For Web content (e.g. blogs, articles, news, etc.), BuzzSumo monitors engagement across 4 major social platforms:
Facebook
Twitter
Reddit
Pinterest
Each social platform has a slightly different way of calculating social engagement, including adding reaction data, upvotes, and comments.
But before there were these additional measures of engagement, there were simply shares.
A share is an act of posting a link to a piece of content or webpage to a social media channel. The user has then, in effect, "shared" the article with his or her friends and followers.
When another person sees the post containing the link, they could either:
Click on the link and then share the content in their own post
Share the social post itself and the included link
In either instance, the article in question will have received a second share.
Social shares are important metrics to help determine whether the content you create is resonating with your audience.
Click here for information on Facebook Engagements.
Click here for information on Reddit Engagements.