I just mentioned this the past week that Live Video on Facebook needs to be rolled out to more than just those who use Facebook Mentions. It was like the Facebook Gods were listening to me! They have rolled it out to Groups and Events.
What did they release?
“Going live” on Facebook feels special because you are going live with the people you care about. Today we’re rolling out the ability to go live in Facebook Groups and Facebook Events. Live in Groups allows you to broadcast to just the people in the Facebook Group – so you can go live in your family group, or share a workout plan in a fitness group. Live in Events means you can go live from a birthday party to allow those that can’t make it to join the fun, and a performer can go live backstage to the people who’ve RSVP-ed to the event to give them a sneak peak. You can even use Events to schedule a live Q&A session. We hope this new ability to both broadcast and watch live video within Groups and Events enables people to connect more deeply with their closest friends, family and the communities of people who share their interests.
Live Reactions are now in live video
Now you can use the Facebook Reactions (Love, Haha, Wow, Sad or Angry) while the video is being broadcast. These will show up on the video as it’s played. Facebook says “it’s like hearing the crowd applaud and cheer.” While I wouldn’t go that far but it’s a good way to get instant feedback on what you are broadcasting
Why is Live Video is a good thing?
According to Facebook “we’ve seen that people comment more than 10 times more on Facebook Live videos than on regular videos.” Interaction is key in social. You want people to like, comment and share. Live video is a way to do something new and interesting when you have an event.
How is Facebook Helping people to find Live Video?
One new way is they are giving people a way to send the live video to a friend. This is done right from the video and you can select the friend you want to share the broadcast. They also said “we’re starting to roll out a dedicated place on Facebook’s mobile app where you can discover live video that the world is talking about, live video from the friends and creators that matter most to you, and live video on topics you’re interested.” This will make it way easier to find live broadcasts. If you are on desktop don’t worry they will have rolled out a Facebook Live Map that will show all the broadcasts happing at that moment.
Is Live Video coming to Pages?
Currently its not available to any page I manage. It seems to be still locked into official pages and people. We hope they will change this to allow more pages. To get verified is not an easy process for most small businesses. Its geared more to people who have pages such as actors, media personalities and individuals. I know this could be a liability for them but there should be some rules set up so more brands can use the service. One way around it would be create a group or event to broadcast. While not ideal its currently the only way around the “verified” requirement.
Stay tuned for more updates for Live Video soon!
Pictures by Facebook
