How to Get an Early Invite to Facebook Timeline Profiles

Since the announcement of a new “timeline” feature for Facebook, the web has been buzzing with gossip. Of course, there are the predictable masses who abhor change, and are again threatening to boycott the social networking site.

However, for those of you who are intrigued by the new Facebook “Timeline” profiles, there is a way to get an early preview. It takes a bit of time — and you won’t be able to get your old profile back — but it could give you some time to get used to the new layout.

Here’s the short version.

1. Go into Facebook’s “Developer” app. The app should appear when you type “Developer” in the searchbox, and has a logo that looks like a blue cube in three pieces. Once you start the app, you’ll enable “Developer” mode.
2. Create an app. Give it whatever crazy name you want — since you won’t be releasing it to the public. Agree to the “Platform Privacy” statement. You will need to have a “verified” Facebook account (you can do this by allowing Facebook to send a text to your mobile phone) in order to complete this step.
3. In your shiny new app’s settings screen, you should see a header called “Open Graph” on the left hand side. Click on it, and then click “Get Started Using Open Graph”.
4. Create a test action for your app — such as “eat” an “apple” or “watch” a “show”. It really doesn’t matter what you type.
5. Change some of the default options for your test action on the following screen. For example, my test action was to “eat” a “sushi roll” — so I changed it to “nom” a “sushi roll” just for fun. Click through all three pages of settings for your test action.
6. Wait from 2-5 minutes. Then, open a new window (or tab) and navigate to your Facebook profile or homepage. An invite to Timelines should be waiting for you at the top of the page. Have fun!

Still confused? Here’s a link to a guide with some helpful photos.

Link