Don’t know about you, but my head is getting dizzy from all
the recent changes to Facebook. And they’ve all happened not long after the
launch of Google+. Hmmm…
The very first blog post I wrote for this blog was an
essay on the fine art of poking. Those were the days of innocence. We tenderly
gave each reminders that “we’re still out there” or perhaps "HEY YOU!". Heck, I still get poked liked
crazy, and I continue to return them.
But time has marched on. Now Facebook has added another
feature that yet again follows what Google+ is doing. And Twitter too this time. Hello...it’s a
subscription service!
What does this mean for you? Well, if you need to know the precise moment Kirstie Alley lost another pound or where Kim Kardashian is strutting in her
bikini today, or perhaps the results of Sarah Palin’s latest shooting spree, now
it’s easier than ever. You don’t have to go to their Facebook pages (assuming
they HAVE these; I’m not checking); now you can have everything they’re posting
come directly to your news feed by simply subscribing to them. From what I understand,
this appears to bypass the “like” feature. But then it ceases to become social,
if you’re not participating on their page and just reading feed, no?
When subscribing, there are options. All updates, of course are
available, however, you can filter down to what type of updates you are
interested in. Skip the games? Just see updates with photos? These are just two
of the options.
You’ll also see suggestions on the right side of the screen “people
to subscribe to”.
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| Here's what it looks like |
Well great, now I can keep my baby blues on the pulse of my
favorite celebrities and politicians, much like following them on Twitter. But
wait, it gets creepier. Suppose I’m not friends with an “old flame”? Simply go
to his/her profile page and on the upper right, there are options: Message, Add Friend
or Subscribe. Nope, you don’t have to be friends with someone to subscribe.
Sounds like stalking to me!
It could be stalking. However, there is some good news. Subscribe encompasses only those posts that are deemed PUBLIC. If you’re set to “friends
only”, for example, someone who is not friends with you will not be able to see
your posts. In addition, Facebook has built in a lot of flexibility here. If
you don’t want to participate in this new feature, you don’t have to!
Thankfully, it’s a feature that you need to OPT IN to.
The subscribe service is rolling out right now; if you haven’t
spotted it yet, you soon will. If you’re mostly private like me, remember that
you can shut this feature off. I’ll be doing just that. In the meantime, I’ll
welcome a friendly poke from anyone.
For more recent news on changes to Facebook, click here
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