It’s amusing to me how much people are obsessed with Facebook. It’s also amusing to me how much people whine about Facebook. Whether it’s chatting with friends, watching the news or even reading my Facebook feed, it seems everyone just loves to complain about the social networking giant.
Then again, with more than 800 million users, it’s easy to see that Facebook is a big part of many people’s lives. But that doesn’t mean everyone needs to throw a hissy fit every time CEO Mark Zuckerberg decides he wants to make a few tweaks to his baby.
After the “Facebook in your Facebook” update went live a couple weeks ago, everyone went up in arms posting angry status updates complaining about the changes. The backlash was ridiculous and unnecessary, especially considering the changes weren’t all that drastic.
Sure, I still can’t figure out what the site considers a top story for me and what isn’t. But it doesn’t mean I can’t stalk people the same way I’ve been doing for years. There’s always a work-around.
However, after seeing the aftermath of the last minor change to the social network, I’m going to start getting my “block” button ready for the angry statuses I’ll be seeing this week. Set to go live at the end of the week, your Facebook profile will change to the new Timeline.
Timeline organizes everything you’ve ever done on Facebook since you joined the site.
Want to see a status update you posted in November 2008? Done. Want to know how many new Facebook friends you made in 2010 or how many pages you liked that year? Also done.
It does it all.
I was able to opt-in to the new Timeline profile last week, so I’ve been playing and exploring all weekend. Overall, the update is pretty nifty.
Users start by picking an album cover to be proudly displayed at the top of the Timeline along with your normal profile picture.
Then, all of your statuses, added pictures, likes, etc. are posted next to a long vertical line extending down the page — your timeline.
From there, you are able to either delete and add activities or organize your posts by decades, years or months. It’s a really cool way to take a trip down memory lane and see what your past self was like.
Fortunately or unfortunately, if you’re able to meticulously search through your Facebook Timeline with such ease, someone else will be able to as well.
When the live news feed (the “Facebook in your Facebook”) was added, people complained it was an easier way to stalk friends. Well, Timeline makes it even easier.
When my profile switched to Timeline, I was asked if I wanted to take a tour of the new features or not.
What I’m about to tell you is very important — take the tour.
While most of the tour is telling you about very trivial and obvious features, the tour ends by doing something Facebook normally doesn’t do after a major update — explicitly tells you how to change your security features to better protect your privacy.
About three times during my tour, a pop-up box appeared pointing me in the direction of the “View Activity” button. Here users can set what others — from the general public to individual users — can see in their timelines.
Timeline is supposed to go live Thursday, according to my profile when I updated. Whether it actually will or not is another story. Updates have been postponed in the past.
Timeline is one of the best changes Facebook has done — at least during my five years on the site.
I know it will be met with backlash and many ignorant status updates, but it seems Zuckerberg is trying to keep his site relevant and fresh — especially with Google+ chomping at his heels.
Just remember to take the time and tweak those privacy settings. If not, you’ll be sharing your life with everyone.
 
Adam Arinder is a 22-year-old communication studies senior from Baton Rouge, La. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_aarinder.
 
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Contact Adam Arinder at [email protected]