Facebook’s new “reactions” adding to the option of “Like”

I hate to say I told you so, but, I told you so.  Facebook’s Town Hall Q&A which attracted so much attention for the “announcement of a dislike button” was in fact a hint of something much deeper and today we know that is to be called the Facebook “Reactions”.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg has posted videos of the new reactions and the way they are to be used within Facebook.

The “reactions” will be:

• Like
• Love
• haha
• Yay
• Wow
• Sad
• Angry

You’ll get to them by the default “Like” button but on mobile you push and hold for more options, likely on desktop that will be a dropdown.

It’s a simple thing, but it will add greatly to the ability to more correctly express a reaction to someones post.

Zuckerberg says “Reactions gives you new ways to express love, awe, humor and sadness. It’s not a dislike button, but it does give you the power to easily express sorrow and empathy — in addition to delight and warmth. You’ll be able to express these reactions by long pressing or hovering over the Like button.”

They are being tested in Ireland and Spain, I doubt it will take too long before they roll out globally.

Oh, and for a hint of how you’ll “measure” these emotions, they appear in the video to count separately alongside each other.