Have you ever noticed people writing "following" in the comments of a Facebook post? They do this so they can get notifications when the post updates, but there's a much easier and more efficient way to do this--and it's built right into Facebook.

Granted, writing the word "following" as your comment does achieve its purpose, but it also means that everyone else who wants to also follow a post's progress usually ends up writing it too. The result is you end up getting notifications for all the "following" comments, making it just more detritus you have to sift through to get to the pertinent information.

Instead of taking the time and effort to write a comment just so you can receive update notifications, you can use a feature that has been part of Facebook for ages. Go to any Facebook post (it doesn't matter if it's in a group, on a friend's timeline, or in your feed), and click the small arrow in the upper-right corner. From that group of options, choose "Turn on notifications for this post". You'll get notifications anytime someone comments, even if you never did.

If you're using a mobile app, such as here on the iPad, the procedure is virtually the same--tap the arrow in the upper-right corner and choose "Turn on notifications for this post".

You can also use this feature to stop receiving notifications on any post, including one you've commented on.

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You may also be able to turn off the notifications from the notifications alerts on the main website.

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Thankfully, this isn't a Facebook annoyance like birthday notifications or "on this day" posts. Rather, it's just a human problem that can be easily remedied through simple education. That said, it's safe to assume that some people are always going to write "following" or something similar in order to stay updated, but it's nice to know that now you don't have to.

Related: How to Stop Facebook from Showing You "On This Day" Memories (Temporarily, At Least)

So, now you can take your lurking to new heights while keeping your profile at a constant low by setting up notifications on any posts you find an interest in.