Asymmetric follow
{{Short description|Social network design aspect}}
{{notability|date=February 2013}}
An asymmetric follow social network is one which allows many people to follow an individual or account without having to follow them back.{{cite web
| url = http://www.redmonk.com/jgovernor/2008/12/05/assymetrical-follow-a-core-web-20-pattern/
| title = Asymmetrical Follow: A Core Web 2.0 Pattern
| author = James Governor
| date = 2008-12-05 | accessdate = 2010-11-21
| publisher = redmonk.com | archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20101019192222/http://www.redmonk.com/jgovernor/2008/12/05/assymetrical-follow-a-core-web-20-pattern/| archivedate= 19 October 2010 | url-status= live}}
It is also known as asynchronous follow{{cite web
| url = http://www.insidefacebook.com/2010/09/03/facebook-tests-new-subscribe-to-option-for-friends-and-pages/
| title = "Facebook Tests New "Subscribe To" Option for Friends and Pages"
| author = Eric Eldon
| work = Inside Facebook
| date = 2010-09-03 | accessdate = 2010-11-21
| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20101106112508/http://www.insidefacebook.com/2010/09/03/facebook-tests-new-subscribe-to-option-for-friends-and-pages/| archivedate= 6 November 2010 | url-status= live}}
or sometimes asymmetric friendship.{{cite web
| url = http://mashable.com/2010/09/01/itunes-ping/
| title = iTunes 10 and Ping Are Here, Bringing Mixed First Impressions
| author = Jolie O'Dell
| date = 2009-05-10 | accessdate = 2010-11-21
| publisher = Mashable | archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20101127213722/http://mashable.com/2010/09/01/itunes-ping/| archivedate= 27 November 2010 | url-status= live}}
Asymmetric follow is a common pattern on Twitter, where someone may have thousands of followers, but themselves follow few (or no) accounts.{{cite web
| url = http://radar.oreilly.com/2009/05/goodreads-vs-twitter-asymmetric-follow.html
| title = Goodreads vs Twitter: The Benefits of Asymmetric Follow
| author = Tim O'Reilly
| date = 2009-05-10 | accessdate = 2010-11-21
| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20101205090753/http://radar.oreilly.com/2009/05/goodreads-vs-twitter-asymmetric-follow.html| archivedate= 5 December 2010 | url-status= live}}
In September 2010 Facebook started experimenting with a similar feature, which Facebook calls "Subscribe To."{{cite web
| url = https://techcrunch.com/2010/09/03/facebook-project-dance-party/
| title = Project Dance Party: Facebook's Secret Twitter-Like Follow Feature
| author = MG Siegler
| date = 2010-09-03 | accessdate = 2010-11-21
| publisher = TechCrunch | archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20101115143813/http://techcrunch.com/2010/09/03/facebook-project-dance-party/| archivedate= 15 November 2010 | url-status= live}}