Facebook today unveils Timeline for pages — a combination of design
elements and moderation features that give organizations the controls
they need to maintain an effective presence on the social network.
The redesign, the largest for pages since February 2011, creates a more unified look and feel for the site after profiles and groups
were updated earlier this year. Page owners will have a 30-day window
to redesign their pages and publish when they are ready. On March 31,
all pages will automatically switch to the new format.
The layout featuring a cover photo and larger stories in an easy to
navigate chronology is similar to Timeline for personal profiles. What
differs is the ability to pin a post to the top of a page and a friend
activity box that makes pages more relevant to each user. Page tabs
still function, but there is no longer an option to set a third-party
tab as default. A new admin panel, activity log and direct message
feature will help page owners manage their communities.
We had a chance to preview the new pages and will review key features below.
In lieu of a unique landing tab, pages have a 851×351 pixel photo to
convey a brand message. However, Facebook wants to keep cover photos
from looking like banner ads so images cannot include price or purchase
information, contact info, calls to action or references to Facebook
features such as Like or Share. Page owners might be frustrated by this
but we can see why Facebook would do it. Most users won’t understand
what aspects of a page are done by third-parties versus done by
Facebook. If pages use cover photos like advertisements, many users
could confuse them for actual ads and get frustrated with the social
network.
Timeline
Page owners can now add milestones and choose to feature posts larger
than others, similar to what users can do with life events on Timeline
(see image below). Pages can also hide individual posts without deleting
them. This allows pages to display only its most engaging posts without
losing important data.
Another new feature is one page owners have long asked for: the
option to pin an important post to the top of the page. Pinned posts can
stay for up to seven days. Unlike on Twitter, pinned posts are
available to all page, not just premium advertisers.
Admin Panel
A new management tool appears at the top of pages a person has admin
rights to. It gives a snapshot of insights, people who recently Liked
the page, fan activity notifications and a message inbox. Similar to a
feature we saw tested in December 2011,
pages can now accept direct messages from users. This allows customer
service issues and other sensitive matters to be discussed privately
instead of on the wall. Pages cannot initiate direct messages with fans.
The admin panel also includes Help Center items like “Request a name
change for your page,” prompts to create ads and other tips for page
owners.
Activity Log
Like on personal profiles, the activity log is useful for finding and
editing old posts. Admins can sort items by year or type of story. The
activity log is only visible to users who have admin rights to the page.
From screenshots we’ve seen, insights for each post are not shown in
the activity log, but this would be a helpful addition.
Applications
Page tab apps continue to function, but instead of listing apps down
the left side of the page, apps are available on the right beneath the
cover photo. Fewer tabs can be highlighted above a “See more” option,
but all apps benefit from larger thumbnails. App images are 111×74
pixels instead of 16×16 pixel favicons like they were previously. Apps
themselves can now be up to 810 pixels wide. They render on a new page
underneath a header with a link back to the page, a drop-down menu with
other tabs and a Like button if users don’t already.
Facebook will not allow default landing tabs like before. The company
recommends pages pin a post that links to a particular tab. According
to cover photo guidelines, pages cannot add images that use arrows or
text to direct people to visit tabs or take particular actions. The
social network seems to be waning pages off of tab applications. The
vision for the platform is for Facebook to be integrated into
third-party websites and mobile apps, not to have applications running
within page frames. But since many companies already invested in
developing applications for their pages, the social network could not
simply get rid of them at this stage.
