The new Facebook Timeline will be so cool--here's why

Blog, it's been like a soap opera on Facebook this week...

• Will the new "news ticker" drive us all into going postal?
• What "huge change" is coming this week that will "revolutionize the Facebook experience?
• Will our friends flee to Google+?
• Will the FB versus + question accelerate into a battle that rivals PC versus Mac?
• And what about Naomi?

People do panic about change, Blog...which I find interesting because dealing with change is, by now, a part of everyday life. Be that as it may, change can be good or bad, and we'll never all agree on which one. My personal opinion is that I'm going to love the new Facebook Timeline, and for what it's worth, here's why.

[The Timeline feature launches automatically the end of this week...I got a jump on it by following this easy tutorial.]

The Timeline turns your past record on Facebook into a sort of digital scrapbook. Your profile page becomes a two-column, magazine-style illustrated narrative. It does this automatically. You can tweak it, but you don't have to put more than five minutes' effort into it if you don't want to. For example, I created a new image for the "cover" picture. The profile looks like the image above right, Blog--or did at that time.

The little do-hickey at the upper right lets you pinpoint anytime since you were born. And key events, like family members' births and your graduation year, are already on the Timeline based on information you and those users already put in Facebook. You can add photos (I put in baby and high school graduation photos of myself) and "life events" as you see fit.

You can also delete anything you choose from the Timeline if it's lame, boring, or embarrassing. The post stays in the database but disappears from the Timeline. It's just another way to make it into the "scrapbook" you want it to be.

I discovered, looking at my Timeline, that it seems I accidentally have been the kind of Facebook user who will doubtless benefit most from this feature. I post a lot of photos and videos, and chronicle fun and interesting events both personal and pop culture. Text-heavy posters may not find the Timeline so exciting, but many of us will really enjoy just perusing past weeks. I did, and it made me laugh and smile and generally feel fortunate to have my life, home, family and friends.

So, as for how I'm finding this changes my outlook as a Facebook user: Already yesterday I found myself thinking in terms of how best to chronicle the day and capture the mood. So, when I decorated the house for fall, I made sure to post some pics. I might have done this anyway, but I was even more motivated knowing I could eventually be looking back at the day from years in the future.

Blog, there's nothing truer than the old adage, "You can't please all of the people all of the time." I know some Facebook users will hate the new features, some will gripe at first but learn to live with them, most will roll with the changes without too much fuss. But some of us are really, really going to like the Timeline and it will actually enhance our lives a bit.

Define yourself

Gonna be a bit serious today, Blog. It’s been that kind of a week.

I’ve lived long enough to observe my own life for awhile, as well as the lives of others in my circle of the world. And at this point I think it’s valuable to step back once in awhile and define yourself.

That is, think about who you are as a unique individual, and what you bring both to the world in general and to the specific people in your life. Each of us has gifts and opportunities given to us so that we might make a mark, however big or small, on the story of humanity. Sometimes we get so caught up in the troubles of the moment that we forget this big picture, and its importance.

You don’t have to be Mother Teresa or the Dalai Lama to have significance. The person you are, the things you do, the choices you make always matter at least to the people near to you. My point, Blog, is that we all make a difference, which is why we ought to pay attention to how we define ourselves.

So I thought I make some lists to help me focus on this issue, and I invite our readers to do likewise.

WHO YOU ARE

A mom, a wife, a daughter: Like most people, I have to make my familial relationships my highest priority. Very simply, that’s because my family depends on me and I on them.

A woman of advancing age and experience: I also look upon myself as someone who can share a little wisdom with others, especially other women. By doing that I make the lessons I’ve learned have greater importance rather than merely benefitting me.

WHAT YOU DO

I entertain. I have been given some gifts, particularly the ability to write but also a knack for making people laugh. So I look on it as a duty to bring entertainment to others. A happy duty, for it brings great satisfaction.

I create. I’m one of those people who makes new things, things that weren’t there before. These creations bring more beauty and pleasure into the world, just as the creations of others do for me.

I enjoy. Sometimes what you take from life defines you as much as what you give. It’s important to me to enjoy as much as I can: people, experiences, things. My enjoyment helps to validate what others give and create.

I care. I’m not some big philanthropist or devoted volunteer, but I do have a gift for empathy. Even when I barely know someone, I feel it matters to provide them sympathy, understanding, input and a little support.

WHAT/WHOM YOU LOVE

I love my family: my husband, daughters and dad. Being close to them (emotionally and hopefully physically) is my top priority.

I love stories. Telling them, reading or hearing or watching them, thinking about them, talking about them. Storytellers of all kinds are the most interesting people to me and I’m honored to be counted among them. I’m no philosopher or theologian, but I believe stories are the key to everything.

I love my home. Travel is fun, but my home means the world to me. I’d rather invest in making it more comfortable and beautiful than spend that money elsewise. I like sharing it with others and making it a haven for my family members and pets. It’s the happiest place on earth to me.

I love creativity in all its forms—the wonders of nature, animal, vegetable and mineral (God’s creation), as well as personal expression (human creation).

I love music and dance. I can’t imagine being completely happy without them.

How does such a list help a person, Blog? Well, I think it helps one focus on one’s values, see what’s really important, and that can really help when you’re trying to make an important decision, choose a path, prioritize your time, and avoid regrets.

And when the story of your own life is over, you’ll be able to look back on it and feel content and at peace, as will those who loved you. What could matter more than that?