Facebook has launched a new trends section designed to tell users the site’s most popular topics of discussion.
The new feature, which is being rolled out to all Facebook users, is believed to be aimed at letting the site compete with Twitter’s popular trends.
The trends will reflect the most discussed topics on Faebook, and users can click through to see the most popular posts.
‘Facebook is a space where people from all over the world gather every day to share their thoughts and participate in real-time conversations, from the highlights of the Golden Globes to the passing of Nelson Mandela,’ the firm said.
‘Today we’re announcing Trending, a new product that’s designed to surface interesting and relevant conversations in order to help you discover the best content from all across Facebook.
‘To the right of your News Feed, you’ll see a list of topics that have recently spiked in popularity.’
The firm says the topics list will be personalised for each user, based on their likes and those of their friends.
‘The list is personalized, including topics based on things you’re interested in and what is trending across Facebook overall,’ it said.
The firm is believed to be targetting Twitter’s newsgathering capabilities, and is also rumoured to be working on other newsreading features for its site.
Twitter’s hugely popular trending topics section has become a popular destination on the service, with obscure hashtags and unexpected events often appearing.
Twitter also creates trending topics by area, allowing people to see what is currently trending near them, for instance.
‘Each topic is accompanied by a headline that briefly explains why it is trending.
‘You can click on any headline to see the most interesting posts from your friends or Pages that are talking about that particular topic.’
HOW TO USE IT
The new trending list will appear at the right of the homepage for users.
Facebook will create a personalised list for each user, depending on their likes and those of their friends.
It will include, films, TV shows and major news events, and is designed to keep users on the site for longer.
