So after Like, comes Want?

 

Facebook is reportedly testing a new “Want” button plugin that is similar to its iconic “Like” button, Facebook-oriented site InsideFacebook.com reported.

 

“The button is not publicly listed among the other social plugins on Facebook’s developer site,” it added.

 

It quoted a Facebook statement as saying, ““We’re always testing new Platform features, however we have nothing new to announce.”

 

InsideFacebook.com said developer Tom Waddington discovered that the “Want” button added to the Facebook Javascript SDK as an XFBML tag – <fb:wants>.

 

Waddington also said the button will only work on Open Graph objects marked as “products,” indicating it may be used for marketing.

 

Developers have been able to create their own “want” actions using Facebook’s Open Graph, but users have to authorize a third-party app for those buttons to generate stories on Timeline and News Feed.

 

“If the Want button plugin works similarly to the Like button, users will not have to go through the step of authorizing an app. This means even more users will be likely to click it,” InsideFacebook.com said.

 

On the other hand, it said the Want button could be a key way for Facebook to collect desire-based data.

 

“A Want button plugin will make it easy for e-commerce and other sites to implement this type of Facebook functionality without having to build their own apps. Many of these sites are already using the Like button, but Liking a product could mean users already have it or that they are interested in getting it. Being able to distinguish between these groups of people and target ads to either one could be very powerful for advertisers and help make Facebook a stronger competitor to Google AdWords,” it said. — TJD, GMA News