Facebook "want" button coming soon, says developer

Facebook already allows members to express themselves in a number of different ways, from posting basic status updates and liking things to sharing what songs you are listening to and even sharing your organ donor status. But according to developer Tom Waddington, the social networking company has added a new “want” tag to their Javascript software development kit.

Inside Facebook points out that the button is not publicly listed on the company’s Facebook developer site alongside other plugins. Waddington says that the button will be a part of Facebook’s Open Graph, only showing up on items that are marked as a product. For example, you could “want” a new car but you wouldn’t be able to “want” your favorite band or movie star.

A similar function already exists as a third party app but users have to authorize them to create stories on their Timeline and News Feed. Many tech savvy users shy away from installing any third party apps on the social site out of fear that an app could end up compromising their account. Getting rid of the third party app and implementing the feature directly into Facebook will no doubt result in greater participation.

Adding the feature will allow Facebook to collect even more data about a user’s interests, something that could be used for advertising purposes. The move would also assist e-commerce fan sites as those companies would no longer have to create their own apps to accomplish the same goal.

No word yet on when exactly this new feature is scheduled to roll out.

Facebook giving away 200,000 sets of Timeline business cards for free

Facebook is giving away Timeline personal cards for a limited time while supplies last in an effort to help users promote their profiles and a new partnership with moo.com. 200,000 sets of 50 cards each (5,000 per day) are being handed out absolutely free of charge on a first come, first serve basis.

Here’s how you can get a set of Timeline cards for yourself.

1. Visit your Facebook Timeline profile.

2. Click the About link under the basic personal information section.

3. Navigate to the Contact Info section and mouse over the small business card icon.

4. You should see a message from Facebook that says, “We’ve partnered with moo.com to make it easy to print your very own set of custom business cards. The first box of cards is on us.”

5. Click Print Cards to proceed.

With only 200,000 free sets of cards available, it’ll likely be pretty tough to get a free set considering the site has over 800,000 million registered members. As such, you can optionally visit moo.com and order a set for yourself right away. Prices start at $15 for 50 cards including delivery.

The customizable Timeline cards may seem like a silly idea on first thought but print cards are a great way to network with new contacts, especially if you have a business of your own that you are looking to promote in a new and creative way. Thinking outside of the box is one of the best ways to garner attention for yourself.

Get Facebook's New Timeline Right Now

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg yesterday announced a complete reconceptualization of profile pages on the popular social network with the introduction of Timeline. As Zuckerberg puts it, Timeline is the story of your life.

Gone is the single column wall of posts with the most recent updates telling '15 minutes of your story.' Instead, as the name suggests, you'll see a timeline of life events containing photos and other updates that stretches back to when you joined Facebook. Anyone viewing it can click back to any year where there are updates and see what was going on.

Facebook automatically selects the most important updates and highlights them with a blue dot. Grey dots represent hidden updates that might not be as important. Users can arrange their Timeline however they see fit by removing certain updates or highlighting others that might be important to them. The feature will begin rolling out to the public over the next few weeks, but developers can sign up for early access now. Here's how you can get it too:

1. Visit the Facebook Developer page and enable it for your account.

2. Click the 'Create New App' button on the top right. On the New App prompt window, give your app a display name and name space -- any name, it doesn't matter. Agree to the Platform Privacy Policy and click Continue. You will need a verified Facebook account so make sure you have either a credit card or phone number on file.

3. After clearing the CAPTCHA verification you will then be taken to your new apps' settings screen (if Facebook doesn’t put you there automatically hit the Edit App button on the top right). Next, click on Open Graph link in the left column and define an action for your new app on the right pane. You can enter whatever you like; I wrote watch on the first field and chose video from the drop-down menu on the next one. Click "Get Started."

That's it! You may see an error telling you that something went wrong but just ignore that and head to your Facebook homepage, you should see an invitation to the new Facebook Timeline Beta (you may have to wait a few minutes). Once you are in you can take a short tour of the new timeline view or start editing your profile until you are ready to publish it.

The timeline functionality isn't compatible with the "old" Facebook, so most of your friends won't see your fancy new page just yet. Users will be migrated over the coming weeks as Facebook rolls out the update to everyone.

The new Facebook site looks gorgeous, but going beyond pure aesthetics, how do you feel about Facebook's new approach to personal profiles, opening up more about your life to your social circle and potentially to the web?

The top portion of the timeline features a configurable background picture called the Cover, 
and has personal information on the left along with your friends, photos, and Likes.

Adding 'life events' to your timeline.

Facebook's Timeline feature goes live worldwide

Facebook has officially begun rolling out the new Timeline feature to its entire 800+ million user base. Announced in September, the move represents a complete reconceptualization of profile pages, where instead of just the most recent updates, users will see a timeline of life events containing photos and other updates that stretches back to when you joined Facebook. As Zuckerberg puts it, Timeline is the story of your life.

Anyone viewing your Timeline can click back to any year where there are updates and see what was going on at the time. Facebook automatically selects the most important updates and highlights them on your profile page, though users can of course remove certain updates and highlight others that might be important to them.

As you would expect, the idea of reviving old -- and potentially embarrassing moments -- in their profile pages hasn't sat well with some users. In an effort to appease critics, the social network is giving users a seven-day review period to tweak their Timeline before it goes public for viewing by others on December 21st. (Update: Facebook's PR people wrote to clarify that December 21st is not a deadline for everyone to review and set up their Timeline. The seven-day review period starts counting whenever users opt-in to the new Timeline profile. There's no announced date for when Facebook will make the change mandatory but the opt-in period will apparently last for a few weeks.)

Users can get the new profile page now, by going to the Introducing Timeline page and clicking "Get it Now".

Facebook first rolled out Timeline in New Zealand last week in order to monitor speed and performance before a global rollout. Before that it was also available to developers -- as well as faux developers interested in trying out the feature early. According to Facebook, over one million people signed up for the beta.