Facebook has announced proposals to introduce Twitter-style hashtags. The social networking site says it plans to allow clickable tags which will link to a feed of discussions relating to that topic.

It is the first in a line of initiatives designed to help Facebook users find out what other people are talking about.

The tags will be clickable on the site and Facebook says this will be similar to other services like Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, or Pinterest.

The hashtags allow a user add context to a post or indicate that it is part of a larger discussion. Facebook says when you click on a hashtag, you will see a feed of what other people and pages are saying about that topic.

It will also allow users to:

• Search for a specific hashtag from your search bar. For example, #Savita
• Click on hashtags that originate on other services, such as Instagram
• Compose posts directly from the hashtag feed and search results

The company says "To date, there has not been a simple way to see the larger view of what's happening or what people are talking about. To bring these conversations more to the forefront, we will be rolling out a series of features that surface some of the interesting discussions people are having about public events, people, and topics. As a first step, we are beginning to roll out hashtags on Facebook".

The company, founded in 2004, says it had 655 million daily active users in March 2013 with some 79% of those outside the U.S. and Canada.