Facebook Testing New Ranked Comments Format

Last week, we reported that Facebook was testing nested comments with select users, a long-awaited feature that helps keep comments organized and easier to follow. Apparently the social network isn't stopping there, with Mashable reporting that the company is also testing ranked comments, moving more engaging responses higher up in the stream. The new format is currently being run on Pages posts.

As you can see in the image above, which was taken from Tim Tebow's Facebook page, some comments are lighter than others, and they are not sorted according to time stamps. The comments are not sorted just by the number of likes they get, either. Comments that have been hidden will be negatively affected, while comments that have received individual responses will be bumped higher.

A Facebook official offered this statement to Mashable. "We are testing a new format for comments on Page posts. As part of this test, the most engaging comments appear higher up. You will also be able to reply to individual comments as well as the original post." The page admin can also respond to individual comments via a reply button.

There's no word on whether this feature is going to be rolled out site-wide, although one would logically assume that is the plan. When that may happen, however, hasn't been commented on. If these two new features – ranked and nested – are fully implemented, the dynamic of Facebook conversations will change for the better, allowing one to bypass the spammy comments and follow conversations more quickly with less scrolling.

[via Mashable]