Facebook Extends Reach of 'Like' Button to Apps!!!

Facebook this week added a few updates to its "like" button that will make the feature a bit more pervasive on the site.



The three upgrades are directed primarily at developers, but users will see the results in their favorite apps, Pages, and on the Facebook news feed.

"Since we launched social plugins in April, we've been listening to user feedback and working with developers to optimize the Like button to make it as seamless as possible for people to like content around the web and share it with their friends," Facebook wrote in a blog post.

The first change will allow users to "like" something within an application. Did your friend get a high score on a game you both play? If the developer enables this functionality, you can "like" it. Anything you do "like" will be sent to the news feed, and anyone who clicks on that mention will be directed to the app in question, potentially generating more traffic for developers.

Second, Facebook has enabled the "like" button for Facebook Pages. A developer can opt to put a "Like button" or a "Like Box" on their site, and anyone who clicks on it will be directed to the developer's Facebook Page.

Finally, Facebook introduced a new "like" button that includes a box count, or the total number of likes the app has received. As Mashable pointed out, this might signal the end of the Facebook "Share" button, which was introduced in October and essentially does the same thing.

In other Facebook news, AllFacebook.com reports that Facebook has filed a patent application for a "social CAPTCHA" system. CAPTCHA's are the words that some Web sites ask you to type in before you enter a secure site or make an online purchase, for example. A "social" CAPTCHA would apparently ask you to identify something you should know - like the identify of someone in a photo - instead of typing in a bunch of letters.
-pc mag