Frequently Asked Questions

Sharing stories from the BBC

Some pages on the BBC site now contain links to external social networking websites. You can use these to share BBC pages with your friends and contacts.

This makes it easier for you to share and comment on the things we produce. In the UK, we don't receive any money, goods or services in return for linking to these sites.

How does sharing work?

All the social networks we link to are free to use. You just need to register with them and you can start sharing BBC links straight away.

You don't need an account with the BBC to do this. Clicking on one of the social network logos will take you away from the BBC to whichever site you've chosen. The BBC won't ask for any personal information during this process.

Remember, when you click on a link and go to an external site like Facebook or Twitter, you will be subject to their terms of use and privacy policy. What's more, the website you go to may set a cookie in your browser.

What happens when I use the links on a BBC page to share items?

When you click through to any of the available external social networks, a pop-up will appear that lets you sign in to that site (if you're not already signed in), and then share the link.

Which social networks do you link to?

That depends which BBC page you're on and where you are in the world.

We currently link to Digg, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Reddit, StumbleUpon and Twitter. On some older pages you may see a slightly different list of social networks.

We're keeping any eye on the range of social networks on offer and will review our choice regularly.

How have you chosen which social networks to link to?

We wanted to include the social networks that are most relevant to you. So we've chosen them based on: how many users they have; how technically compatible they are with our systems; and how many links come from them to BBC pages. The list of social networks you see may also vary depending on which country you're in.

All the social networks we've chosen are currently free to use.

Why are Facebook and Twitter more prominent than other networks on some pages?

We used to give Facebook and Twitter more prominence as they're the most popular social networks in the UK.

We've now decided to change this and display them all equally via the Share button. However, Facebook and Twitter may still appear more prominent on some pages.