Some Facebook users are seeing Halloween-themed questions today in their status update box. The box, which typically asks “What’s on your mind?” has been updated to ask a handful of different questions as seen below.

Other prompts include, “What’s your favorite Halloween candy?”, “What’s your favorite scary movie?”, “What’s your Halloween costume this year?” and “Describe your Halloween costume.”

Facebook has changed the News Feed publisher box in the past with questions such as “What did you learn today?” This is the first known instance of holiday-themed questions being used.

The update appears to be aimed at getting users to share more with their friends in a journal-like style similar to personal blogs such as Tumblr. These types of questions are also often asked by marketers aiming to start a time-relevant discussion with their fans and earn engagement. If these holiday themed prompts continue and users begin answering these questions on their personal profiles rather than on business pages, page managers may need to create new content strategies to engage their audiences.

In the future, Facebook may use this space to encourage users to share other information, for instance, asking people in areas affected by storms to share whether they’re OK. Another thought is that brands might be interested in sponsoring this space by creating a custom prompt for users in their target audience, however, Facebook might not want to integrate advertising in that way.

Thanks to David Turner for the tip and the screenshots.