• by Gavin O'Malley , Staff Writer @mp_gavin, June 1, 2011

Taking on Facebook's sharing supremacy, Twitter just debuted its 'follow' button in partnership with some top media companies. Now featured on Huffington Post and The Wall Street Journal, along with 48 other publishers, users can now follow specific feeds with the click of a button.   

Similar to Twitter's Tweet button -- which lets users tweet specific content with their own followers -- "The new Follow button lets Twitter users instantly follow a Twitter account without having to leave the site they're on," Computerworld writes. "This is particularly convenient, because users no longer have to search Twitter to find the account they're looking to follow (which can be a hassle)."

Regarding the new tool -- and Google's forthcoming +1 share button -- the Guardian writes: "It's a good thing if this new generation of third-party buttons offers consumers more choice. But it won't be good for Web users if it adds a confusing, cluttered extra panel of options."

"Think your favorite Web site doesn't have enough buttons?" SocialBeat jokes. "Well, Google and Twitter are releasing some more for you." Still, "Twitter has hundreds of millions of registered users, but actually relatively few active users," notes Business Insider. "To become a truly mass market service, Twitter must get its users engaged. And the key to engagement, in turn, is to get them to follow the right accounts."

Simply put, Search Engine Land calls Twitter's new button "a bid to increase its presence across the Web." Twitter, for its part, also insists the new button will benefit publishers and brands. "Adding the Follow button to your website and using Twitter to stay connected with your audience is a powerful combination," it explains in a blog post.  "People who follow your account are much more likely to retweet and engage with your Tweets, and to repeatedly visit your website."