The ubiquitous Like button just got a major overhaul. Facebook has introduced significant changes to one of the most significant, and certainly most conspicuous components of the Open Graph protocol. The Open Graph is a suite of tools that link sites on the wider World Wide Web to Facebook’s social media powerhouse. The process of signalling personal endorsement, approval or likeness of a website has actually become a whole lot simpler in its intent and communication.
Facebook’s Like Button conventionally used to accumulate endorsements for a website, one for every visitor clicking on it. These were aggregated on the website’s Facebook Page, with the sum also shown next to the website’s own Like button.
Share and Comment
Working in tandem is the Share button that allows users to share content on their own Facebook profile’s Wall (a sort of public, social noticeboard on a person’s Facebook profile). People can use the Share button to write a customized summary of a shared link, which then appears on the Wall. The Share button doesn’t add to a website’s Likes, as Shares are not Likes. The new Like button borrows some of the functionality of the sharing function, while still not offering the freedom to write a custom summary for the Liked item.
Like, but don’t tell why
You can’t tell your friends why you like something, only that you like it. While meant to be simpler, it takes away the freedom that the Share button offers. The new Like button, while taking over the Shared button’s functionality, copies some of the website text over to the Liker’s Facebook Wall.
