While most new live streaming apps are putting the power into the hands of everyday Joes to share their world & thoughts with the world, Facebook is using its new streaming offering to keep the power limited to celebrities and other influentials.
This week, the popular social media network introduced is its foray into the live video streaming business.
In a blog post on its Media page, Facebook introduces its new “Mentions” service that will ONLY be available to those who already have a verified account. Read: celebrities, athletes,musicians, politicians, some journalists or other influentials.
Technically, it announced the feature last year, but took too long to release it so now it can only expect backlash for being exclusively available to powerful few when other services are open to all.
In a recent Blog post on the social media site’s media page, FB Product Manager Vadim Lavrusik announced, “we’re excited to introduce Live, a new way for public figures to share live video from Mentions with their fans on Facebook.”
Lavrusik added, “[w]ith Live, public figures can take fans behind the scenes, host a Q&A, share announcements, and more — all in real time.”
The first celebrity to use the new “Mentions” option was Dwayne “a The Rock” Johnson who revealed [showed off] on his Instagram that he had met with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in Japan to discuss the new offering to influentials.
Interesting. Not sour, well maybe a little.
So it goes, Facebook wants to help those that already have the clout sufficient to get verified status.
Lavrusik said “Mentions” could be used to help then “build up” their audience base and “connect authentically” with their fans “in the moment.”
When the influential starts a Live video, it will appear in News Feed of their fans to comment, like and share with their friends. People who have recently interacted with their posts will also receive a notification when they start your broadcast.
During your broadcast, like with Periscope and Meerkat, they will see the number of viewers and a real time stream of comments from people tuning in. As with YouNow and other live streaming apps, they can respond to comments live during the broadcast, or choose to hide comments.
Also, as with those other existing apps, the influential can elect to keep their video available for their fans to view later.
If they select that option, after the broadcast has ended, the video will be published to their Page so that fans who missed it can watch at a later time.
In the coming days, celebs Serena Williams, Luke Bryan, Ricardo Kaka, Ashley Tisdale, Lester Holt, Martha Stewart, Michael Bublé and more.
Here we thought social media was about removing the gatekeepers of access from the powerful to the people.
Wired takes the approach that FB gets to control the quality of live streams while those other apps are filled with boring people sharing mundane, via shaky hands, and have to figure out how to ill emirate illicit & inappropriate content.
It is also a way to get back some young people, who aren’t on FB & prefer sites like Snapchat for their video tool. Getting exclusive behind the scenes access to their fave band or actress is one way to do it.
Good luck with that, FB!
