Facebook is rolling out an intriguing new update aimed at active users of the web version of its social network.
The new “Hide from timeline” option allows users to publish a post only on their News Feed, consequently concealing it from their dedicated timeline where content is saved permanently.
Facebook has always offered its users customization options as to who can see a post — these include “public,” “friends,” and “only me,” among others — allowing you to effectively hide content from your timeline. The new feature, however, lets you simply publish your content directly to your News Feed without having to bother with additional tools.
The update does come with its share of restrictions. As mentioned at the outset, it is currently not available on the Facebook app for iOS and Android. It has also not been applied to posts from other people that you wish to share, meaning you still have to resort to using the customization options listed above.
Posts that you decide to exclusively publish on your News Feed will still appear in search, and will be visible to you in the “your posts” personal activity page, CNet reports.
Additionally, Facebook now lets you add topics to your posts on News Feed, indicating that perhaps it wants to emphasize the “news” aspect of the section. The 26 available categories include “World News,” “Science & Tech,” and “TV & Film,” alongside personal topics, such as “Relationships,” “Selfies,” and “Thoughts.”
The categories attached to visual posts, such as “Scenes,” “Celebrations,” and “Selfies,” in conjunction with the new “hide from timeline” option see Facebook once again aping the ephemeral social media functions offered by Snapchat. After all, a quick, silly selfie may be viewed by many as a throwaway post that doesn’t merit permanent saving, making it ideal for the fleeting nature of the News Feed. Nonetheless, as Snapchat has shown, even the most spontaneous post can boast its fair share of personality, which is exactly the type of content Facebook values the most.
