Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Subscribe
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Subscribe
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Cloud
    • IT Management

    Facebook Becomes Erstwhile Digg Destroyer with Live Share Counter

    Written by

    Clint Boulton
    Published October 26, 2009
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      Facebook is going after social sharing site Digg, launching a live counter for its content Share button to display how many times a piece of content has been shared on the Web.

      Launched three years ago, the Share button is one of the site’s older Facebook Connect features. Website publishers install it to let users take news articles, photos and videos from across the Web and share them with Facebook friends. Users then reshare the content.

      Starting Oct. 23, the Share button will show how much or little the content has been shared. Facebook Product Manager Mark Kinsey noted:

      ““For instance, if you come across an interesting news story on The Huffington Post or the latest gadget on Chip Online, you’ll be able to watch the number on the counter climb as more people share the item with their friends. This makes it easy to see what is being shared the most.”“

      This is essentially a move to show users what is popular, according to other users, which is how Digg became so empowering five years ago. Quality content posted on Digg became glorified based on how much it was dug. But the sheer size of the Facebook network has made the social site the new go-to place for sharing content.

      Facebook claims its 300 million-plus users are sharing more than 2 billion pieces of content on the site per week from sites such as YouTube, Wall Street Journal and Photobucket, much of it through the Share button. Putting a counter on Share will make sharing cooler, spurring users to share more.

      Facebook is allowing any Website to add the new Facebook Share button. Kinsey warned that Facebook’s launch partners are limited, so he asked users to get in touch with their favorite Websites, developers and services to tell them to add the new Share button. Facebook Share requires just a few code snippets.

      To further help Website publishers measure the value of the Share content, Facebook today also opened up the analytics associated with sharing habits on Facebook.

      Techmeme is already using this data for selecting top stories, and bit.ly uses it for analyzing URL traffic.

      But now any publisher can use Share analytics to see how often users share a link on Facebook; how often users “like” the shared story; how much users comment on the shared story on Facebook; and how often users click back to your site from the story.

      “By giving you access to this data for all URLs, we hope you’ll create tools to help analyze and understand how users interact with your content on Facebook,” Kinsey wrote in a blog post.

      These tools will help publishers divine what users like or don’t like, allowing them to improve user engagement on the social network.

      The new Facebook Share and Share Analytics come days after Facebook refreshed its homepage, adding the ability for users to toggle between News Feed and a Live Feed. Several Facebook users flamed the social network over the weekend, decrying the changes.

      Facebook said it pulled the trigger on the homepage alterations after careful studies, but it may have to rethink the move if users continue to revolt.

      Of course, given the vast amount of personal data Facebook collects on people, some users will feel like they can’t leave the site without feeling disconnected from their friends, family or colleagues.

      Clint Boulton
      Clint Boulton

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.