Mashable - The Social Media Guide - Latest Comments in Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

Re: Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

Bruce Clay SEO Australia — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:30:31 -0000

Yes, because only a few users have been selected to test these new features. Same for facebook search.

Re: Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

dmosse@gmail.com — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 08:59:17 -0000

Maybe I'm missing something, but that option IS NOT available in my account! I wish it was!

Re: Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

Bruce Clay SEO Australia — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:50:03 -0000

I think that Twitter is getting in a really difficult situation now that Facebook is about to release publicly the publisher bar "everyone" feature combined with the "fan" feature. What will happen to the users who have an account on both if Facebook provides exactly the same services than Twitter? Will these users consolidate their Twitter account on Facebook?

Re: Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

Martin — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 04:36:20 -0000

Beauty. A stalkers wet dream. Follow you without having to get you to approve me first and without you having a clue who i am but i now know everything you do or have done or what you've at least said anyway. That's how Twitter works. If you are public it means anyone can instantly follow you. You get emailed about it later, after they read all your stuff. Oh sure, you can 'block' people on Twitter. After, they've read all you stuff.

Re: Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

Julie Tarr — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:28:53 -0000

I'm thinking back to something I saw this morning when I sent a friend request. Instead of it saying "Friend Requested" it now says "Connection Requested." I thought it was odd at the time, but now after reading this, I seriously wonder what the heck is up.

Re: Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

Bonochromatic — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:01:16 -0000

Because Twitter can barely handle the userload it already has; if Facebook's architecture was built the same as Twitter's it would be broken 30% of the time.

Re: Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

Stephen — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:32:28 -0000

Two words for Facebook...Grow Up! Twitter made it's success as it's simple, it's different and the world is loving it, maybe Facebook should sit down and come up with some unique ideas not jumping on the latest bandwagon.

www.fliptexteffects.com

Re: Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

DJ Tek — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 13:13:02 -0000

With the downfall of myspace, this is truly going to start to get interesting, as the socials networks try to become thee "ultimate social networks"

Re: Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

Rob Vanasco — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 12:35:48 -0000

facebook finally took my advice!

http://itechmo.wordpress.co...

Re: Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

Colin Christianson — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 05:12:15 -0000

Was wondering if fb would take this move. It is the only logical choice. and they have the user base to wait. This combined with Microsoft Vine is a SUPER powerful system. Implement a bit of google wave on the back end and wowieeeee! I can't wait for that system. Hello collaborative live web!

Re: Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

Colin Christianson — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 05:11:54 -0000

Re: Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

Luis Antezana (luckylou) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 04:47:33 -0000

The point is not about what Facebook users are used to, it's about where Facebook wants to go. FB wants to give its users the option to express themselves to whichever audience they choose. This gives them a public outlet if they want it, exactly like Twitter. I don't know how you can say you know that FB users don't want to expand beyond their social circle, but either way, this isn't expanding your social circle, this is broadcasting specified status updates to people who are not your close friends, but those who want to hear what you have to say anyway. Certain status updates are suitable for a wider audience, and I am certain there are some users who would like to have the option to broadcast wider.

Take the recent outpouring of sentiment over Michael Jackson. How many people do you think would have posted their MJ-related FB status updates to the public if they could have? Let's get more significant though. How about the Iran election controversy? How many people would have liked the ability to broadcast their pleas for support and advocacy in a more public arena? How many of these people are Twitter savvy? Can you see where this would make a difference?

Re: Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

Melissa Chen — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 03:54:55 -0000

I understand the point of the feature, but I don't think it brings Facebook's users value. Such a feature makes sense on a platform like Twitter, where openness and participation in/contribution to a worldwide feed is encouraged. Users on Facebook, however, do not necessarily want to expand beyond their same old social circle, as they are accustomed to privacy and interacting just with their own friends on this particular platform. Instead, Facebook could be making better use of its time and resources by improving on features that would bring its users more value (rather than acting in its own self-interest to try to compete with Twitter)

Re: Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

Luis Antezana (luckylou) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 03:18:33 -0000

It doesn't sound like you're getting the point of the feature. Facebook allows you to set an option to allow people you haven't friended to follow any status updates you post as publicly readable. This inherently changes the audience away from the old friend-only kind to the anyone-who's-interested kind. You've already got custom URLs, and your posts will be searchable and I'll venture in some kind of worldwide general feed, so your exposure will go way beyond your same old social circle. Properly implemented, this is no different than the way you find and read people on Twitter (although your status updates may have a different bent to them). And since they're just followers and not friends you don't have to see their updates in your Feed. I think this actually helps your privacy preferences in that you can keep a better distance between casual acquaintances who want to read you and close friends with whom you'd want to share your life's details. I don't see why you call the follower capability "total crap."

Re: Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

Luis Antezana (luckylou) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:09:00 -0000

So many people are reading this news incorrectly. Fortunately there are some here (Bluraven, Michael Blauser) who actually get how this works.

You can select which of your status updates become public.
You can select whether you allow people to follow you.
These settings default to off.
If someone follows you their news won't show in your Feed.
How can anyone complain about having the option to enable this? If you don't want to use it then don't.

People say this is copying Twitter, because obviously Twitter has a follower model, but having followers is a pretty basic concept in itself. All social media involves being able to follow people. It's kind of the point, right? So why the fuss from the commenters?

Just before this was announced the big rip on Facebook was how it was building a walled world. Now the rip is that they've given us the option for some public visibility. Weren't we just asking for this?

I think it's a simple and obvious evolution for the premier social network, and I am glad to have it. While like so many others I use Facebook for personal relationships and Twitter and LinkedIn for professional, the lines do get blurry, with some people seeking to cross over, even if you hardly know them. This now gives us a way to have people connect with us through Facebook at a more arm's length distance. And as we all repeat ad nauseum, it's all about making connections and being part of the conversation, so this just furthers that goal.

As long as we're talking about Twitter....

I was thinking about whether this functionality, properly implemented and with popular participation, could completely eliminate the need for Twitter. For some people it would, and,
If I'm being honest, it wouldn't be a bad thing. These are the people who use Twitter the same way as Facebook, basically just another place to announce their status updates. For these people Twitter gives them a wider audience but that's all. Updating Twitter is just more work for them. If all their followers were in Facebook they'd love it. They'd be getting the same experience within one environment, and with control over how it works.

For the rest of us who rely on Twitter for a unique purpose, we can go on using it as we already do. The profile of the user base will evolve, and that's good, too.

This is all good as far as I can see.

Re: Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

Jessica — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:06:59 -0000

Can't remember who said this, regarding Twitter and anyone being able to follow you, but that's not true...you can block your tweets.

Re: Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

Jessica — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:06:10 -0000

Can't remember who said this, regarding Twitter and anyone being able to follow you, but that's not true...you can block your tweets.

Re: Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

Philip Barron — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:13:47 -0000

And anyone can follow you on Twitter, regardless of whether or not you follow them back.

Unless you block them, of course.

Re: Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

justin — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:58:27 -0000

who has the most followers? i don't want it to turn into twitter!

Re: Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

elia — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:12:02 -0000

You should put up this news. Facebook sued Ask.com for creating Facebook toolbar and using its logo. One big reason why was because Facebook has their own toolbar but it sucks and has lots of complaints from theirs users and everyone turn to Ask.com toolbar. The toolbar was called Facebook Toolbar and has changed its name to SocialMini. You guys should check it out on www.Facebooktoolbar.us !

Re: Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

Kevin Montgomery — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:46:36 -0000

exactly......I use them both, but am very specific in what I post. I enjoy the closed-community of Facebook, and would reconsider my involvement if this happens.
Kevin

Re: Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

Michael Bauser — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:23:04 -0000

First: You look horrible in green.

Second: You (and everybody else) is missing the point. A few days ago, Facebook added a "share with everyone" option to status updates, which allows people who aren't your friends to see updates. The "follow as a fan" feature is probably just going to let people follow the updates you declare public. If you don't label anything as "visible to everybody," this feature probably won't affect you at all.

If that's the way Facebook goes, they're actually doing something Twitter doesn't do: let you choose which updates are only for friends, and which are for everyone.

Re: Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

thatdamnredhead — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:20:24 -0000

I don't know what else to say to this but "I really don't like this idea at all."

Re: Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

Mel Umbarger — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:15:39 -0000

It was even funnier when Conan said it the first time.

Re: Facebook to Emulate Twitter’s Follower Model

Content Channel — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:14:38 -0000

Facebook "fans" versus "friends": I think one should differenciate between the 2 FB features, as they do not seem to be happening in parallel. It depends on the type of site you have choosen on registration, if you are going to build a network of friends, or just set up a "fun-club". If one is going for the "fun club"-type of site, it's a community of fans (well,OK, it has similarities to twitter's followers) which will be built. I am sure that FB is having smth. in mind with this new feature, what that "something" will be, we are going to see. We should however not be too optimistic and expect FB to reveal it's true intentions as opposed to this new feature, until it will become popular enough amoung users to allow FB to make the next step. Does FB intend to copy twitter? Maybe, any product or service will tend to be copied hundred of times once proven to be sucsessful. Yet I believe that FB will build a bit different around this feature, and try to make it stand out of the crowd, and not just be a "copy" of something else.
@jollymonday