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I just use open graph tags on websites, which are more useful, lightweight and makes the link presentable and customisable when shared around Facebook. There's

I just use open graph tags on websites, which are more useful, lightweight and makes the link presentable and customisable when shared around Facebook. There's no downside to open graph tags. Website 'Like' buttons on the other hand, are useless, tacky, cheap and chunky. Nobody cares how many likes your webpage has. The number means nothing because your website might be one month old with '2k likes', or two years old with '500 likes'. Makes zero difference to any visitor what that number is. It's not any measure of performance or anything. This is what I tried telling the project managers at my previous work, but of course such advice fell on deaf ears, and in went the FB crap.

BinaryIdiot 9y ago
Your point is not entirely accurate though. The likes get displayed and used on Facebook which can help and your post to the top of other people's feeds. I don't like them either but you'd be crazy by not integrating it on a website that you're trying to funnel organic, social traffic to.
- exodust 9y ago
  It's not the website's job to host Facebook-exclusive functionality. By all means have the basic FB share link, as found on every Youtube video, along with other social media services. But the actual Facebook widget is not what should be installed on websites, and FB should kill it dead. Sounds like you need a browser extension to handle "liking" the current page you're on. Not all websites have the Like button, so it makes no sense to assume a website Like button is "plan A" in any social traffic strategy. Further more, websites have many pages. It's impractical to install a Like button for every discrete piece of content everywhere on the site, and everywhere on the Internet. Facebook Like buttons DO NOT belong on every web page of every site on the Internet, and the widget should go the way of Flash. (I'd sooner keep Flash than FB javascript).
  - BinaryIdiot 9y ago
    I get you but that’s just idealistic. Today you have to do it to help your social engagement. Every opportunity you can get to gain more likes you have to take to get your social postings to rank higher.
    - exodust 9y ago
      I'm sure spammers apply same logic.
seanwilson 9y ago
> Website 'Like' buttons on the other hand, are useless, tacky, cheap and chunky. Nobody cares how many likes your webpage has. Google have said Facebook likes aren't treated as a ranking signal but your page showing up on newsfeeds will bring in more likes and more backlinks. > Makes zero difference to any visitor what that number is. It's not any measure of performance or anything. You don't think a large number of likes makes a page look more newsworthy than a page with zero likes?
- Karunamon 9y ago
  That's a slight chicken/egg problem. Most websites don't have like buttons with counters, so most people probably aren't going to use it as a signal anyways. If you do have a high amount of likes there may be some benefit to using it, but how are you going about getting those likes without the button there in the first place?
- exodust 9y ago
  But what is a "large number"? Not all FB users will click the like button on a website, or expect it to be there, because the website is not a Facebook page. The number of likes is not a traffic measurement, it doesn't represent the website popularity. I completely understand the newsfeed point, which is why I have no argument against social sharing buttons on websites - the non-scripted kind that link to various services from Twitter to Reddit to FB. If the user wants to share the site, they will use this method, or they may copy the link, or have some other way to like the page such as a browser extension. "Like us on Facebook" is what Likes are about. You go to Facebook, and you Like something - a post, page or item. It's a Facebook thing, not a "everything in the universe" thing.
onion2k 9y ago
Makes zero difference to any visitor what that number is. The overall number may have no value (although social capital theory would suggest otherwise), but when a user looks at a Facebook page and sees "5 of your friends Liked this page" with a list of who they are, that has a huge impact on how they think. It's like having a personal recommendation. That's worth a lot. Likes do have value.
- exodust 9y ago
  That information is better kept within Facebook. If you're already on the page, why does it matter to notice only then that some of your friends like it?
nunez 9y ago
> Website 'Like' buttons on the other hand, are useless, tacky, cheap and chunky. I disagree. Remember those visitor counters on most hobbyist websites from back in the day? Facebook likes are, are their core, that. It's basically herd mentality.
- exodust 9y ago
  The old counters recorded every visitor. FB likes record only FB users who are logged in, wish to share the page, and bother clicking the button. Huge difference, no correlation. As a final thought... At least Twitter invented a word for their sharing action, "retweet". Facebook just stole "like" and "thumbs up". I don't remember those things being up for sale.

BinaryIdiot 9y ago

Your point is not entirely accurate though. The likes get displayed and used on Facebook which can help and your post to the top of other people's feeds. I don't like them either but you'd be crazy by not integrating it on a website that you're trying to funnel organic, social traffic to.

exodust 9y ago
It's not the website's job to host Facebook-exclusive functionality. By all means have the basic FB share link, as found on every Youtube video, along with other social media services. But the actual Facebook widget is not what should be installed on websites, and FB should kill it dead. Sounds like you need a browser extension to handle "liking" the current page you're on. Not all websites have the Like button, so it makes no sense to assume a website Like button is "plan A" in any social traffic strategy. Further more, websites have many pages. It's impractical to install a Like button for every discrete piece of content everywhere on the site, and everywhere on the Internet. Facebook Like buttons DO NOT belong on every web page of every site on the Internet, and the widget should go the way of Flash. (I'd sooner keep Flash than FB javascript).
- BinaryIdiot 9y ago
  I get you but that’s just idealistic. Today you have to do it to help your social engagement. Every opportunity you can get to gain more likes you have to take to get your social postings to rank higher.
  - exodust 9y ago
    I'm sure spammers apply same logic.

seanwilson 9y ago

> Website 'Like' buttons on the other hand, are useless, tacky, cheap and chunky. Nobody cares how many likes your webpage has. Google have said Facebook likes aren't treated as a ranking signal but your page showing up on newsfeeds will bring in more likes and more backlinks. > Makes zero difference to any visitor what that number is. It's not any measure of performance or anything. You don't think a large number of likes makes a page look more newsworthy than a page with zero likes?

Karunamon 9y ago
That's a slight chicken/egg problem. Most websites don't have like buttons with counters, so most people probably aren't going to use it as a signal anyways. If you do have a high amount of likes there may be some benefit to using it, but how are you going about getting those likes without the button there in the first place?
exodust 9y ago
But what is a "large number"? Not all FB users will click the like button on a website, or expect it to be there, because the website is not a Facebook page. The number of likes is not a traffic measurement, it doesn't represent the website popularity. I completely understand the newsfeed point, which is why I have no argument against social sharing buttons on websites - the non-scripted kind that link to various services from Twitter to Reddit to FB. If the user wants to share the site, they will use this method, or they may copy the link, or have some other way to like the page such as a browser extension. "Like us on Facebook" is what Likes are about. You go to Facebook, and you Like something - a post, page or item. It's a Facebook thing, not a "everything in the universe" thing.

onion2k 9y ago

Makes zero difference to any visitor what that number is. The overall number may have no value (although social capital theory would suggest otherwise), but when a user looks at a Facebook page and sees "5 of your friends Liked this page" with a list of who they are, that has a huge impact on how they think. It's like having a personal recommendation. That's worth a lot. Likes do have value.

exodust 9y ago
That information is better kept within Facebook. If you're already on the page, why does it matter to notice only then that some of your friends like it?

nunez 9y ago

> Website 'Like' buttons on the other hand, are useless, tacky, cheap and chunky. I disagree. Remember those visitor counters on most hobbyist websites from back in the day? Facebook likes are, are their core, that. It's basically herd mentality.

exodust 9y ago
The old counters recorded every visitor. FB likes record only FB users who are logged in, wish to share the page, and bother clicking the button. Huge difference, no correlation. As a final thought... At least Twitter invented a word for their sharing action, "retweet". Facebook just stole "like" and "thumbs up". I don't remember those things being up for sale.