Facebook Starts Experimenting With Trending Topics

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By Seth Fiegerman2013-08-07 17:01:28 UTC

Two months after Facebook introduced hashtags, the social network is now testing another popular Twitter feature: trending topics.

AllThingsD reports that Facebook started experimenting with its own version of trending topics on Wednesday. Facebook confirmed the news to Mashable in a statement.

"Today we started running a small test that displays topics trending on Facebook," a Facebook rep told Mashable. "It is currently only available to a small percentage of U.S. users who use Facebook's mobile web site (m.facebook.com) and is still in very early stages of development."

See also: Facebook Hashtags Take a Page From Twitter's Ad Business

Those users who are part of the test group will notice a tile in their mobile news feed that lists one or more trending keywords ("Shark Week," for example). If you tap on that topic, you'll be shown posts from other users — including those you're not directly connected to — mentioning those words.

Facebook has borrowed several features from Twitter over the years, including "@" mentions, verified accounts and the option to follow influencers. With the introduction of hashtags and now trending topics, Facebook appears to be trying to foster more real-time discussions with an eye towards boosting user engagement and, of course, drawing in more real-time ad dollars.

How do you feel about Facebook potentially introducing trending topics? Share in the comments.

Image: Brendan Smialowski/Getty

Topics: Business, Facebook, hashtags, Marketing, trending topics