Prediction: you’ll begin to see brain matter littered on walls all over town later this week.

Why?

The new Facebook Timeline, that’s why. Put your earbuds back in, because the sound of heads exploding will become irritating in such frequent amounts.

Facebook begins rolling out the new format for Profiles this week. Some of us too excited to sleep went and enabled it early. Maybe it’s because I’m single, but I’ve got a lot of love to go around – and I LOVE (yep, all caps) this new format.

In an effort to keep this from turning into an appendix for the new features, I’ll keep the screenshots and arrow diagrams to a minimum. But y’all, just look:

Isn’t she purdy?

Not to get all sentimental on you, but this has such a scrapbook-esque feel to it (albeit digital). It’s really completely chronological and contains exactly all of the photos, sentiments and events that you want it to. No, really – you tell Timeline exactly what you want to appear there, whether it be how many/what friends you made that year/month, to what people may have written on your Wall. It is completely curated by you. The best part? You get to pick your “cover.” Facebook gettin’ all blog-gy and stuff!

Now, let’s get to the part you’re really excited about: you. Since Facebook is inherently Look at me! Look at all the things I’m doing and thinking and feeling and eating!, this new layout creates an even bigger platform for self-promotion/absorption/loathing. My Profile is now my whole entire life – what I choose to share of it, anyway – and it’s laid out in such a logical and intuitive way that you can’t help but be sucked in.

One can now add “life events” that happened before Zuckerberg could even tie his shoes. We all have those friends and family members who will take the time to go in and add everything (chicken pox, first goldfish flush)…in such case, do not fret – you can still “hide” anyone/thing you like (via the “Subscribe” function). My favorite part? “Maps.” That sucker shows all my activity all over the world. When you post stories (check-ins, yada yada) and photos with a location, they transcend space and time and hop right onto your map.

But in all seriousness…if you craft it, there is potential for a very tender side to this. Imagine an interactive timeline of your life – friends, family, places, love(s), loss, jobs. A virtual library of memories and events. Think both in terms of excerpt (a courtship) and long term (from wedding to empty nest). And remember – if you so choose, only you can see it (hint to future fiancé: a custom timeline at our rehearsal dinner, perhaps??).

And heads up, businesses: this will benefit you, too. Think milestones and traditions and whatnot. And that cover photo…imagine the widgets you can sell with that!

Like I said, there will be initial backlash and outcry. Home Depot will be sold out of pitchforks, and a universal “How dare you change a free service I’m not obligated to use!” will be heard on every street corner. Alas, Internet friends, give it time. Zuckerberg did a solid on this one…and I think you’ll agree.

Happy Timelining!

Sept 13-14, 1814. On the night of Sept 13, Francis Scott Key was aboard a ship that was delayed in Baltimore harbor by the British attack there on Fort McHenry. Key had no choice but to anxiously watch the battle. That experience and seeing the American flag still flying over the fort the next morning inspired him to pen the verses that, coupled with the tune of a popular drinking song, became our official national anthem in 1931, 117 years after the words were written.

Source: Chases’ Calendar of Events 2011

With printing costs continuing to rise and new products and product changes emerging on a continual basis, The Bramton Company was stuck in the middle — repeatedly printing, revising and reprinting sales and collateral materials and paying a very dear price.

The solution – migrating all sales and product materials to an iPad app and deploying iPads in the hands of every salesperson. To keep the latest information easily available to the retail trade, a companion private website was developed, presenting the same information.

The Bramton Company offers a wide range of pet products under numerous brands, including Simple Solution®, Vet’s Best® and Bags on Board® to large and small retailers across the US. With a large network of sales and dealer representatives, communicating information about new products was handled in the traditional way – printed flyers, sales sheets and other pieces of collateral material. Not only were new products being introduced regularly, but because of the dynamic nature of the retail business, product and ordering information became dated almost as soon as it came off the press. The answer to these issues was to convert all the product, sales and ordering information into digital formats – deployed as an iPad app for the Brampton sales people and an exclusive web sitelet for dealer reps and retailers.

Using iPads in the field, sales reps can easily share the absolute latest and most up-to-date product information with retailers. As the program rolls out, selected retailers will be given a similar iPad app so they can access the current information.

All product, sales and ordering information is stored in a central database managed by Bramton’s marketing team. Along with information, Bramton’s new digital product information system is also used to share product image files, product labels and marketing materials with their reps and retailers.

With this new approach, for the first time, The Bramton Company communicates all their product information online and through the iPad app while avoiding costly printing and reprinting. Information is updated quickly and easily so the field sales force and retailers always have the latest and most accurate data.