Facebook’s new timeline design is an improved, cleaner layout, but most of the changes are happening in the section that tells other users all about you.
Timeline changes started rolling out yesterday and will continue to do so over the coming weeks. The updated layout is cleaner, with all posts appearing on a wider right-hand column while the left-hand is reserved for things such as photos, profile information, recent activity and modules for your friends list.
While the slight redesign gives user profiles a sleeker new look, the real work has gone into updating how users’ likes and interests are presented in the About section, with redesigned sections for music, movies, TV shows and books.
These sections can be populated by inputting their favourites, or, presumably, through users’ likes. Facebook will also recommend movies users may want to add.
These sections can also integrate with apps – for example, the Movies section can link up with Netflix. Users can list movies they’ve watched, want to watch, as well as the movies they like.
The same goes for books, where users can sync the books they want to read with their Goodreads account and add in books they have read and what books they like.
When friends share things they have liked, read or watched in this way, other users can add them to their own interests lists by clicking the add button.
Users can also choose to add more apps to their About page to present information in this way, such as an Instagram section showing their photos and the photos they like.
Apps and the activities shared from them can be removed from the About page via the Activity Log. Users can also make use of the audience selector when adding content to choose who can see what they are adding.
More information on how this information will be presented and how users can control it is available from the Facebook Help Centre.
