Taking Aim at Twitter, Facebook Ramps Up Celeb PresenceThe social giant continues to take aim at rival Twitter with an emphasis on VIP users and entertainment partnerships.

In an effort to court high profile users and create more "public" content, Facebook has hired former Time Inc. digital strategy veteran John Cantarella, to be the company's Head of Global Influencer Partnerships,reportedRe/Code.

In this newly-created role, Cantarella is expected to work with big names and celebrities to encourage them to use their Facebook profiles more. He is the most recent addition of a slate of other Hollywood-centric hires including Sibyl Goldman, who was previously the executive VP of new media at Ryan Seacrest's production company before joining Facebook to oversee entertainment partnerships.

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The continued emphasis on landing famous people (the company has also toyed with aVIP-only app) is another sign that Facebook is taking a few cues from its competitor Twitter. The social giant has already integrated Twitter-like features including trending news, hashtags, referencing @ symbols and verified accounts on the platform.

It was alsoannouncedthis week that as part the company's Public Content Solutions Program, NBC is including a live Facebook feed in the Today Show's Orange Room, withhelpfrom social insights company Spredfast.

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