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Twitter tests 'star,' 'like' to replace 'favorite'

The new features are apparently only available to a select group of users, so it's not clear if the change will be permanent.

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Don Reisinger
Former CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
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Don Reisinger

Twitter's long-standing "favorite" option might be going away.

The company has reportedly been testing two replacements for the favorite option, called "star" and "like." So far, it appears that the changes are limited to only a few users, so it's not clear if the function works any differently.

Favorites have been on Twitter for several years. According to The Next Web, which first reported on the testing, a source told the publication that the feature has been used "billions of times."

In its current implementation, clicking the "favorite" option lets users save a tweet. From there, the listing is available whenever they want to refer back to it.

If Twitter decides to switch to "like," it might catch the eye of Facebook. That social network has relied on likes for years to increase engagement across its service. To see a competitor use the same word might be a problem.

CNET has contacted Twitter for comment on the testing. We will update this story when we have more information.