Facebook has recently introduced some new arrows next to comments that allow users more options for interacting with comments. The arrows provide easy access to new features like Reactions, sorting options, and comment moderation tools. Understanding what the new arrows do can help you use them effectively.
The New Arrows
The new arrows appear to the right of comments. There are currently two arrows that have introduced new functionality:
- The up and down arrow provides access to Reactions.
- The down facing arrow provides access to sorting and moderating comments.
Up and Down Arrow – Reactions
Clicking the up and down arrow next to a comment allows you to react to that comment. Reactions are similar to Facebook’s “like” button but provide more options for interacting with a comment. The available reactions are:
- Like
- Love
- Haha
- Wow
- Sad
- Angry
Reacting to a comment is a quick way to interact without having to write a response. It allows you to give feedback and indicate how you feel about a comment easily.
Using Reactions
To use Reactions:
- Click the up and down arrow next to a comment
- A pop up will appear with the available Reactions
- Click the Reaction you want to use
The chosen Reaction will appear below the comment along with the total number of Reactions on that comment. You can change or remove your Reaction at any time by clicking the up and down arrow again.
Down Arrow – Sorting and Moderating
Clicking the down arrow next to a comment allows you to access sorting options and moderation tools. Here are the options available:
- Sort by: Change how comments are ordered – Top, Newest, Oldest etc.
- Edit Post: Edit the original post.
- Turn off commenting: Disable further comments.
- Edit privacy: Change who can see the post.
- Save post: Save the post for later.
- Hide post: Hide the post from your News Feed.
- Find support: Get help with abusive comments.
- Report post: Report inappropriate content.
- Restrict user: Limit a user’s ability to interact.
- Delete post: Permanently delete the post.
Moderating Comments
The options under the down arrow allow page owners and admins to moderate their comment threads. This includes sorting, disabling comments, hiding, reporting, and deleting posts. These tools help maintain constructive conversations by limiting abuse.
For example, a page owner could:
- Change the comment order from Newest to Oldest comments.
- Turn off further comments on a specific post.
- Delete hate speech or spam comments.
- Ban a user from interacting if they are repeatedly abusive.
Using these moderation tools appropriately allows page owners to limit disruptive behavior while supporting free speech.
Benefits of the New Arrows
The new arrows help improve the commenting experience in several ways:
- More ways to interact – Reactions allow nuanced feedback without needing to write a reply.
- Better conversations – Sorting and moderating features help filter out disruptive comments.
- Increased engagement – People are more likely to comment when they know content will be moderated.
- Improved page management – Page owners have more granular control over conversations.
While the arrows take some getting used to, they provide net positives for those commenting and managing discussions.
Tips for Using the Arrows
Here are some tips on how to best utilize the new comment arrows:
- Use Reactions to quickly give feedback without disrupting the flow of conversation.
- Sort comments by Newest first to see the latest conversations.
- Turn commenting off on controversial posts to limit arguments.
- Delete comments that include harassment, hate speech, or profanity.
- Restrict users who repeatedly make offensive remarks.
- Report offensive content that violates Facebook’s policies.
The Future of Facebook Commenting
Facebook will likely continue expanding the commenting tools available through the arrows. We may see additional Reactions or moderation abilities added over time.
Some potential new features could include:
- New Reactions like Confused, Uncomfortable, or Questioning to allow more nuanced responses.
- Enhanced filtering to hide comments with certain keywords or phrases.
- Automated moderation using machine learning to detect policy violations.
- Access to comment data and metrics to analyze conversation trends.
Improving commenting is crucial for Facebook as users increasingly engage via comments rather than posts. The arrows are the company’s latest step in this direction, but evolution of the tools will continue.
Conclusions
Facebook’s new comment arrows provide quicker access to features like Reactions and moderation tools. While adapting to the change takes time, the arrows offer benefits like more interaction options and better conversations. Page owners in particular gain enhanced comment management abilities. As Facebook develops its comment products further, the arrows lay the groundwork for more improvements down the road.