Written by Yeo Yong Lun, Tricia Lee and Yuan Qi Ong
Facebook Adds New Video Features for Creators
Do you like to post vlogs on Facebook? The time has come for you to expand and go big! With most people staying home, a new demand for online video content has surfaced. Facebook has added a couple of new video features to the platform to make it more viable as a video content hub.
Aligning itself with Facebook Watch, the new update essentially makes the features of Facebook Watch available to everyone and not just partners, giving regular creators the chance to build a following on Facebook for their video content and promote viewership.
Here’s the list of updates announced:
Playlists Update – Playlists now show up on the main feed without having to launch a separate page.
Series – Series allows admins to organize their content into episodes in chronological order.
New Video Tab –a new video tab will also be launched, putting more focus on playlists and series listings.
Bulk Uploader –the bulk uploader will not facilitate uploading of up to 50 videos at once, and also new editing tools which will allow people to implement actions on their videos in bulk.
Full details on each update are available on their announcement post.
Are you ready to start your own playlists and series? Having these new features on Facebook could really go a long way, especially because you’re able to appeal to your family and friends on the platform. And who knows? Your cooking or workout series could become the next big thing on the platform. It’s time to unleash the inner creator in you!
Messenger Comes to the Big Screen: New Desktop App for Group Video Calls and Chats
After the testing of the Messenger desktop app earlier this year, Facebook has officially announced its release. It’s available worldwide on both macOS and Windows devices, which makes connecting with people across the globe so much easier.
Have the perks the mobile app on a larger screen – From Dark mode to GIFs to video calls
Connect with everyone easily – You just need to be connected via a Facebook profile, no phone numbers or emails required
Multitask – With the app running on your desktop background, you won’t have to stop everything else to access it
Get notified – Receive notifications whenever you get a new message, or you can choose to hit snooze too
Be updated – Your mobile and desktop app will always be kept in sync so you won’t miss anything
It’s no surprise that there’s a spike in the usage of video conferencing tools these days, but there’s no harm in having another just to stay connected with family and friends especially now when everyone is physically apart.
Snapchat Users Can Now Share Stories to Other Apps
Snapchat users rejoice! Stories can now be shared outside of Snapchat to other apps, with this latest update inviting third-party developers to use Stories for their respective platforms. This new feature of App Stories can be seen as Snapchat’s personal invitation for developers to build Stories into their apps, and currently, four apps have already built-in that integration.
Triller, an app for creating music videos, will now house Snapchat Stories from artists and friends.
Squad, a screen-sharing mobile app designed to allow friends to watch videos or use apps together, will allow users to watch Stories while on a call.
Hily, a dating app, will gain the Snapchat camera features as Snapchats are shared directly to Hily Stories.
Octi, an augmented reality social media, can now add Snapchats to Octi Stories, which are also added to users’ Octi AR belts.
Now, when users shoot with their Snapchat camera, they will get additional options to share their Story within other apps integrated with Snap Kit. Unlike the ephemeral Stories on Snapchat which disappears after 24 hours, the stories on other apps have a default 7-day expiration.
With these new updates, Snapchat could hopefully dissuade more copycats from cloning their popular Stories format and let developers utilize the original version in their apps instead.
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Disclaimer: Featured Image taken from Social Samosa.
