Avatar

The Top 8 From Facebook F8 2018

9 May 2018
No Comments
8,201 Views

Coming off the heat of Zuckerberg’s time spent testifying in front of Congress due to a data breach, it was safe to say some major announcements and touches on safety, privacy, and Facebook’s overall mission would be a focal point at this years Facebook F8 Conference. In January Facebook announced a new post ranking change that better aligned with their mission to connect people with meaningful content and conversations and the idea of making those connections a priority shined through in every update announced.

Here are the top 8 highlights you need to know from F8 2018:

 

  1. Instagram Stories

Sharing to Instagram via third-party apps such as GoPro and Spotify will soon be available. Loving the song you’re listening to? Share it in your Instagram story with the click of a button through third-party apps. Instagram went into further detail on their blog:

Just tap the share button in the Spotify or GoPro app and your content is pulled directly into the Instagram camera. From there you can edit and add to your story or send it via Direct. You don’t have to connect your Instagram account to other apps in order to share to Stories.

Instagram press media share feature

Photo courtesy of Instagram Press.

With more than 300 million daily users, Facebook see’s the importance of continuing to develop Instagram story features as it continues to rival the newsfeed. Personally, I share on Instagram stories almost daily, where I’ll share to the newsfeed 1-3 times a week or less. It’s a quick way to update your followers on what’s happening in the moment when you don’t have the time to snap and edit that perfect photo.

 

2. Facebook Stories & The Newsfeed

Facebook stories are also continuing to thrive according to Chris Cox, Facebook’s Chief Product Officer. During his keynote at F8, Cox told the crowd that the stories format is on path to surpass the newsfeed within the next year. Facebook has begun rolling out subtle changes to the way story features appear on the app in an effort to drive the desire to utilize the feature more, even allowing you to now seamlessly share your Instagram story across both Facebook and Messenger stories without having to download and repost.

This doesn’t come as a shock or surprise to this millennial. The older generations using Facebook to scroll through photos and text updates from friends and family are in for a rude awakening as video continues to dominate, and basic status updates become few and far between.

 

3. Facebook’s Clear History

During Day 1 of the conference, Facebook announced their new ‘Clear History’ feature in light of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. This tool will allow you to clear your search history within the Facebook app, along with any data collected by third-party apps and websites that have tracking pixel’s installed. It’s important to note that when you clear, your experience on the platform will change. The ads and content served to you as you scroll won’t be as customized as Facebook resets its profile on you, and starts to re-learn your preferences until the next time you decide to clear. If you’re unbothered by that idea, you can turn off history tracking completely with one click of a button.

Personally, I appreciate Facebook’s understanding of my likes and desires to watch cat videos, but to each their own.

 

4. Facebook Dating

Facebook Dating

Photo Courtesy of Facebook News

“There are 200 Million people who list themselves as single on Facebook, so clearly there’s something to do here!” – Mark Zuckerberg, Opening Keynote F8 2018.

The Facebook app will soon roll out the ability to create a dating profile that is completely separate from your personal Facebook page. The service is opt-in, and the idea is to create long-term relationships. Don’t worry, your friends can’t see your dating profile and it does not show up in the newsfeed. The dating extension will also not suggest people who are on your friends’ list already, and it was noted multiple times that this application was built around privacy and safety from the start.

The way it will work will be much more meaningful than your average dating app. It pulls local events in the area and allows you to unlock the event, view who has also unlocked the event, and share your dating profile with other people going to that event who are also using the dating service. They can then start a conversation, text only, in your very own dating inbox seperate from Messenger.

Do you know how thrilled I was to learn that Bobby from 8th-grade math class might finally stop using the “poke” feature to get my attention?

 

5. Messenger Update

A  lot is coming to this platform! Messenger will soon sport a cleaner, faster, more simplified interface. Users will have the ability to send 4K photos, 360 photos, and high-quality videos through Messenger without it reducing quality, making Messenger an incredible platform to share rich media instantly.

A brand new customer chat plugin has been created, allowing businesses to embed Messenger into their websites as a chatbot and for real-time conversations. The best part of this integration compared to your everyday chat feature is the ability to continue chatting with your customers even after they have left your website. Customer service win, and re-marketing win.

Speaking of customer service wins, brands have already begun to utilize the new Messenger updates and the newly announced AR integrations to make shopping a more personalized experience. For example during day 1 of F8, David Marcus, VP of Messaging Products, shared how seamlessly you’d be able to pull up a Nike Shoe you’re interested in right in front of you through your camera by starting a chat with the brand in Messenger. Take pictures and share them with your friends to get their opinions, and go back into your message and buy the shoes right there. The digital one stop shop!

AR for Messenger

Photo Courtesy of Facebook

M Translations – For those of you conducting international business, or looking to connect with friends who don’t speak your native language, you will be able to activate M Translations inside your Messenger chats, where the platform will translate your messages to each other’s native language.

que increíble es eso! Translation: How incredible is that? Sorry got a little ahead of myself…

 

6. Video Chat on Instagram

Video chat one on one or in Instagram Direct group chats by simply tapping the video camera icon when you’re inside your direct messages. Swipe up on your video chat to minimize it in the corner of your feed, and continue to browse Instagram, or search for that perfect meme to message to the group your chatting with!

“Video chat is incredible because it deepens connections and it prevents things from being lost in ‘textlation’ “, says Shilpa Sarkar, Product Manager at Instagram.

 

7. AR & VR

AR Camera Effects will now be available on Instagram and Facebook stories. Facebook has also opened the AR development tool to developers who wish to create AR overlays on Instagram, and those lenses will only show up for their followers, or their client’s followers to use, allowing them to feel more authentic. If you see an AR overlay you don’t have on someone’s story that you follow, you’ll be able to tap “try it on” to use it yourself, according to Jyoti Sood, Product Manager at Instagram.

Oculus Go is now available – Starting at $199, this stand-alone headset launches with 1000 apps and is the high-quality headset they’ve released yet.

Oculus TV launches this month, allowing you to watch your shows on a virtual giant screen in your virtual living room using your Oculus Go. Oculus Rooms will give you the ability to hang out with your friends who also have Oculus Go, watch movies, play board games, and feel like you’re truly there together. Oculus Venues allow you to immerse yourself in live experiences taking you right inside the arena to watch games with 180-degree views in stadium seating. Hear and feel the cheer of the crowd, or laugh along with your friends as you watch a comedy show. According to Hugo Barra, VP of VR at Facebook, you’ll be able to enjoy a live concert from Vance Joy on May 30th using Oculus Venues.

Rachel Franklin, head of social VR shares some exciting updates on how virtual reality will live on Facebook and translate into our own living world. 3D posts that show up in your feed will have also have a “try it” button, allowing you to pull the object shown into your own camera. See what that art would look like on your living room wall, or how that mixer you sent to a friend would look on their countertop. Want to take it a step further? You can integrate those 3D pictures into your VR experiences using Oculus Go. Your friend takes a 360 photo of her kitchen and you meet her in the Oculus Rooms application, allowing her to show you what the new mixer looks like in her kitchen. This gives the digital gift exchange a whole new personalized meaning.

 

8. Fake News

Lastly, Facebook is working hard to help eliminate “fake news” with the implementation of Up-voting and Down-voting to improve the quality of the conversations happening between everyone on the platform. You will be able to up-vote or down-vote posts helping people better understand what is seen widely as legitimate, or fake news.

It will also prioritize trusted publishers that are informative and local to you when it comes to advertising. When people see articles from publishers they don’t recognize they will be able to pull up an information card where it will provide the user with information such as when the company or brand was founded, where they are based, other content written or shared recently by the publisher, and other trusted sources on that same topic. This will help people making better judgments on what and who they can trust across the platform.

Overall the many updates seem to be focused on the true mission they are desperately trying to bring to light, more meaningful interactions, connections, and relationships using Facebook. Although many advertisers fear the changes that lie ahead, we can only hope that Zuck and his developers continue to understand the value that social advertising brings to the economy, the world, and most importantly, the consumer.

What update are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments below.

 

Summary
The Top 8 From Facebook F8 2018
Article Name
The Top 8 From Facebook F8 2018
Description
Covering 8 updates announced during the 2018 Facebook F8 conference to include Instagram stories, Messenger, Instagram Video Chat, new AR & VR capabilities, and how privacy and security were at the forefront of the conversation.
Author
Publisher Name
SISDigital
Publisher Logo

About Meg Ahrenberg

Radford University & Quinnipiac University Graduate from Chesapeake, Virginia who ventured to The Port City upon completing her Master's degree. Lover of the beach, the outdoors, live tweeting, and a good Netflix binge. Sometimes you can find her singing around town, and she loves to stay involved in community events!

Like What You Are Reading? Subscribe To Read More

Like What You Are Reading? Subscribe To Read More

Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.

You have Successfully Subscribed!