One of the best things about social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter is the ability to get in touch with people and let them know what you are saying and what you have going on. Facebook now offers an @mentions tagging feature which you can use in order to tag people in status updates and wall posts, among other things. Let’s look at how you can use this feature and what it does.
To use the @mentions tagging feature, do the following:
1. Log into your Facebook account.
2. Type something into your status, and type the “@” symbol before the name or event you mention.
3. Choose what you would like to reference from the drop down menu.
4. When finished, publish the post.
Mentioning and tagging people is simple. The @ symbol works just like it does in Twitter, however, on Facebook users, groups and fan pages can use it.
So, why would you want to tag someone or something and what does it do? When you are writing a status update and you use this function, you can tag a friend’s name in the post by including the “@” symbol before their name. The “@” symbol will not be displayed in the published status update or post after you’ve added your tags. It simply tells Facebook to tag the person mentioned. Once you publish the post, it appears without the “@” symbol, and the person, page or event you tagged will receive a notification and a Wall post linking them to your post.
What happens if they do not want to be mentioned in your status? Facebook gives them the option to remove tags of themselves from your posts so it does not limit your freedom on Facebook. The feature’s goal is to make you status updates and wall posts more meaningful as the people to whom they pertain will not miss the update. Tagging also allows for better connections to be made more often and in a more engaging manner.
When you tag someone, their name will appear as a blue highlighted link so others can see who you are talking about by clicking on the link you have created by tagging them. It is simply one more way to connect and integrate Facebook postings and activities.
It only takes a few additional seconds to tag someone in a post and it ensures that they see your posting, even if they aren’t on Facebook for a few days or have a lot of other activity afterward.