How to See EVERYTHING in Your Facebook News Feed

Facebook introduced its overhauled News Feed in early March. If you're one of the few who can access the new design, you may wonder how the changes affect what surfaces on the homepage.

While Facebook's algorithms determine by default what appears in your stream, a few additional, new options give you much greater control over what appears in your News Feed. For example, you can choose to view only photo-related posts, music-themed updates, or posts from pages and people you follow via Subscribe (as opposed to simply users you're friends with).

But if you don't want to miss any updates whatsoever, you can kick it old school and set News Feed to view every single post in real time.

The change effectively turns your News Feed into an expanded, visual version of Facebook Ticker. That means you'll not see status updates, but also more granular actions, for example, when your friend likes a photo — even if that photo was posted 48 hours ago. Yes, it's that detailed.

If you've already got the new News Feed, follow the simple instructions below to surface everything in your stream. If you're still on the old version, consider adding yourself to the wait list for the new look here.

From your Facebook homepage, click on the grey arrow at the top-right of your screen:

This gives you a list of new News Feed options:

Next, click "See All." This shows you all the different News Feed settings, including any groups you may be part of and any friends and family lists you've set up.

If you want to see everything in the order it is posted, select "Most Recent."

Your News Feed will now change to show you everything, in time order. To change it back, simply hit the down arrow again and select a different setting.

How will you use the new News Feed? Do you want to see everything in your stream? Have your say in the comments below.

Facebook Testing More Timeline Options

Facebook Timelines are once again likely to undergo a redesign. Although it is unknown when this new look will be launched, the preview (shown above) shows a single column on the right hand side of the Timeline with other features on the left.

The social platform began testing a single-column view for user’s Timelines last October. It now seems that an update will show a similar design that uses the same header and swaps the two columns of posts and activity around on the site.

The new layout shows that all posts from the publisher will appear in a column wider than the currently traditional two columns. Modules and activities such as ‘Recent Activity’, ‘Friends’ and ‘Places’ are placed onto the left hand side of the page and will no longer be as wide as the posts.

The control of these modules will also change. Each section will have a pencil icon in the top corner where users can rearrange the boxes or remove them altogether. These cannot currently be altered and can only be hidden if they are from a third-party application.

One of the most frequent complaints directed at the current Timeline is that a user has to search up and down their profile to read content. The new design has removed the line from the middle of the page which means that it looks less like an actual Timeline.

The timeline of dates is still visible in the top right hand side of the page for users to access particular months and years. The header of a profile is also much cleaner than what it currently is.

Also, when a life event occurs, the current Timeline would display the events across the page, much larger than regular posts. The new Timeline however will put a blue banner in the corner of the post but remains a normal size.

Do you like how the Timeline in testing looks?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. 

Facebook Friendships Get a Timeline Upgrade

There’s a page for just about anything you can imagine on Facebook — including every friendship. Whether you knew they existed or not, friendship pages have been there since October 2010, displaying every jot of information the network has about you and any given friend.

Now Facebook is giving those friendship pages an upgrade, in order to make them look more like Timeline profiles. And as a bonus, it’s adding a new page for you and anyone you’re in a relationship with: the adorably-named facebook.com/us.



To see the friendship page you share with anyone else, go to their profile page. Then click the gear button on the right, next to “Message,” to reveal a menu with a list of options; Friendship page is the one you want.
Facebook is slowly rolling out the Timeline-style pages over the next few days, so you may not have it yet. If you do, you’ll notice you have the opportunity to edit the page, removing photos that are unflattering to that relationship. (They won’t be removed from Facebook as a whole, though; you’ll have to untag yourself in them.)

Like much else about the social network, it’s a revealing and slightly disturbing look at just how much information has been gathered on you. I tested it with a few friendships where I was sure that friend and I hadn’t been tagged in pictures together — but sure enough, there we were, often on opposite ends of the table at large dinner parties, in the Timeline-style cover photo.

What do you make of the new friendship pages? Does this soften your attitude towards Timeline? Let us know in the comments.

5 Reasons Why Facebook’s Timeline Will Enhance Marketing

Facebook just launched Timeline for brand pages. Marketers and brands are looking forward on how the Timeline will enhance user engagement and CRM. Big brands like Starbucks and Coke have launch their revamped brand pages and more brands will follow suit as Facebook reminds that the Timeline change will be mandatory. If you’re a page admin, you can check how your page will appear in Timeline format by previewing it. It’ll help you plan and assess what you need to add on the page aside from a cover photo. The cover photo is one of the visual enticements that the Timeline has. It’s proof that Facebook wants to enable brands to connect with customers using a more visual approach. But is this change favorable for brands? Will user engagement still be the same without the feed? I’ve rounded up a few ideas why the Timeline can make or break a brand’s Facebook page. Read on.

1.) Leveraging UGC
Content is asset. It’s the very lifeforce that fuels the Internet. In the Social Web, content isn’t limited to text or a couple of sentences. We live in a world of instant where users will share content using mobile devices. Photos, videos, location-sharing pins, and site links are the most shared content on Facebook. For brands, it’s an opportunity to utilize Timeline as a powerful syndication tool to spread content. But wait, brands should ascertain what content drives the most engagement. Dunkin’ Donuts is doing it well with their…donuts, and they’re also putting a premium on user-generated content. Their page is very customer-centric which is why it has 5 million fans. With the Timeline format enhancing pages visually, it’s time for brands to drive their fans in sharing content. After all, a brand’s page is really the customer’s page.

2.) No Tabs. No Problem.
The landing page has been a great help to brands and page admins. Facebook’s Timeline is changind the landscape of brand pages. The tabs were options to control an impression a user will encounter. Now that the Timeline format has arrrived, there’s no default page anymore. This means reduced fan-gating and instant likes. It’s either a good thing or a bad thing. The Timeline is designed for users to get “lost” within their page and explore so they can learn more about the brand. The bad? No CTAs like “Like Us to View More” which can add instant fans to the page. It’s up to brands how they’ll customize their facade to make it more interactive for users to share the page.

3.) Connecting More Through History
Sure, the News Feed will be missed. But this is an opportunity for brands and marketers to focus on new functions of the Timeline that will increase user engagement not only with user-generated content but with brand-generated content as well. The Timeline format for brands is no different from an ordinary user’s personal Timeline. It tells us that Facebook is enabling brands to open up itself including every brand’s rich history. Every accolade and milestone that a brand achieves is documented in their timeline and this acts as a wikipedia of sorts. The Timeline format is a pseudo time machine where people can learn about a brand's throughout the years. People are educated about the brand through being open which prevents the idea of alienating users and dismissing them as mere customers.

4.) Humanizing Brands
Facebook is a great community management tool if you know how to use it. Seasoned community managers and page admins are always monitoring and replying to customer queries and rants on their pages. Usually, a thread turns ugly and forms flash mobs even if the complaint of one person doesn’t really concern them. Not all brands are able to put up a social monitoring command center like Dell’s or Gatorade’s, a Facebook page is a practical and easy tool for better CRM. With the launch of Timeline for brands, customers will now be able to exchanged private messages with a company. It makes the conversation more personal and every customer appreciates that.

5.) Real-Time Social Analytics is Imminent
Google launch Real-Time Analytics last year. Facebook didn’t have an answer until Timeline for brands was released. Facebook now plans to gear community managers and page admins with real-time tools for better social monitoring. Page managers will be able to view and analyze real-time date for metrics such as Engaged Users, People Talking About, and Page post metrics. Brands and marketers can also instantly omit what isn’t workin and replace content or ads with better copies and CTAs. Real-time tools will be a game-changer, but with the recent EdgeRank issues it remains to be seen if Facebook’s real-time analytics is actually feasible or just hype.