Livestreaming is nothing new. People around the globe has used this to get things out as real time as possible, and now Facebook is no exception. The social network giant that wants to get more people on board, is giving journalist the tool they want to stream live, all within its platform.
On Facebook, journalist can use its platform as their distribution channel of choice. With over one billion potential viewers, Facebook is in a unique position to being this livestreaming feature into the mainstream.
On September 10th, 2015, Facebook said that verified journalists, as well as experts and other "influencers" can use its Mentions app. By using the app, journalists can post live feed to Facebook, like for example, during breaking news, live sports and many other possibilities.
After the livestreaming is completed, they turn to ordinary saved videos in which people can watch on Facebook later, unless the broadcaster delete them.
"We want to make Facebook a better experience for journalists whether it's used for news-gathering or better connecting with their readers or to drive distribution to their content," said Facebook's Product Manager Vadim Lavrusik.
As a social media, interaction is where Facebook does best. With the app, journalists and others can monitor what their viewers are saying about them. Users can follow topics that interest them, and among others, see what's trending on Facebook.
Initially, Mentions are only for selected celebrities and public figures. But now, Facebook allows journalists and others that have verified Profile or Page to have access to the app. In order to get verified, the company said that anyone can apply, but only those that qualify that will be approved.
Mentions was launched in 2014, but livestreaming using the app only became possible in August. And because in the current digital age getting information is never easier, Facebook's timing fits.
By using the app, verified people can use different profile other than their usual Facebook account. On Facebook, users are allowed to follow others that aren't their friends. This can be troublesome for journalists as their work-related posts are shared to their friends as well as their followers, occupying their friends' personal timeline with things they may not like. With Mentions, people can be free to share their work to their followers without feeding the stories to their friends.
Verified Profiles can use an audience privacy selector to post publicly and make it visible to everyone, but only appear in the News Feeds of followers, not friends. They can also still use the standard public posting to everyone’s News Feed.
"You probably have content that only your followers will be interested in, and one of the things we really hope this will enable is…to actually nurture that audience by being able to target content specifically to them…actually speak to that audience," said Lavrusik.
Aiming To Be A Direct News Source
Livestreaming is like a faster and better way to get updated with the things you like. Other tech companies have venture into this, like for example Twitter with Periscope earlier in 2015, and Meerkat. Google's YouTube is also doing the exact same thing by launching YouTube Gaming.
Facebook that has the ability to reach more people that most other tech companies, can certainly make itself, and everyone in it, the center of information online. It's in a unique position to do so with its massive amount of users and multiple services. However, Facebook is yet to tap into the market, hoping that it can bring journalists to extensively use Facebook.
And when more journalists are using Facebook for their livestreaming quest, Facebook will have more contents to show, and users' News Feed would become richer and populous, giving yet another reason to come to Facebook as a company that seeks the whole world.
Further reading: Facebook In the 2015 Tech Industry: The Social King Among The Relentless Giants