Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
It goes by many names - the place for status updates, the "What's on your mind?" box, or
(as Facebook calls it) the publisher. Whatever you call it, this box is the heart of Facebook
for many people. It's where you share personal updates, and post other things to your timeline.
Your timeline is the focal point of your personal Facebook page. It catalogues information about
you and your life - dating all the way back to the year you were born (if you listed that
on your profile). It's also where Facebook posts updates about your activity on the site,
including your latest likes and interests, your friends' comments, and more.
To post a status update, just click the box, and start typing. You'll find the box on your
timeline, and also your Facebook home page. I'm thinking about dinner, so I'm going to
say, "Craving my favorite pizza."
To post, click the Post button. But first I'd like to show you some of the other things
you can add. Since I'm talking about my favorite pizza, how about a link to the restaurant?
Just type or copy & paste the address… and a nice little summary appears with a link
to their website.
You can also control who has access to your post using the in-line audience selector.
The default setting here depends on your individual privacy settings. I'm going to go ahead and
share this one with Friends only.
When you're ready, click the Post button. Now my update (with a link to Lilly's Pizza)
appears on my timeline, my news feed, and on my friends' news feed.
There are still other things you can share using the publisher, including photos and
videos - even details about where you are right now; for example, at the museum.
You may have noticed there are other things on my timeline, too (aside from updates that
I've posted myself). Here's an update from one of my friends.
To post on a friend's timeline, all you have to do is click their name anywhere you see
it on Facebook - for example, on your friends list.
Then find the publisher, and type your message.
Here's another thing you can do with an update - it's called tagging. Instead of just mentioning
Mike by name, I can actually add him to the post, including a link to his profile. All
you have to do is click the person you want to tag, then the Share button when you're
ready.
Your timeline isn't just for posts and recent activity. You can also post past events and
milestones, like a new job, an important achievement, or a special hobby. Facebook calls these "life
events," and there are two ways to add them to your timeline.
Number 1. When posting an update, click the clock icon here. This allows you to include
details like the year, month, and day. Now the update will show up at the appropriate
point in your timeline, instead of at the top.
Option number 2. Click Life Event
instead of posting an update. Choose the type of milestone you want to share, then add as
little or as much information as you want. When you're done, remember to click Save.
Occasionally, you may want to remove a post from your timeline, whether it's from a friend,
or (in this case) something you posted yourself. To do this, hover and click the pencil icon
in the upper right corner. Then choose Hide from Timeline to remove it from your page,
or Delete Post to delete it permanently.
You can also keep Facebook from publishing updates about your activity, like changes
you've made to your profile. Here, you'll want to mouse over the item in question, then
click the X to access your options.
The last thing I'd like to talk about is sharing on Facebook using something called social
plugins. Social plugins are buttons and boxes that allow you to connect to other sites (for
example, CNN.com) using your account.
Many people like this feature because it makes it easy to share things outside of Facebook;
for example, news articles, videos, and more. You can even add a comment before you post
the item to your timeline.
There are two types of posts that stem from using social plugins: posts that include content
(like the one I just shared), and posts that reveal your activity (like a place you visited,
or a game you played on Facebook).
Most apps and websites will ask your permission before they post anything to your timeline,
but some won't. That's why it's important to be careful when you use Facebook to connect
to other sites.
So what's on your mind? Now that you know how, you can start sharing on Facebook, and
filling up your personal timeline.