Facebook allows you to either “follow” someone or “add them as a friend”. Following someone means you will see their public posts in your News Feed, but you will not be connected as friends. Adding someone as a friend means you are mutually connected and can see each other’s posts, depending on privacy settings.
Difference Between Following and Adding Friends
When you follow someone on Facebook, you are subscribing to their public posts without being friends. This allows you to see someone’s posts without sending a friend request. The person you are following will not be notified or have to approve the follow. However, any posts they share just with friends will not show up in your News Feed.
Adding someone as a friend on Facebook creates a two-way, mutual connection. You will see each other’s posts in your News Feeds and be able to interact as Facebook friends. The other person has to confirm they want to be friends with you as well before you are connected.
Changing from Following to Adding Friends
If you want to change your connection with someone from following to friends, you need to send them a friend request. Here is how:
- Go to the person’s Facebook profile that you currently follow but want to be friends with.
- Look for the “Add Friend” or “Add” button on their page. This appears instead of “Follow” since you already follow them.
- Click the “Add Friend” button.
- This will send them a friend request notification. They then have to accept your request for you to be connected as friends.
Once the person accepts your friend request, you will see a mutual friends connection on Facebook. You will now see any posts they share with friends in addition to their public posts.
Unfollowing Someone You Added as a Friend
If you change your mind after sending someone a friend request, you can unfollow them to revoke the request before they accept it. Here’s how:
- Go to the person’s profile.
- Click on the “Friends” button below their profile picture.
- Select “Unfollow [name]”.
- Confirm you want to unfollow them when prompted.
This will end the friend request process and change your connection to just following their public posts again. If they already accepted your friend request, you will need to unfriend them instead.
Unfriending Someone You Are Connected With
If you are currently friends with someone on Facebook but want to change the connection to just following them, you will need to unfriend them. Here’s how:
- Go to your Friends list on Facebook.
- Click on the person’s name you want to unfriend.
- Select “Unfriend” on their profile.
- Confirm you want to unfriend them when prompted.
This will change your connection so you just follow their public posts. You will no longer see any posts they share just for friends. The person will also no longer appear as one of your Facebook friends.
Blocking Someone on Facebook
If you want to prevent someone from viewing your Facebook profile or contacting you, you can block them. This is more severe than unfriending or unfollowing someone. Here is how to block someone:
- Go to the person’s profile page.
- Click on the three dots at the top right.
- Select “Block” from the dropdown menu.
- Confirm you want to block the person.
Once you block someone, they will no longer be able to find or contact you on Facebook. You also won’t be able to see any of their profile information or posts. Blocking is a good option if you feel harassed or unsafe due to someone’s behavior on Facebook.
Managing Friend Requests
As you send and receive friend requests, you can manage them in one place on Facebook:
- Go to your Facebook profile.
- Click on the Friends button on the left sidebar.
- Select “Friend Requests” at the top.
This will show you any pending incoming and outgoing friend requests. You can choose to confirm or delete requests from here. You can also rescind any requests you sent that are still pending.
Who Can Follow Me on Facebook
You can control who is able to follow you on Facebook from your profile settings:
- Go to your Facebook profile.
- Click on the three dots at the top right.
- Select “Settings & Privacy” then “Settings”.
- Click on “Followers” on the left sidebar.
From here you can set your follower settings to:
- Everyone – Any Facebook user can follow you.
- Friends of Friends – Only friends of friends can follow you.
- Friends Only – Only your confirmed friends can follow you.
- Specific Friends – Only the friends you select can follow you.
Adjusting these settings can give you more control over who is able to view your public Facebook posts.
Following Hashtags and Pages
In addition to following other users, you can also follow hashtags and Facebook Pages on public figures, businesses, artists, etc. This allows you to see top posts about specific topics and from particular pages in your News Feed. Here’s how to follow them:
Follow a Hashtag
- Type in the hashtag you want to follow in Facebook’s search bar (for example, #cats).
- Click on the hashtag result.
- Click the “Follow” button next to the hashtag name.
You will now see top posts using that hashtag in your News Feed.
Follow a Page
- Go to the public Facebook page you want to follow.
- Click the “Follow” or “Like” button on the page.
Liking a page automatically follows it as well. Page posts will now show up in your News Feed.
Notifications for Follower Activity
When other people follow you or your posts on Facebook, you can control if you are notified:
- Go to “Settings & Privacy” then “Settings”.
- Click on “Followers” in the left sidebar.
- Turn notifications on or off for “New followers” and “When your posts are reshared”.
Disabling these notifications can reduce clutter if many people interact with your public posts on Facebook.
Conclusion
Following people on Facebook allows you to see their public posts without being direct friends. To upgrade a following connection to friends, you need to send a friend request and have them accept it. You can also unfollow and unfriend people to revert back to just seeing their public posts.
Managing your followers list and who can follow you gives you better control over your Facebook feed. Following hashtags and pages is an easy way to keep up with topics and businesses you are interested in.