Whether you love it or hate it, Facebook’s so-called frictionless sharing concept isn’t going away anytime soon. From songs played on Spotify to articles read on the Washington Post, everything your friends consume via participating sites is broadcast to the news ticker in real time.
Today, the social TV and streaming media center service Boxee became the latest to join in on the trend when it announced a new partnership with Facebook. Users who opt in can automatically update Facebook about TV shows and other videos they watch through Boxee’s interface.
Like any good content app worth using, Boxee has always allowed users to manually share items via Twitter and Facebook. The service even took its social integration a step further by including Flipboard-style channels of video that are auto-curated based on what one’s friends and followees are sharing online.
With this latest update, the process is streamlined and updates are posted automatically based on what users are watching. The feature will work with Boxee’s new Live TV dongle, so even if you’re watching the latest episode of “The Office” during its original broadcast time, your Facebook friends will all know about it.
Like some other implementations, the Boxee and Facebook integration has its limitations. When you click on a link on the News Feed or Timeline, you’re not taken directly to the content itself, but rather to a landing page with more information abdout the show. This may be annoying to some users, who expect to be able to consume the content immediately.
Mindful of privacy concerns, Boxee makes very clear that the feature is opt-in so one needn’t worry about blasting their friends with excessive or updates.
Boxee Facebook Live TV Integration from boxee on Vimeo.
