Here’s something you’ll really ‘like!’

Posted by Darrel Smith: Fri, April 06, 2012 - 3:09pm

New Facebook Timeline Timeline in action!

Have you heard the news about Facebook? No, Mark Zuckerberg is not running for President. Facebook fan pages have, however, moved to the timeline format and this is very cool news indeed! This basically means that now you can lay your life, your photos your story out in chronological order on an actual timeline. It’s very aesthetically appealing and there’s no longer a visual difference between your Facebook fan page and your profile.

For Facebook this is really about going back to basics. Much anticipated by Page Admins worldwide, this change places profile pages on the design board before fan pages. This way they can work out the kinks and then update fan pages for a uniform look and ease of use.

As a Page Admin here's what you will need to know.

Cover image

Similar to a web page banner ad, you now get more space and a canvas with which to advertise your brand and your page. This image can be selected from your existing photos and moved into a position of your liking, or you can design one of your own cover images using the dimensions 850px by 315px.

Profile Pics 

Say goodbye to the "tall-and-skinny" profile pictures. Your profile picture will now appear 180px by 180px. Small and square, so make sure to keep it simple. A nice logo will do; save taglines for your banner image.

New Admin Panel

Above your images you will find a newly designed admin panel. This is your all-in-one control center. You may recognize your notifications, new likes, and insights, but there is a new feature added called Messages. This section allows fans to direct messages to you and provides a space for one-on-one interactions!

Recovery Tips 

If you lost some of your info. in the transition, items such as hours of operation and incompatible apps will need some attention.

  • Under your profile picture you will find your basic information.
  • To the right of that is the app panel.
  • Double check that your hours are correctly entered because these will now show up in real-time, meaning it will tell people when you open and then will count down until that time.
  • Your app panel will have the traditional apps such as photos, likes, a map and any other apps you use.
  • Many of your apps may have been lost in the transition because they are not timeline compatible. Visit this web page to find an alternative: https://www.facebook.com/about/timeline/apps.

This will help you track down some apps that will work. One cool thing about the new apps view is that you can better control the image tied to each. To edit the icon attached to an app, go in your admin panel and click the manage tab, then click edit page. Click Apps on the left-hand column, find the app you want to adjust, and select Edit Settings. Here you will have the option to change the app name, and above that is a custom tab image option. Select that and choose an image that is a JPG, GIF or PNG, and smaller than 111x74 pixels and 5MB.

New Milestones Feature

Under your apps to the left you will find your post options. These are standard aside from the option to add Milestones. Milestones can be added to the page at any point in time and include the event, location, date, a description of the story and the option to attach pictures. Plus, these types of posts can be hidden from the newsfeed by just checking the box!

Friends Check-in 

Directly to the right of the Milestones feature, you will see two friend activity areas. The top section will show your friends (the profile you are signed into as an admin) who like the page and who have checked it. This is much like the Face-pile app attached to web pages. Under this is a section dedicated to highlighting friend interactions with the page. This will appear as a recent post but if you notice, the date may have passed long ago. Below this area you will find a section dedicated to highlighting other pages interactions with your page, and finally below that you will find your page likes.

Posting Tips 

You will notice there are two columns and your posts will only fill one side. If you feel you want more attention drawn to your post, you now have two options. 1) To over-ride the chronological ordering of your posts, hover over the top-right hand side of your post and click the Edit or Remove option. Clicking Pin to Top in the subsequent drop down menu will keep this post at the top of your page for about seven days. 2) If you have an awesome picture or video you want to post as larger, hit the star-shaped Highlight button. The result will be that your post will appear across both columns drawing much more attention to it.

Having Fun!

The idea behind the Timeline is simple—it's a TIMELINE! So go back and add some important points in your history by scrolling down or using the right-hand navigation to select a point in history, click the center column dividing line and add a post to that point in time. But most important, make sure you have fun.

Feel free to email me with any questions you have or tips you would like to share!
Darrel@theimageshoppe.com
Enjoy your timeline!