On Facebook, you can connect with friends, family, acquaintances, businesses, public figures, and more. One way to connect is by “following” their profile or page. When you follow someone on Facebook, you will see their posts in your News Feed.
If someone sends you a friend request on Facebook and it only says “Follow” instead of “Confirm” or “Add Friend”, it means they are suggesting you follow their public updates, but not directly connect as friends. There are a few reasons why someone might only want you to follow them instead of adding them as a Facebook friend.
They Want to Keep Their Friends List Small
Some people like to be selective about who they add as friends on Facebook. They may have a rule that they only friend people they know well in real life. So if it is an acquaintance, distant family member, or someone they don’t know very well who sends a friend request, they will change the request to “Follow” instead. This allows them to approve the request without directly connecting as friends.
For example, if a co-worker you see at meetings sends you a friend request, they may feel it is appropriate for you to follow their public posts, but don’t know you well enough to consider you a close friend. Changing it to “Follow” allows them to approve the request without cluttering up their main Friends list.
They Want to Control the Audience for Their Posts
Facebook offers different privacy settings for posts. You can share a post publicly, with all friends, a customized friends list, or only yourself. When you directly friend someone, they have access to all posts you share with the default “Friends” audience.
Some people want to control what certain connections see in their News Feed. For instance, someone may frequently post family photos only visible to close friends and relatives. By having you follow them instead of adding them as a friend, they can approve the request while limiting the posts you can view.
They Don’t Want Their Friends to See Your Posts
Adding someone as a friend on Facebook makes your posts visible on each other’s News Feeds by default. Some people only want to see another person’s posts without granting them access to their network of friends.
For example, a local business owner may want to approve follow requests from customers so they can share company updates. But they don’t necessarily want customers seeing their personal family photos or be able to interact with their network of actual friends. Changing the friend request to “Follow” lets them approve the request without giving you access to their personal posts.
They Find the Person Annoying or Inappropriate
In some cases, someone may change a friend request to “Follow” because they don’t actually want to interact with that person directly. If they find someone clingy, annoying, or otherwise inappropriate, approving the follow request allows that person to see their public posts without granting them access to interact as a friend.
This is a polite way of approving the request while setting boundaries on the Facebook relationship. They don’t have to ignore or decline the request, but can limit your ability to communicate or view certain posts by keeping you as a follower rather than a friend.
They Don’t Know the Person Making the Request
You may try to add someone as a friend on Facebook and have them change it to “Follow” because they don’t actually know you. This allows them to approve the request and let you see their public updates without granting friend access to a stranger.
Public figures like actors, musicians, politicians, business brands, etc. often have public pages that anyone can follow without being directly connected as friends. This allows them to share updates broadly without friending their entire fanbase individually.
They Find Facebook Friendship Too Personal
Some people view Facebook friendship as something intimate that’s only for close connections. They may feel awkward or uncomfortable friending work colleagues, distant relatives, old classmates and more. Changing a friend request to “Follow” allows them to approve the request in a way they consider more casual and less personal than friendship.
For example, someone may feel fine letting old high school classmates follow their public posts, but consider the Facebook friends list to be for their closest buddies only. Switching the request to “Follow” lets them grant access to their updates in a way that aligns with their social media boundaries.
They Want to Keep Business and Personal Profiles Separate
People sometimes have two Facebook profiles – one for their business or professional identity and one for personal use with friends and family. In this scenario, they likely don’t want friend access between the two accounts.
Changing a friend request from their business profile to “Follow” allows them to approve the request from a customer, client or industry peer without granting access to the posts and connections on their personal account. It keeps business and personal social circles separate.
They Find Connecting on Facebook Impersonal
Some people view connecting on Facebook as lazy or impersonal. They may prefer to connect in person or via phone/email instead. Changing a friend request to “Follow” could be their way of politely approving the social media request while still requiring a more personal relationship to consider someone a Facebook friend.
For instance, someone may feel fine letting old college acquaintances follow their public updates, but want to connect one-on-one off social media before considering someone a Facebook friend. Switching the request to “Follow” allows them to gracefully accept without friending.
They Want to Limit Old Friends or Exes
Some people use the “Follow” option to gently approve requests from old friends or exes they don’t want to completely block, but have no interest in interacting with further. It allows them to limit contact while avoiding an uncomfortable declined friend request.
Rather than directly friending an ex, which grants them access to posts and the ability to message, simply changing the request to “Follow” lets them see public updates without fully reconnecting. This can be a cordial way to interact with old flames without leading them on.
How to Tell if Someone Only Wants You to Follow Them
When you receive a friend request on Facebook, here are some signs it may get changed to a “Follow” instead of a full friend approval:
– The profile seems to represent a business, organization or public figure rather than someone’s personal account. These often have public follow options rather than direct friending.
– The profile is of someone you know of casually, but not someone you consider a close friend. Acquaintances often feel more comfortable with follow requests.
– The person rarely posts publicly personal updates, mostly sharing professional or organization-related updates. They likely want to limit personal access.
– Their profile picture is a logo or graphic rather than a photo of themselves. Pages representing businesses/organizations tend to have public follow options.
– You don’t recognize the name at all. It may be a case of mistaken identity or spam account. Changing to “Follow” allows them to accept without friending a stranger.
– Their posts seem very formal and business-focused. This often indicates a professional connection who prefers follower relationships.
– Their friend list is small and seems to consist of close friends and family only. People with exclusive friend lists often change requests.
What Happens When You Only Follow Someone on Facebook?
Here’s what you can and can’t do when you follow someone rather than friend them directly on Facebook:
What you CAN do:
– See their public posts in your News Feed
– Like and comment on their public posts
– Share their public posts with your own network
– Get notifications when they post publicly
– Interact with their business Page if they have one
What you CAN’T do:
– See posts they share only with friends
– Message them directly
– See their friends list and full profile information
– Have your posts appear in their News Feed
– Invite them to events or groups
So following allows you to interact with their public persona on Facebook without access behind the scenes. It grants limited access compared to full friendship.
Should You Send a Follow Request Back?
If someone changes your Facebook friend request to a “Follow”, you can either accept the follow status or ignore it. There are a few factors to consider:
– **Do you actually want to see this person’s posts?** If you have no interest in their updates, feel free not to follow back. But if you want access to their public posts, go ahead and follow.
– **Are you comfortable with the limited access?** Determine whether you’re okay interacting only with their public side or if you primarily wanted the access that comes with Facebook friendship.
– **How well do you know this person?** If it’s a stranger or very casual acquaintance, following may be the most appropriate. But for close friends, you may want to clarify why they only want a follow relationship.
– **Is the purpose of their account professional?** It’s common to follow professional/business pages rather than friendship, so follow if it fits that scenario.
– **Do they seem receptive to advances?** If you change the request to friend rather than follow, will it seem pushy or make the person uncomfortable? Consider their likely reaction.
Ultimately it’s your call whether to follow back. The context of your relationship and their typical sharing style should guide your decision.
Turning a Follow Back Into a Friend Request
If someone accepts your follow request but you decide you want to try friending them, you can change a follow back to a friend request. Here’s how:
On Desktop:
– Click on their profile picture and select “Friends” from the drop-down menu
– On their profile page click “Add Friend” below their cover photo
On Mobile:
– Go to their profile page
– Tap the “…” icon
– Select “Add Friend”
This sends them a new friend request. They can then choose to confirm adding you as a friend or change the request back to “Follow” again. So tread carefully – don’t force a friendship on someone who has indicated they are only comfortable following.
Can You Message Someone You Only Follow?
On Facebook, you can only directly message friends. If you follow someone without being friends, you won’t have the option to privately message them through Facebook. You would need to connect outside the platform via their contact info.
Some ways to message someone you follow but aren’t friends with include:
– Commenting publicly on their posts – They may reply back, allowing some interaction
– Messaging them on other platforms if you have their usernames – Such as Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
– Emailing them if you have (or can find) their contact info
– Interacting on their professional website or blog if they have one
– Finding alternate contact options publicly listed on their Facebook profile
– Asking them to message you first (they can do this if they want to connect)
So while you can interact on their public Facebook posts, you’ll need to get creative if you want to privately communicate without an active Facebook friendship.
Can You Tell Who Views Your Profile if They Only Follow You?
Facebook does not notify you when followers or non-friends view your profile. You can see views from confirmed Facebook friends only. So if someone merely follows you, you won’t get alerts about their profile views.
Page owners get some insight into followers visiting their business Pages. But regular profiles can’t see when followers specifically check out their Facebook profile. It remains anonymous.
The only way to tell if a follower is checking out your Facebook profile is by monitoring “Visitors” posts on your Timeline. But these don’t specify who visited, just that “a follower” did. You can’t pinpoint individuals.
Should You Follow Back People You Don’t Know?
When you receive a follow request from someone you don’t know, proceed with caution. While some may just want to see your public posts harmlessly, others could have ill intent. Here are some recommendations:
– Check if you have any connections in common. Having mutual friends makes unknown follows more trustworthy.
– Review their profile for any red flags or suspicious signs. Use your best judgment.
– Don’t accept follows from accounts that seem fake, anonymous, or bots. These often spread spam.
– Consider ignoring or declining requests from strangers with no clear reason to follow you.
– Be extra vigilant about accepting follows from people in different age demographics or locations.
– Make your profile fully private if concerned about anonymous follows from strangers.
– Unfollow or block accounts that are inappropriate, aggressive, or make you uncomfortable.
While some follows from strangers turn out fine, always protect your privacy and safety first. Only follow back unknown accounts you deem trustworthy.
Can You Limit Who Can Follow You?
Yes, Facebook provides settings to control who can follow your public updates:
On Desktop:
– Go to your profile, click the “…” button and choose “Settings & Privacy”
– Select “Settings” then click “Followers” on the left sidebar
– Choose “Friends” to limit follows to friends only
On Mobile:
– Tap the “hamburger” icon and choose “Settings & Privacy”
– Select “Settings” then tap “Followers”
– Choose “Friends” to limit follows to friends only
You can also block specific individuals from following you if need be. Restricting follows gives you control over who interacts with your public profile.
Conclusion
When someone sends you a friend request on Facebook but it gets changed to a “Follow” instead, they are indicating they only want you to interact with their public posts, not establish a direct friendship. There are many potential reasons for this social media boundary, from maintaining privacy to avoiding awkwardness. While you should respect when someone only wants a follower connection, you can send an updated friend request if you want to try connecting on a deeper level. With good communication and mutual consent, you may be able to turn a follow into a rewarding friendship.