Facebook’s newest feature, the Subscribe button, was released last week. Seemingly a response to Google+, Facebook thinks people will use the functionality to be more selective about what they see in their News Feed as well as have a different way to connect with people besides via Friend Requests.
If you would like others to have the ability to subscribe to your public updates, outside your circle of Facebook friends, you may opt-in to get a Subscribe button on your profile. To do this, all you have to do is go to the Subscriptions Page and click Allow Subscribers.
If you don’t know (and don’t want to know) someone personally, but just want to know what they’re up to, you can simply subscribe and skip friending them. An approval will not be required, as it is when you request to add someone as a Friend.
Using the Subscribe button, you can also choose how many updates you see from those who are already your Facebook friends, as well as view updates from public figures who you aren’t friends with (artists, journalists and political figures).
There are many ways to adjust the settings so that, for example, you can decide if you do or do not want your subscribers to comment on your updates. With these changes, Facebook is doing a good job of competing with Google+. Potentially, though, users who are tired of constant changes to Facebook, and basically having to keep a manual of them around in order to keep up, may not appreciate the nuances of this new feature. Are you using the Subscribe button? Do you think it’s useful? Please tell us in the comments below.