Facebook “Like” button now “shares”

By Aemon Malone February 28, 2011

Facebook is again changing the way users share content on their profile pages. Now, if you click the Like button on a site or article, a post will appear on your wall displaying a thumbnail, a headline blurb and an option to comment. In other words, the Like button will now be functioning in the same way as Facebooks’ Share button.

Previously, hitting the Like button on a third-party site would result in a link posted to a user’s wall and could very well go unnoticed by other users. The more prominent, better teased Like link will likely attract more attention from Facebook friends and ultimately encourage more visits to third-party content.

Facebook has been working on updates to the Like button for several months, but will reportedly continue to support the Share button — at least for the time being. While the Share button may continue to linger on sites and news stories, it may be phased out before too long. Inside Facebook has reported that Facebook has removed references to the Share button from its developer documentation.

Facebook Spokeswoman Malorie Lucich told Mashable that the Like button is the “recommended solution moving forward,” but called the new changes a “test” to gauge reaction from users and developers. Unlike some of Facebook’s prior experiments, we don’t see foresee this one causing any major revolts.

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