How to Follow Someone on Facebook: A Comprehensive Guide
Facebook, the social media giant, offers a vast network to connect with friends, family, and even public figures. While ‘friending’ is the primary way to connect and share personal updates, the ‘Follow’ feature allows you to stay informed about a person’s public posts without being their direct friend. This is especially useful for keeping up with celebrities, influencers, journalists, or simply individuals whose public thoughts and updates you find interesting. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the different ways to follow someone on Facebook, troubleshoot common issues, and understand the nuances of the feature.
## Understanding the Difference: Friends vs. Followers
Before diving into the ‘how-to,’ it’s crucial to understand the fundamental difference between being someone’s friend and following them:
* **Friends:** When you become friends with someone on Facebook, you both agree to share your posts (depending on privacy settings) with each other. You can see each other’s personal updates, photos, and more. Friendship is a two-way street.
* **Followers:** Following someone means you see their public posts in your News Feed, even if they haven’t added you as a friend. This is a one-way connection; they might not even know you’re following them unless they actively check their follower list. The follower sees the followed person’s *public* posts, posts that are marked as visible to ‘Everyone’ or ‘Public’.
## Why Follow Someone?
There are numerous reasons why you might choose to follow someone instead of sending a friend request:
* **Privacy:** You might prefer to keep your friend list private and only connect with people you know personally.
* **Public Figures:** Following is the primary way to stay updated on the activities and announcements of celebrities, politicians, and other public figures.
* **Professional Interest:** You might follow industry leaders or experts in your field to stay informed about their insights and publications.
* **Keeping a Distance:** Perhaps you know the person but don’t want to be ‘friends’ on Facebook due to personal reasons, but still want to see their public updates.
## Methods for Following Someone on Facebook
Facebook offers several avenues for following individuals. Here’s a breakdown of each method:
### 1. Following from a Person’s Profile
This is the most direct and common way to follow someone on Facebook.
**Steps:**
1. **Search for the Person:** Use the Facebook search bar at the top of the page (or in the Facebook app) to find the person you want to follow. Type their name and press Enter.
2. **Navigate to Their Profile:** Click on the correct profile from the search results. Make sure it’s the right person by checking their profile picture and other identifying information.
3. **Check for the ‘Follow’ Button:**
* **If you’re not friends with the person:** Look for a ‘Follow’ button directly on their profile page, usually next to the ‘Add Friend’ button. If the person has enabled the follow feature, the follow button will be visible.
* **If you’re already friends with the person:** You might not see a ‘Follow’ button. This is because you automatically ‘follow’ your friends, meaning you see their posts based on their privacy settings. However, they may have specifically *disabled* allowing their friends to also follow them; in this case, even as a friend, you would only see posts they share with ‘Friends’.
4. **Click the ‘Follow’ Button:** If you see the ‘Follow’ button, simply click it. The button will likely change to ‘Following’ or a similar indication.
**Troubleshooting:**
* **No ‘Follow’ Button:** If you don’t see a ‘Follow’ button, it means one of two things:
* The person hasn’t enabled the ‘Follow’ feature in their privacy settings (explained later). In this case, you will only see an ‘Add Friend’ button.
* You’re already friends with the person, and they haven’t disabled friend-following.
* **’Add Friend’ Button Only:** If you only see an ‘Add Friend’ button, you can send a friend request. If they accept, you’ll automatically follow them (unless they’ve restricted that).
### 2. Following from a Facebook Page
Facebook Pages are used by businesses, organizations, public figures, and communities. Following a Page is similar to following a personal profile.
**Steps:**
1. **Search for the Page:** Use the Facebook search bar to find the Page you want to follow. Type the name of the business, organization, or public figure and press Enter.
2. **Navigate to the Page:** Click on the correct Page from the search results. Check the Page’s profile picture and description to ensure it’s the right one.
3. **Click the ‘Like’ Button:** On a Facebook Page, the equivalent of ‘following’ is ‘liking’ the Page. Click the ‘Like’ button located near the top of the Page.
4. **Adjust Notifications (Optional):** After liking a Page, you can adjust your notification settings to control how often you receive updates from the Page. Click the three dots (…) next to the ‘Liked’ button and select ‘Follow Settings’ or similar options to customize notifications.
**Important Note:** Liking a Page means you’ll see its posts in your News Feed. However, liking a Page *also* means you are following the Page. Facebook uses the term ‘Like’ as the primary interaction for Pages.
### 3. Following from a Post in Your News Feed
Sometimes you might see a post in your News Feed from someone you’re not friends with but whose public post was shared by a friend or appeared due to an algorithm-driven suggestion.
**Steps:**
1. **Identify the Poster:** Look at the name of the person who created the post. If you’re not friends with them, their name will appear at the top of the post.
2. **Hover or Click on Their Name:** Hover your mouse over their name (on a computer) or tap on their name (on a mobile device). A small pop-up card will appear with some information about the person.
3. **Look for the ‘Follow’ Button:** Within the pop-up card, look for the ‘Follow’ button. If it’s there, click it to start following the person.
**Troubleshooting:**
* **No Pop-up Card:** If hovering or clicking doesn’t produce a pop-up card, try clicking on their profile picture instead. This should take you to their profile where you can follow them as described in Method 1.
* **No ‘Follow’ Button in Pop-up:** As before, the absence of a ‘Follow’ button indicates that the person hasn’t enabled the feature or that you’re already friends with them.
### 4. Following Through Group Membership (Sometimes)
In some Facebook Groups, you might see posts from individuals who are not your friends. In rare cases, Facebook might suggest following a member directly. This is not a guaranteed method and depends heavily on Facebook’s algorithms.
**Steps (if available):**
1. **See a Post in a Group:** Be active in relevant Facebook Groups.
2. **Facebook Suggestion (Rare):** Facebook *might* display a suggestion to follow a particular group member, usually based on engagement within the group. This suggestion would typically appear near the post or within the group’s member list.
3. **Click ‘Follow’:** If the suggestion appears, click the ‘Follow’ button. Be mindful of who you’re following this way, as it’s easy to accidentally follow someone based on a fleeting suggestion.
**Important Note:** This method is highly dependent on Facebook’s algorithms and is not a reliable way to consistently find people to follow. The primary methods remain profile searches and page likes.
## How to Enable or Disable the Follow Feature (for Profile Owners)
If you’re reading this and want to control whether people can follow *you* on Facebook, here’s how to manage the ‘Follow’ feature in your settings:
**Steps:**
1. **Access Settings & Privacy:**
* **On a Computer:** Click the downward-facing arrow in the top-right corner of Facebook and select ‘Settings & Privacy,’ then click ‘Settings.’
* **On a Mobile Device:** Tap the three horizontal lines (menu icon) in the top-right corner (Android) or bottom-right corner (iOS) of the Facebook app. Scroll down and tap ‘Settings & Privacy,’ then tap ‘Settings.’
2. **Navigate to ‘Public Posts’:** In the left-hand menu (on a computer) or by scrolling down (on a mobile device), find and click ‘Public Posts.’
3. **’Who Can Follow Me’ Setting:** You’ll see a setting labeled ‘Who Can Follow Me.’ This setting determines whether people who are *not* your friends can follow your public updates.
4. **Choose ‘Public’ or ‘Friends’:**
* **Public:** If you select ‘Public,’ anyone on Facebook can follow you, and they’ll see your public posts in their News Feed.
* **Friends:** If you select ‘Friends,’ only your existing friends will see your posts. Non-friends will not have the option to follow you, and they will only see an ‘Add Friend’ button.
5. **Other Public Post Settings:** While you’re in the ‘Public Posts’ settings, consider adjusting the other options as well:
* **’Public Post Comments’:** This determines who can comment on your public posts. You can choose ‘Public,’ ‘Friends of Friends,’ or ‘Friends.’
* **’Public Post Notifications’:** This determines who can send you notifications about your public posts. You can choose ‘Everyone’ or ‘Friends of Friends.’
* **’Public Profile Info’:** This allows you to control who can like or comment on your public profile information (e.g., your profile picture, cover photo, and featured photos).
**Important Considerations:**
* **Privacy:** Choosing ‘Public’ for ‘Who Can Follow Me’ means that anyone on Facebook can potentially see your public posts. Be mindful of what you share publicly.
* **Friend Requests:** Even if you enable the ‘Follow’ feature, people can still send you friend requests. You have the option to accept or decline these requests.
* **Existing Followers:** Changing the ‘Who Can Follow Me’ setting will affect *new* followers. Existing followers will continue to see your public posts unless you block them or they unfollow you.
## Managing Your Followers
As a profile owner, you can also manage your existing followers:
* **Viewing Your Followers:** While Facebook doesn’t provide a straightforward list of all your followers, you can get a general idea by checking your ‘Followers’ count on your profile. If you click on the number of followers, Facebook will sometimes show a list of *some* of your followers (especially people you have things in common with). However, it’s not a comprehensive list.
* **Blocking Followers:** If you want to prevent someone from following you, you can block them. Blocking prevents them from seeing your profile, sending you friend requests, or contacting you. To block someone:
1. Go to their profile.
2. Click the three dots (…) below their cover photo.
3. Select ‘Block.’
4. Confirm that you want to block them.
* **Removing Followers (Indirectly):** You can’t directly ‘remove’ a follower without blocking them. The only way to stop someone from following you without blocking them is to change your ‘Who Can Follow Me’ setting to ‘Friends.’ This will prevent *new* people from following you, but it won’t automatically unfollow existing followers. The existing followers will need to unfollow you manually.
## Common Issues and Troubleshooting
Here are some common issues you might encounter when trying to follow someone on Facebook, along with troubleshooting steps:
* **’Follow’ Button Not Showing:**
* **Reason:** The person hasn’t enabled the ‘Follow’ feature in their settings, or you are already friends with them and they haven’t disabled friend-following.
* **Solution:** If they haven’t enabled ‘Follow,’ there’s nothing you can do except send a friend request. If you are already friends, you are already following them to the extent that their privacy settings allow.
* **Can’t See Someone’s Posts in My News Feed After Following:**
* **Reason 1:** The person isn’t posting publicly. They might be sharing posts only with their friends, or using custom audience settings.
* **Solution 1:** You’ll only see their posts if they’re set to ‘Public.’ Check their profile periodically to see if they post anything publicly.
* **Reason 2:** Facebook’s algorithm is filtering their posts. Facebook doesn’t show every post from every person you follow. The algorithm prioritizes posts based on engagement, relevance, and other factors.
* **Solution 2:** Try interacting more with their posts (liking, commenting, sharing) when you do see them. This signals to Facebook that you’re interested in their content.
* **Accidentally Unfollowed Someone:**
* **Solution:** Simply go back to their profile and click the ‘Follow’ button again.
* **I Followed Someone, But They Didn’t Follow Me Back:**
* **Explanation:** Following is a one-way action. They don’t need to follow you back for you to see their public posts. They might not even know you’re following them.
## Tips for Effective Following
* **Focus on Public Figures and Pages:** The ‘Follow’ feature is most effective for keeping up with public figures, brands, organizations, and pages that share information publicly.
* **Engage with Content:** If you want to see more posts from someone you follow, actively engage with their content by liking, commenting, and sharing.
* **Curate Your News Feed:** Over time, unfollow people or Pages whose content is no longer relevant or interesting to you. This helps keep your News Feed clean and focused.
* **Respect Privacy:** Remember that people are sharing public posts. Do not repost, screenshot, or share their content without their permission, especially if it contains personal information.
## Conclusion
Following someone on Facebook is a simple yet powerful way to stay connected to individuals and organizations without necessarily being their friend. By understanding the nuances of the ‘Follow’ feature, adjusting your own privacy settings, and managing your News Feed, you can effectively leverage Facebook to stay informed and engaged with the world around you. Whether you’re keeping up with celebrities, tracking industry trends, or simply staying in the loop with acquaintances, the ‘Follow’ feature is a valuable tool in the social media landscape.