Facebook has become well known for its multitude of changes over the years in order to accommodate the latest and greatest trends in technology. Most of the time, though, these changes are highly unnecessary, such as the Inception-like News Feed within a feed introduced in September. Though the concept is interesting, the result is somewhat annoying: Facebook now decides who my most important friends are, and unfortunately enough for me, it usually misses the mark.

Just recently, Facebook unveiled yet another change for my profile allowing me to go back to the very beginning. Or at least, my beginning with Facebook.

The Timeline Facebook profile is exactly what it sounds like: a timeline. Users can now access every post, picture, video and comment since first joining Facebook, a daunting concept to say the least. Furthermore, this new feature gives you seven days to go through old posts and update the look of your profile before it is officially published on the site, giving you time to get rid of those comments you probably don’t want your boss to see.

Though the general layout is sleek and innovative, definitely giving Facebook a new and improved look, this change brings forth another round of privacy debates. These now accessible old posts, created far before the continually changing privacy settings, can be seen by everyone you originally shared the post with and can only be managed individually. Though it will be a hassle to go through six years of content and manage each post individually, it’s easily achievable, as I can set aside a few days, or even take the whole week allotted if I have to, in order to ensure I have the profile I want.

I’m excited to get the chance to go back and see how I’ve grown over time. Timeline is a virtual scrapbook, and even sometimes a diary, as it lets me go back and place myself in those moments in a way I couldn’t have otherwise. I also have the chance to relive events or random moments in my life that I may have forgotten, and through this, reconnect with an old friend, or laugh about a random comment I had made two years prior.

Timeline also hosts a new set of features that enhances this “scrapbook” feel. I can now add photos or jobs that occurred previously to my joining Facebook, and I have full control over how my profile looks to other people—maximizing certain stories I feel are more important with the “star” feature, while hiding the updates I feel can be left out. In doing so, Facebook has paved the way for a groundbreaking sense of individuality toward each person’s respective page, where the older profile, in retrospect, looks staccato and conformed. Facebook has also integrated the Timeline toolbar to the side and top of a user’s page, making older posts more easily accessible than before by simply clicking on the year and month desired.

I’ve been critical of Facebook’s many changes, of which I feel most were unneeded and frustrating, but Timeline proves the first instance where I enthusiastically applaud the changes to my profile. This new feature will certainly make history as the new year approaches. Your perceptions of Facebook are about to change.