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Facebook stories update coming soon and MORE!

The team down at Snapchat must be fuming…or perhaps they’re flattered? However they’re feeling, it doesn’t change the fact that Facebook are blatantly copying their “stories” feature!

This wouldn’t be the first-time Snapchat was copied. Not too long ago Instagram rolled out the same thing. Instagram Stories have even proven to be quite successful; with the stats showing 150 million daily users.

Facebook stories update:

Ireland is the first country lucky enough to be targeted for this new feature’s testing. The main concept behind the idea is an image or 10 second video which disappears exactly 24 hours after being posted.

Benefits include:

• Being able to communicate your personality
• The ability to get creative with your audience (using filters, a pen, etc)
• Time efficient

Read more benefits here: https://www.wow-zone.com/blog/why-instagram-stories-are-a-must-for-businesses/

The look of it is very like Instagram’s own version of stories, with the only noticeable difference being colour schemes. Take a look below:

Facebook in-app camera:

As well as testing Facebook stories in Ireland, the Facebook in-app camera will soon be undergoing changes too. Since October 2016 Facebook have been testing filters, more editing options and more as part of a new feature they will be offering in the near future.

Here are some examples of what the new Facebook in-app camera can do:

The new camera will give you the ability to edit your image/video in many ways – with plenty of “masks” (commonly referred to as “lenses” on Snapchat) available to use!

These executive decisions are part of an overall vision, which is to emphasize its video and camera experiences.

Here’s a summary of what Mark Zuckerberg announced in Q3 of 2016:

• Becoming video-first is Facebook’s first priority.
• Facebook is also working on enhancing its camera experience.
• Doing the above will increase both the consumption and production/sharing side of the camera.

Facebook are releasing these two features to stay in line with objectives and keep people on the app, potentially harming Snapchat’s social market share. I know I’ll definitely be using the feature when it comes out, in fact I can’t wait!

Will you be using these features too? Was this a smart play by Facebook? Join me in the comments!