Facebook Turns Profiles Into 'Timelines'

Massive overhaul also lets you do more than 'like' something
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 22, 2011 1:48 PM CDT
Facebook Turns Profiles Into 'Timelines'
A screenshot from Facebook's movie promoting Timeline.   (Facebook)

Mark Zuckerberg announced more massive changes to Facebook at its f8 event today, starting with a complete reinvention of its profile page into something called “Timeline,” which Zuckerberg described as “the story of your life.” Friends will now be able to see years worth of your posts, or sort them by type—to see, for example, all the books you’ve read. “It’s a great way to discover all the stuff people have done their whole life,” Zuckerberg said, though he added that “you have complete control over everything” on your Timeline, including the ability to mark certain posts as important.

You’ll also be able to post comparatively trivial stories without having them show up on your friends' news feeds, sending them instead to the new ticker only, which Zuckerberg called a "socially acceptable" way to share "lightweight" news. But that wasn’t all; Zuckerberg also revealed a huge upgrade to Facebook’s “Open Graph” infrastructure. Now instead of simply “Liking” things, users will be able to interact with them in any way they want—you could, for example, “Watch” a movie. Zuckerberg also touted several new apps. Perhaps most notable: a Spotify app that will allow you to listen to music with your friends for free. For more details, check out the Huffington Post or USA Today liveblogs. (More Facebook stories.)

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