1. New York Times

At its very core, Facebook Timeline is just that- a timeline. For a company like the New York Times, dating back to the 1850s, that unleashes a ton of possibilities. The iconic newspaper has taken the new Facebook layout as an avenue to promote its role during pivotal moments in history. They showcase behind the scenes photos from unforgettable news events like the one pictured above. Go back as far as the 1800s and you’ll even find company milestones. My personal favorite is 1861 introduction of the Sunday paper to satisfy the public’s desire for more coverage during the Civil War. Explore it yourself here.

2. Red Bull

While most brands are using the Timeline in a literal way to display key milestones in their company’s history, Red Bull has gone the extra mile. Almost immediately following the announcement, they launched a complex scavenger hunt prompting users to explore their Timeline. The Red Bull Timeline Timewarp was a pinned post, meaning it stayed at the top of their page for a full 7 days. With the lure of some “serious prizes,” they sent their fans on a wild Facebook goose chase with the initial instruction, “travel back to the day the first Red Bull was sold.” The complexity of the clues steadily increased, engaging users with apps like Spotify, past status updates, photos and videos. Read more here.

3. Romney Record

Perhaps the most innovative Timeline we’ve seen so far was that made by Newt Gingrich’s campaign team to disparage Mitt Romney’s political platform. Their Romney Record Timeline made a massive media splash today. Following the politician’s career over several decades, they call out Romney’s past quotes, videos and voting records in an attempt to portray him as a liberal-leaning conservative. Obama’s revolutionary social media tactics served him well in 2008, but Timeline is opening up a whole new forum for aggressive campaign managers. Stay tuned.

What do you think of these Timeline pioneers?

Stay tuned for our upcoming blog with tips and tricks for making the most of your own Page Timeline.

The post 3 Innovative Brand Uses of Facebook Timeline appeared first on SociaLink Media.

Anyone interested in social media has undoubtedly heard or seen the Facebook Timeline profile.  The Timeline was announced to the public in September 2011, but it was only released to people with “Developer” profiles, leaving the rest of us itching with excitement.  Well, the wait is over, with Timeline’s unveiling last week.

So what exactly is the Timeline profile?  This profile is designed to be a scrapbook of your life.  According to Facebook, “Timeline is your collections of the photos, posts and experiences that help tell your story.”  The Timeline features a sleek new design that focuses on photos and videos– the ultimate strength of Facebook.  It also finally allows users to incorporate their own design ideas on their profile.

One of the most positive aspects of Facebook’s biggest change yet is that it is not forcing users to switch to it immediately.  Facebook is brilliantly allowing the new profile to go viral instead of forcing something new on users– which has historically been met with a negative backlash.  It is unclear yet if and when all users will be eventually forced to switch to the new look.

As with most Facebook changes, the biggest concern for most people is their privacy.  Thankfully, the Timeline creators have taken this into consideration for once.  When you opt to switch to the Timeline format, you are given seven days to review your posts, filter through posts, and alter who can see what.

Of course, to research this blog I had to make the switch myself.  Fortunately, changing to the timeline was easy and I love it.  The only downside is that it does emphasize those moments from High School that I would rather forget and certainly don’t want a future employer to see.  Despite this drawback, I would recommend switching to the timeline format immediately.

Have you switched to the Timeline profile yet?  What do you think?

The post All About Facebook’s Timeline Profile appeared first on SociaLink Media.