When I first started using the Facebook news feed, it was an exciting new way to connect with friends, especially friends whom I didn’t see very often.
Over time, more and more people connected with me on Facebook – friends, co-workers, family, childhood acquaintances, other parents, etc. Some people are completely quiet, some update occasionally, some update every day, and even multiple times per day.
Even as it became more and more difficult to follow my quieter friends, I lost control of my Facebook news feed. Facebook decides what I see based on secret methods, but reputedly based partly on how often I connect with someone and how many likes and comments my friends receive.
So I needed to learn how to take back control of my Facebook news feed, as much as the service allows me to.
Here are some methods that I use:
Sort: This is really the only way to get around the Facebook controls. There are two ways to sort your Facebook news feed: “Top Stories”, which is the default, and “Most Recent”. You can find the Sort option by clicking on the arrow to your right of “News Feed” under “Favorites”.
For the Facebook app, tap “More” (3 horizontal bars). On Android, scroll down to “Feeds”. In iOS, tap “See More” and scroll down to “Feeds”.
Friend Lists: If you sort your friends into lists, then you can view those lists separately. See your lists by clicking on “Friend Lists” in your left sidebar.
- Facebook creates a “Close Friends” list and an “Acquaintances” list. Adding friends to these lists helps Facebook to know who to emphasize in your news feed.
- There are several friend lists that Facebook creates and automatically populates, such as “Family” and your current workplace.
- You can create your own custom lists. Select “Create List.”
When you view a friend list, you will only see the updates from your friends on that list.
Controlling individuals: If you hover you cursor over an individual in your Facebook news feed, you’ll see some options. You can add that individual to a list, select “See First” to prioritize that person in your news feed, or “Unfollow”.
On the Facebook app, tap on a friend’s name in your news feed to go to that person’s profile.
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LOVE IT! Great way to simplify and organize yourself on Facebook. You’re right. I don’t really like the recent changes Facebook has, but it is what it is. I love how you put it into a list of what you can do to control your connections on Facebook. Thanks Patricia!
Great tips! I should organize my friends on my Facebook.