A few months ago on October, Facebook added a new feature called the “people are talking about this”. It was geared specifically for pages. The idea behind this new feature was to track ongoing conversations on certain pages.
As a normal Facebook user, you will come across this feature that tracks these conversations in the following section on the page you are visiting. For the sake of example, we will show you a screen shot of our own WebMarketingPros page:
The Mechanics Behind the “People Are Talking About This” Number:
The number that is used to track conversations with the “people are talking about this” feature comes from numerous exchanges made in Facebook. It’s refreshed daily, yet goes as far back as a week. In other words, it’s a sort of gauge that helps measure just how much people are mentioning your page on Facebook.
The kind of tracking that is used for the “people are talking about this” feature includes some of the following examples:
- Liking a Page or any content in it such as photos, videos, or posts.
- Posting to the Wall or answering a Question on a Page.
- RSVPing to an event invitation from that Page.
- Mentioning or sharing a Page in a post.
- Phototagging a Page.
What does this feature mean for me as a Facebook user?
As a Facebook user, taking a quick glance at the number shown at the “people are talking about this” feature gives me some insight into just how engaging this Page actually is. If I don’t fresh content such as frequent posts, my mind will be tempted to give a thumbs-down to it. On the other hand, if I sense a strong community engaging within the Page, I’m more likely to spend more time exploring its content and contact information.
What does this feature mean for me as a Facebook Page Owner?
Before you freak out about the pain of tracking another Facebook statistics feature, relax. The neat thing about this relatively new gadget is the benefit of having access to see at a quick glance which articles are being the most shared and commented on. This is good news!
So rejoice. This one feature can help you get a much clearer grasp on whether or not Facebook users feel engaged by your Page. Low numbers means you need to optimize your Page better. High numbers means you’re reaching a large audience just like you wanted. Simple and sweet—just the way we like it.