Facebook’s Live Video is rolling out to all iPhone users
Facebook began testing its Periscope-like Live Video feature back in December. Only celebs and verified pages could get in on the livestreaming action, though, but that’s about to change. The social network is rolling out the feature to iPhone users in the US starting today, with a wider release “to the rest of the world” in the weeks to come. To get started, all you have to do is select Update Status and tap on on the Live Video icon. You’ll then be able to select your audience and enter a short description before your broadcast begins.
While you’re streaming, you’ll receive updates on the number of viewers, which of your friends tuned in and a stream comments. When you’re finished, the video will appear on your timeline just like a link or video that you uploaded manually. Don’t want to leave it for folks to see later? No problem. You’re able to delete the footage from the stream should the need arise. Live Video is only available on Facebook’s iPhone app for now, but the company says Android users “soon.”
Source: Facebook
Facebook’s Live Video Feature Now Available to All U.S. iPhone Users
Facebook today announced that the Live Video feature it introduced in December is now available to all iPhone users in the United States, with plans to roll it out to the rest of the world in the coming weeks.
Facebook’s built-in Live Video feature is designed to compete with live streaming services like Periscope and Meerkat, which allow people to share in-the-moment video through iOS apps. Live Video on Facebook can be used to share streaming video with friends and family members directly in their Facebook news feeds.
Sharing Live Video can be done by tapping on the Update Status button on an iPhone and then choosing the Live Video icon. Live Video can be limited to a select audience of Facebook friends, and it can be accompanied by a text status update. While streaming, it includes information such as the number of live viewers, the name of friends who are viewing the stream, and real-time comments. Completed Live Videos remain visible in a user’s Timeline.
Facebook for iOS can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
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Facebook Reactions are coming in a few weeks
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We’ve already heard quite a bit about the incoming Facebook Reactions update to the social media platform, and reports are now saying that we’re all going to be using Reactions in a matter of weeks. For those who aren’t up to speed, Facebook has been toying with the humble “like” button in the hopes that they can give people a wider range of emotion to use.
The classic real-life scenario is when something bad happens to a friend of yours, but you don’t want to hit “like” because it’s not a good thing, and commenting is too personal – that’s where Reactions come in. With Reactions, you’ll be able to convey empathy with a “sad” reaction, or amazement with a “wow” reaction. All up, there should be five new Reactions to play with (“yay” has since been scrapped, it would appear).
This may be the single biggest change to Facebook since its conception, particularly seeing as the “like” is its logo. While this might not seem like a big deal to most (especially if you don’t use Facebook), the addition of Reactions has been a long time coming, and frequent users are no doubt going to need a period of transition whenever the update goes live. Only time will tell whether Facebook gets the right reaction.
What do you think about the Facebook Reactions? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Bloomberg via engadget
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Facebook’s revamped Reaction buttons are due to launch soon
Facebook’s changes to their Like system are due to hit the social network soon. These new “Reactions” were teased back in October, but now we can expect an official rollout to users over the next few weeks.
These new reactions cover everything from your normal likes and loves that we’re used to seeing on social media, but there are also reactions for laughter, shock, grief, and a few others. We still won’t get a dislike button because of how easily that would turn into a negative experience for users, but the wide range of emotions is a significant improvement over the current one-dimensional like. After all, natural disasters and personal tragedies are hardly things that any of us like, despite what status updates on Facebook say.
The six new emotions available for users will help Facebook figure out what gets the most reactions out of users, and should hopefully help to drive more interaction on the site. We’ll find out in a few weeks.
source: Bloomberg
Come comment on this article: Facebook’s revamped Reaction buttons are due to launch soon
Facebook’s growth is apparently unstoppable
Facebook continues its upward trajectory with a very successful fourth quarter last year. Today, the social network reported that it made $5.84 billion and had about 1.59 billion monthly active users in last quarter alone. This is a decent increase over the previous quarter, where it had 1.55 billion users, and an impressive 14 percent increase over this time last year. And that $5.84 billion? It’s a whopping 52 percent increase year-over-year. Taken as a whole, that means Facebook made $17.93 billion in 2015, which is a 44 percent increase from 2014.
As always, a good chunk of that money comes from mobile: About 80 percent, to be exact. Which isn’t surprising, considering that Facebook also enjoyed 1.44 billion mobile monthly users last quarter. What’s even more impressive is that Facebook kept the trend for daily active users — as of last quarter, an average of 1.04 billion people used Facebook every day, and 934 million of those people were on mobile.
On the earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg went further into a few details. He said that more than one billion people used Facebook’s Groups last year, and brought up the trend of folks using the social network to connect over the big events of the year like the refugee crisis and the Paris attacks. In particular, he said that more than 950 million people used a Safety Check feature to let folks know they were safe. He also said that 500 million people use the site for Events every month and about 123 million events were created in 2015.
Much of the growth last quarter also had to do with Facebook connecting the developing world. Zuckerberg said that 80 million people use Facebook Lite, which is the lightweight version of the site for less sophisticated mobile phones. COO Sheryl Sandberg also pointed to the recent efforts made to increase video advertising for lower bandwidth mobile devices, which tend to be more prevalent in those countries.
Speaking of video, Zuckerberg said that video continues to be an “important part of the Facebook experience” and will invest more in the area. He said that people have watched over a 100 million hours of video on Facebook and the company is working on ways for users to discover even more. There could even be a dedicated section for people who just want to watch videos, he said.
Of course, Facebook is more than just the big blue app; it also owns Whatsapp, Instagram and there’s Messenger too. Last quarter, the company reported that Whatsapp now has 900 million users, Instagram has 400 million users and Messenger has 800 million users. The Messenger platform seems especially intriguing, as it’s now more than just a place for conversations — Facebook is now testing it so you could use it with the M digital assistant and you can even order transportation through it thanks to a partnership with Uber. Zuckerberg said that the company is even working with airlines so you could potentially check-in with a flight reservation just by using Messenger.
Last but certainly not least, it’s also worth noting that Facebook owns Oculus. Zuckerberg has said he’s very pleased with the initial reactions to products like the Samsung Gear VR as well as the new consumer-grade Oculus Rift, which has recently announced its pre-order price. “VR is going to be a big area of investment for us. It’s going to change how we’re going to communicate, work and play games,” he said. “We’re off to a good start.”
Source: Facebook
Facebook’s Like button alternatives launching ‘in the next few weeks’
Facebook has been wanting to replace the Like button for a few years now, and that idea might soon come into fruition. Back in October 2015, the social network’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave us a sneak peek at what we could expect from Facebook’s Like button alternatives, called Reactions. Reactions can be thought of as a more expressive Like button, where users will get to express their exact feelings from a number of different emotions such as love, awe, humor, sadness and more. Facebook has been testing Reactions for a few months now, and it looks like they’ll soon roll out to users in the United States. According to what the company tells Bloomberg, we can expect to see a full rollout “in the next few weeks.”
Related: Why you can’t rely on Facebook friends in times of need
The social network doesn’t have plans to rush into things, and for good reason. Facebook’s Like button has been a very big tool in the way users express themselves on the internet, and the company didn’t exactly want to mess that up. Many folks over the years have been requesting a Dislike button to be added to each Facebook post, but Zuckerberg claimed that would make things too negative. Also, adding a Dislike button would be quite reminiscent of the way Reddit works, almost acting on an upvote/downvote structure. This isn’t ideal for obvious reasons, which is why the Facebook team created Reactions.
“We roll things out very carefully,” says Chris Cox, the social network’s chief product officer. “And that comes from a lot of lessons learned.” Cox says the data he has looks promising, and that users will likely accept Reactions with open arms.
We’ll let you know once we hear more about the big Reactions rollout.
Facebook will launch ‘Reactions’ in a few weeks
It won’t long before you can react to a Facebook post with more than a thumbs-up or witty comment. Facebook tells Bloomberg that its expanded ‘Reactions’ should be available worldwide in “the next few weeks.” As mentioned before, the feature adds fresh responses for those moments when the Like button would be inadequate or insensitive — you can be “sad” for someone’s loss, or give a “wow” when there’s something shocking. The “yay” button you see above sadly didn’t make the cut (not everyone understood it, Facebook says), but you’ll otherwise have the range of emotions unveiled last fall.
It’s a seemingly simple addition, but it’s an important one for both Facebook and users. In theory, you’re more likely to react to posts when you can use an appropriate response. Also, this gives Facebook a ton of extra data that it can use to tailor the News Feed to your liking (and, yes, for advertisers). It could have a better understanding of what stories get the biggest outpourings of joy or grief, for example. Facebook hasn’t said what it hopes to do with that info, but don’t be surprised if your social stream eventually prioritizes those updates that hit closest to home.
Via: The Next Web
Source: Bloomberg
Twitter’s product head is jumping to Instagram
Ex-Twitter executive Kevin Weil is switching social networks: he’s joining Instagram as its new head of product and will be reporting directly to CEO Kevin Systrom, according to NYT. Recode says Weil has replaced Peter Deng who moved to another FB property, Oculus, earlier this month. The Facebook-owned image-sharing network has apparently been courting Weil since last year, and it’s not true that he was fired. He’s chosen to take the company up on its offer way before it was reported that some of Twitter’s top execs are leaving the microblogging service.
The New York Times describes Weil, who joined Twitter in 2009, as a “well-liked veteran.” It’s unclear why he’s decided to change allegiances, but his responsibilities were reportedly trimmed down after Dorsey cleaned house in October.
Source: The New York Times, Recode
Why you can’t rely on Facebook friends in times of need
The scientist that previously claimed the human brain is not cognitively able to maintain more than 150 meaningful interpersonal relationships is at it again. This time, Professor Robin Dunbar is demonstrating that the vast majority of your Facebook friends don’t really care about you at all.
Dunbar’s latest research revolves around two studies of UK Facebook users. Survey respondents were asked to specify who among their Facebook friends could be relied upon in times of need and how many express sympathy when something bad is shared on the social platform.
Within an overage friend pool of 150 people, respondents felt they could only rely on less than five people during an emotional crisis and only expect a sympathetic response from less than 15.
Who do you call on in a crisis?
The figures remained relatively constant even in friend pools that were much larger, reinforcing Dunbar’s previous research that humans are not able to sustain countless stable relationships, even when aided by social media and technology.
There is a cognitive constraint on the size of social networks that even the communication advantages of online media are unable to overcome.
As Professor Dunbar notes, “there is a cognitive constraint on the size of social networks that even the communication advantages of online media are unable to overcome,” adding that, “at least occasional face-to-face interaction” is required to maintain “real” relationships.
See also: Facebook Messenger may soon get a big taste of Material Design on Android
The study certainly seems to confirm that human beings have natural limits placed upon our ability to create larger social networks with meaning, even when we have the tools to do so. Rather than creating ever-larger meaningful networks, we instead spend our time pandering to the passive entertainment needs of fake friends that actually don’t care about us at all. Now, if that’s not sufficient cause to do a “friend cull” I don’t know what is.
Do you agree with these findings? How many “real” friends would you count in your friend list?
Most of your Facebook friends couldn’t care less about you
Even if you have thousands of Facebook friends, you can probably only count on a handful in a pinch, according to a new study. The author, anthropologist Robin Dunbar, should know. He’s the guy who came up with Dunbar’s number, which shows that in the real world, people can only maintain about 150 stable relationships. For his latest research, Dunbar analyzed a UK study of 3,375 Facebook users between the ages of 18 and 65. On average, folks had 150 followers but said that they could only count on 4.1 of them during an “emotional crisis,” and only 13.6 ever express sympathy.
Those numbers line up very closely with Dunbar’s previous offline studies. “The sizes of the two inner friendship circles did not differ from those previously identified in offline samples,” he said. Having a lot more than 150 followers doesn’t change things much, either. “Heavy users of online social media do not have larger offline social networks than casual users, even though more of these may appear online for heavy users.”
Social networks typically encourage promiscuous ‘friending’ of individuals who often have very tenuous links to you.
Unsurprisingly, you’re likely to have a larger online social network if you’re young, but older people tend to have more friends in real life. “A likely explanation for this difference probably lies in the fact that [social networks] typically encourage promiscuous ‘friending’ of individuals who often have very tenuous links [to you],” said Dunbar.
The results confirm the obvious: Each of us has limited time and emotional capacity for social interaction, whether we’re online or not. However, social networks do offer one distinct advantage — they allow busy folks to touch base with people and keep friendships on life support. “However, that alone may not be sufficient to prevent friendships eventually dying naturally if they are not occasionally reinforced by face-to-face interaction,” says Dunbar.
Via: The Independent
Source: Robin Dunbar
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