Facebook Timeline for Brands: Will You Use It? How? Is It a Social Media Game Changer?

1. If you’re using Facebook strategically, then this is a big deal: the new layout rewards creativity and innovation. But if you’re operating at a tactical level, then this is just more of the same—another shiny tool to play with.

2. The new timeline reinforces consistency across Facebook. To the extent that Facebook can make pages (for brands) the same as profiles (for people), this makes the social network more user-friendly for advertisers.

3. The new timeline, especially the prominent cover image, reinforces the importance of visuals on the web.

4. The new timeline decreases the prominence of tabs, which many users have put considerable time into creating and optimizing.

Addendum (2/29/2012): Success!