Facebook might borrow the hashtag from Twitter

#Facebook? Could happen soon if reports are to be believed! The world’s largest social networking site is apparently going to incorporate the iconic hashtag from arch rival Twitter onto its website soon.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, Facebook is all set to channel the hashtag feature in order to bunch conversations together by converting the tag into a link. Sources told WSJ that it wasn’t clear how far Facebook’s work on the hashtag had gotten and the feature isn’t likely to be introduced any time soon.

While Twitter does not own the hashtag, it is them that made the symbol known worldwide. Many other social networking websites, including Facebook-owned Instagram and Google+ use the feature prominently on their websites. The link created by the hashtags lead users to a whole new page where posts related to the topic are updated in real-time.

#ComingSoon?

If indeed Facebook is adopting the hashtag, it won’t be the first Twitter feature to make it to the website. Not too long ago, Facebook introduced the ability to tag users in posts, status updates and comments using the “@” option, also a typical Twitter feature. Facebook also tweaked the “subscribe” option to call it “follow”, renaming subscribers as followers a la Twitter.

Facebook, of course is trying to build a better way to aggregate posts and updates with the hashtag. The idea fits well with Facebook’s pet Graph Search that was unveiled earlier this year. The “third pillar” of Facebook is a new way for users to find people, photos, places and interests that are most relevant to you on Facebook. The hashtag could undoubtedly be a great way to organize posts better on the Graph Search.

Earlier this month Facebook also released a reworked, more simplified News Feed for users. The company apparently studied how Facebook is used on different platforms and designed the apps with that in mind. Facebook said PC users tend to spend a lot more time going through their feeds than smartphone users, so the mobile app is a lot more condensed and now shows you more information on a smaller screen. The PC experience, on the other hand, is sparse and more spaced out. It allows greater play for every update and bigger pictures help them stand out.

Pictures are now bigger—double the size in fact—than they were earlier. Facebook said that the reason behind the emphasis on bigger pictures is the fact that people are sharing more photos than ever before. About 50 percent of the posts shared have a picture or a video to go along with it, the company said.

Not only pictures, but the way you see posts also seems to be inspired by rival social network, Google+. Users now see larger profile pictures of their friends, along with their posts. The News Feed also shows bigger profile pictures of people who have liked and/or commented on posts. And with better Instagram integration in the News Feed, hashtags would be a great way to unify the two platforms.