Timeline for Facebook Pages

The dreaded timeline has made its way on to most everyone’s profile. By March 30th it will also be applied to Facebook pages.

Here are a few things to consider before you publish your page in the timeline format:

Cover Image
Many social media mavens have complained about the timeline for businesses. The main gripe involves what some developers call “fan gates,” or customized content based on the visitor’s fan status. The new timeline will show the same banner image to a person who likes your page as someone who does not. But there are still ways to offer customized apps- just not through the landing page.

The dimensions for the new Cover Image are 851 x 315 pixels. Of course your image doesn’t have to be that size- but something proportional to that will be best. And if you upload something larger you will have the option to scoot it around a bit.

Profile Image
Your conventional profile image will show up in a square box to the lower left of the Cover Image. The optimal size for a profile image is now 180 x 180 pixels.

It’s now very important to use a square image. Before the timeline you could edit the profile thumbnail and accommodate a rectangular graphic. This is still the case for the thumbnail shown beside posts, however the copy displayed on the main page (below the Cover Image) will be resized to fit inside the square box.

Applications
The tabs on the left-hand side of your page have been moved to the right side of the page just below the Cover Image. You can choose which apps appear here and the order in which they appear. A small down arrow next to these boxes will display all your applications.

This is where Facebook has moved your “fan gate” functionality. An app located here might offer fans something special- but they can only access it if they Like your page!

But wait…
There’s more, way more.

These are just a few notable differences. There are tons of other changes like the new Admin Panel, Activity Log and Messaging. I have tried to highlight the most important features you will want to attend to before publishing your page in the new Timeline format- or March 30th, whichever comes first.

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