Much like FriendFeed, you can already import activities from third-party services like Google Reader, YouTube, and Flickr into your Facebook News Feed. And, you can already comment on those and other items too. With the addition of “I like this,” Facebook would seem to have all of the core components of FriendFeed nailed, save a few dozen niche services and some of the options that more advanced users enjoy like Rooms.
How does Facebook plan to use “I like this” data? The answer isn’t all too clear at the moment, with Facebook simply indicating that it’s a nice option that compliments user comments. But Facebook clearly already uses attention data – like whose profiles you check out most often and how many comments different items are receiving – to determine what makes it to the News Feed when you login. It’s safe to assume “I like this” votes will be used in a similar fashion, as they are on FriendFeed.
Die-hard FriendFeed users will likely argue that this feature is no FriendFeed killer – and, they’re right – FriendFeed already has a large enough audience to sustain community, and a devoted set of users that aren’t likely to jump ship for Facebook on a full-time basis. But Facebook’s “FriendFeed lite” could be enough to retain Facebook users that might otherwise consider FriendFeed, because on the surface, there isn’t that big of a difference – other than all of your friends are already on Facebook.
The feature, which was rumored last month, appears to still be in the process of being rolled out to users.
Additional Facebook and Friendfeed Resources
- Top 10 Web Applications for FriendFeed
- 7 Essential Greasemonkey Scripts For FriendFeed
- 30+ Apps for Doing Business on Facebook
- 20+ Great Greasemonkey Scripts for Improving Your Facebook Experience