Messenger Day – The Snapchat way

Launched in the beginning of the March, Messenger Day is a direct hit to Snapchat and Instagram Stories. While there are similar features such as filters and stickers, Facebook’s stab at the story-telling app dives a bit deeper. Messenger Day, which can be found directly in Facebook Messenger, acts as more of a conversation starter, allowing you to see who’s online and active in real-time.
The social platform has said that the tool is about today and works to encourage people to share what they’re doing in the moment or what they’d like to be doing. Let’s say you want to grab a burger, all you have to do is snap a selfie, add a sticker and send it over to your friend. Much better than a regular old text message, right?
Sorry businesses, don’t get too excited. For now, this isn’t available to you all just yet, but it’s certainly on Facebook’s radar. This will make for a pretty cool advertising platform in the near future!
Bonus: If you’re still partial to Snapchat, you’ll love the newest feature rolling out now; Facebook Stories. Housed inside the Facebook Mobile app, you can add filters to your photos and add them to your story.

Facebook 360 – What’s new

First, there was Live 360 broadcasting and the ability to post a 360 image that took Facebook by storm. To date, there have been more than 25 million 360 photos and 1 million 360 videos posted on the social network. Yup, our minds were blown, too. At Wix, we’ve had some fun of our own with 360 images.
But now, something even bigger is coming: the Facebook 360 app for Samsung Gear VR, powered by Oculus. To experience this new level of 360, you need to have a Gear VR- compatible Samsung device; if you don’t have one, we wouldn’t blame you for buying one after reading this.
Just like with regular videos and photos, you’ll be able to react to the content you love and share them on Facebook. You’ll be able to look at all popular trending content on Facebook, view photos and videos posted by those you follow, save your favorites to view again and again, and keep your own collection in a separate tab.

Workplace by Facebook – A playground for companies

Initially used as an internal tool for Facebook employees, Workplace aims to help professionals stay connected to their coworkers. It’s similar to Facebook in that it has a news feed, the ability to communicate via Live video or chat, plus other features that allow colleagues to speak to one another.
This tool is perfect for businesses who work across different time zones and need to stay in sync at all times. You can also take advantage of analytics features that easily integrate with existing IT systems in your own company. The coolest part? The multi-company groups, or shared spaces, that allow employees from different organizations collaborate with another.

Facebook Live 2.0 – Your desktop just got an upgrade

Gone are the days where you had to stream a Facebook Live from a tablet, smartphone or a camera setup utilizing the Facebook Live API. Now, you can broadcast a Facebook Live straight from your desktop or laptop computer. Admins can now designate others as “Live Contributors,” which gives them the capability to stream to the page at any time. Additionally, users can now pin comments to the bottom of a Live Broadcast, highlighting any important message you have for viewers. Ready to get started? All you need to do is download a streaming software and click on “Live Video” at the top of your news feed.

Group Video – What else do you really need?

Finally, the most requested Messenger feature has arrived. Group Video chat is the answer to the 245 million people making video calls in Messenger each month – that’s a lot of chit-chat. This easy-to use feature is built right into Messenger’s interface and allows up to 50 (yes, 50!) people to jump on a video call, slap on a fun filter and catch up on the latest.
Bonus: Those annoying Chat Heads found in Messenger? Now, it’s easy to remove them. Simply go into Messenger, click on your profile button at the top right and switch Chat Heads to ‘off’.

Advertising Capabilities – Good news for publishers

Looking to advertise your brand on the number one used social platform? Now, it’s even easier. With 100 million hours of video being consumed on Facebook each month, they’ve now expanded the way advertising can be done, giving brands maximum exposure to the 1 billion users surfing their news feed. Here’s the breakdown:

• In-stream video ads on publisher sites – Advertisers can upload their ads and bids to Facebook in advance via the Audience Network, allowing users to see the most relevant ads.
• Ad Breaks in Live videos – Simply put, pages with over 2,000 followers can now place an ad of up to 15 seconds into a live video. This is currently in beta testing – don’t miss out!

Games and Chat Bots – Play time!

Attention, gamers! Facebook Messenger has injected some serious fun into their app. Now, users can play games right inside of their conversation; from PAC-Man to Space Invaders, it’s easy for everyone to engage in a little friendly competition. This is great news for the 1 billion people who are using messenger a month, wouldn’t you say?
In addition to games, it’s worth mentioning the debut of chat bots. Launched inside of Facebook Messenger, chat bots have been steadily improving the way brands engage with their audience. With over 33,000 developers working on over 35,000 chat bots, there are now a ton of ways to use this tool. How does it work? It’s simple. A user must contact a brand in order for the chatbot to start a conversation, and there’s no installation required on the user’s end. All they have to do is send a private message and the bot will respond. As a user, you can engage with an online store, a travel site, or even a health service provider. Ask your question, and let the chatbot help you out.