Neal Augenstein, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – Facebook is testing a new feature that would allow users to reply to comments on a timeline, instead of merely to a status update.

A Facebook spokesperson confirmed to Mashable,“We are testing a new way to add comments to a post.”

“Now you will be able to reply to another comment as well as the original post,” Facebook’s Meredith Chin told Mashable.

With the new feature, when a comment is posted, in addition to the “like” button, a “reply” button will appear.

Currently, if several people respond to a status update, it can be difficult to determine who’s speaking to whom, unless someone uses a Twitter-ish @ sign to differentiate who the comment is directed toward.

It appears the new feature could lead to the topic of an original post and its comments being hijacked, if participants decide to take the discussion in a different direction.

Also, Facebook is testing an audio alert notification.

A ding would sound every time someone posts on your timeline, sends a message, or invites you to an event.

The audio alert could be deactivated in settings.

It’s not clear when these changes will become available to the public.

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