Facebook Subscribe – Evolution or just Confusion?

In something of a change of tact, Facebook’s latest attempt to get us sharing our inner-most thoughts with an ever-wider audience is an opt-in Subscribe tool. The feature, which allows non-friends to follow your public status updated, seems a step towards addressing the increasingly friends-only ring-fenced nature of the site, but more importantly could prove something of a watershed moment for its user considerations.

Up until now changes to the social platform have been synonymous with a backlash of privacy concerns, but this new addition sees the social media giants finally understanding that they too need to play by the social rules.

A two-pronged attack

Beyond the shedding of their negative “auto-inclusive privacy change” reputation, if accepted by users this feature could see Facebook encroach on Twitter’s 100million-strong follow-culture and possibly entice back those lured across to Google’s “+” offering. At the very least though, it shows a company listening to its users whilst at the same time evolving their usability, which at least in principle seems a move in the right direction.

Whether the Subscribe gamble will find its niche, only time will tell, but our first impression is that this feature’s most likely bedfellow will be the accounts of public figures, such as politicians and pop stars – those not necessarily willing to “Friend” an unknown member of the public but still wanting to communicate with them via the Facebook Newsfeed.

Here’s what our Social Media Manager Nicole Green had to say:

“Vetting your Status updates for different audiences seems a thought-process too far for your average Facebook user, but it’s an interesting spin on addressing Google+’s ‘Circles’ feature and Twitter’s microblogging monopoly. If taken to, this could see Facebook further blur the lines between Social Media platforms in the same way they did when allowing users to upload videos directly, as opposed to relying on Youtube.”

The jury is still out then, but should Subscribe find a home in the hearts of Facebook-friendly celebs it could be the killer blow that sends Google+ the way of Wave and Buzz.