Facebook Vs Twitter: Is Facebook Copying Twitter with Hashtag Usage?

Facebook Vs Twitter: Everybody knows just how popular the Twitter style hashtag has become. You see this online, on television, in the newspaper, and pretty much everywhere else. For this reason, it appears that Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) may be trying to get in on the action.

Hedge funds, on the whole, were very bullish on Facebook last quarter. The total size of the funds we track that were invested in the company grew by nearly 40% from Q3; that’s a huge spike (see why it’s always important to pay attention to the smart money).

It goes without saying that Twitter will always be remembered as the first company to rely heavily on hashtags. That being said, it appears that the social networking giant has plans to do the same.

According to an article by Fox News, the company is “working on incorporating the hashtag, one of Twitter’s most iconic markers, into its service by using the symbol as a way to group conversations.”

While there is nothing wrong with this, it is interesting to see Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) stealing a page from Twitter’s book instead of coming up with something new and fresh on its own.

The article goes on to add the following:

“Facebook is testing whether to follow Twitter’s lead and allow users to click on a hashtag to pull up all posts about similar topics or events so it can quickly index conversations around trending topics and build those conversations up, giving users more reason to stay logged in and see more ads. Instagram, which Facebook acquired last year, already uses hashtags, allowing users to sort photos by the symbol.”

As you can see, there is nothing set in stone just yet. That being said, Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) obviously understands that this could work in its favor.

At this time, Facebook and Twitter are becoming big rivals in the tech space. They are fighting for users, and even more importantly, advertising dollars.

It will be interesting to see if Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) begins to use hashtags in the near future. If the company moves in this direction, how will it be perceived? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Check back here for more updates on Facebook Vs Twitter.

DISCLOSURE: I have no positions in any stock mentioned.

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