After what seemed to be a long wait, Facebook has officially announced that it is rolling out the hashtag feature to its users.
Even as the attempt seems a direct replica of Twitter's and Instagram's customary feature, it will prove quite helpful for Facebook users in trying to locate posts, statuses, pictures related to a particular topic and join online conversations in real-time.
"Starting today, hashtags will be clickable on Facebbok. Similar to other services like Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr or Pinterest. Hashtags on Facebook allow you to add context to a post or indicate that it is part of a larger discussion. When you click on a hashtag in Facebook, you'll see a feed of what other people and Pages are saying about that event or topic," the social networking giant said in a blog post on Wednesday.
Hash tags are words or phrases prefixed by the '#' symbol, which will enable them to be grouped together under particular topics. In order to make a hashtag, include the '#' symbol with a word which is the key part of the conversation and post it.
Rumours had surfaced as early as March that Facebbok was going to include the feature which was famous right from its popular debut in 2007.
Facebook claims that the privacy will be ensured for your posts even the hashtag feature. "As always, you control the audience for your posts, including those with hashtags," said the company.
It also ensures that #tag is just a first step towards the features it will continue to release in the near future. "We'll continue to roll out more features in the coming weeks and months, including trending hashtags and deeper insights, that help people discover more of the world's conversations." said Facebook.
Justin Osofsky, Director of Platform Partnerships and Operations at Facebook, said "Between 88 to 100 million Americans log in to Facebook every night during prime time TV hours, which represents a significant opportunity for broadcasters, advertisers and our other partners."
The company will roll out the hashtag feature to nearly 20 percent of its users from Wednesday onwards, with the full-swing global launch expected within weeks.
