Facebook plans private tool for celebrities

Poor, poor celebrities. It's probably overwhelming to be famous and on Facebook.

The volume of posts, comments, likes and mentions on any given day is vastly higher for well-known people than it is for mere mortals. Getting a grasp on the quick-moving chatter and knowing when to speak up takes effort.

Facebook is working on a new mobile tool that would make it easier for the VIPs to slog through the noise and better communicate with their fans, according to a report from AllThingsD.

A Facebook spokesperson confirmed in an e-mailed statement that the company is working on "mobile features designed to help public figures interact with their fans" and said it was only testing them with a select group of people for now.

It's not clear how the feature makes it easier for the super-popular to sift through mentions from followers, or what was so difficult about doing it from the current mobile apps.

It's likely the feature will be useful to social media professionals more than actual celebrities. The more important the person, the smaller the chance that they are checking their own Facebook page to see what their friends are up to and post selfies.

It's common for a social media manager to use the social network on an actor or musician's behalf to post information about public appearances, carefully chosen snapshots and other updates.

The helpers aren't just there to save famous people time. Celebrities are lucrative brands that often depend on a carefully crafted and controlled public image. Facebook wants to be a place where they can manage that image.

:story: CNN