The "Following" feature.

[Alpha Centauri]

So I've clicked following on a handful (or 1 1/2 handfuls) of members names here. There's many reasons but mainly because of their respectful replies, knowledgeable contribution or just because of a similar thought process or beliefs. Many reasons. But that's not what I'm wondering about.

On social media often following also invokes receiving more frequent posts or notifications. On MR however I'm not as sure behind the purpose of it. Does it serve to quickly access your fav contributors, then from there to manually navigate to threads they participate in?

 

[Weaselboy]

https://forums.macrumors.com/account/following

It just adds them to the list at this link to give you a way to get to their profile, then posts.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

https://forums.macrumors.com/account/following

It just adds them to the list at this link to give you a way to get to their profile, then posts.

Yes, I did see that listing but thought there may just be more to it. Thank you.

 

[Expos of 1969]

It would be useful if you received a notification when any of the folks you follow posted something.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

It would be useful if you received a notification when any of the folks you follow posted something.

I like this idea.

 

[Clix Pix]

Actually, I am rather relieved to know that the "Following" thing doesn't necessarily send out alert messages to those who are following a given member each and every time they post. I'd always thought that the whole "following" thing was more like FaceBook, too, and IMHO it just felt rather stalkerish. Thankfully there are ways to adjust one's settings to at least sort of have some semblance of privacy so that, for example, each and every time a member jumps into MR others are not aware of that unless and until that someone posts, if then.

Something which does bother me, too, is that when one is a contributor to the site they also can adjust their user name and tag and thus slip into "stealth" mode and wander around in the "private" area threads and posts among other contributors without those other members even realizing it. Since I am paying good money to be a contributor and to benefit from certain "privileges," I really feel that one of those should be to also know who other contributors are as well. That is, someone who contributes to the site should be only designated specifically as either "contributor" or "Demi-god or "Demi-goddess," the old traditional way here, and not be allowed to blend into the general population.