Facebook today announced Trending, a new section in the top right corner of the News Feed that highlights TV shows, events, and articles that are being talked about by its users. Stories that appear inside Trending are picked by algorithms that identify spiking keywords on the social network and then find associated articles to link to. Facebook says that these articles will come from public Facebook Pages and public figures, but also from Pages you follow and from posts by friends. You can't yet buy sponsored trends like you can on Twitter, but Facebook won't deny that they're coming. Trending is rolling out first to the US, UK, India, and Australia.

Facebook has experimented with trending stories and topics time and again — and in various places around the site. While Facebook hasn't yet nailed down exactly where it wants to promote breaking news, one thing is clear. In a world where RSS is dying and Twitter hasn't reached critical mass, Facebook intends to be the place you check for news — whether it's in the News Feed or inside a dedicated Facebook app just for news.