Facebook’s timeline theme has been available as an optional upgrade to its users since last year.  But, by the end of this month, Facebook will upgrade all profiles to their new timeline theme.

One of the most important things to be aware of about the new timeline is that you have a 7-day window to remove any previous posts or pictures that you do not want displayed on your new timeline once published.  When Facebook announces that you have been upgraded to timeline, then you will only have 7 days to remove any posts or pictures that you do not want displayed on your timeline when published.  After the 7-day period,  everything in your profile can be viewed by everybody and anybody. If you have not been upgraded yet, now is a good time to do a quick audit of your profile to ensure that there isn’t anything in your profile that you do not want seen by the people you are connected with on Facebook. So, what does this mean to you and your patients?  One of the good things about the timeline is that it gives a chronological baseline to your patients’ life on Facebook.  It also makes it more seamless to share when and what they do with their friends. This opens up an even stronger platform for genuine word-of-mouth referrals within the Facebook ecosystem. And with the introduction of new apps for timeline earlier this year, it’s becoming quite clear that Facebook is committed to leveraging their platform to become the go-to place for referrals on the web.  They may even have the money to fight off their competition and dominate the online referral space, since they filed for an IPO last week.