How Facebook likes are calculated

#1

Post by blazer7486 » Tue, Apr 12, 2011, 12:33 PM UTC

How Facebook likes are calculated
almightylink.ksablan.com

Re: How Facebook likes are calculated

#2

Post by brianbreslin » Tue, Apr 12, 2011, 12:58 PM UTC

I think it's largely impossible for him to sift through this data accurately. Who is to say that diff people didn't share something vs liking it? Also he makes it seem as if the news sites are falsely reoresenting their content popularity when all they are doing is presenting a fb social widget.

Re: How Facebook likes are calculated

#3

Post by AdamTReineke » Tue, Apr 12, 2011, 1:01 PM UTC

Are there privacy options that hide the details of the likes from his tool (so he can't count them) that Facebook can count and display in the widgets? Might account for some of the difference.

Re: How Facebook likes are calculated

#4

Post by goldins » Tue, Apr 12, 2011, 1:06 PM UTC

If they use the wording "recommend this" and not "liked this" then I expect sharing and liking (but perhaps not commenting on) an article to constitute as recommending it.

Re: How Facebook likes are calculated

#5

Post by gdulli » Tue, Apr 12, 2011, 1:07 PM UTC

My world is upside down. I hope I don't find out today that LinkedIn recommendations aren't accurate.

Re: How Facebook likes are calculated

#6

Post by de90 » Tue, Apr 12, 2011, 1:11 PM UTC

brianbreslin wrote: post #2

I think it's largely impossible for him to sift through this data accurately. Who is to say that diff people didn't share something vs liking it? Also he makes it seem as if the news sites are falsely reoresenting their content popularity when all they are doing is presenting a fb social widget.

I don't see too big of a problem with it regardless. If you spend your time liking, sharing, or commenting on something there is obviously an 'emotional' response to it. As long as FB doesn't start saying 'your friend x' likes this, when in fact they posted a comment disagreeing there isn't a huge problem. Even then I think the fact that it created a response of some sort is a 'like', atleast in the sense people I see use the like button..

Re: How Facebook likes are calculated

#7

Post by ashcairo » Tue, Apr 12, 2011, 1:14 PM UTC

I've too noticed that they aggregate 'button clicked likes', comments and shares as overall 'likes'. However, I just assumed that their logic is that if someone posts a comment or shares the link, they're 'liking' it.

Re: How Facebook likes are calculated

#8

Post by blazer7486 » Tue, Apr 12, 2011, 1:19 PM UTC

gdulli wrote: post #5

My world is upside down. I hope I don't find out today that LinkedIn recommendations aren't accurate.

haha amazing. What's next? Amazon recommendations are all a creation of Jeff Bezos imagination.

Re: How Facebook likes are calculated

#9

Post by barredo » Tue, Apr 12, 2011, 1:20 PM UTC

To get the share of likes of any URL just

https://api.facebook.com/method/links.getStats?urls=http://n... (for this thread) or https://api.facebook.com/method/links.getStats?urls=http://n... for HN home

(View sourcecode if your browser doesn't format the XML to you as Firefox does)

Re: How Facebook likes are calculated

#10

Post by terryjsmith » Tue, Apr 12, 2011, 1:20 PM UTC

We noticed this when starting out company (which measures these stats for your blog), and it never struck me as odd. Sure it seems a little disingenuous at first, but the Like button has replaced the Share button as the preferred implementation. Moreover, every like, share, or comment gets posted to your wall for your friends to see (privacy settings depending) so you are in fact "recommending" it.