What Is a Timeline on Facebook? [All You Need to Know]

Okay, we’ve all been using social media platforms for a while now.

So, you’re probably familiar with Facebook’s timeline and what it can offer. Or so you think.

What if I tell you there’s more than meets the eye?

Take a look:

What Is a Timeline on Facebook?

Your posts, mentions, tags, and experiences are all put together in chronological order. This is the visual representation known as the FB timeline. Whatever you do and share on the platform goes on there.

In the past, this was referred to as the “wall”. Now your profile and your activity are combined, making the platform easier to navigate. 

Your FB page can be visually divided into three main parts – profile and cover photos, About, and timeline.

First thing visitors see is your profile and cover photos. Below, on the left, they can see your About info - where you live, where you work, what you’ve studied, etc. On the right, you can see your activity - life events, photos, tags, etc.

How to Use it? 

Do you know how to see your timeline on Facebook?

First, go to your profile by clicking on your picture in the left upper corner of Facebook.

Once you are there you can start setting up your profile and posting on your timeline. Your first post will be the beginning of your timeline on FB. You will find the “Update status” section right above it.

You can, however, create a post from your dashboard, too. Use the What’s on your mind field at the top of your page.

As exciting as it is to share your fun photos and experiences, keep in mind that other people can see what you post on your timeline. You can control who sees your information from the settings. You can access them by clicking on the three dots above the status update section and going to Profile and tagging settings.

From there you can decide how to share your posts and who will be able to see them. This is essential for the use of the Facebook timeline feature. Often people do not realize that their posts are public or shared with the wrong visitors. 

For example, a lot of companies these days will go through the social media profiles of potential job candidates. You don’t want some random party picture getting in the way of your career. 

Then, you want to choose who else can post on your FB timeline. It can either be only you or you can allow your friends to post as well.

If you chose the latter, make sure to trust the friends you add. However, the best decision would be to enable the reviewing options at the end of the section. This gives you full control over which posts are shared on your profile.

Did you also know you can select the audience for every post as you create it? Here’s how:

1.   Click on What’s on your mind at the top of your Newsfeed or Timeline. From here you can create your post.
2.   Right under your name is the selected audience (e.g. Friends). Click on it to choose from the other options.

You can also change the audience for an old post on the Facebook history timeline by clicking on the little icon next to the post date and time.

If you don’t know what is public on your timeline there is a simple way to find out. Go down to the bottom of the Profile and tagging settings and click View as. This allows you to see which of your posts are public. In addition, you’ll be able to see how your profile looks to strangers.

If you see something you don’t like you can change the audience or hide it from your timeline. Have in mind that the original poster is the one defining the audience. Even if you hide things from your timeline they might still appear on Facebook.

How to See Your Timeline on Facebook

There is an easy way to see your entire history and search your timeline. 

1.   Go to your page by clicking on your picture in the upper left corner of Facebook
2.   Click on the three dots on the right side under your cover photo.
3.   Choose Activity log from the drop-down menu
4.   Explore your Facebook history.

In the activity log, you can check your every Facebook activity. You can search by time and date and get your timeline in order.

Wrap Up

Your timeline is your journal. It is your digital face to the world. Therefore it’s important to have control over it. 

The good news is that you now know everything there is about your timeline.

So, what do you want to share with the world?