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Facebook tests redesign of controversial 'TimeLine' pages

Facebook is testing a redesign of its controversial 'TimeLine' profile - a magazine-like 'new look' which has drawn mixed reactions from users.

Facebook is testing a redesign of its controversial 'TimeLine' profile - a magazine-like 'new look' which has drawn mixed reactions from users.

The redesign, which became compulsory this year, shows off a detailed 'history' of a user's activities, including photos, posts and 'activity' such as songs listened to on apps such as Spotify.

A month after the launch a poll found that 86 per cent of people hated the new changes, the equivalent of 688 million people.

Mark Zuckerberg described timeline as letting you 'tell the whole story of your life on a single page'.

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Users, though, have been less keen on being forced to do so, after the new look became compulsory.




Groups such as 'Facebook Timeline Sucks' still have thousands of members.

The new design, uncovered by the blog Inside Facebook, splits users' history into two lines, one for posts, and one for 'activities'.

"This layout addresses one of the common complaints about the new profile: users previously had to look back and forth on the page as they scrolled through to read their stream. Some users found the two-column layout frustrating. With this design, the line down the center has been removed, making the profile look less like a timeline," says Inside Facebook. "With this design, the line down the center has been removed, making the profile look less like a timeline."

Facebook confirmed that it was testing the new look with a small number of users.

New features on Facebook tend to be tested on a small section of the community first before being rolled out worldwide.

Timeline, for instance, was first tested in New Zealand, and then rolled out worldwide.