ProPublica outlines 'frictionless sharing' feature on Facebook
The US investigative journalism non-profit has introduced a new feature which means articles read for 10 seconds or longer will automatically be shared by the reader on Facebook
The US investigative journalism non-profit has introduced a new feature which means articles read for 10 seconds or longer will automatically be shared by the reader on Facebook
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ProPublica has introduced a new "frictionless sharing" feature which mean articles will be automatically shared on Facebook when readers spend more than 10 seconds on a ProPublica report. In an announcement detailing the new feature ProPublica said it will only be activated if automatic sharing is turned on via the "Social Reading" button.
If activated and readers spend 10 seconds or more on an article, it will automatically be added to the user's Facebook profile.
"It’ll be easier to share stories. We also want our stories to have impact, and that means we want people reading and them. You can help. Plus, we like to think our stories are pretty smart – which means our readers are, too. Let your friends know."
ProPublica adds that the feature will not require users to sign up before they can read an article, as some other Facebook apps require.
The feature also gives users control over how much information they share with their network, ProPublica adds.
"You’re in complete control here. Toggle it on or off, share one story, but not another. We get that not everyone wants to share everything they’ve read on Facebook, so we’ve made it easy to customize.
"The most recent thing you’ve read will show up under “Added to your activity feed.” To un-share it, just click the red x.
"And if you click on “Your Shared Items,” you’ll see a list of everything you’ve read and shared. You can also un-share articles from this list."