When Facebook first started experimenting with its radical new (and I think, sensational) Timeline interface back in late September, we showed you an 8-step way to get a sneak preview. Now, it’s a whole lot easier: You can enable the timeline with one click, and then publish it for all to see with one more.
Follow this quick slide show, and before you know it you’ll have the Facebook Timeline enabled on your own account. The best part is, after you click the “Get Timeline” button, you have seven days until it automatically goes live, but until then, you’re the only one who will see it until you authorize it to be published. However, if you don’t want to wait seven days, you can publish it any time by clicking “Publish Now.”
SEE ALSO: Facebook Timeline: The Complete Guide So until Dec. 22, you can go through and edit whatever you’d like to hide from all your Facebook friends and followers, making sure your privacy is intact. Once you’ve pruned your Facebook Timeline to your comfort level, click the “Publish Now” button, and all your timeline goodness is immediately displayed for all to see.
Here’s a step-by-step guide for enabling Timeline now, and you’ll notice the process is a whole lot easier than it was before. If you’d rather have a simple list to show you how to do this, you can see that just below this slideshow:
1. Log In and Click
1. Be sure you're logged into your Facebook account, then go to the About Timeline page by
clicking here.
How to Enable the Timeline
View As One Page » View As Slideshow » 1. Log In and Click
1. Be sure you're logged into your Facebook account, then go to the About Timeline page by
clicking here.
2. Get Timeline
At the bottom right of that page, click on “Get Timeline.” If you don't want to edit anything and would like to publish it right away, scroll back to the top of that page and click "Publish Now" and you're done. If you'd like to edit, go to the next step.
3. Scroll Down and Edit
Scroll down on your timeline and edit or remove any items you don't want shown. Do that by holding your cursor over the upper right of an item you want to edit, and then click on the icon that looks like a pencil -- it will have a label that reads Edit or Remove.
4. Make Changes
From the resulting drop-down list, you can change the date of the item, add a location, hide it from the timeline, delete the post altogether, or report it/mark it as spam.
5. Highlight and Expand Your Best Posts
If you'd like to "feature" any of the posts, click on the star icon to the left of that pencil icon, and that item will be expanded all the way across the page, made larger for all your friends to see.
6. Publish Now (or Wait until Dec. 22)
Once you're satisfied with all the edits you've made, either scroll back to the top of your Timeline and click "Publish Now," or do nothing and it'll be automatically published on December 22, 2011.
Easy Method, No Editing:
- Go here.
- Click “Get Timeline.” There. It’s enabled, but not published yet.
- Click “Publish Now.” You’re done.
Still Easy, Edit Before Anyone Sees It:
1. Be sure you’re logged into your Facebook account.
2. Go to the About Timeline page.
3. Click on “Get Timeline.”
4. Scroll down on your timeline and edit or remove any items you don’t want shown. Do that by holding your cursor over the upper right of the item you want to edit, and then make your choice on the drop-down list.
5. From that list you can change the date of the item, add a location, hide it from the timeline, delete the post altogether, or report it/mark it as spam.
6. If you’d like to “feature” any of the posts, click on the star icon to the left of that pencil icon, and that item will be expanded all the way across the page, made larger for all your friends to see.
7. Once you’re satisfied with all the edits you’ve made, either go back to the top of the Timeline and click “Publish Now,” or do nothing and it’ll be automatically published on December 22.
1. View All Your Timeline Content
Facebook's mysterious algorithm decides which stories will showcase on your Timeline.
However, it also includes half-hidden posts. Posts that are marked on your Timeline, but not displayed, are noted by a blue dot on the central line. You can view these posts by clicking on the individual blue dots.
A quicker method is to click on the three blue dots underneath each year. This gives you the option to view all stories within that year.
Facebook Timeline: 10 Simple Tips and Tricks
View As One Page » View As Slideshow » 1. View All Your Timeline Content
Facebook's mysterious algorithm decides which stories will showcase on your Timeline.
However, it also includes half-hidden posts. Posts that are marked on your Timeline, but not displayed, are noted by a blue dot on the central line. You can view these posts by clicking on the individual blue dots.
A quicker method is to click on the three blue dots underneath each year. This gives you the option to view all stories within that year.
2. Hide Stuff From Your Timeline
As we've pointed out, the Timeline gives friends the ability to view your entire Facebook history.
For this reason, we imagine the first thing most people will want to do is to "sanitize" their Timeline. The good news is, it's simple to hide what you don't want showing.
When you see a post you'd like to nix, just hit the pencil icon at the top of the post and select "Hide from Timeline." This doesn't delete the content from your account, but it will keep it safe from prying eyes.
3. Customize Your Favorites Boxes
Next up is the ability to customize the boxes that appear under your cover photo. The "Friends" and "Photos" boxes are fixed, but you can play around with the others.
To edit the boxes, click on the small arrow icon on their right. All boxes that can be moved or removed will have a pencil edit icon appear as you hover.
Hitting on the pencil brings up edit options to remove or swap boxes. To add a Facebook app, or one of the new social apps, click on the plus sign on an empty box.
4. Hide the Sidebar
You can make Timeline look even less cluttered by hiding the sidebar.
To do this, click on the arrow icon at the very bottom right of your screen. The sidebar will collapse, but leave the adverts to bug you -- although, we've got a tip for those too...
5. Get Rid of an Annoying Advert
If a specific ad is really bothering you, simply adios it from your display.
Hover over the advert and click the "X" that appears at the top right. This gives you the option to hide it or hide all ads from that advertiser.
If you choose to hide the ad, Facebook gives you the further option to tailor what kind of ads appear on your account.
6. Change an Album's Primary Photo
Albums you've created will show up in your Timeline. However, you can change the large, or "primary" image.
Click the pencil edit icon to select a different image from the album that will appear in the big window.
7. Feature a Post on Timeline
Make certain posts appear larger on your Timeline so they take up a double column space.
To do this, click the star icon in the top right corner of the post. You can minimize large posts the same way.
8. Customize Your Subscription Updates
When you subscribe to someone's public updates, Facebook defaults to "Most updates." You can change this.
Either go to the person's profile and click the "Subscribed" drop down menu or, more efficiently, go click your "Subscriptions" favorites box (under your cover photo). This gives you a bird's-eye view of the people you've subscribed to.
Now, if you hit the "Subscribed" box for each person you can tailor exact updates.
9. View Your Private Activity Log
If you've hidden items from your Timeline, but still want to review all of your Facebook content, look to your private Activity Log. Click on the "View Activity" box under your cover photo.
Now, by selecting a type of content from the "All" drop down menu, you can browse all your past Facebook activities, organized by date.
10. View Your Profile Through Someone Else's Eyes
As with the former version of Facebook, you can view how others see your Timeline.
Click the cog icon under your cover photo; then select "View as..."
You can now enter a friend's name or click on the "public" hyperlink to see how stranger's view your Timeline.
BONUS: How to Poke
As we've addressed, Facebook has downgraded the famous "poke" in the new Timeline design.
If you still want to "poke" your Facebook buddies, you have to head directly to their profiles. Under a friend's cover photo, next to the "Message" box, there's a cog menu. Click this and you'll see the option to poke. As always, use wisely.
Mashable’s Complete Facebook Timeline Coverage
Facebook Timeline Essentials Timeline Resources