Facebook to force change upon its users as new 'Timeline' becomes 'compulsory'
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg
Facebook users will be forced into using Timeline, its new profile page, which allows members to tell the story of their life on a single page, within the next 'few weeks'.
Until now, the change to the new-look Facebook, has been voluntary. But Facebook’s 800 million users around the world no longer have a choice as Timeline has been made compulsory. From the point when a user clicks 'get Timeline', they have seven days to play around with the new profile. However, the new look will become compulsory for all users "within the next few weeks".
First announced by Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and chief executive at f8, company’s annual developers’ conference in San Francisco last September, Timeline allows users a much more visually impactful profile and the ability to share the story of their whole lives.
Zuckerberg explained the thinking behind Timeline at the conference, saying: “Millions of people curate stories of their lives on Facebook every day and have no way to share them once they fall off your profile page...we have been working on ‘timeline’ all year?it’s the story of your life and completely new way to express yourself.
“It has three pieces: all your stories, your apps and a new way to express who you are.”
He said that wanted people to be able to share “their entire lives” on Facebook and have “total control” over how their content appeared online. Using his own profile to demonstrate the new timeline, Zuckerberg showed photos of himself as a baby which he has inserted into the new profile page which is organized by years.
However, users across the site have been up in arms about the forced change – which is quite a dramatically different way each member displays their personal information.
One user wrote: “I’m sorry but this is rubbish. I’m surprised Facebook hasn’t included a compulsory DNA profile section (default to public obviously).”
Web users generally do not welcome the redesign of sites and digital services they use every day. Recently when the BBC radically redesigned its home page, the corporation received hundreds of complaints.
However, it remains to be seen how forcing Facebook users into such a radical change of their most personal page on the site, will fare with the majority of members.
- Emma Barnett
© Telegraph.co.uk
