Facebook have just unveiled something very new: Facebook Gifts. The idea behind Gifts is to let you purchase, and send real-life gifts to friends and family. Facebook have said that members would be able to buy gifts as part of a birthday reminder, or by visiting their friends' Timeline.

RIght now, Facebook Gift options are limited to a few items such as Starbucks gift cards, cupcakes, chocolate and the usual stuffed animals - the social networking site have said that there will be new gifts added every day. When giving a gift, you can post the present straight onto the recipient's Timeline, or through a private message.

The receiver can then "unwrap" the gift with the option to keep it, exchange it for something in another color, size or choose something else entirely - as long as its of equal value. Facebook Gift payments can be done at the time of the purchase itself, or the gift-giver can be billed at a later time. Gift notifications, once received, will have the recipient needing to supply their mailing address - so that the physical item can be delivered.

Facebook Gifts is the result of the social networking sites acquisition of social gifting mobile app company, Karma. Facebook paid an unknown amount of money for the company, scooping up their 16 employees, all on the same day that Facebook's IPO went live a few month ago. Facebook have rolled out Facebook Gifts to those in the US at first, and will continue to expand until the entire of the world has the new gift-giving feature.