Even though Facebook is losing users and it’s not as popular as it once was with the younger crowd, the company still finds ways to innovate regularly. Facebook has just updated its Android app to include a Live Video section that many people are going to find incredibly interesting.
The Live Video Option
Video is taking over content in a big way. While the two played nicely for a while, video is now quickly swallowing up words. Maybe because it’s instant and entertaining or maybe because it’s live. Either way, video is something that companies have to have and Facebook is no exception. This is where Live Video comes into play.
Live Video is something that Facebook has talked about for a few months now, but the company has just implemented the feature in its Android app. If you use Android, you will see the feature inside of your Facebook app. It’s hard to miss the Live button. It’s stuck in prime real estate right in the middle of the app.
What It Does
So what is the point of a Live Video button? Well when you click on the button you’ll be able to watch live videos. What kinds of videos? Whatever the Internet is watching right now in addition to the content that Facebook thinks you’ll want to see. Watching videos is entertaining (especially if you are stuck at work looking for something to do), but it’s more than that too.
Facebook generates income from advertisers. So the more places that companies can advertise on Facebook the better it is for the social network. What better way to advertise than through live videos? But these videos aren’t your typical ads (or won’t be, I’m guessing). Companies are going to have to come up with some really clever videos that look amazing and don’t sell directly. That’s the kind of stuff that people will want to see.
How to Find It
Right now, the Live button only exists through Android. So if you are using iOS you’re out of luck for now (which is a nice change, since most things happen through iOS first!). Android users should see the live option right away, and videos that pertain to each user should begin to pop up pretty quickly too.
Right now, there’s no real option to upload any of your live videos. So unless you create a viral video that Facebook thinks everyone will want to see, you won’t get it out there - or, you could create an ad video. Facebook hasn’t mentioned the advertising revenue stream here yet, but it’s somewhat obvious at the time being.
More Things Coming
Facebook is one of those companies that is always innovating. The live video button is just one of many new features that are bound to pop up from the company in the next few months. No doubt Facebook is looking for ways for advertisers to burn more money on the site, but the company is also looking to gain new users and keep existing users as well.