Facebook has begun weaving hot topics into profile pages as it ramps up its challenge to Twitter as an online forum for tuning into current events.

The leading online social network began adding a “Trending” feature on Thursday to identify topics spiking in popularity and then display them next to the News Feed on profile pages.

“The list is personalised, including topics based on things you’re interested in and what is trending across Facebook overall,” engineering manager Chris Struhar said in a blog post.

“You can click on any headline to see the most interesting posts from your friends or (Facebook) pages that are talking about that particular topic.”

The trending feature was being added to the Facebook website in “select countries” for members using desktop or laptop computers and being tested on mobile devices, where screen space is more precious.

Facebook has been working to be a preferred venue for real-time exchanges about the latest happenings, a niche dominated by Twitter.