by
16
Facebook just rolled out a new Open Graph feature that will let users follow certain actions from various Facebook applications.
This will let users get updates for certain actions in the News Feed, without having to subscribe or be friends with the user.
For example, users could choose to follow and get notified when another user posts a photo to Instagram or when a movie critic publishes a new movie review — without having to see all of the various updates from that person. It’s like subscribing to someone’s news feed, except you get to pick what parts you see, based on what app you are using.
On its developer blog, Facebook’s Yaran Sadan describes the process. There is also a documentation page for the new feature, which is called Open Graph Follows.
We can already see how this could be useful for some of the most popular Open Graph apps such as SocialCam and Viddy. I might not want to follow every update of a particular SocialCam star, but I might like to know when he or she uploads a new video.
It will be interesting to see how app developers integrate the technology with their existing networks. On some services with Open Graph implementation — such as Instagram and Pinterest — I follow users that are not my Facebook friends. We’re interested in seeing how easy it will be to bring notifications from those users into the News Feed.
Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, pearleye
1 
2 
3 ![In a Relationship: College Students and Their Smartphones [INFOGRAPHIC]](https://iza-server.uibk.ac.at/pywb/dilimag/20210113092156im_/http://6.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/125,woman-iPhone-600.jpg)
4 
5 ![Interactive Furniture Responds to Touch [PICS]](https://iza-server.uibk.ac.at/pywb/dilimag/20210113092156im_/http://6.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/125,Nunoerin.jpg)
This is going to be very interesting as from a brand perspective as well considering the success of apps like Nike+ Missions.
If they could make a pages app for Android, I think that would be much more useful.
There is to much stuff going on, on facebook.
The majority of Facebook’s user base don’t even know about/how to use even 10% of its features and services. This will just fly over most people’s heads.
Only thing i can see doing it with is to narrow down / expand who’s Spotify “Now Playing” i can see.
If you guys want to connect with your local community then check this new social local network: http://www.wizenation.com
Loving Facebook apps! Use them a lot for my own stuff and to make life easier in other ways too. They just keeping getting better and better and I am really grateful for the creative people out there that keep producing and upgrading them. Massively helps the rest of us get more from life. The ways in which they benefit website owners is immense (see http://www.howtoimakeawebsite.com/how-to-social-media-marketing/why-use-facebook-apps) because they truly can transform on-line success. REally happy to see this new development, because it means it will be far easier for people to get the information that they want! Nice.
Great piece Christina, thank you! :)
Have you noticed they also have added a “voice” tab when you switch to a page you own?
Um, no….can you explain more Geoff? What’s to go with that?
Cheers
Go to a page that you own and look at the nav bar!
Started using the Voice feature since yesterday (admin of several pages) & really like it – when using multiple pages you sometimes have to double check that your “using Facebook as” the correct page so the Voice feature helps alot.
Agree with comments which say that this new “app follow” function will probably go over most peoples heads – we’ve spent great deal of time developing a FB app for our pages & a Web app for our site and not sure how many of our users audience would follow their app usage but we’ll see in time
Looks Nice :)
A good update by Facebook after a long time. Lets see how many of its users really use it.
- Lisa
http://www.hiredotnetprogrammers.com/
From my experience on FB and it has not been the best i can say that. This feature will allow others to read and see what i post (if i am understanding this article) properly. If that is the case, i do not like it. I wonder if they have a feature that allows a profile to NOT participate in this? just me…
I too see a breach in personal privacy at some point with this Fb update. Well, not too serious, since people’s actions on forum-like apps are meant to be public, otherwise why would we bother to write movie reviews at all? But yet again, there are limits on what you want to make visible and what not – for example, you can choose whether to post updates about your groups activity on your wall, or not. My own experience with apps is not so good, some of them are made just for gathering likes, and I prefer not to make public the silly badges they offer me. They surely have to let the person approve his/her followers. Twitter does it, so why would FB make an exception?
make money from home!!! go to my stupidwebsitedotcom!!!! not sure what this has to do with the article?!!! there needs to be a better spam filter in here. seriously though, more clutter on facebook that most people wont understand how to use.