As business owners, and as parents and home-workers, we have had quite a few things thrown at us over the last few weeks when it comes to technology – and there is no end in sight as yet…
A couple of the latest announcements from the social side of things have come in the form of the new Facebook Messenger Rooms and Facebook Shop tools.
Facebook Messenger Rooms
This is the latest videoconferencing feature going up against Google Meets, Zoom, Facetime, Skype, Slack, Microsoft Teams (we could go on…)
Messenger Rooms allows up to 50 people to video chat at a time, there is no limit to how long you can talk, and people do not actually need a Facebook account to join a room.
How to create a Facebook Messenger Room
To create a room from your phone, you need to make sure you have the latest version of the Facebook and Messenger mobile apps downloaded from the App Store or the Google Play Store. Then follow these steps:
- 1. Open the Messenger app.
- 2. Tap the People tab at the bottom right of the screen.
- Tap Create a Room, and select the people who you want to join.
- 4. To share a room with people who don’t have a Facebook account, you can share the link with them.
You can also share the room in your news feed, in groups and on your event pages.
And, according to Facebook, you can join a room from your phone or computer with no need to download anything.
Facebook Shops
Facebook has also announced it is adding a shopfronts tool to its platforms which allows businesses to list their wares on Facebook and Instagram with no fee.
The initial stage of the Facebook Shops rollout has been brought forward and extended because of Covid-19 and the stores will appear on business pages, Instagram profiles and through targeted ads.
How is Shops different to Marketplace?
Facebook currently allows sales on the platform through Marketplace, which was launched in 2016 and allows users to sell personal belongings to each other. Shops will be aimed primarily at businesses, allowing them to sell direct to customers.
Facebook Shops is available in some locations this week and is expected to be rolled out globally over the coming months.
Should we be using these tools?
As with many offerings from social platforms it really depends on whether your target market will be using these tools as to whether you should be using them as a business.
There is so much to think about, and look into, in the current lockdown but we don’t think video-conferencing will be fading out anytime soon so we are definitely going to add it to our list of lockdown ‘to dos’ and would love to hear your thoughts about the new offerings.
