Facebook Live was launched last summer through the Mentions app but there was one issue, only the rich and famous had access to it. More recently users of the iOS and Android Facebook app in the US got access to the livestreaming ability brought about by Facebook Live, reveling in the fact that they had another form to interact with and connect to friends and followers. And now, Facebook has decided the feature is in decent enough shape and form to release to the rest of the world.
“With Facebook Live you can use your phone to share a moment instantly with the people you care about. This means your friends, family or fans can be there with you, and you can respond to their comments and see their reactions.”
In a blog post Fidji Simo, Product Management Director at Facebook, announced that they were rolling out the ability to go “live” in Facebook Groups and Facebook Events. Live in Groups will allow a user to broadcast to just the people in the Facebook Group – such as a family group. Going “live”in Events however means you can go live from a birthday party AND those those that couldn’t make it can still join in on the fun. You can even use Events to schedule a live Q&A session. Facebook hopes this new ability to both broadcast and watch live video within Groups and Events enables people to connect more deeply with their closest friends, family and the communities of people who share their interests.
Broadcasts can also be customised through 5 filters the company has released, with Facebook also planning to implement live doodling.
But what about the viewers? Luckily people will be able to interact with those who are livestreaming through Facebook’s set of Reactions that they released recently. The reactions will appear in real time at the top of the feed for the broadcaster, letting them gauge their audience’s feelings. Viewers will also be able to invite their friends to watch a livestream.
Furthermore the company is also releasing a “Live” map on the desktop, letting people view who is going Live and letting them view the public feeds. The new #24Live hub features the best Facebook Live videos over the past 24 hours. Facebook is also adding a dedicated Live video section to its app where you can browse and search for streams, much like Twitch.
Source: Facebook Blog
