Question from Ray: My question for you is, what is the difference between “Sharing” a post and “Copy and Pasting” it to your page?
I have asked this question to several folks who post and ask you to copy and past it.
I either never get an answer or I get one that I don’t understand.
Thanks so much Rick for your help on this. Have a great day.
Rick’s answer: That’s a great question, Ray. And truth be told, there really is a big difference between the two.
First, let’s discuss what happens when you “Share” a Facebook post…
You “share” a post by clicking the “Share” button that’s located underneath a post that someone else has posted on their Timeline.
When you share someone else’s post, that post isn’t placed on your own Timeline. Instead, your share is merely a “pointer” to the original post.
In other words, when you share someone’s post you’re basically telling your Facebook friends that you like that post and they should check it out.
If the original poster of a post you shared deletes the shared post it will disappear from their Timeline and your “share” will no longer point to it since it no longer exists.
If someone clicks on your share of a post that has been deleted by the original poster they’ll receive a message saying that content is no longer available.
Now, let’s discuss what happens when you “Copy and Paste” something on Facebook:
When someone asks you to “Copy and Paste” something on Facebook, you do just that (assuming you agree to comply, of course).
You highlight the text in question, copy it to your device’s Clipboard and then paste the copied text into a brand new post that goes on your own Timeline.
As far as Facebook and the people who see your new post are concerned, there is no link whatsoever between the post you just created and the original post that you “copied and pasted” the text from.
In other words, even though you copied the text from someone else’s post, the post YOU create is an original post, not a “share” pointing to the other person’s post.
If that other person deletes their post it won’t have any effect whatsoever on the post you created via the “Copy and Paste” action.
Bottom line: When you “Share” someone else’s post your share is merely pointing to that other person’s post.
But when you “Copy and Paste” you create your own original post that’s completely separate and independent from the post you copied the text from.
And now, one final but very important note…
While copying and pasting certainly has it’s legitimate uses, always keep in mind that it’s also a favorite tool of hoaxsters on Facebook.
Any time you’re asked to copy something and paste it onto your Timeline, chances are you’re being asked to help spread a hoax. Before complying it’s always best to carefully read the info you’re being asked to paste onto your Timeline to make sure it actually makes sense. If it doesn’t you can rest assured that you’re being asked to help spread a hoax. Just sayin’.
I hope this helps, Ray. Good luck!
Bonus tip: This post explains why the “Share” button is missing from many of the posts you see on Facebook.