How to enable Facebook Timeline today

By Tom Davenport on 10 November 2011, 12:58pm

Facebook's new Timeline feature looks very cool, but despite its release date being set for 30 September, it's still not available to everyone. There's currently only one way to access it, and we know how. Click play on our tutorial video above or read on to find out.

Facebook's head of product Chris Cox, speaking at the f8 conference, described how people used to build scrapbooks of past memories as something to enjoy in the future. Facebook is the modern equivalent, but until now the only way to browse your personal archive was to scroll, scroll, scroll.

The new Timeline takes this scrapbook idea, and presents your Facebook history in a new and beautifully accessible way.

There's no news on when Timeline will launch to the public, but if you're keen to dive in today, there's a relatively easy way of unlocking the new feature.

How to enable Facebook Timeline

1. Access Facebook and search for 'developer', then click 'allow'.

2. Click 'Create New App' in the top right, then give your fake app a name. Call it something silly so that real developers can use all the cool words for real apps.

3. You will be taken to the settings page for your app. Click 'Open Graph' on the left, then click 'Get started with Open Graph'.

4. You need to create a test action for your fake app. It doesn't matter what.

5. On the next page you're presented with a form. Ignore all of this -- scroll down and click through each page.

6. Go back to your normal Facebook home screen. After a few minutes, an invite to the new Timeline will appear at the top of your newsfeed.

You made it! Have a browse through your past with the yearly navigation buttons on the right, find the ideal image to represent you at the top, and tidy your timeline in good time for when the rest of the world can start browsing it next week.

A few things to note:

This method worked for us, but if you can't get through, there's a chance Facebook has cracked down to stop fake apps being registered.
Your friends won't see your new timeline until it launches to the public, but other developers will. Alternatively, you can choose to keep it private until you're good and ready.
If you log into facebook on a second machine, your new timeline is disabled. You can get back to it with this link, replacing 'USERNAME' with your usual Facebook username: http://www.facebook.com/USERNAME?sk=timeline

Will Timeline make your life too open to others, or is it a revolution in diary making? Share your thoughts in the comments section below, or indeed on our Facebook page.