Facebook is testing a new feature that allows users to choose which friends and pages they want to see sitting on top of their News Feed when they log in.
The new feature, dubbed See First, lets users decide if they want to see posts from their family, close friends and pages whose updates they want to follow. In a way, it lets users override Facebook's mysterious algorithm, which decides based on a number of interaction factors, which posts users see on their News Feed. See First was first reported by TechCrunch.
If the feature rolls out for the wider Facebook user base, it will give users the chance to interact more fully with the people they want to interact with as well as let marketers reach out to the people who really want to get in touch with them.
TechCrunch has reached out to Facebook, which confirmed the existence of See First.
"We are always exploring new ways to improve the Facebook experience," said a Facebook spokesperson, "and are currently running a small test of a feature that lets you indicate that you'd like to see posts from a specific person or Page at the top of your News Feed."
Currently, Facebook's own robots decide which posts pop up on a user's News Feed. The social network claims the algorithm takes into account things such as whether a user likes someone else's posts regularly or spend a lot of time lingering on someone's post.
However, See First will enable users to decide which people and pages they want to see on the social network. To use See First, users can go to a certain person's Facebook page and tap the Follow/Following button. This will show a dialog box saying "Never miss a post with See First" and users can then choose whether to See First that person or unfollow him.
Still, it remains to be seen how much of an impact See First will have on a Facebook page's reach. If businesses want dedicated followers, there will have to be the extra step of convincing their fans that they have to choose the See First button on their pages.
For now, the See First feature is available only to a select group of users while it goes through testing. In April, Facebook also rolled out a similar experimental feature that lets them decide who goes to the top of their News Feed. It included a box that appeared on top of the News Feed heralded by a grinning yellow puppy telling users to "See more of what you love."
Photo:: Marcin Wichary | Flickr
