Frequently Asked Questions

What is Timelines?

Timelines.com is the first web site that enables people like you to collaboratively record and share history. It's history recorded by the people, for the people.

On Timelines.com, you can record the details of events, connect them in space and through time to other related events, and contribute to a better collective understanding of what occurred at a particular place and time.

We believe that history is made up of a series of events. Timelines.com enables people to record the specifics of events with descriptions, photos, videos and other references. Once an event is recorded, it is shared with other Timelines.com users who can contribute their unique information to the chronicling of it. Users of Timelines.com collectively vote on what is the best way to remember that event, without censoring the contributions of others. Also, the event becomes a permanent part of Timelines.com so that others can learn about it and how that event is connected to other events related based on time, place and/or topic.

We launched Timelines in April 2009, and we are constantly developing and enhancing the site. If you have suggestions on how to make the site better, we'd love to hear them. Please send your suggestions to feedback@timelines.com.

If you like our site, please spread the word to your friends, readers and followers.

Who should use Timelines?

Anyone interested in understanding, contributing to or recording history should use Timelines.com.

Here are some potential uses:

• Fans of bands, sports teams, movies or TV shows can use the site to track, learn about and chronicle specific concerts, games, band members, actors or players based on self contributions and the contributions of others. Operators of websites in
• Teachers can use the site to collaboratively create and build timelines with their classes for current and/or historical events.
• Historians can chronicle the subject(s) they cover in a detailed, event-by-event manner and share their knowledge to the Timelines.com audience.
• Journalists and bloggers could add their perspectives to events on Timelines.com and help the Timelines.com audience understand a topic more completely.
• Visitors to Timelines.com can learn about the topics in which they are interested, find other useful sources of information and help shape how history is presented on Timelines.com through voting.

Contributors of content that have relevant blogs or web sites are encouraged to link back to their sites. We want to help connect people that are interested in learning about history or particular events with people who can help them.

What's considered an Event?

Basically, anything that you desire to record can be considered an Event.

Events can be current in nature or from the distant past. They can be world renowned events (for example, Obama's Inauguration, the sinking of the Lusitania, or the Super Bowl). They can be highly localized or personal ( the Chicago Jazz Festival, the opening of Millenium Park, the Impeachment of the Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich or the memories from a World Series game).

Events could be about the past happenings for a person, a band, a company, a town or city, a team, a building, a neighborhood, a house.… anything.

How far back in time can I go to record an event?

You can go back as far 4,712 B.C. (Why that exact number, you ask? It has to do with the limitations of our database).

Can I schedule events in the future? How far into the future?

Yes. You can go out as far as the year 3000.

What is a description of an Event? Can I provide someone else's description?

A description is someone's recounting of an event. This recounting can be your own (just type it directly into the site or cut and paste it from your blog or another document) or it can be someone else's. If you use someone else's, be sure to provide the attribution (i.e. who's description is it) and, if it is from the web, a link to the page where that description can be found.

If you use copyrighted material that is not your own, please follow Fair Use rules for excerpting content. We take copyright infringement seriously and will remove content that is infringing upon someone else's copyright. Please see our Copyright Information page for more.

How do I upload photos? Can I link my account on Timelines.com to web photo sharing sites like Flickr or Picasa? Can I bulk upload photos?

You can upload photos by clicking on the "Add content to this event" link on the Event Page and then clicking on the "Photo" tab. You can upload photos from your computer or from a URL. If you are uploading a photo that is not yours, be sure that you have the rights to do so. See our Copyright Information Page for more information.

Currently you cannot link your Timelines.com account with your photo sharing accounts or upload photos in bulk. These features are in development.

I've found a photo on someone else's blog that helps to chronicle an event. Can I include it in an Event on Timelines.com?

Yes, but make sure that you are not infringing on the copyright of the creator of the photo.

If you are looking for photos to help you chronicle events, check out Wikimedia Commons and Creative Commons on Flickr. These are great sources to find photos that, in a lot of cases, can be freely used by others.

If I upload my photo, description or video to Timelines.com, who owns it- do I or does Timelines.com?

You are the owner of any descriptions, photos, quotes and videos that you have added to an event, subject to third party copyright. You retain ownership, and you may remove these items at any time from the site.

You cannot remove Event Titles, Event Dates, Topics, Comments or Votes once they are on Timelines.com.

How do I put a Video on Timelines.com?

To include your video on Timelines.com, it must first be hosted on one of six popular video sharing sites: Youtube, Google, Hulu, Vimeo, Viddler, or Flickr.

Once your video is on one of these sites, you can include it on Timelines.com by clicking on the "Add content to this event" link on the Event Page on Timelines.com and then clicking on the "Video" tab. Insert the URL or Embed code from your video hosting site and click "Add this Video". Then just confirm that you have selected the correct video and your Video is now viewable on Timelines.com

If you use another video hosting service, please let us know about it at feedback@timelines.com.

What is a "Link" for an Event? How do I add one to an Event? How many Links can I add to an Event?

Links are URLs to websites that are helpful to understanding an event. Links can be to external websites or to pages within Timelines.com.

To enter a Link on an Event Page, click on the "Add content to this event" link on the Event Page and then click on the "Link" tab. Cut and paste or type in the URL in the "Link" box and provide the name of the web site in the "Description" box. Be sure to include the entire URL, including http://.

You may add as many Links as you like to an Event.

What is a "Topic" for an Event? How do I add one to an Event? How many Topics can I add to an Event?

A Topic is a way to tag or classify an Event. Topics are used to group different Events together. Topics typically answer "who, what and where" for an Event. So for example, if the Event you are recording is a baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Toronto Blue Jays that is played at Pittsburgh's home field (PNC Park), your Topics could be: Baseball, Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays and PNC Park.

To enter a Link on an Event Page, click on the "Add content to this event" link on the Event Page and then click on the "Topic" tab. Presently, you have to enter each Topic individually.

You can enter as many or as few Topics to an Event as you wish.

Topics provide a useful and fun way to find related events. You will find some surprising intersections of one event with others. Here, try exploring with these topics: World War I, Festivals, Grant Park, Rod Blagojevich.

Can I edit or delete my contributions to Timelines.com? How do I do that?

You can edit or delete any descriptions, photos, videos that you've added to Timelines.com. You cannot edit or delete Event Names, Event Dates, Topics or Links that you have added.

To edit something, just navigate to the Event Page where those items are located and click on the [edit] link that is next to your username. To delete something, click on the Comments Icon and then click "Delete".

Once something is put on Timelines.com, who can see it? Can I keep my events and contributions private or limit them to a select group?

All content that you post on Timelines.com can be viewed by all visitors to the site. You cannot limit who sees your contributions.

If you'd like to keep your events private (or share them with a defined group of people), check out our other site LifeSnapz. It's built specifically to allow you to record and share your events with trusted, invite-only groups like families and friends.

What are the little icons beneath the content entries? What do they do?

The icons are for three things: 1. Comments (Bubble Icon), 2. Voting (Thumbs up, Thumbs down Icons), and 3. Flagging (Flag Icon). Note: you'll need to be registered and logged in to provide any comments, votes or flags.

• Comments. If you click the Bubble Icon, you can provide your comments on the particular item (i.e. Description, Photo, Link, Location, Quotation).
• Voting. You can vote up or down a particular contribution by clicking on the Thumbs up/Thumbs down Icons. As items accumulate Thumbs up votes, the item will rise on the page relative to the other similar items. Similarly, as they accumulate Thumbs down votes, they will move down on the page. Only one vote per item, so vote wisely.
• Flagging. If you find an item that is vulgar, factually inaccurate or that violates a copyright, click on the Flag Icon. We will check it out and take appropriate action. Please see the copyright notification process below.

Are you planning on having other timeline visualizations? Will I be able to embed them into my blog or site?

We do plan to offer other timeline visualizations. Any events that are recorded now will be able to be viewed when added functionality is launched.

You cannot embed the timeline into another site just yet. Stay tuned- it's coming!

Do you have RSS feeds?

Yes, we currently have one: New Events Added to Timelines.com. More will be coming.

Do you have an API?

Not yet. It's another feature that is in development.

What do I do if my copyright has been violated by something posted on Timelines.com?

Please see our Copyright Policy for the process to correct this issue.

Can I import information from my blog automatically?

Not yet. This is another feature that is in development.