Follow Member

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

I just noticed that in the drop down menu under a users name there is an option that says "Follow Member" I was wondering how that worked? I love the idea of it just not sure how to make it work.

[georgia]

Following a member is like subscribing to a member. Should you choose to subscribe a member, you have the ability to individually "follow" a member's site content (posts, threads, wikis, reviews, etc). We've always been able to search by member, but this feature enables you to have the members you follow listed via your Profile page. To Follow a member, go to their username located to the left of each post:

then click the blue dropdown arrow. From here, choose Follow Member:

All the members you follow can be accessed via Your Profile page. Your Profile can be accessed any number of ways. First, you can go to the My Profile link at the top of the page

or you can click your bolded username up at the top right (next to the log out button and under the Mothering Magazine cover).

Once you're in your Profile, go to the right-hand side below Public Messages to see Members You Follow.

You can also click on View All to see all the members you follow. You can further filter this view by Date Added, Member Name (alphabetically) or Online Status. You are the only one who has access to your followed members list. You can manage your followed members and preferences via your Subscription Page and selecting Edit My Subscriptions tab. 

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Thank you nice easy to follow tutorial. I went looking in my profile last night after I followed a member just to check it out but didnt see anything. I have addblock plus with element hider so have that part hidden so the board goes all the way across my screen instead of only 3/4.

[~savah~]

Do you get notified if a member is following you? Or is there any way to see if someone is following you?

[georgia]

No, it's all completely anonymous and there are no notifications. I try and always assume online that people are following my posts so I'm cautious when revealing personal information that might come back later to haunt me. I think this is great advice for anyone to follow, especially in this day and age. 

In reality, the follow user ability hasn't added any new functionality that hasn't been available before (searching content by member); it just puts it all in a single location. I don't even have a way to know who is following whom. I believe the software team has some future enhancements to the feature to make it more "social," but for the time being, it's just simply a way of collecting a member's content for viewing. But really, it's not much different than doing an advanced search by username. So let's always be cautious out there!

[capretta]

Originally Posted by georgia 

No, it's all completely anonymous and there are no notifications. I try and always assume online that people are following my posts so I'm cautious when revealing personal information that might come back later to haunt me. I think this is great advice for anyone to follow, especially in this day and age. 

In reality, the follow user ability hasn't added any new functionality that hasn't been available before (searching content by member); it just puts it all in a single location. I don't even have a way to know who is following whom. I believe the software team has some future enhancements to the feature to make it more "social," but for the time being, it's just simply a way of collecting a member's content for viewing. But really, it's not much different than doing an advanced search by username. So let's always be cautious out there!

Looks like this changed.

[Mulvah]

Originally Posted by capretta 

Originally Posted by georgia 

No, it's all completely anonymous and there are no notifications. I try and always assume online that people are following my posts so I'm cautious when revealing personal information that might come back later to haunt me. I think this is great advice for anyone to follow, especially in this day and age. 

In reality, the follow user ability hasn't added any new functionality that hasn't been available before (searching content by member); it just puts it all in a single location. I don't even have a way to know who is following whom. I believe the software team has some future enhancements to the feature to make it more "social," but for the time being, it's just simply a way of collecting a member's content for viewing. But really, it's not much different than doing an advanced search by username. So let's always be cautious out there!

Looks like this changed.

Care to elaborate? 

[Cynthia Mosher]

Yes, it has changed. The feature has been developed further to allow you to not only follow someone but also see who is following you. As well, your profile will allow others to see who you have chosen to follow. It's a more transparent use of the feature. Here's a look at how it is displayed in a member's profile.