Facebook launches 'subscribe' link to comments

Commenters on social networking site Facebook now have an opportunity to grow their subscriber base, with a "Subscribe" link in the comments box. Facebook, which debuted the feature last Oct. 27, said this will allow people to subscribe to commenters in one click. "Today we launched a 'Subscribe' link in the Comments Box plugin to give people the ability to subscribe to commenters in one click, and give commenters another way to grow their Subscriptions base," it said. A separate article on InsideFacebook said the new button is meant to increase civility as well. It said the Comments Box Subscribe buttons will encourage civil discussion on sites that use the commenting plugin because those who appear intelligent may be able to attract new Subscribers. "The move ties two products that already work separately to promote public discussion, and improves Subscription discovery which is otherwise limited to its personalized People to Subscribe To list and sidebar modules," it said. Facebook launched the Comments Box plugin for third-party sites in March and by June it was installed on 300,000 sites. Previously, it added the option for users to “Subscribe" to a specific comment thread. But that feature is now called “Follow Post" and its name has been reassigned to Facebook’s Twitter-like asymmetrical follow feature that was released last month. "As I see it, this new feature helps Facebook meet two existing goals: get more users Subscribing to each other, and make discussion in the Comments Box more civil to get more sites installing it," it said. Also, it said that by giving the average engaged commenter more opportunities to gain Subscribers through the plugin, the asymmetrical follow feature can develop a healthier community and not appear as something reserved for celebrities and journalists. Earlier, comment moderators were temporarily given the ability to “Boost" comments they deemed as high quality to the top of a thread. This let moderators set up discussion role models and reward top commenters, but could also be used to drown out criticism. "By incentivizing thought leaders to weigh in with the prospect of gaining Subscribers, Facebook can improve discussions without facilitating censorship," InsideFacebook said. Subscribe solicitation spam On the other hand, InsideFacebook said Facebook may need to monitor for Subscribe solicitation spam. "Some users may only comment to get exposure for their Subscribe button, or interrupt discussions with 'SUBSCRIBE TO ME!' requests. If it can filter out or bury these types of comments, it may have found a way improve both Subscribe and Comments Box through cross-pollination," it said. — RSJ, GMA News