The concept of 'following' was introduced to ResearchGATE. To 'follow' a member in the ResearchGATE community means that you will receive updates on various aspects of the their activity such as status updates, when they upload a full-text paper, and comments they make in discussions. Of course this goes both ways, and other members will be able to follow you as well and keep up-to-date with your activity. You will have full control over what is included in your 'follow' updates, which can be accessed under the settings tab on your profile.