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Facebook unveils Timeline profiles

By Brett Molina, USA TODAY
Updated

Brace yourself for some more changes, Facebook users.

Fresh off a recent update that riled up many users, the social network unveiled "the evolution of the profile," called Timelines.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed the overhauled profiles during the company's F8 Developer Conference in San Francisco.

"If the original profile was the first five minutes of your conversation, and the stream is the next 15 (minutes), then I want to show you the rest," Zuckerberg said before introducing Timelines, which he calls "a new way for users to express who they are."

The profile takes on a look similar to a magazine format, highlighting activities, photos and apps along with a cover photo sitting on top.

"Imagine if there was an easy way to rediscover the things you shared, and collect all your best moments in a single place," says product manager Sam Lessin in a post on the Facebook blog.

Zuckerberg says a beta period for Timelines starts now, and a rollout of the new profiles will happen over the next few weeks.

For a detailed review of the F8 keynote, including how music, movie and other social apps will integrate into Timelines, check out our live recap below:

2:57 p.m.: Zuckerberg wraps up. That's the end of the keynote.

2:55 p.m.: Zuckerberg says the Timeline beta period will start now. Developers can start using it today, and Timelines will roll out widely over the next few weeks. Get ready for another layout shakeup.

2:53 p.m.: Cox using his wedding as an example. He uses Places to detail events leading up to the wedding, Photos that recapture the event, the Music of the moment and friends who would share congratulations. "Timeline really is a blank canvas. It's big enough for anybody's story," Cox says.

2:50 p.m.: "What is the modern vehicle for the timeless process of scrapbooking?," says Cox as he details an Activity Log and the updated About page. Potentially offers a lot of detail on each user.

2:47 p.m.: Nicholas Felton, the designer behind this report, was then hired by Facebook to work on Timelines.

2:46 p.m.: Now showing a detailed annual report on one person, with topics such as the year in music and the year in travel.

2:44 p.m.: Cox discussing visuals such as infographics and year-in-review publications and how they tie to Timeline. He talks about a designer who would regularly conduct annual visual reports on companies and how that sparked the idea of what a report like that on one person's life would look like.

2:40 p.m.: Chris Cox, vice president of product management for Facebook, on stage to discuss history of Timelines.

2:36 p.m.: Taylor says over 350 million use Facebook on their mobile devices each month.

2:35 p.m.: Taylor says it's up to developers to decide how users will their stories through these apps. Using iHeartRadio again, they can explain the music they listen to or their favorite artists or radio stations.

2:33 p.m.: Taylor detailing to developers how to create these apps.

2:31 p.m.: Taylor using iHeartRadio as an example, which he calls "social by design." Users will see exactly how this app will appear on a Timeline before adding. And the sharing from the app will be done automatically.

2:29 p.m.: Taylor says he doesn't want to inundate users with updates every time he cooks, for example, but would like to share his list of recipes. Adding apps to timelines is a simple, one-click process, he says.

2:27 p.m.: Apps are meant for every person, experience and activity, says Taylor, to create a more personal experience.

2:25 p.m.: "Your apps. Now with friends," is the tagline wrapping the video. Zuckerberg really playing up discovery with these apps. Facebook CTO Bret Taylor on stage to offer more details.

2:24 p.m.: And here comes another video montage. Shows samples of updates from the apps.

2:23 p.m.: Shifting to Lifestyle Apps, and the Nike GPS running app. It shows Zuckerberg's times and the run times of his friends. Another app, Foodspotting, is used to find restaurants and snap pics of food item. Timeline brings them together in reports. Ticketmaster, Eventbrite and StubHub will partner with Facebook.

2:20 p.m.: Zuckerberg chats about "the most successful apps on Facebook": games. He sees a friend playing Words With Friends, and can view the latest word he played in the update. Zynga and Playfish will create new apps for Timelines.

2:18 p.m.: Moving on to the social news feed, where users can view what stories friends are reading. Outlets such as Digg,Yahoo and USA TODAY are among partners.

2:16 p.m.: DirecTV, Blockbuster, Flixster and Dailymotion among other video partners.

2:15 p.m.: "We're super excited about all of these great applications, and of the social aspect of Netflix," says Hastings. He adds "outdated privacy law" preventing company from adding Netflix integration to Facebook right now.

2:13 p.m.: Netflix CEO Reed Hastings on stage to discuss Facebook app.

2:10 p.m.: Zuckerberg now showing off apps from Hulu and Netflix, featuring pop-up players that let users view from their Timeline.

2:09 p.m.: iHeartRadio, Rhapsody and turntable.fm among other music sites adding Facebook apps. Zuckerberg now shifting to TV.

2:08 p.m.: Ek says social discovery of music from Facebook will make users more likely to listen to music and "twice as likely" to pay for music.

2:06 p.m.: Spotify CEO Daniel Ek takes the stage. "It's a big day for everyone who loves music," he says.

2:03 p.m.: Another cool feature of Spotify on Facebook: users can listen to songs with friends online. Zuckerberg listening to tracks from Jay-Z and Nirvana with a friend.

2:02 p.m.: Timelines also let users explore activity patterns. In the case of music, users can check out their friends' favorite songs, artists and other info.

2:00 p.m.: Zuckerberg showing more Spotify. Users can see playlists appear on Timelines, for example. Apps will allow more users to discover new things from their friends, he adds.

1:57 p.m.: Zuckerberg using music service Spotify as an example. When users head to screen for digital permissions prior to launching the app, they can opt to add any updates to their Timeline.

1:56 p.m.: New apps allow users to add activity to Timelines without getting prompts to share with friends. "You're connecting the app and your Timeline together," says Zuckerberg.

1:54 p.m.: Zuckerberg breaking down apps by Games, Communication, Media (TV, books, music, etc.) and Lifestyle (fitness, etc.)

1:53 p.m.: Zuckerberg explaining the new News ticker on user profiles. Recent, "lightweight" activity shows up in the ticker, while more substantial updates appear in the News feed. Ticker appears to be tied to these new apps.

1:50 p.m.: Zuckerberg moving to "the next step" for Facebook Apps. He says instead of just "like a movie, you can watch a movie." Sounds like details on the new media functions are on the way.

1:48 p.m.: Montage shows the life of Andy Sparks, from birth to childhood, marriage and parenthood. That's a lot of sharing. "We think it's an important next step to tell the story of your life," says Zuckerberg.

1:46 p.m.: Cue the video montage. Time for a Timeline sizzle reel.

1:44 p.m.: "You have complete control over everything you have on your Timeline," adds Zuckerberg, as he breaks down how to create photos, how to display content and who can see it.

1:43 p.m.: Zuckerberg says they didn't want to just design a place for your stories and apps, but create a home "so you can express who you really are." Timelines include a cover photo that sits on top of the Timeline. "Great way to learn who a person is without reading about them at all," says Zuckerberg.

1:40 p.m.: Zuckerberg moving onto Facebook Apps and how they integrate into Timeline. They pop up as Timeline stories, like News Feed updates that appear when you or a friend uses an app. Facebook will add Reports, too. Zuckerberg uses a social cooking app as an example, to show the dishes he's cooked this month. It takes activity from apps and rolls them into a report.

1:38 p.m.: Users can adjust Timeline views by clicking on Tiles, so users can view Timelines through photos only, for example. There's also a Map option that details Timelines using maps.

1:36 p.m.: Zuckerberg filling in earlier years from his Timeline. For example, he takes an image of himself from 1990 and drops it in. It seems to work similar to the standard method for adding pics.

1:34 p.m.: Best way to describe Timeline: imagine your profile in a magazine-style format, similar to layouts on apps such as Flipboard for the iPad.

1:32 p.m.: Zuckerberg unveils a full timeline, complete with stories, photos, apps and much more. Layout is very different from traditional profile.

1:30 p.m.: "If the original profile was the first five minutes of your conversation, and the stream is the next 15 (minutes), then I want to show you the rest," says Zuckerberg. He unveils Timeline, "the story of your life," adds Zuckerberg, calling it a "new way to express who you are."

1:28 p.m.: Taking attendees through the history of the profile, shifting to changes in 2008, which added more detail on users' recent activities.

1:27 p.m.: Zuckerberg now discussing "the heart" of Facebook: the profile. Showing the very first from 2004. "So basic," Zuckerberg says.

1:25 p.m.: Zuckerberg says Facebook "hit a pretty big milestone" last week: on a single day, a half-billion users logged on to the social network.

1:24 p.m.: Samberg performing more "-berg" impressions, including Jesse Eisenberg and Mark Wahlberg before wrapping up. And F8 now begins for real.

1:22 p.m.: "Andy, what the heck are you doing?," shouts the real Zuckerberg as he pops on stage. "Hey, Andy, loan me a billion dollars?," says Samberg.

1:20 p.m.: "I'm also proud to announce some new features on Facebook," Samberg continues, including a section called "I'm Not Really Friends With These People." Hilarious start to this keynote.

1:17 p.m.: Saturday Night Live's Andy Samberg on stage, showcasing his best impression of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. "We're going to change the universe!," says the faux Zuckerberg. "I say that every year."

1:12 p.m.: More from Jon Swartz: "Keynote to start in 5 minutes."

1:09 p.m.: From USA TODAY's Jon Swartz, who is at F8 and providing updates via Twitter: "2,000 in auditorium. Hundreds lined up outside before the event. Awaiting Mark Z. to appear."

Update at 1:04 p.m. ET: And we have our first delay. The keynote presentation is expected to start in about 15 minutes.

Our original post

Facebook has been making plenty of news this week, between key changes to profile layouts and reports of several media services in the works.

The social network is expected to reveal music services and major upgrades to video sharing at its F8 developers conference in San Francisco.

Click on the video above to watch the keynote live from the West Coast starting at 1 p.m. ET, or simply follow our live blog updates as news develops.

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