While the new feature likely stems from the company’s acquisition of TBH in October, the new Facebook Did You Know section has a few important differences from the anonymous polls — because the answers aren’t anonymous. Once users answer the questions, those answers will appear in a scrolling list on the profile, allowing friends to read them. The tool, however, has the same sort of sometimes fun, sometimes serious set of random questions.
The new profile section contains a number of different types of icebreaker questions, like the superpower you want most or that video game you can sit and play for hours. On both desktop and mobile, users can tap “new question” until they find one they’d like to answer. When adding a new Did You Know, the answer includes the same colored background options users have for updating a status.
Once answered, the questions appear in the new section inside colored boxes that match the selected background. Users have to click on the question to see the user’s answer. Friends will also see a link to go answer questions on their own profile.
Facebook acquired TBH earlier this fall and the anonymous polling app still exists as a standalone app. TBH was popular among younger users, possibly because of the app’s way of sending anonymous compliments through the random polling questions. While the answers can remain anonymous, users can also choose to attach their name to the answer, effectively letting that person know that you like their smile or laugh. The app’s downloads have fallen since the acquisition, however.
The new Did You Know section isn’t Facebook’s first way to bring in the popular features of TBH — last month, the platform also added the ability to customize polls with GIFs and pictures, expanding the earlier text-only polls.
