Facebook's New APIs Help Media Outlets Highlight Real-Time Conversations

Facebook is taking another step to demonstrate that it's at least as much of a hub for real-time conversations as Twitter.

Facebook announced Monday that it has launched two new APIs to help publishers track and incorporate conversations taking place on the social network. One API shows a real-time feed of public posts tied to a specific word; another API helps break down the conversation by different demographics.

"Starting today, selected news organizations can begin to integrate Facebook conversations into their broadcasts or coverage by displaying public posts of real-time activity about any given topic," the company said in an announcement. At launch, the API's will be available to just a few news outlets, including CNN, The Today Show and The Economist, among others, with plans to add more in the "coming weeks." Read more...