Whether you love it, hate it, or are leaving Facebook because of it, the Timeline is here to stay. As a former elementary school teacher, part of me is relieved that all of my old students will finally understand how a timeline works. As a former college student and early adopter of Facebook, another part was horrified by old activity that started showing up on my timeline.
That being said, here are some good features to master, and a few others to be aware of, as you embark on the journey of the Facebook Timeline.
The Activity Log
Located on your Facebook Profile page, directly under your cover photo on the right, lives the master key to your Timeline content. Each user only has access to their activity log. Click on your Activity Log, and you have access to a reverse chronological listing of every single sharable action you have taken on Facebook. According to Facebook:
Your activity log is a list of your posts and activity, from today back to the very beginning. You’ll also see stories and photos you’ve been tagged in, as well as the connections you’ve made – like when you liked a Page or added someone as a friend.
Are you alarmed by the content on your activity log? Overwhelmed by the amount of data? Keep in mind, unless you have marked the activity otherwise, every item on this list can and may show up on your timeline. That being said, you have a few options here.
This is where you should go to get rid of all those posts showing up on your timeline – your timeline only displays a few pieces of content at a time. If you want to remove old, potentially embarrassing posts, the activity log gives you a full list.
Account Settings – Download a Copy of Your Facebook Data
At the bottom of your account settings page, there is an option to download all of your Facebook data. There are several charts to demonstrate what data you will download, but if you’re looking for a comprehensive understanding of all the data Facebook has collected about you, this is the feature for you.
Privacy Settings – Apps, Games and Websites – Ads
If you have a “liked” a Facebook page in the past (i.e. GovLoop), default settings on Facebook can show ads on your friends’ pages that indicate that you have liked specific posts from that page. While you may like the Daily Show, you may not want to be associated with an inflammatory post from their page.
Not to fret – you can simply update this setting. Another GovLooper has even been so kind as to walk you through it, step by step!
https://www.govloop.com/profiles/blogs/stop-being-an-unpaid-part-of-facebook-ad-campaigns
In Conclusion
If you are starting to get depressed, and wondering if you should even bother with Facebook, I will leave you with my favorite Facebook setting – Pirate!!
*In case you’re extremely excited about pirate talk on Facebook, if you navigate to the languages tab, you can choose English (Pirate) as your default language. Check it out, ye scallywags.
I had never looked at my activity log until today… fascinating. Pirate mode is also my favorite…
Love it! Thank you.
I have now switched to pirate mode … aargh!