Facebook Inc, the world's No 1 social network, has announced that it will adopt hashtags, one of the most recognisable features of its younger rival Twitter, in a move to position its web service as an important complement to television, sporting events and breaking news.
Facebook said on Wednesday that it will begin to roll out the feature on its social network, making it easier for users and advertisers to find hot spots of user activity around specific events or topics.it's just that they didn't have any real functionality. In its blog post announcing the new feature, the company acknowledges that this isn't exactly a new idea, noting that it will be "similar to other services like Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, or Pinterest" - when you click on a hashtag, you'll get a feed of comments using the hashtag. Facebook says its capabilities will include searching for hashtags, clicking on hashtags that come from other services, and writing posts directly from the hashtag feed.
Under the plans, announced on Wednesday, users will be able to:
- Search for a specific hashtag from the search bar. For example, #fathersday.
- Click on hashtags that originate on other services, such as Instagram.
- Compose posts directly from the hashtag feed and search results.
The company said that hashtags were the first of several new features that will be introduced to highlight discussions about events on Facebook.
The company is rolling out hashtags to roughly 20 percent of its users on Wednesday, with a full global launch expected in the coming weeks.
