Facebook adds share function to “like” button

Social networking giant Facebook has added a share function to its “like” button that appears on third-party sites.

The change will mean that when you hit the Like button, a full story with a headline, blurb and thumbnail will be shown on a profile screen. Previously only a link would be shown to friends.

The change will undoubtedly mean publishers will be seeing more traffic to their websites as a result.

“The Like button lets a user share your content with friends on Facebook. When the user clicks the Like button on your site, a story appears in the user’s friends’ News Feed with a link back to your website,” Facebook writes on its site.

The company has said it wants to use the “Like” button going forward, eventually favouring it over the “Share” button.