Most of us have seen it coming with the new updates and features that led to Facebook’s live streaming being tested at Lollapalooza. It’s been noticed for a while, mostly because the social media networking website has been waving flags all over the place, that Facebook is trying to get into the video streaming market.
It was only a matter of time before they ambitiously tackled a major event and Lollapalooza seems to be just the first of many to come. The annual music festival, usually featuring rock or alternative music, along with other entertaining treats, has now been partnered up with the social media giant for proper promotion.
The Place Tips option has been open for sharing information, posts and videos of the live event and you may have already seen it from friends who attended. Similar options have been used by YouTube’s live streaming and a few choice others, but Facebook seems eager to encroach on their territory by offering essentially anything from under the sun.
It’s not particularly needed, though, with the social media networking website approaching the 1.5 billion user mark, but it seems determined to keep its lead. Place Tips is where people can post information or live updates about events or locations near them. What makes it different from the others, is that all the posts crowding up your News Feed will be from your friends alone.
The feature has first been introduced in January of this year, mostly aimed at local businesses to post about their events, sales or perhaps even new products. It’s now moving onto concerts and perhaps many other festivals in the future. Lollapalooza is simply their first pancake.
It’s still early on for users to decide whether Place Tips will be a widely used feature and the project is still in its infancy, but a Facebook spokesman claims that it’s meant to be how they want people to “get the feel of an event when they’re not there”. And it’s certainly not the only social media platform with the same purpose, so the competition is now on.
Popular outlets such as Twitter, Persicope, Instagram and Meerkat are all looking at the same mountain to conquer, though they admittedly have a good head start. Facebook is coming in a bit late to live streaming, but it should not be underestimated, given that it continuously provides updates, new features and many more fixes coming in nearly daily.
If the first 1.4 billion subscribers will enjoy the new feature, it may prove to give even YouTube a run for its money.
Image source: worldforumnews.org
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