Expert: Facebook's 'like' standard bad for the web

As Facebook grows in popularity, its "like" option, which allows users to prioritize content based on whether they approve of it or not, has some supporters of the social media website rallying around a new standard for search engine optimization that would be based on the feature, according to a recent report by All Facebook.

The news provider says that some web developers believe that Facebook needs to create an open standard for its "like" feature. At a recent developers conference, Facebook announced that it would soon allow developers to integrate the social network's tools into their own websites.

Social media expert Nick O'Neill explains that websites are traditionally prioritized through links, while a search engine optimization model based on the "like" feature may lock developers in.

"Google uses hyperlinks as the standard for determining the relevance of websites and pages throughout the internet. However, posting links is still an overly complex process," says O'Neill. "It requires understanding how properly formatted HTML will significantly help your search rankings. In Facebook's new system, however, the information is not available for anybody to access."

In the winter of 2009, Scripting.com said that there needs to be an open-source shell for Twitter, to put control of the platform in users' hands.