Have you seen the new Facebook Timeline Profile? I’m actually liking it quite a bit and this is coming from someone who has really been into Google+ lately. Now I’m not saying that one is better than the other, but Facebook has definitely taken a couple steps forward with a refresh that was greatly needed. The updated profiles should happen for everyone by the end of this month or you can click here to find out how to get it sooner. Here’s a few reasons why I think this update will benefit photographers.
Be sure to friend me on Facebook and like my Fan Page!
1. You can highlight your favorite photo as the cover for your personal profile.
I really like this feature because it allows you to make a great impression when someone views your profile. Add your favorite photo as the cover or choose one that represents you was as a photographer!
2. You can draw more attention to your business or fan page.
Ok, so I haven’t really done much with the whole fan page deal up until now. With the previous design, I never felt your basic information was presented in a way that people would notice it quickly (I usually had to hunt for it), but now, it is situated in a way that draws attention to it perfectly. Just add your photography business or fan page as your employer, and you can have it displayed like this.
3. Photos get more real estate.
When you add a photo to your wall, you have the option to hover over it and star it as a feature on your Timeline. This will make it stand out much more than it did in the previous profile design. Don’t forget to call up your folks and ask them for some nice baby pictures you can post under the heading “born”:).
4. The album display looks better.
If you upload photos into an album (or get tagged in an album) and feature the update on your Timeline, you get the following looks. This to me feels like it stands out better.
With just a few photos…
Or a lot of them…
5. Your photos page puts more emphasis on your photo albums.
The Timeline overall has a nice full page width, and that includes on your photos page. This helps keep people’s eyes on your photos and not on the side options or ads.
You can also rearrange your albums so that the your top four show up when people get to your photos page without them having to see more. Hopefully, with the full roll out, they’ll continue this nice theme onto the actual albums themselves.
Is it perfect? No! There’s going to be a lot of uproar, especially with the privacy issues that almost always affect everyone during these kinds of updates. But design wise, is it a big improvement? Yes! Be sure to get your profile updated as soon as possible and again, make sure to friend me on Facebook!
10 Comments
Terrific overview Jason…thanks.
Edith Levy recently posted..The Kiln
Good stuff Jason, thanks for doing this!
Mike Olbinski recently posted..A hundred million fingers
Very helpful Jason. Nice job.
Chris Frailey recently posted..Aspen
Great article Jason. Great tips!
Great overview Jason! I don’t have the new format yet but I’m looking forward to trying it out.
Curt Fleenor recently posted..Candy Cane
Interesting changes. Might have to check those out.
A.Barlow recently posted..Ruffled Feathers
Totally agree with you. This are the fist changes on facebook I like since I signed up
(we probably have to thank Google for this 
) Let’s hope they add an option, where you can merge the fan page into this, so people who liked your fan page, are converted into subscribers.
That’s a really good idea actually!
Hey, great post… I’m loving the new layout as well. One thing I find frustrating is since it is new there is a lack of documentation. Have you found anywhere in your travels a way to upload past photo albums, say from the 80′s/90′s to your timeline? I wonder if this is something Facebook is working on.
Thats a really good question and to be honest I don’t know the answer. I will have to play around with this and get back to you. I’m curious if the uploader might read the exif data of the image to get the date it was taken…