Facebook launches 'action links' for greater app interaction
Customizable links give users a third way to engage with Open Graph content that appears in news feeds, timelines, or tickers.
Facebook introduced a new feature today designed to help developers engage users more deeply with their app content.
In addition to "liking" and "sharing," the social network's customizable "action links" give users a third way to interact with content when users' Open Graph stories appear in news feeds, timelines, or tickers.
Facebook demonstrated how the new links could be used by tapping the geo-location app Foursquare as an example. When people check in at a location using the app on their Timeline, their friends can already like or comment on the post. But the new feature allows developers to add customizable links, such as a link that says "Save this Place," meaning friends can save the place to their Foursquare to-do list.
In another example, Facebook showed how design site Fab.com adds a "Fave this Product" that adds the product to users' favorites lists.
"Action links tie one action to another, and can be part of any Open Graph story," Facebook's Alex Wyler wrote in a company blog announcing the new feature. "Developers can designate an action link for any action they define, which will then appear throughout Facebook."
Developers interested in creating their own action links can get more information at Facebook's documentation page.