Want to quickly embed all sharing platforms into your website? AddThis is a great solution for doing just that, and today the company announced the inclusion of Facebook’s Like button. In order to implement the Like button, you’ll need to use the AddThis toolbox, rather than the single button widget as described by Justin Thorp this morning. This is the first time I’ve personally seen the toolbox implemented and I have to admit that it’s pretty slick.

The rationale behind adding the AddThis button is pretty apparent. The first reason is obviously because people want to “Like” content. The second, and more important aspect, is that it’s critical to the success of the AddThis business which is in theory, threatened by Facebook. AddThis is clearly a data play and at this point, Facebook could soon have a lot more data than AddThis or even the competing ShareThis platform.

There’s also a downside to the AddThis implementation of the Like button as it applies to Facebook. The Like button is at the center of the new Open Graph platform, which collects semantic data from around the web. The AddThis implementation does not require users to include semantic data in their HTML. It also doesn’t have the full functionality provided by Facebook’s JavaScript SDK, which enables the Like button to also function as a “Share” button.

While this differentiation between “Likes” and “Shares” may be a bit confusing for users (and even developers), it’s a critical distinction when it applies to the viral distribution of content on Facebook. For the average website owner, the AddThis solution is extremely easy to implement and thus it will ultimately help get the Facebook Like button on more sites.

However when it comes to maximizing “viral distribution”, the AddThis button still needs further functionality that simultaneously allows users to share just after liking a piece of content around the web. It’s a great start for AddThis, but I’m hoping they decide (or figure out a way) to take the extra step.