I just kind of wanted to express that I think this is a pretty good change to the system. In general I've been enjoying a lot of the new stuff, and this is another thing I like!
I feel like someone you like and someone whose content you want to follow are different things, and on a forum board I love a focus on content. There might be a bunch of people I think are swell, but I don't need every notification from them. However with a wording like friends, I would worry they would be insulted if I didn't follow them back. I think they are friends, I just don't need the notifications.
Following someone implies a much more direct connection to the content rather then the person, and it helps with that feeling a bit.