Facebook has finally started the process of rolling out its new profile design, Timeline, by making it publically available for the first time... in New Zealand.
Announced on the Facebook blog, the social network says: “We are making Timeline more widely available as we measure speed and other types of performance. We'll begin by making it available to people in New Zealand and then roll it out more broadly in the near future.”
Facebook has said New Zealand was selected for the rollout primarily because the social network is seeking global feedback, and the fact that the country is English speaking makes the process of receiving feedback and making quick improvements easier.
According to Facebook, since allowing developer beta access to Timeline in September, over a million people signed up. “The feedback we've received so far has been invaluable.”
The rollout of Timeline was believed to initially be delayed as a result of the trademark dispute filed against Facebook by small company Timelines.com.
The Chicago-based company reportedly filed for a temporary restraining order on Facebook to prevent the social network from rolling out Timeline to the public, claiming the new feature threatens the future of its business.
Your life online
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg initially unveiled Timeline at the F8 Developer Conference in September, with the intention of rolling it out in the weeks following the announcement.
Timeline essentially turns user profiles into digital scrapbooks that chronicle their lives. All posts from when a user first joined Facebook are included in the Timeline, and users have the option of 'filling in the gaps' with further information, photos and milestones to put one's whole life online.
Timeline is also designed to include the Social Apps designed on Facebook's new Open Graph, which allows for controversial 'frictionless' sharing of information and activities. This raised a number of highly publicised privacy concerns, which Facebook has been working to resolve.
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