your answer was helpful. I am not all that up on how FB works.

[Susan Osterhout Troiano]

09:51 AM on 09/25/2011

I use facebook to connect to shelters and rescues all over the world to help find new homes for pets that need our help. Sure I keep in touch with family and friends but mostly use it for causes that I am involved with.

[ms.understood]

12:02 AM on 09/25/2011

still not impressed enough to have a facebook page.

[whodo1952]

04:50 PM on 09/23/2011

IMO, It is truly time to start paying attention to where we are headed here.
There are too many taking too much for granted anymore.
IMO, it is time to..... Wake up!
Pay attention before you walk through the mirror of avatars.

[Yeah-sure]

03:46 PM on 09/23/2011

Looks like Zuck's trying to push people into whatever Google's going to come up with.

[BlueKansas]

04:07 PM on 09/23/2011

Yeah, he's doing Google's marketing for them. I'm packing it in at Facebook. I am sick of the arrogance of a company that seems to think we want to live on their website. I don't care to share "my real self" with my FB friends. I want to continue to "hang out" for a little while each day...and actually see and talk to friends the rest of the time. Facebook has gotten too creepy for me.

[Peggy Hones Morisen]

02:35 PM on 09/23/2011

Not excited. Will probably cancel it and if others are smart, they will, too.

[Mustangallee]

12:27 PM on 09/23/2011

wondering if 666 can come out of MZ's name!

[Peggy Hones Morisen]

02:35 PM on 09/23/2011

Big Brother. Maybe he is George Orwell in diguise.

[grey234]

12:10 PM on 09/23/2011

I think the idea is amazing and very creative. No, I'm not going to use the updated things because I don't care much for sharing that much information. I personally don't want people to know my life store from my past and present that much, especially if you don't know someone much and someone you don't know but want to get to know. It's like your life store one one page, it kinda takes the fun of getting to know people. But I guess this is the new times, technology is advancing very fast, but I hope people don't get so lost in it. Anyway, I think it's good for those who would want to do it and like sharing a lot, some people no. I'm more of a person who is simple, but not everyone is like that.

[patsijean]

01:43 PM on 09/23/2011

I have kept the number of Facebook friends down to 78...People I actually know and want to keep in touch with. I have a Facebook friend (also a personal friend) who allows "anyone who asks" to be her "friend". That makes me very nervous. I have had some requests from "one mutual friend" HER. They don't know me, I don't know them but I get the requests. Of course I deny the request and while my personal friends can see my information, I am now nervous that "friends of friends" some of whom may not be actual real people, can possibly see my info. I've tried to talk to her about it, but she just smiles and says "I let anyone who asks be my friend." For me, Facebook is a way of keeping in touch, not a put myself out there , experience.

[Gerry Mack]

12:02 PM on 09/23/2011

Bravo Mark Zukkerberg! You are a explorer into the new science of communication that will help mankind to find out who he is and create waves of evolution for this planet, earth!

[ViBarkley]

11:52 AM on 09/23/2011

It isn't user friendly AT ALL. I have a LOT of elderly relatives who had a hard time with the old format. Now this???? We're gonna have to go back to phone calls or use Skype to keep in touch. This will not work for Senior Citizens AT ALL. Which, BTW is a very large % of the population.

[Peggy Hones Morisen]

02:41 PM on 09/23/2011

I agree. I am over sixty and for us, it is confusing enough. Perhaps this is a way of weeding out us old folks who have no other way to keep in touch with family far away. This guy is inconsiderate and in my opinion, stupid. He will lose a lot of people. Even though I am college educated, I am not that savvy with computers. Plus, should we oldies, but goodies, cancel, how to we get all our pics back? And another thing. It indicates where one can be found. Not too smart if one is old, frail and disabled. Leaves this idiot open for a major lawsuit if a home invasion occurs and someone is maimed, raped and/or killed.

[kwhaleys]

11:47 AM on 09/23/2011

It's like having Twitter blasting stuff at me while I'm trying to read other things that actually interest me. It's like they want everyone to have ADD. I don't like it. Is there a way to turn it off?

[Remember Remember]

10:44 AM on 09/23/2011

great zuck, now how the heck do i turn it off?

[kwhaleys]

11:47 AM on 09/23/2011

If you figure it out, let me know.

[Moises Caetano]

07:56 AM on 09/23/2011

Yeah. I'm sorry but the eay that profile looks, I really love it. I'm already getting ideas for mine.
Maybe it's because i'm a very visual person. Way into asthetics...