Facebook adds a sneaky new feature
When Facebook turned on the new Timeline feature for all users, it asked everyone to upload a “Cover Photo” which is the large banner on top of personal profiles and Facebook Pages. People added silly pictures, or images of their city, with little thought because the Cover Photo was only visible when someone physically visited the profile or page, which is a less common activity, as most users see updates in their timeline feed rather than visiting a page directly.
This week, Facebook has changed all of that by adding a popup of a user or Page’s profile picture and Cover Photo when any user hovers over their name or profile picture while on a timeline, even if they are not following that user or Page:
Why it matters now
That picture of you drinking at a conference is fun, but is now much more highly visible, so make sure your Cover Photo is something useful, but more importantly, is something eye catching that shows at a glance who you are when someone hovers over your name or face, especially if accidental.
Punchy, colorful images are a good idea for Cover Photos, but remember, Facebook has extremely rigorous rules that you must follow with Cover Photos, that if disobeyed could result in permanent page deletion without warning (see the related reading below). Additionally, the templates that allow you to creatively position your profile to fit in cleverly with your Cover Page do not convey in the new pop up, but remain as a working feature for the full sized Cover Photo on a profile or Page.
Get creative, think of using a large, oversized image that catches the eye at a glance, and remember that your Cover Photo and profile now pop up, even for people you are not friends with, in the event you have been mentioned or commented on anothers’ timeline.
Related critical reading:
