A couple of days ago, I sent out my monthly e-newsletter. I like to share a really good social media tip every month, and this month, I showed my subscribers how to install a the new Facebook “Share” button on your WordPress blog. It got a pretty positive response, so I thought it was worthwhile to share it with you here, as well.

Now, the “Like” button has been around for quite a while, now, and we’re pretty used to “Liking” everything we see. Facebook recently expanded the “Like” function: in the past, it just posted a link to the thing that you liked on your Facebook profile, but now it’s posting a link, an image, and a short description.

Great for marketing. And the easier you make it for people to “Like” your posts, the more they will.

A couple of weeks ago, Facebook introduced a new button: the “Share” button (check the top of this post to see what it looks like in action). This button gives you a variety of options: you can either share the post to your own Facebook profile/wall, share it to a group’s wall, share it to a friend’s wall, or send it as a private message.

The “Share” button is ONLY available if you have a self-hosted WordPress Blog. It’s not yet available to WordPress-hosted blogs, but the “Like” button is.

Installing a Facebook “Like” button:

WordPress-Hosted blog:
Go to Dashboard –> Settings –> Sharing
This is where you configure which sharing buttons (i.e.: Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, etc) you want, and where you want them to appear.

Self-Hosted WordPress Blog:
I use a plugin called “WP FB Like.”
Go to Dashboard –> Settings –> Plugins –> Install New Plugin. Search for “WP FB Like” and click on “Install Now,” then “Activate Plugin.”
Then go to Dashboard –> Settings –> Facebook Like to configure it.

Installing a Facebook Share Button:
The Facebook Share button, just introduced a few weeks ago, works in a similar way. It gives you options, however: you can post it to your own wall with comments, post it to a friend’s wall, post it to a group, or send it to a FB friend as an email.

WordPress-Hosted Blog:
Not yet available.

Self-Hosted WordPress Blog:
I use a plugin called “Simple Facebook Share Button.”
Go to Dashboard –> Settings –> Plugins –> Install New Plugin. Search for “Simple Facebook Share Button” and click on “Install Now,” then “Activate Plugin.”
Then go to Dashboard –> Settings –> Simple Facebook Share Button to configure it.