Last week Facebook hosted its F8 Conference, a two-day affair in San Francisco, during which the social network shared its work, plans, and visions to move beyond being a “social network” into the realm of technology product developer.
During his one-and-a-half hour-long opening keynote, Mark Zuckerberg revealed some interesting updates and developments on the horizon. Here are seven of the F8 updates brands and marketers should be aware of…
#1 Chat Bots
While “bots” might sound like a futuristic concept today, they’re going to be everywhere within the year. Facebook is building bots inside its popular Messenger app. Brands will be able to use bots that walk customers through ecommerce experiences, suggest articles, offer customer support, and perform other functions that–until now–would have required a human.
#2 Any Camera for Facebook Live
It’s no secret that Facebook Live is a big deal for Facebook. Now, the product is open to any camera. No longer are Facebook Live publishers limited to phones and computers. Use a drone, build Facebook Live into your app… create content from anywhere.
#3 Social VR
Facebook is sinking serious money into virtual reality (see their Oculus Rift acquisition, for example). The company has even developed a sleek open-source 360-degree camera, which was unveiled at F8.
#4 Account Kit
For millions of users in developing nations, the email/password requirements Facebook necessitates are barriers-of-entry. Facebook’s new Account Kit will allow users to join Facebook and log into other apps with just a phone number, opening up the platform to more users.
#5 Terragraph, ARIES & Aquila
Speaking of opening up Facebook to more users… Zuckerberg is also testing out methods for bringing the internet to developing nations. Aquila is a drone that can fly at 60,000 feet for months at a time, sending down internet signals to people below. Terragraph and ARIES are on-the-ground methods of bringing internet connections to people who currently don’t have access.
#6 Artificial Intelligence
We’re already well accustomed to Facebook’s suggested photo tags, which are remarkably advanced and consistent. Now, expect that clever use of AI to extend further. Facebook’s coming AI will improve image search, generate captions for videos, and more.
#7 Save Feature
Facebook has 250 million users who use its “Save” feature every month. Now, a new button is going to help grow the number of “Save” users. It’s possible that a Save-prompt feature could become available to Facebook Pages, giving brands an edge in a content-saturated environment.
What Facebook Features Are You Excited For?
Tell us in the comments below!