Facebook users will now be able to follow specific posts and actions posted by other users, without subscribing to their feed or becoming friends with the user.

From the beginning of July, users are now able to use Facebook’s Open Graph to simply follow posts from applications used by the brand, organisation or person, without receiving all updates by that user in their News Feed.

App stalkers

Facebook’s new feature Open Graph will let users follow other user’s updates on Facebook that come from applications such as Instagram, Pinterest and Viddy.

After a user adds a brand’s app to their timeline, app specific actions are shared on Facebook via open graph.

Actions and objects

The Open Graph allows apps to model user activities based on actions and objects. As users engage with the app, their social movements are published to Facebook and linked back to the original app for others to see.

Open Graph also allows users to share recommendations and reduces search time through these recommendations by enabling programs such as Social Reading, a tool harnessed by news source The Huffington Post in the UK and Buddy TV in the USA.

Branding exercise

This new feature could prove beneficial to many brands, especially those using external platforms to inform consumers of new products and services.

This may lead to new ways of targeting and marketing to an audience who is interested in the visual aspects of social media and sharing their recent finds.

Next step marketing

According to Gizmodo, Facebook is also testing a new Want button that would allow users to mark items that are of interest to them, and allow brands to follow-up on potential sales opportunities.

Facebook's Open Graph is now available to app developers worldwide.