Every member of your community has a profile, and you can follow the people you want to hear more from. This article covers following and unfollowing, what following does, what a profile shows, and how to find people in the member directory.
Who can do this: Any signed-in member. · Where: Web and the Mateflow app for iOS and Android. · Plan: Not plan-dependent.
Follow or unfollow a member
Following is instant. There are no follow requests to approve, and anyone can follow you.
- Web: click Follow on a member's profile, on their card in the member directory, or in the preview that appears when you hover over their name. The button changes to Following.
- App: tap Follow on the member's profile or card.
To unfollow on the web, click Following (it reads Unfollow when you hover over it), then confirm with Unfollow in the Unfollow User dialog. In the app, tap Following; you unfollow right away.
You can't follow someone while either of you has blocked the other ("You can't follow this member.").
What happens when you follow someone
- Their posts appear in the Following feed on your home page. There are three feeds: Discover, Following, and For You. On the web they're tabs; in the app, tap the first tab on Home while it's selected to switch between them. For You also uses who you follow and the spaces you've joined.
- They're notified that you "started following you". On the web, it's under the Follows tab of their notifications. Members control this with the New Followers setting. See Choose your notifications.
- You're added to their Followers list, and they're added to your Following list.
- Follows also matter for some settings. A member who allows direct messages only from People I Follow gets messages only from people they follow, and a post's author can limit replies to People you follow.
Following doesn't send you a notification each time someone posts. If your Following feed is empty, Mateflow suggests people to follow.
What a member profile shows
Click a member's name or avatar anywhere in the community to open their profile. On the web, your own profile is under your avatar menu → Profile; in the app, open the menu (☰) and tap Profile.
A profile shows:
- the member's cover image, avatar, display name, headline, and @username, plus any verification badge, access group, member tags, level, or medal;
- Follows you if they follow you. On the web, it reads Mutual when you also follow them;
- "Followed by …" with people you follow who also follow them;
- their bio, location, Joined date, social links, and any extra profile fields your community collects. These fields appear as tiles right under the bio;
- counts of Posts, Following, Followers, and Likes received;
- tabs for Posts, Replies, Blogs, and Media. The Likes tab only appears on your own profile.
On the web, the Spaces panel lists the member's public spaces. Use the magnifying glass (Search this profile) to search their posts. Click the message button (Message) to send a direct message, if your community allows them. In the app, tap Send direct message.
To edit your own profile, click Edit Profile. See Edit your profile and account.
See who follows a member
Click the Following or Followers count on any profile to open that list. In the app, tap the count to open the list, then switch between the Followers and Following tabs.
Find members in the member directory
On the web, click Members in the navigation. In the app, open the menu (☰) and tap Members. Your community decides whether Members appears in the navigation.
- Tabs: All Members, Following (people you follow), and Followers (people who follow you). The app calls the first tab All.
- Search: on the All Members tab, search by name or username. In the app, you can also search by bio.
- Filter: on the web, click Filter to narrow by Role, Access group, or Tags. In the app, use the role chips (All, Admins, Mods) and the access group chips.
- Sort: Newest, Most Active, Popular, or A-Z (Name in the app).
The web also suggests people in the Who to Follow panel and in feed cards such as "People you may know".
Control who sees your profile activity
Go to Settings → Privacy & Safety. In the app, go to Settings and privacy → Privacy & safety, where these options are called Who can see your activity and Show in member directory.
- Activity Visibility sets who can see your posts and activity on your profile: Everyone, Followers, or Nobody. Others see "This user's activity is not visible."
- Turn off Member Directory to leave the member list, search results, recommendations, and leaderboards.
See Export your data or delete your account for all privacy settings. To stop hearing from someone without unfollowing, or to cut off contact, see Report content, block, and mute.
Related articles
Was this guide helpful?