How to Post on a Friend’s Facebook Timeline

By Carolyn Abram from Facebook For Dummies, 4th Edition

The Facebook timeline winds up being one of the places you are most likely to post a message for a friend. Usually leaving a timeline post or a message that is visible on a timeline is a way of tapping a friend on the shoulder to remind him you’re there. Sometimes people have entire conversations on each other’s timelines.

To post on your friend’s timeline, follow these steps:

Go to his timeline.

Unless he has changed his privacy settings, he has a Share menu (previously known as the Publisher) at the top of his timeline, just like you have in yours.
Click the type of post you want to leave.

You can post just text by clicking into the text box that says What’s on Your Mind? You can click Photo to post a photo or video.
Type out your comment to your friend.
When you’re done, click Post.

Although there aren’t any rules around when you can or can’t post on someone’s timeline, one convention that has evolved over time is the Happy Birthday timeline post. Because people get reminded of birthdays on Facebook, it’s pretty easy to pop on over to your friend’s timeline and write a quick “Happy Birthday!” in honor of their day. It makes for a pretty sweet day on the receiving end as well.

Unlike the posts you write for your own timeline, you don’t have specific privacy controls on the timeline posts you leave for friends. They may be seen by mutual friends (in their News Feeds), or by someone visiting your friend’s timeline. If you’re worried about who’s going to see what you’re writing, you may be better off sending a private message.