An astounding 800 million people- over 10% of the entire global population- maintain Facebook accounts. This social networking site has taken the world by storm, revolutionizing relationships through its highly intuitive interface.

So inevitably, when Facebook changes something, it's a big deal.

Unveiled at its f8 conference in September 2011, Facebook's new 'Timeline' layout completely remodels the original profile view, introducing a new ‘click-by-date’ design. Whilst the new profile doesn’t post any information that wasn’t already there, it does intend to make things easier to find. In the original profile, the 'view older posts' button at the bottom of each person’s profile page allowed users to go back in history, but the archives were limited, and most users didn’t take the time to scroll through. Now, Facebook Timeline allows users to re-write their entire life history- or at least that is the idea.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said at the conference that he wanted to design a place that feels like home. He said the new 'Timeline' feature is a place where Facebook users can tell their personal story and that it also represents a completely new aesthetic for the social network.

But not all users are in favor of the change. In a recent online poll, 24% had a positive opinion (either loving or liking it) and 27% had a negative opinion (thinking it could be better). Also, 24% were neutral (“It’s ok”) and 25% had “no opinion about it.”

The Facebook changes are thought by some to be a double-edged sword. On one hand, there's a lot more information with the new model. On the other, this increase in information isn't necessarily a welcome addition by all users. Since Timeline makes it easier for users to view photos and updates, and allows people to have all of their data in one online location, social media experts caution people to think carefully about what they include.

According to the market research surveys, 23% of respondents update the status of their social networking accounts at least once a day, and 66% change it on at least a weekly basis. All those updates can create a pretty comprehensive life history that is accessible to anyone with an internet connection (although privacy settings do allow users to limit who can access their personal information). The older the respondent, the less likely they are to update the status on any of their social networking accounts, and the more likely they are to be completely unplugged from social media all together. It’s the younger people (under 55 years) that are logging into Facebook to see what people are doing, thinking, buying, and eating. And thanks to the new Timeline, all that information is traceable back to the day they were born.

Sean Burke writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.