Streaming videos are coming to Facebook! This is a pretty big step for Facebook, so it’s worth knowing about. Facebook is planning to add a new feature that will let you share a live video stream with friends and family. Extreme performances, baby’s first steps, newsworthy events, or just your pets being goofy. Your audience will soon be able to watch it all in real time.
The feature works similarly to other known streamable websites and apps. The biggest difference is that the option is built into the main Facebook application, instead of a separate app, which should make it appealing to more users. A few months ago Facebook tested the live streaming feature with a few celebrities. Known celebs suck as The Rock and Martha Stewart had access to the feature, while everyone else had to wait in jealousy. Well, it seems like the wait is almost over. The new Facebook feature is still in the early testing phase, meaning only a few lucky users (based in the United States) will be able to try it. The streaming feature borrows ideas from other popular streaming platforms such as TwichTV. People can post comments during the live broadcast, and you can see how many fans are actually watching. People who missed a broadcast can rewatch it later on your Timeline (as a recorded video). Those who find you especially compelling will have the ability to subscribe (sounds a lot like YouTube) and get an alert every time you go live.
Since Facebook started playing with videos the site exploded in increased page views. Facebook reported earlier this year that users watch on average 3 billion videos every day. Facebook is also adding a new collage feature that combines photos and videos from a location or day into a single post. Facebook has been known to add new features that already exist on other platforms. It adopted hashtags long after Twitter came up with the idea. Also, the popular On This Day feature was copied from the Timehop app. But wait, they’re not done yet! Facebook is currently testing a new Snapchat-like disappearing messages feature inside their messenger app. It seems Facebook is taking the world’s most successful applications and copying their best features to build one unbeatable super platform. Will it work? Only time will tell.