• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, March 13, 2013

Netflix users will be able to swiftly intersect with social media as the streaming video giant offers the opportunity to link an account with Facebook. The millions of Netflix streamers will be able to sync their accounts, such that friends’ information on TV viewing activity appears only within Netflix, or alternatively, more widely on Facebook.

"People naturally talk about TV shows and movies and love to share their experiences," said Tom Willerer, vice president of product innovation at Netflix. "Through the Netflix/Facebook integration, we want to let Netflix members express themselves on Facebook and provide a digital version of the proverbial watercooler."

Netflix users taking advantage of the opportunity will opt-in, where automatic sharing takes place only within Netflix as friends’ accounts are linked. An additional step moves the sharing to the more public Facebook pages.

The Netflix sharing capabilities -- where TV title lists watched by friends appear within the streaming site -- will be accessible via any Netflix-compatible device.

Netflix has also prided itself on using algorithms for recommendation engines; Facebook will allow for a decidedly lower-tech way to offer viewing ideas.

While Facebook integration has been available in international markets for some time, the opportunity to bring it stateside opened up with Congress altering a video sharing law.

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