How to 'Dislike' (Kinda) on Facebook

Aug. 20, 2010— -- Facebook cynics, get ready to celebrate.

Even though news spread this week that a fake "dislike" button on the social networking site is a scam, one start-up actually offers a Web browser plug-in that installs a legitimate "dislike" button on Facebook.

The Official DisLike Button, created by FaceMod Inc., is an extension that can be added to FireFox, Chrome and Internet Explorer Web browsers (Opera and Safari options are on the way). Once downloaded, the program places a "dislike" button right next to the "like" button in Facebook.

"For those who are wondering, the Dislike Button is not for the haters! It was made to be the 'yang' to facebook's 'yin,'" the site says.

"We're trying to bring democracy to the Internet," Ron Sharpp, the company's CEO, told ABCNews.com. "We're trying to give people what they're looking for in websites even if that doesn't exist."

If your friend is sick and you want to be supportive or you just want to temper the cheery tone of the "like"-only site, you now have the option to hit "dislike."

The only catch is that friends won't be able to see what you've "disliked" unless they also have downloaded the plug-in.

Sharpp said he had an idea last year for technology that would modify websites, such as Facebook (hence the name of the company, FaceMod). When he came across a Facebook petition asking for a "dislike" button, he knew exactly where to start.

The company started offering a plug-in that would work with several browsers earlier this year and now has about 700,000 users, Sharpp said. Eventually, the company hopes to expand to other websites, he said.

This week, FaceMod had an extra notice on its website alerting users that its dislike button is not affiliated with the scam trying to snare Facebook members.

The "dislike" button scam has been good and bad for the company, Sharpp said.

"People are starting to discover that we are out there, but there's also the negative ramification of people who aren't understanding," he said.