Facebook has introduced a new feature that allows users to promote their friends’ posts without their permission. This is a great way to raise money for a charity or publicise a lost puppy. However, TechCrunch reports that only around 16% of people see a particular status update or post on Facebook. Promoted Posts push selected posts to the top, guaranteeing that more people will see them.
However, there are some risks with this feature. For example, if Joe posts his marathon information to his friends and I promote the post, it will only be seen by Joe’s friends. If Mary posts that Rover is missing and the post is public, my friends, her friends and anyone else can see the post.
An example of this is when a private blog post is shared on Facebook and Twitter, leading to potential abuse by someone with less than good intentions. In addition, people cross-post to Facebook from other sites and may not even be aware of their FourSquare status on Facebook.
There is no “promoted by friend” label on the promoted post, which could make the post appear self-aggrandising. The author is unsure about this new feature and hopes that it will fall by the wayside as one of Facebook’s riskier ideas.