Facebook Introduces Twitter-Like Hashtags

Social networking site Facebook is to follow Twitter's lead and roll out hashtags for its users.

In a blog post announcing the move , the company said it planned to make it easier for people to find out what their friends are discussing.

Users will be able to search for specific hashtag topics from the website's navigation bar to open up a feed of discussions about a particular topic.

They will also be able to click on hashtags that originate on other services, such as Instagram.

Greg Lindley, product manager at Facebook, said the roll-out would be starting immediately.

"Hashtags are just the first step to help people more easily discover what others are saying about a specific topic and participate in public conversations," he said.

"We'll continue to roll out more features in the coming weeks and months, including trending hashtags and deeper insights, that help people discover more of the world's conversations."

Web developer Chris Messina is credited with introducing hashtags - words or short phrases preceded by the number symbol.

They have become an integral part of Twitter since its launch in 2006.

Shortly after Facebook's announcement, Mr Messina tweeted : "Guess I got my answer about who's next to adopt #hashtags! Welcome to the #club, @facebook!"

Hashtags have been seized upon by advertisers as a means of generating interest in their products.

They have become so widely used that the word was included in the Oxford English Dictionary in 2010.