Facebook is putting on a brave face and seems to be all set to have a duel with Google+. Its latest weapon is 'Timeline', the new format
which will turn the social networking site into your personal diary. According to Mark Zuckerberg, founder of the network, Timeline would also make it easier to for you to keep track of your contacts. The feature is currently optional, however, very soon it will be the default profile style. As usual, the new changes have upset people, and consequently, they have set up a number of pages, very obviously on Facebook itself, stating how they want the old format back. But as in the past, this too shall pass and we will learn to love the format.
Love Facebook Timeline
It's not that the new format is entirely without merits. The new format is certainly more intuitive and user friendly. It is also easier to navigate. Timeline does exactly what its name portends, it chronicles your life history via status updates and messages. Everything you ever posted on Facebook is now accessible, you just have to scroll down enough. So, now if you feel like retrieving some important information like what you ate a year back, you just have to navigate through Timeline and voila, the information is right there in front of you. Of course, this assumes that you did post the pretty or not so pretty pictures of your meal on Facebook and it is highly likely that you did.
Hate Facebook Timeline
Privacy?
Facebook Timeline has caused discontent among the privacy rights advocates. The new version has received flak from privacy rights groups as they contend that the new design will have adverse impact on how third party interacts with your information on the site. They also claim that the new design will also change Facebook's approach towards safeguarding users' privacy. Well, let's just rehash that Facebook actually never had much regard for protecting its users' private information. Just very recently, it was caught up in yet another controversy about tracking its users even after they log out of the network. Given the circumstances, the concerns raised by privacy groups certainly deserve more attention.
Another argument against Timeline is that it has further muddied the already ambiguous Facebook privacy control settings. Users are still not clear about their interaction with third-party apps. There is no clear cut answer whether their data would be deleted once they choose to part ways with a third party app. These concerns are now even more important since the FTC in the US has declared that employers may use Facebook information for making employment related decisions. The privacy groups have also condemned Facebook's practice of making frequent changes.
Marketers and Spammers Dream!
It looks like that the new format has been designed keeping online marketers in mind, rather than the users. The new Timeline feature will make it possible for the marketers to sending out more targeted advertisements. It will also let them present their history and transformation in a more comprehensive way. The new subscribe button also seems to be designed keeping businesses and celebrities in mind. The only benefit for the common user is that now you can follow someone without actually 'Friending' them. With this feature, Facebook is not only targeting Google+, but is also taking on Twitter.
Trademark Issues
Timeline is facing some other teething problems too. Facebook has been sued by a start up firm Timelines.com for the infringement of its trademark. The site has also accused that Facebook is redirecting the company's Facebook page to its own Timeline feature page. The suit is likely to cause some delays in the roll out of the feature. So, let's know your views about the latest makeover of Facebook.