This month there is going to be some hectic changes to the layout of your facebook page. If you haven’t checked out the new timeline my suggestion to you is that you do… and fast. As of Friday 30th March 2012, all fan pages will have changed to the new facebook timeline. If you have not yet played with the layout it’s going to be like finding a needle in a haystack. Here are just a few things that you need to know before you’re thrown knee deep into the Social Networking site.

Cover photo

The first noticeable image while looking at the old facebook layout is the profile picture. The new facebook timeline is slightly different. There is a larger image behind it, also known as the cover photo. This image is 851 px X 315 px. The image itself is visually inviting and increases engagement. The next tip is towards all business: the cover photo cannot include price or purchase information, contact information, any form of call-to-action or reference to facebook features like share or liking any particular page.

Default landing tabs and apps

Instead of the default tabs on the left hand side of the page, the new facebook timeline tabs are based just below the new cover photo across the width of the timeline page. There are tabs for the amount of likes, photos, maps and pages. In the hidden tabs you would be able to find the subscribers and subscriptions tabs. If this is a fan age and the user has not liked the page as yet, they will be able to find the LIKE button on the top right hand side. Another important feature is the ability to pin a post to a particular tab. Pinned tabs would remain for seven days and then get placed in their original position on the timeline. Through this pinning feature you will be able to identify the most important post and make sure the public has had a chance to view it.

Direct messaging

A new feature that could be very important for business pages is the new ability for fans to send direct messages to fan pages. This could help businesses to improve on customer services, and improve the overall quality of the facebook fan page. As the administrator, if you have become irritated with the amount of direct messages being sent you have the ability to deactivate this feature.

Quick changes

Previously with the old facebook, once you created a facebook fan page you were not allowed to edit vital information such as the name. With the new timeline things have changed. You now have the ability to change the name of the page. Another quick change feature is that you have the ability to hide posts from your timeline. So next time you see a post that you do not want to delete but would rather hide from others you can click on the tool icon in the right hand corner of the post and then hide the post. It’s as simple as that.

Lindse Marco is a Social Media Marketing and Social Media Startegy intern at ROI Media.