Social media marketers should note that a report from Sophos Security reveals that more than half of 4,110 survey respondents are worried about Timeline.

A report from Sophos Security found that 51.29 percent of 4,110 Facebook users included in a recent poll said Timeline “worries” them. This contrasts starkly with the 7.96 percent that said they genuinely like the new default profile setting, and social media marketers will have to wait and see whether Timeline concerns drive social users away from the site.

Facebook Timeline was initially announced in late September at f8, the company’s annual developers’ conference. Since then, many have stated their dissatisfaction with the profile layout, claiming it’s too invasive or too different from the previous format.

Whether or not any of these people will actually move away from Facebook remains to be seen. However, Timeline is set to roll out to all users on Tuesday, according to the company.

Social media marketing campaigns are predicated heavily on Facebook. While Timeline is not (yet) available to business pages, the potential departure of users from the platform could make Facebook less appealing to businesses. However, the company has not seen any widespread abandonment of accounts just yet, and more than 8 percent of respondents say they “guess” they’ll “get used to” Timeline.

One interesting note from Sophos’ survey was that 32.6 percent of respondents answered, “I don’t know why I’m still on Facebook,” leading one to wonder if many users will actually view Timeline as the final impetus to move away from the platform altogether.

Businesses looking to attract new social users may want to consider Google+. While the website has still not reached mainstream usage, Brafton recently reported that the network now counts more than 90 million people among its users. Moreover, the integration of Google+ data with Search, plus Your World could make a presence on the platform a competitive necessity for businesses looking to maximize search marketing opportunities. 

Joe Meloni is Brafton's former Executive News and Content Writer. He studied journalism at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has written for a number of print and web-based publications.