Facebook tests 'things in common label' feature to link strangers

Facebook is testing a new feature of adding a label of “things in common” on a public conversation. For example, a label would appear on a comment posted on a public post, which would go as “You both are from Mumbai, Maharashtra”.

Discussions and arguments on public posts by people with differing or similar opinions has been a common fragment of interactions on Facebook. Facebook plans to take this a step further by testing this new feature,where you can know what you have in common with the person you share similar interests with while browsing the comments section on a public post. Initially, Facebook started off with the motive of keeping family & friends connected, even if they start living in different parts of the world. With this new step, you would be able to befriend a person you are unfamiliar with but have something in common, like the information you've made publicly available such as where you've studied at, where you live or where you're from, etc. Seemingly, Facebook has clarified that it would only show the information that a user has made publicly available.

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Facebook is only testing this on a small scale, with limited number of users only in the United States. However, the company hasn’t revealed how, when or if they plan to unveil this new feature globally. They would probably weigh out the negatives and positives of this new feature and make an informed decision. As some users might object the display of their information on a public post. Consequently, scrutiny of this feature on all levels would be important.

Facebook has been trying out new features frequently, like they were also testing to replace share button with a message button on a post although they seem to be inclined on working towards their official stated purpose which is to make the world more open and connected.