facebook review posts and tags

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How to Approve Tags on Facebook

Last Updated: August 11, 2022 Tested

Approving Tags in the Mobile App

Approving tags on a computer.

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA . Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions. The wikiHow Tech Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work. This article has been viewed 122,910 times. Learn more...

This wikiHow teaches you how to make Facebook require your approval before adding posts you’re tagged in to your Timeline.

• If you’re prompted to sign in to your account, enter your username and password and tap Log In.

• Android: Scroll down and tap Account Settings under the “Help & Settings” header.
• iPhone/iPad: Scroll down and tap Settings , then select Account Settings .

• If you don’t want to approve tags manually, move the switch to the Off position.
• When someone tags you in a post or photo, you’ll receive a notification asking for your approval. You’ll have the option to view the content before deciding whether to approve or deny the post.

• If you’d prefer that posts and photos in which you’re tagged appear on your Timeline automatically, select “Disabled.”

• Click your name at the top of Facebook to go to your profile.
• Click View Activity Log at the bottom right corner of your cover photo.
• Click Posts You're Tagged In in the left panel.
• Click the pencil icon next to the tag you want to approve, then select Allowed on Timeline .

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How to review and approve what appears on your facebook timeline.

If you'd like to maintain tighter control over what appears in your Facebook timeline (and thus to everyone you're Facebook friends with), there's a simple, but underused, mechanism built right into Facebook to give you approval rights over everything people tag you in.

Quick Links

Why you'd want to do this, how to turn on timeline review, how to use timeline review.

Let's face it, we've all got at least one of the following people in our stable of Facebook friends: the person who tags everyone in their [political/event/multi-level-marketing] posts, the person who likes to post random (and often inappropriate) content and tag everyone they think might find it funny, the person that takes a million photos at every event and tags every person present in every one of them, or any other number of people who abuse Facebook's friend tagging function.

If you're tired of friends tagging you in announcements for the "Super Awesome Rap Slam Battle!!!" they'll be in next weekend, or you really don't want photos of you from a party last weekend to automatically flood out to your Facebook feed without your approval, then you absolutely need to take advantage of the "Timeline Review" feature. In short, timeline review puts every single thing you're tagged in--posts, comments, and photos--up for your review before it is published on your Facebook timeline (and visible to your friends/family/coworkers).

Related: How to Block People From Posting on Your Facebook Timeline Without Unfriending Them

Before we dive into turning the feature on, there are few things worth highlighting about the timeline review feature just so there's no confusion. First, the timeline review function doesn't allow you to actually censor content you don't like off of Facebook, it merely allows you to keep stuff you don't like off your personal timeline so that it is not visible there (nor pushed out to your Facebook friends). Denying a post via timeline review doesn't erase it, it just keeps it off your timeline.

It also doesn't prevent the tagger's friends from seeing the posts--so if you have any friends in common, they'll all see those posts no matter what. This can only prevent the posts from showing up on your profile page, and showing up in the feeds of the friends you don't have in common with the tagger.

Similarly, it doesn't stop people from posting on your Facebook wall per the settings you've configured for your wall.  The timeline review function is for filtering posts you are tagged in, not filtering posts your friends leave directly on your timeline. If you want to tweak who can post to your Facebook wall, please refer to our tutorial here .

Lastly, it's an all or nothing thing. As of yet there is no function within timeline review to set any sort of trusted friends or the like. This means if your spouse tags you in tons of family photos, there's no way to say "Approve everything from user XYZ, I trust them", and you're left manually approving all those posts before they appear on your timeline.

Those caveats aside, it's an extremely handy way to stop your friends from seeing your uncle's crazy political rants (which he insists on tagging you in) or everyone in your family from seeing the multi-level-marketing garbage your coworker is always tagging everyone in.

Turning on and using timeline review is a pretty straightforward affair. While you can toggle the setting from both the web site and from the Facebook mobile app (we'll show you how to do both), it's slightly faster if you do it on the website.

Enabling Timeline Review on the Website

To enable timeline review via the Facebook website, log into your account and click on the small menu triangle on the upper right side of the blue navigation bar, then select "Settings", as seen below.

In the left hand navigation pane, select "Timeline and Tagging".

In the "Timeline and Tagging" menu look for the entry "Review posts friends tag you in before they appear on your timeline?"; by default this setting is off. Tap on "Edit" to change it.

In the now open menu, click on the drop down menu and toggle "Disabled" to "Enabled".

The changes take effect immediately, there's no confirmation or save button to press.

Enabling Timeline Review on the Mobile App

If you're reading this tutorial on your phone and want to jump right into changing the settings, here's how to do it from the Facebook mobile app. While there are minor differences between the layouts of the app on different mobile platforms, you should be able to follow along easily using these iOS screenshots.

Tap on the "More" menu button in the navigation bar and select "Settings" in the resulting menu, as seen below.

Select "Account Settings" in the pop up  menu.

Select "Timeline and Tagging" in the "Settings" menu.

Just like on the website, select "Review posts friends tag you in before they appear on your timeline?"

Toggle "Timeline Review" to on.

Again, like the website toggle, there's no confirmation and the changed take effect immediately.

Now that you've turn the timeline review function on, let's take a peek at what it looks like in action. To demonstrate we enlisted a friend to post a Minions meme and tag us. On a sliding scale of things we'd prefer not to be tagged in, we'll put Minions memes solidly between invitations to parties where overpriced candles are sold and posts that implicate the tagged users in interstate drug smuggling operations.

When someone tags you, you'll get a notification like so.

The notification always looks something like "[user] tagged you in a post. To add this to your timeline, go to Timeline Review" with a thumbnail of the post. Click on either the bolded "Timeline Review" or the thumbnail to jump to the post.

There you can select either "Add to Timeline" or "Hide".

As you add or hide items, you'll see condensed entries for each item that reflects how the post will appear on Facebook, like so.

Remember, adding a post to your timeline inserts it into the news feed of your friends, places it on your wall, and otherwise integrates it into your Facebook footprint. Hiding the post from your timeline stops those things from happening, but it doesn't delete the post or remove the tag. If you wish you can visit the post and manually select "remove tag" to remove the link to your Facebook account entirely from the post or, if the post is more than an annoyance and actually a violation of Facebook rules or illegal, you can click the report button.

While timeline review isn't perfect, it's a pretty great way to catch a lot of the stupid posts you might get tagged in and, in the process, avoid cluttering up your timeline (and annoying your friends) with garage posts.

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Ashley Durham

Arizona wedding and elopement photographer.

How to Approve Facebook Tags

July 11, 2016

As artists, we love nothing more than having our clients have their photos celebrated on social media. It makes our hearts so happy when our brides + grooms get dozens of comments on their photos and blog posts – because we know how beloved each of our couples are, and we know that it makes  them feel great to see so much love and support from the people in their lives.

Sometimes though, social media gets lost for one reason or another. We know that our clients’ friends and family would LOVE to see photos of their daughters, sons, friends, cousins, etc. on the most important day of their lives! But sometimes, due to privacy settings, when we tag our clients and ‘friendors’ ( vendor friends, get it?? ) in the wedding industry from Facebook on our business page – the photos don’t show up on their timeline, which means their friends and family can’t see what we’ve shared.

And that makes us pretty bummed out, because we want to keep celebrating their new marriage as we share photos and the blog post!!

So … we are going to give a brief tutorial here on how to approve Facebook tags!

How to Approve Tags for Facebook on a Computer

First, go to your Facebook profile page.

Second, click where it says View Activity Log – it’s a button in the lower right of your timeline cover photos.

Third, on the left you’ll see a bunch of filter options. Click on Tag Review, the third option down.

And then you’ll want to click on the little ” ^ ” button and choose “Show on Timeline.”

And BAM! Your tagged photos will show up on your Facebook timeline!

How to Approve Facebook Tags on Facebook Mobile

From a cell phone or tablet using the Facebook Mobile app, the process is relatively the same, it just looks a little different.

• Click on your profile
• Click on Activity Log right below your name
• Click on Filter
• Click on Photos of You

Then again, on the right side you’ll see a ” ^ ” symbol – click on that, and select “Allow on Timeline” ( or maybe it says “Show on Timeline” – all of mine are approved right now, so, I’m not 100% sure which one it says! ).

WHOOP WHOOP! You did it!!

We recently walked one of our couples through this process, and they had over 500 (!!!) tags waiting for them ( and heck no, those definitely weren’t from all of us! LOL ). I’d be willing to bet you have some in there waiting on you!

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Love this! What a great topic!

Such great info — and definitely something SO important for people to do!!!

Heyyyy ... I'm Ashley Durham and I'm a luxury wedding photographer in Phoenix, but I travel all over Arizona and the desert southwest to hang out with the most incredible people. I am obsessed with puppies, extra hot coffee, sunrise and firmly believe that love conquers all.

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Arizona wedding and elopement photographer, serving Phoenix, Sedona, Prescott, Sedona, Flagstaff, Mesa, Tucson, Lake Havasu and well, basically anywhere you'd like to celebrate together.

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How To Get Reviews On Facebook Business Page: (All Questions & Answered)

Wagisha Adishree 10 minutes read April 19, 2024

If you are wondering how to get reviews on Facebook business pages, you have landed in the right space. Read this blog and learn more about it. 

As a business owner, you must be aware of how essential it is to have a strong online presence. One of the key components of that is your Facebook business page, and getting positive reviews on it can be a game-changer. 

Not only do Facebook reviews help build credibility and trust with potential customers, but they can also help your business reach a wider audience through social media algorithms. 

In this blog post, we will discuss how to get reviews on Facebook business pages and add a Facebook reviews tab to your page, the benefits of getting reviews on Facebook, and the best practices for asking for reviews from your customers. 

We will also share some tricks and tips that you can use to get more Facebook reviews for your business.

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How To Add The Reviews Tab To Your Facebook Page: Quick Guide? 

If you want to know how to get reviews on Facebook business pages, add a Facebook reviews tab to your page . Here are the simple steps that you can follow to add the FB reviews tab to your FB page. 

• Login to your Facebook business page, and navigate yourself to the homepage. 
• Click “ Settings ” at the top right of the screen. 
• On the left, you will see “ Edit Page ”. 
• You will then see a list of all the tabs on the right-hand side of the screen. To add the review tab, click the “ Add Tab ” button. After that, it will appear in the edit settings page and you can now configure it by clicking on it. 

You now can ask for reviews from your customers using this Facebook reviews tab on your Facebook business page. 

Startling Benefits of Getting Reviews On Facebook Business Page: 

According to research by Backlinko, Facebook currently has 3.049 billion monthly active users. Undoubtedly, it is one of the best social media platforms out there. Businesses and brands are getting serious on the platform and trying to get more Facebook reviews for their business. As they say, Facebook reviews help them gain the traction they deserve. Take a look at the benefits of getting reviews on your Facebook page.

1. A Facebook Review Is Seen By The Reviewer’s Network

Before you know how to get reviews on Facebook business pages, you must be aware of the times for asking for reviews on Facebook business pages. When your customer leaves a Facebook review it shows on your Facebook business page. But how does it turn into a powerful strategy? 

Let us decode. 

Facebook has a witty algorithm that never fails to fascinate its users all the time. The biggest advantage of getting a Facebook recommendation is that the reviewer’s entire network can see that they recommend your business.

2. Facebook Reviews & Recommendations Help to Target Your Customers

Another reason why Facebook recommendation is important is because it helps you reach out to your target audience. If anyone searches for a business on the platform, they are likely to discover your business. This means if any of their friends have left a Facebook review for your business, your Facebook business page will appear on their feed. 

This would have a greater impact on your Facebook business page. Seeing that one of their friends has already used and recommended your products and services, and had a good experience, they will be more likely to buy from you. 

This means that for every new Facebook recommendation your business receives, it has the potential to reach new potential customers through their friends.

3. When Is The Right Time to Ask For Facebook Reviews On Facebook Business Page?

When it comes to asking how to get reviews on Facebook business pages, businesses ask one more question: when is the best time to ask for Facebook reviews from customers? And we get this. It is obvious to be curious about it. 

The appropriate method and timing of inviting Facebook reviews may differ depending on the type of business. In some cases, it’s better to request a Facebook review immediately after a purchase using a QR code scanner at the order confirmation page or an in-store review collection terminal for physical stores. 

Apart from that, Facebook review invitations can be sent via SMS or email after a certain period, usually after 7 or 30 days, depending on the type of review, whether it’s for the product or the merchant.

Immediate Facebook review requests are best suited for online companies that act as intermediaries, such as comparison sites or food delivery sites. 

When a customer visits your site from another site or deals with another business through your site, there is a risk that their attention may shift away from your site. Therefore, asking for an immediate review can help prevent this risk.

For offline stores, it’s best to request Facebook reviews right after the products have been handed over at the checkout counter. 

Although some customers may prefer to sample their goods before giving feedback, in most cases, such as with clothing stores, customers are ready to provide feedback based on the items they’ve chosen, the selection available in the store, and the level of customer service they received.

Now that you can decide what time to ask for Facebook reviews from your customers, let us take a look at how to get Facebook reviews for your FB business page. 

How To Get Reviews On Facebook Business Page: 7 Tricks Unlocked 

Here is a full list of how to get Reviews on Facebook business page. Take a look. 

1. Ask For Facebook Reviews In Email 

Sending an email to your customers after they have purchased and received your products is a great opportunity to not only ask for Facebook reviews but also to thank them for their business and offer any additional support they may need. 

When crafting your email, be sure to keep it personalized and friendly. Begin by thanking your customer for their recent purchase and express how much you appreciate their business. You can then follow up by kindly asking for their feedback by leaving a Facebook review. 

It is important to keep in mind that not all customers will leave a review, so be sure to keep your tone positive and encouraging. Also, be sure to include a link to your Facebook page to make it as easy as possible for your customers to leave a review. 

By consistently reminding your customers to leave Facebook reviews , you not only increase your chances of receiving positive feedback but also improve your brand’s online reputation, which can lead to increased sales and customer loyalty. 

2. Embed Facebook Reviews Widget 

Another best answer to how to get reviews on Facebook business pages is to embed a Facebook reviews widget on the website. A Facebook review widget on a website helps you to encourage your target customers to leave a Facebook review for you. Here is how it works. 

When you embed Facebook reviews on your website your existing customers see it as a hall of fame on the website. And when they see others being facilitated on a brand’s website, they feel more inclined to share their own experience and leave a review. 

This is because they feel that their feedback is important and valued by the brand. Moreover, having a Facebook review widget on your website also helps in building trust among your potential customers. When they see positive reviews examples from other customers, they are more likely to trust your brand and make a purchase.

You can also offer them a discount or other incentives for leaving a review. However, make sure that the incentive should not be solely a reward for providing a Facebook review. As this is a violation of the rules and regulations by Facebook. 

3. Create A Facebook Post Asking for Reviews 

If you’re looking to get more reviews for your business on Facebook, there are a few things you can do. First, create a Facebook post reminding your satisfied customers to leave a review. 

Make sure to add an engaging image to grab people’s attention. Make it a point to create a Facebook post about asking for a review on Facebook business page for every 50 customers you get. or even better make it a monthly ritual. 

Keep in mind that, regularly asking for a Facebook review might feel like nagging your customers. 

4. Send SMS to Your Customers 

Another effective way and answer to how to get reviews on Facebook business pages is by sending SMS messages to your customers. Since most searches for local businesses happen on mobile devices, this is a convenient and powerful way to get feedback. 

While you are interacting with your customers, make sure you are asking for their contact numbers officially and get their permission to send them promotional texts. 

If your customers have opted-in to receive text messages, send them a short message with a link to leave feedback on your Facebook page. Ensure that you are sending the review request only if they have purchased from you. Along with that, also gives them the option to opt out of the SMS notifications. 

5. Enable Review Notifications 

One potential answer to how to get reviews on Facebook business pages is to enable notifications.

It’s important to enable notifications for new reviews so that you can respond promptly and share them with others. When you promptly respond to your Facebook reviews, it makes the customers feel heard and valued. 

Here are the simple steps you can follow to enable Facebook review notifications. 

• Go to your Facebook page, click on Settings,
• Now go to Notifications. 
• Turn on the New Page review notification.

Now, every time you receive a Facebook review on your Facebook business page, you will be notified. 

6. Be Answerable To Negative Reviews 

It’s important to respond to negative Facebook reviews in a timely and professional manner. Begin by apologizing for the issue, and offer ways for them to reach out to your support team.

And remind them to update their review score if the issue is resolved. By following these steps, you can turn negative reviews into positive ones. Here is an example of how you can reply to your customers when you receive a negative Facebook review: 

Dear Customer, 

We heard you. We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the core. Please reach out to us at [email protected] to resolve the issue. 

Thank you for your valuable feedback. 

7. Ask For Facebook Reviews In Person 

The article mainly provides tips for obtaining Facebook reviews online. However, if you own a physical store, you can encourage your customers to leave a review on your Facebook page. 

You can do this by reminding them verbally or through prompts placed around your store.

For instance, you can include the review URL on your receipts, display signs in your store, etc 

Now That You Know…

As we end this blog, we hope you have gained some valuable insights into the topic we discussed. Remember, knowledge is power, and now that you know more about this subject, you can make informed decisions and be better equipped to handle any challenges that come your way. 

Don’t hesitate to continue your research and seek out more information if needed. 

And always remember, pursuing knowledge is a never-ending journey that we should all embrace with open arms. 

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High-ranking Queensland police officers under scrutiny over offensive social media activity

Exclusive: Ethical standards command launches internal review as Guardian Australia unearths Facebook posts dating back years

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Queensland police’s ethical standards command is conducting a review after high-ranking members of the service appeared to publicly share and comment on lewd social media posts over a number of years, including one about a sexual assault.

From 2017 to 2022, Det Supt Benjamin Fadian publicly tagged a number of officers in dozens of Facebook posts about subjects including pornography, masturbation and dildos.

One public post that Fadian commented on, on 7 November 2017, was a screenshot of a news article about a law student being jailed for an apparent sexual assault after hitting a sleeping girl with his penis.

Fadian tagged another Facebook user on the post before responding to someone who tagged him: “neither of us got the op [overall position mark] to do law mate.”

The comment was made when Fadian was working in the ethical standards command, an internal police integrity unit that investigates complaints against members of the service.

Fadian now holds the rank of detective superintendent and has briefed reporters about various cases, including alleged domestic violence incidents and murder cases.

The sexual assault post is not the only Facebook post Queensland police service (QPS) members have commented on publicly that are now being reviewed internally.

Fadian also made comments on public posts several years ago that appeared to make jibes at an associate’s sexuality.

Fadian also commented on one public post in 2017 showing a graphic image of elephants that read “tag a mate who likes it up the ass”. Tagging a person, he wrote: “like looking at a portrait of you”.

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Fadian tagged the same person in a post about “cock soup”, calling it his “favourite meal” in 2018 and tagged him in another post during the same year about “homo milk” saying “litres of it for you”.

In a post from 2017 about a “ladyboy bar” in Manila, Fadian tagged the person and said: “your favourite place.”

He also tagged the person in a post from 2018 showing a woman on a bike seat that read “tag a mate who’d sniff this seat”. “At it again,” Fadian wrote.

The Facebook profile was removed after Fadian was contacted for comment by Guardian Australia. The profile has since been restored but is locked. The Guardian did not receive a response to questions.

Meanwhile, Queensland police are also investigating a post by QPS member Brad Rix about International Women’s Day from 2024.

The photo – which Rix has shared every International Women’s Day since at least 2021 – shows a wrinkled banner and reads: “International women’s day – could’ve ironed it.”

Several profiles that appear to belong to Queensland police officers have liked or engaged with the post.

Rix deleted the post after being contacted by Guardian Australia and did not respond to questions. After the Guardian asked why the post was removed, the Facebook profile was locked.

Both Rix and Fadian were tagged in another post in 2017 by Det Insp Michael Jones of the QPS child abuse and sexual crime group about a woman drinking from a “dong bong” which was shaped like a penis.

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Jones wrote “the new tube is certainly interesting” to which Fadian responded it was a “tad unseemly” and Jones replied: “I can think of some who would enjoy a sip from it.”

Rix wrote it brought “a whole new connotation to [the officer’s] preferred real man’s piss”.

Meanwhile, another detective currently at the ethical standards command commented under the post: “terrible addition to the HMAS BC.” The comment appears to be a reference to an annual boat trip the men go on.

Jones did not respond to a request for comment and the name of his Facebook profile was changed after being contacted by Guardian Australia. The other detective was also sent questions by the Guardian but did not respond.

A QPS spokesperson said the service was “aware of these matters and the content of the material is currently subject of review by the ethical standards command”.

“The QPS have an established social media policy and will consider discipline action in regard to any identified breach of that policy.”

Queensland police’s social media policy states members must not “engage in activities online, posting comments or uploading images that would bring the service into disrepute, undermine the service standing as a trusted member of law enforcement … [and] are inconsistent with service values”.

The QPS website says the purpose of the ethical standards command is “to protect the high standards of integrity and professionalism necessary to maintain the trust and support of our community”.

A commission of inquiry into the QPS in 2022 uncovered damning evidence about alleged behaviour of QPS officers. There is no suggestion that any of the officers named in this article were the subject of allegations in that inquiry.

“Future improvements will require a sustained and dedicated commitment from a strong and respected leadership,” the report said.

“This is likely to be a significant challenge for the QPS.”

Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html

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Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' is the messiest, horniest, and funniest album she's ever made

• Taylor Swift released her 11th studio album, "The Tortured Poets Department," on Friday.
• The standard edition's 16 tracks are reminiscent of "Midnights," but more textured and chaotic.
• The best tracks are "Loml," "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart," and "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?"

Taylor Swift's 11th studio album "The Tortured Poets Department" arrived Friday in all its messy glory after a pointedly low-key rollout .

In a prologue included with the CD booklet, Swift describes the album as "a detailed rewinding / For the purpose of warning / For the sake of reminding."

Swift frames "Poets" as a debrief of an ill-fated love affair, "a mutual manic phase" in the wake of a breakup — torrid, brief, yet creatively fruitful. "A smirk creeps onto this poet's face," she writes. "Because it's the worst men that I write best."

"Poets" is the first set of all-new songs that Swift has released since her breakup with Joe Alwyn, whom she dated for about six years before their split made headlines last April . Shortly after, she was linked to The 1975 frontman Matty Healy .

The follow-up to Swift's record-breaking 2022 album "Midnights" echoes the commercially favored pop-forward sound of its predecessor, with much of the album produced by Swift's longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff . Aaron Dessner, who worked extensively with Swift on sister albums "Folklore" and "Evermore," produced the remaining chunk of songs.

Two hours after the album's release, Swift surprised fans with "The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology," which contains 15 additional songs . However, for the purposes of our review, the standard-edition tracklist will be treated as the primary, cohesive body of work.

As Business Insider's senior music reporter , I listened to the new album on my own, jotting down my initial thoughts track by track.

Here's what I thought of each song on "The Tortured Poets Department" upon first listen . (Skip to the end to see the only songs worth listening to and the album's final score.)

"Fortnight" sounds like a vault track from "Midnights" (derogatory).

Throughout my life, pressing play on a new Taylor Swift album has been a treat. But as soon as the opening synths on "The Tortured Poets Department" hit my eardrums, I felt my body tense up.

Antonoff has caught a lot of flack from music critics and other skeptics for doubling down on his signature sound and failing to innovate, particularly when it comes to his creative partnership with Swift. I don't tend to agree — to assign all blame to Antonoff is to belittle his female collaborators — but alas, "Fortnight" is a prime example of this complaint. The song immediately sounds like a "Midnights" B-side: boring, banal, and exactly what I do not want from this album .

Worse still, "Fortnight" squanders Post Malone . The rapper-turned-earnest-dude singer is coming off an acclaimed set of duets with Noah Kahan ("Dial Drunk") and Beyoncé ("Levii's Jeans"), both of which offered the proper platform for Malone's surprisingly folksy voice. In Swift's world, however, he is rendered superfluous.

"The Tortured Poets Department" is a cringe-worthy song and an unworthy title track.

It is objectively hilarious that Swift released "1989 (Taylor's Version)" in October with a direct request to stop speculating about her personal life , only to name her new album after a song that invites us to speculate about her personal life — specifically her (alleged) fling with Matty Healy last spring.

"You left your typewriter at my apartment / Straight from the tortured poets department," Swift sings in the song's opening line, perhaps confirming her album title was inspired by a caption from Healy's now-deleted Instagram, " Gay Poets Society ." (I can't think of anyone else in Swift's social circle who's gleefully pretentious enough to carry around a typewriter.) "You smoked, then ate seven bars of chocolate," she sings later, likely a nod to The 1975's breakout hit " Chocolate ."

Not only does "The Tortured Poets Department" invite speculation, but in the bridge, it even names names.

"You told Lucy you'd kill yourself if I ever leave / And I had said that to Jack about you, so I felt seen," Swift sings. Note: Her friend Lucy Dacus (of boygenius fame) was filmed dancing with Healy at The Eras Tour . The second name almost certainly refers to Antonoff, who also coproduced The 1975's latest album, " Being Funny In a Foreign Language ."

"Everyone we know understands why it's meant to be," Swift adds in a teasing lilt. "'Cause we're crazy." No kidding!

This song is surely meant to be over-the-top corny and tongue-in-cheek amusing, and it succeeds on both counts. Even the title is an inside joke.

Unfortunately, lyrics like "We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist" and "I scratch your head, you fall asleep / Like a tattooed golden retriever" will haunt me until the day that I die. I can already see disparaging tweets about "Kidz Bop (Taylor's Version)" in my mind's eye. This is worse than the "sexy baby" fiasco .

Especially with its typical Antonoff production, this song sounds like an AI-created "Midnights" parody. Swift is right about one thing: This is definitely not the Chelsea Hotel.

"My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" would be right at home on "1989 (Taylor's Version)."

"My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" sounds exactly like the vault tracks from "1989 (Taylor's Version)" — which, you guessed it, were accused of sounding eerily similar to "Midnights" songs.

To be fair, I love all the "1989" vault tracks (especially " Is It Over Now? "), so this isn't necessarily a knock in my book. But it does mean that "My Boy" fails to stand out. It relies on a fast-dulling formula.

"Down Bad" is the "Slut!" sequel no one expected.

There were rumors The 1975 was meant to be featured on " Slut! " and Healy is even listed as a cowriter in some physical copies of "1989 (Taylor's Version)." (He met Swift a decade ago, around the time the album was originally written.)

Healy's contributions to the song were apparently erased after fans condemned their relationship last year . We assumed it would go down as a glitch in her legacy. But as always, Swift gets the last word .

Where Swift once sighed, "If they call me a slut, you know it might be worth it for once," now she fumes, "Fuck it, I was in love. So fuck you if I can't have us."

Both songs confront the disconnect between Swift's polished public image and her salacious desires, as well as the intersection of romance and delusion.

On "Down Bad," this album starts to pick up steam. Antonoff's sparkly synths and Swift's breezy vocals persist, but we're teased with a slice of her brain that's enthrallingly unhinged.

"So Long, London" illustrates the agony of a drawn-out goodbye.

In terms of sequencing, "Poets" is like the anti-"Midnights." Where the latter was front-loaded with album highlights, "Poets" kicked off by testing my loyalty. The first 16 minutes or so had me seriously concerned.

"So Long, London" marked a key turning point in my listening experience — a blessed wellspring of trust in Swift's vision.

Dessner's influence is immediately felt in the song's slow-burn pacing. As a production team, Swift and Dessner excel at creating tension and building toward catharsis. (Think "Exile," "Champagne Problems," " Would've, Could've, Should've ," etc.) "So Long, London" is another such success story.

Swift's lyrics mirror the production, mounting with urgency as the seconds tick away — as if her love is crumbling in real time.

"I'm pissed off you let me give you all that youth for free," she sings, her voice heavy with grief. "You swore that you loved me, but where were the clues? / I died on the altar waiting for the proof."

"But Daddy I Love Him" is a scorched-earth song where Swift really comes alive.

Last year, I wrote an article encouraging Swift to criticize her own fans , particularly those with an intense fixation on her personal life. At the time, this felt like a pipe dream. Swift has long embraced a laissez-faire approach to fan behavior, even when it's been obviously invasive, homophobic , or even threatening .

Now, my request doesn't seem so far-fetched. "But Daddy I Love Him" is the closest Swift has ever gotten to scolding parasocial Swifties, many of whom were vocal about their distaste for Healy .

After cracking some jokes at their expense ("I'm having his baby / No I'm not! / But you should see your faces"), Swift goes absolutely scorched-earth in the bridge.

"God save the most judgmental creeps who say they want what's best for me," she spits. "Sanctimoniously performing soliloquies I'll never see / Thinking it can change the beat of my heart when he touches me."

The song plays like a grown-up, jaded version of "Love Story," where societal pressures and family feuds are no match for Swift's wildest whims. And she goes all-in: "But Daddy I Love Him" is the longest song on the album, stuffed with Shakespeare-level dramatics.

"Fresh Out the Slammer" is a fascinating tale of freedom and lust.

"Fresh Out the Slammer" kicks off with an Orville Peck-esque electric guitar, adopting a vintage Western-rock vibe. After flipping off her audience in the previous track, this feels like the ideal moment for Swift to assume the role of an outlaw.

The song title, a euphemism for getting out of jail, works in this context, with Swift using the phrase to evoke her newfound single status. She's recently left a relationship and she's eager to "run back home" to an old flame.

This is juicy on many levels when compared to the timeline of Swift's love life (at least, the timeline the public is privy to). But speaking broadly, this song is juicy no matter who it's about. Swift revels in her long-sought freedom, justifying her rebound with a loaded shrug: "I did my time."

I don't know the intimate details of Swift's love life, but I do know one thing. If you ever compare your relationship to jail time, my hope is that you'll run — as fast and as far away as possible.

"Florida!!!" includes a potent feature from Florence + the Machine.

"Florida!!!" is a fascinating outlier on this tracklist. The lyrics are rich yet cryptic, boasting clear traces of Florence Welch's creative touch.

Welch is a painfully underrated lyricist, so I'm thrilled she was given a proper feature on this album. (We all remember what happened with Lana Del Rey's wasted vocals on "Midnights.") I can only imagine that Swift heard recent Welch cuts like "King" and " Girls Against God " and thought to herself, "I wish I wrote that."

"Florida!!!" is ambiguous with its bottom line, but with a song that sounds this cool and spooky, it's hard to care if the story has a moral. Swift sings of a town that "reeks of driving myself crazy," while Welch fantasizes about getting drunk and drowning her exes in a swamp. "Is that a bad thing to say in a song?" they harmonize with a knowing smile, all but winking at the listener.

Welch infuses a jolt of mystic, curious energy into Swift's modern-pop diarism. Their duet is a fever dream, full of hedonistic pursuits and hallucinations. It's perfectly placed at the album's midway point, foreshadowing a descent into madness in its latter half. Both women succumb to Florida's charms like they're following a siren song — and they're beckoning us to follow.

"Guilty as Sin?" is somehow sad and horny at the same time.

For those who'll accuse this album of barely addressing Swift's longest public relationship, allow me to enter the first verse of this song into evidence: "My boredom's bone-deep / This cage was once just fine / Am I allowed to cry? / I dream of cracking locks / Throwing my life to the wolves, or the ocean rocks / Crashing into him tonight."

In just a few lines, Swift offers a more poignant portrayal of the " seven-year itch " than I have ever heard or read. In reality, falling out of love is a sluggish and bitter process.

Swift copes with this phenomenon by projecting her carnal cravings onto a clean, blank slate — a man who hasn't disappointed her yet.

"Someone told me, 'There's no such thing as bad thoughts, only your actions talk,'" she continues. "We've already done it in my head / If it's make-believe / Why does it feel like a vow / We'll both uphold somehow?"

To put it bluntly, these lyrics are bonkers. I cannot believe Swift committed these thoughts to paper, recorded them in a studio, submitted them to her label, and then released them into the world. She has been horny in her music before ("Dress," "Maroon") and she's been audacious in her music before (the entirety of "Speak Now"), but given her current level of fame, this is unprecedented.

To be clear, I mean that in a positive way. I'm eating this up. After all, Swift's been warning us for years that she's the maddest woman this town has ever seen . She had a marvelous time ruining everything, haven't you heard?

"Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" is an obvious standout.

Swift loves a self-righteous battle cry ("I Did Something Bad," "The Man," "Vigilante Shit"), but this might be the first time she's gotten it exactly right. Backed by warlike drums, Swift lays siege to the celebrity machine.

"Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" contains some all-timers in Swift's storied catalog of one-liners: "You wouldn't last an hour in the asylum where they raised me" is a personal favorite, but every lyric lands like a bomb or a punchline: "Put narcotics into all of my songs / And that's why you're still singing along."

This song is everything that "Reputation" wanted to be: darkly funny, sharply observed, vulnerable, sinister, and formidable at every turn.

"I was tame, I was gentle, 'til the circus life made me mean / Don't you worry folks, we took out all her teeth! / Who's afraid of little old me?" Swift wails in the chorus, before adding coyly: "Well, you should be."

Indeed, if that question is coming from Swift, the answer is me. I am terrified of this woman for making me feel so demented and powerful with a five-minute package of pop melodies.

"I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" depicts Swift at a crossroads in her relationship.

As its title suggests, "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" begins to reveal the cracks in Swift's feverish love story. "The smoke cloud billows out his mouth like a freight train through a small town," she sings to open the song. "The jokes that he told across the bar were revolting and far too loud."

Although she spends the rest of the song pledging to "fix him," balking at any suggestion that she might be out of her depth, Swift's doubts taint the whole affair.

In a stroke of surreal brilliance, Swift paints her unlikable lover as an old-school cowboy — cruising down a Texas highway, hands calloused from his trusty pistol — calling back to her lawless behavior in "Fresh Out the Slammer."

"Loml" is the most heart-wrenching song on the tracklist.

"Loml" sees Swift reflecting on a doomed relationship, retracing her steps, watching helplessly as the "love of my life" becomes the "loss of my life."

"You shit-talked me under the table / Talking rings and talking cradles / I wish I could unrecall / How we almost had it all," Swift sings in the show-stopping bridge. "Dancing phantoms on the terrace / Are they secondhand embarrassed / That I can't get out of bed? Because something counterfeit's dead."

These questions recall " The 1 ," the opening track on "Folklore," which Swift began to perform on The Eras Tour after her breakup with Alwyn was made public.

"The 1" is all about existential probes and what-if doom spirals, all about "digging up the grave another time." In "Loml," Swift falls back into her old patterns: "Still alive, killing time at the cemetery / Never quite buried."

"Loml" is the only song on "Poets" that made me cry on the first play.

I'll admit I'm surprised there aren't more songs like this on this tracklist. But a love that burns, crackles, and explodes is much easier to obsess over (and write pop songs about) than a love that decays, resurrects, and dies again. That's what makes the painful precision of "Loml" even more impressive. Swift's grave-plotting memory is her greatest asset as a lyricist.

"I Can Do It With a Broken Heart" is extravagant, self-referential, and exhilarating.

"I Can Do It With a Broken Heart" might be the most pop-forward fit of maximalism on this entire tracklist. Against all odds, it's an album highlight.

This is a masterful exposé of a carefully constructed spectacle. Swift depicts her onstage performance as a kind of perverse wish fulfillment: "All the pieces of me shattered as the crowd was chanting, 'MORE!'" (Fans will recognize this imagery from the "Folklore" standout "Mirrorball," which Swift performed acoustically on the opening night of The Eras Tour.)

We don't have time to unpack all the revelations in this song, but suffice it to say that "Broken Heart" succeeds as a satire, a confession, and an indictment of sexist double standards ("Lights, camera, bitch, smile!"), all at the same time.

Women in pop music are expected to refract sequin stars, hit their marks, fake it 'til they make it — even when they wanna die — while men are permitted to show up in T-shirts, stand still, and lip-sync . If this song makes you uncomfortable, it's probably meant to.

In the outro, Swift leaves little room for ambiguity, exclaiming deliriously: "I'm miserable! And no one even knows!" It's campy and it's vicious. She lands the punchline, but it feels more like she's twisting the knife.

"The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" is a classic Swiftian takedown.

"The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" is alive with malice, full of deliciously specific anecdotes: "You tried to buy some pills / From a friend of friends of mine / They just ghosted you / Now you know what it feels like." If someone had written that lyric about me, I'd be forced to fake my own death and start fresh with a new identity. And that's just the first verse. The bridge is positively lethal.

If you're surprised by the proficiency of this takedown — all for a man who was "gone by the morning" — may I remind you of Swift's magnum opus, " All Too Well ," which she reportedly wrote about a three-month relationship that blew up in her face.

This is where Swift thrives as a songwriter: the interpretive limbo between possibility and security; the yearning for what could've been; the aftermath of short-lived bliss, when all that's left is the future you once imagined.

"The Alchemy" is open to interpretation.

Much like "Mastermind," the closing track on "Midnights," "The Alchemy" could be interpreted as a love song or a metaphor for Swift's career .

"What if I told you I'm back? / The hospital was a drag / Worst sleep that I ever had," she sings in the first verse, poking fun at her own propensity to spin painful experiences into albums.

Indeed, the chorus plays like a tongue-in-cheek nod to Swift's dominance in the industry: "Ditch the clowns, get the crown / Baby, I'm the one to be," she winks. "Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?" She manages to toe the line between cheeky and sincere, tipping her hat to the fans who transformed her life and put her on the throne.

"Clara Bow" draws a parallel between Swift and the first "It Girl."

"Clara Bow" joins Swift's collection of songs about the peculiar experience of fame. (Think: "The Lucky One," "The Last Great American Dynasty," "You're On Your Own, Kid," etc.) To hear her tell it, Swift felt stardom beckon from a very young age, almost like an invisible string was tying her to the stage.

In the song, Swift dreams of glory and promises to be "dazzling." She even name-drops Stevie Nicks and her mysterious moonlit magic . But she also allows for a sliver of regret in retrospect: "Only when your girlish glow flickers just so / Do they let you know / It's hell on earth to be heavenly."

As the song winds down, Swift adds her own name to the succession of Bow and Nicks, doubling as the observed and her own observer. It's a fitting end to an album full of pomp and performance.

Final Grade: 8.4/10

Here's the thing: Swift knows that people will pore over the details of this album to dissect her romantic travails. I'm as guilty as anyone else, and I know it's not a noble practice. It's an obsessive storm Swift is willing to weather to do what she loves for a living.

But Swift did not become as big and beloved as she is because of that storm. In fact, I would argue she's successful in spite of it. 

Most people are not chronically online Easter egg hunters. Most people do not play Swift's music in the car, in the shower, or in a dark room after a bad day, over and over for years, because they crave the details of her latest breakup.

We don't listen to Swift's music because it necessarily is true. We listen because it feels true. She writes about characters we recognize and experiences we've lived, blowing everything out of proportion in the way we wish we could. The size of Swift's platform is directly proportional to the bigness of her feelings, whatever or whoever may have provoked them.

That said, don't let the "tattooed golden retriever" (the man or the lyric) distract you from the truth. Corny as some moments may be, this is a marvelously deranged pop album.

Despite the rough start, Swift builds incredible momentum from track four onwards, tossing out confessions and confronting hecklers with a tearaway, absurd kind of zeal.

Of course, there are still mid-tempo synths and simple earworms by the fistful. This is hardly new sonic territory — nor would I praise the album as an artistic risk — but "The Tortured Poets Department" is bolder and more berserk than Swift's previous pop achievements. "1989" was a tricky pivot at the time, but Swift still made sure to play by the radio's rules, sticking to traditional song structures and repetitive hooks. More recently, "Midnights" gestured toward interesting themes but ultimately felt thin.

On "Poets," Swift doesn't exactly break with her well-established, commercial-friendly conventions — but she does toy with her audience in interesting ways.

There's depth and texture in these songs, even shades of the guitar-forward rock sound that many fans crave. It's a pop album without an obvious radio hit. Swift's lyrics are surprisingly meta, packed with fourth-wall breaks and self-aware pouts. Her vocal delivery is varied, passionate, often performative. She shrieks and snarls and deploys a whisper that's dripping with lust, such that we've rarely heard. For a pop star with Swift's relish for mass appeal, this album almost sounds bloodthirsty by comparison.

"The Tortured Poets Department" won't be everyone's cup of tea. It's chaotic, verbose, and full of words that scream "I own a thesaurus."

It still works, because Swift is in on the joke.

At the end of the day, I'd rather have a sensitive and self-indulgent album than one that's trying too hard to be pretty and perfect. I can't relate to the woman looking statuesque onstage, with her polite grin and sequined silhouette. But I can relate to the woman who bares her teeth when the crowd demands, "MORE!"

Worth listening to:

"So Long, London"

"But Daddy, I Love Him"

"Fresh Out the Slammer"

"Florida!!! (featuring Florence + The Machine)"

"Guilty as Sin?"

"Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?"

"I Can Fix Him (No Really, I Can)"

"I Can Do It With a Broken Heart"

"The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived"

"The Alchemy"

"Clara Bow"

Background music:

"My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys"

Press skip:

"Fornight (featuring Post Malone)"

"The Tortured Poets Department"

*Final album score based on songs per category (1 point for "Worth listening to," .5 for "Background music," 0 for "Press skip").

• Main content

Texas Tech Now

Texas tech welcomes new mascots at transfer of reins and passing of guns ceremony.

April 19, 2024

The next mascots are here for the prestigious Spirit Program as it looks to continue a storied history.

The Masked Rider and Raider Reds scarlet and black don new faces for the 2024-25 season. 

The energetic gameday mascot Raider Red will see some new additions as graduating senior Holden Jackola continues the ceremonial tradition of passing the guns to a new group.

“I really can't think of a more energetic person to assume the role of Raider Red. He was a perfect fit for the job and made every attempt to squeeze everything out of every opportunity he was given and did an exemplary job,” said Spirit Program Director Stephanie Rhode . 

“The position of Raider Red requires such a big commitment of time and energy, and we feel the program will continue to be an even bigger part of connecting others to Texas Tech University ,” Rhode said.

The Spirit Program's iconic Masked Rider welcomed its 63rd rider with the selection of Ellie Brown. 

Brown received the reins for Centennial Champion from Lauren Bloss on Friday (April 19). 

Bloss did an exceptional job as the Masked Rider during a season filled with uncertainty and many firsts for the Spirit Program .

“I don't think I've worked with a more patient person than Lauren,” Rhode said. “She faced so many challenges over the course of the year and she did so gracefully.”

Brown, a native of Canyon, Texas, is a senior animal science major with a concentration in pre-veterinary medicine. She has an extensive background with horses; she began riding at age 11, then cutting and training horses in the years to come.

Brown served in the Spirit Program this past year as a handler of Centennial Champion for Bloss. 

“We are so excited to have Ellie as the 63rd Masked Rider. Her background and demeanor are what make her the perfect fit as the new Masked Rider,” said Rhode. 

Brown's connection with Centennial Champion will certainly make her transition to Masked Rider smoother. 

“He's kind of like a friend that you're working with … he has a big personality,” Brown said. “He loves to be right up close and personal with you – you'll walk out there, and he'll snicker at you and want to talk to you; he's a special horse.”

Brown comes from a long line of Red Raiders beginning with her late grandfather followed by aunts, uncles and both parents. 

Being the Masked Rider is the culmination of the work ethic, experience and character Brown has displayed. Brown said she has plenty to look forward to as she begins her journey. 

“The football games and all the big crowds and all that's so exciting, but the biggest role I want to play is with those little girls and boys like me who were looking up and wanting to take a picture and be with the Rider,” said Brown.

“That's what I want to be, someone who is kind and can take those little kids aside and say, ‘Yes, you can do this, too. You can get here. Just work hard and grow that passion.'”

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