Facebook Like Button Goes Missing from WebmasterWorld.com

[bhartzer]

Interesting turn of events lately with the Facebook "Like" button. It looks to me like it's noticeably absent from the home page of WebmasterWorld.com.

Right now, I am only seeing the "Tweet" button.

Perhaps a decision was made regarding the Facebook "Like" button based on the fact that it was not providing any real value?

If that's the case, should we now start to remove the Facebook "Like" button from our web sites or blogs?

[Swanny007]

The only way to improve on this is to drop the tweet button too. I hate widgets like tweet this, like that, etc. Do people really use those things? I don't.

[bhartzer]

Swanny007, I do use the Tweet button from time to time. But apparently enough people do use the Tweet button for WebmasterWorld to keep it. Apparently they didn't think there was value in keeping the Facebook "Like" button.

[Swanny007]

Brett?.....

[g1smd]

I stopped using that page as my landing page soon after the buttons were added. Their addition slowed the page loading to a crawl. I bookmarked some other page instead. The recent button change might have been swayed by user stats... (or it might not).

[koan]

Their addition slowed the page loading to a crawl.

Same thing here, and it's already a lot faster without the facebook widget.

[mromero]

Maybe Brett is working on the non iframe version of Like?

[Tommybs]

bhartzer, I don't think because it's been removed from here you should move it from your site. Each case is different. If Brett's analysed the stats and removed it from here because it's useless in this context it doesn't mean you should. A post about php probably isn't "viral" to everybodys friends on Facebook and so doesn't provide real value. A blog post about some upcoming computer game may have much more appeal to a persons friends and so is more worthy of this viral exposure.

On Twitter however, I find myself more like to be following/ and followed by more people who might be interested in the php post.

So as I say, take everything on it's own merit. If the like button suddenly causes every site to slow down and spread viruses then by all means remove it. If it provides value to your site and your users then I'd say keep it.

[bhartzer]

On Twitter however, I find myself more like to be following/ and followed by more people who might be interested in the php post.

So, what you're saying is that the "Like" button should (or should not) be on a site based on the type of content? And you should only put a Facebook "Like" button on a site because it has a chance of going viral?

I see plenty of other popular tech blogs and sites that still have the Facebook "Like" button, as well as the Tweet button, and even a well-known tech site that typically gets at least XX or even #*$! Facebook "Likes". So I don't think it's a matter related to the topic necessarily.

Every site should test the the Tweet and Facebook "Like" button. If your users use them, then great--but if they don't, then pull it.

There is also potentially some value, though, in the Tweet button. Each button is an outgoing link to a unique URL on Twitter. So, there may be some additional value there.

[Tommybs]

I said "probably" but that doesn't mean it's the case with everyone. I didn't say it necessarily shouldn't be used on certain sites based on content but that if it adds value to your site keep it.

So as I say, take everything on it's own merit. If the like button suddenly causes every site to slow down and spread viruses then by all means remove it. If it provides value to your site and your users then I'd say keep it.

You then allude to this in the next post.

In your first post you were saying it's been removed from here so should we all remove it, then you'll notice I said not to remove it from every site.

It's great getting advice from sites like WebmasterWorld, but it never beats testing and gathering your own data to make decisions

[incrediBILL]

I don't remember the thread, but people were complaining the Facebook Likes on the home page were slowing it down, perhaps it's being fixed or dropped lacking any performance enhancing solution.

Do people really use those things? I don't.

I love big sweeping statements like this.

Someone with attitudes about those features won't implement them.

Their users obviously won't have these options available as the whole social thing snowballs.

Darwinism in effect leaving those sites as failed evolutionary experiments that couldn't adapt, dinosaurs.

Just leaves more for the rest of us! ;)

[bhartzer]

people were complaining the Facebook Likes on the home page were slowing it down

Interesting observance, I think this might ultimately be a real big issue for FB, not being able to keep up with demand, slowing things down.

[Interent Yogi]

Mail from Facebook crashs my outlook express. ( yes very old school) ? The only mail that does it and thats from about 50 - 70 day I had actually to turn it all off. ( good for time management point of view)

[Hoople]

I don't remember the thread, but people were complaining the Facebook Likes on the home page were slowing it down, perhaps it's being fixed or dropped lacking any performance enhancing solution.

http://www.webmasterworld.com/webmasterworld/4293914.htm [webmasterworld.com]

[Tommybs]

I don't know if the like button was hosted on Facebooks servers or whether it was served via their environment for developers and apps. However they have recently moved this over to using the same infrastructure as the main site which has seen a great improvement in speed and reliability.

If this is the case it will mean improvements for the like button as well.

[londrum]

i've got a good tip to speed up the 'like' button...

if you use the iframe version, all you've got to do is give the iframe an ID, and leave the src="" totally blank, and then fill it in with javascript using the ID after the onload event has fired.

that way the entire page will load before fetching anything from facebook, and the user won't notice any slowdown at all.