Category: Social Media

Here’s How Facebook Would Like to Replace Google

When browsing through mobile, it is quite a task to open a website, copying the link, switching between the apps and pasting it on your Facebook status bar. For many users, this is quite a cumbersome job. According to TechCrunch, to change the experiences for its mobile users, Facebook is working on an internal test search engine for its mobile app.

TechCrunch spotted that a few iOS users saw a new ‘Add a Link’ button next to buttons that we use to add photos, location and feelings. Upon writing down a word in the search engine, a list of related and matching links shows up that can be shared to your wall along with a caption. Using this feature, users will be able to bypass search engine while searching for content and give the social media giant a rich data of analytics of the type of content being explored and shared in a series of detailed statistics.

This move by Facebook may throw a hard brick on Google. On the other hand, Google has also allowed users to order food from its search results and add tweets. Apple, too, mentioned about the AppleBot on its support page, indicating an all-new Apple Search on Safari and other search related apps on iOS and OSX environment. This may set up an entirely new bar for search engines.

There are no words when this feature will roll out for the rest of its mobile users. For now, only a handful of iOS users has access to this new tool.

May 11, 2015
Facebook Includes Nokia HERE Maps on Messenger, Instagram Ahead of Official Buyout

HERE maps, previously known as Ovi Maps or Nokia Maps, is an alternative of Google Maps and Apple Maps service. Nokia was in talks with buyers to sell out its maps unit, but seems like Facebook has inked a deal to power maps on its various platforms.

The social networking site is presently using Here maps on the mobile version of its website, and on other applications like Facebook Messenger and Instagram. The Facebook spokesperson confirmed the same through statement –

We are testing Nokia HERE maps across Facebook to give us more control and flexibility in delivering a consistent maps experience.

Nokia confirmed that it is seeking buyers to sell out its $2 billion Here map. The Finnish tech brand spent $8.1 billion to buy Chicago-based digital map maker, Navteq, in an effort to capitalize its market for mobile search, but the buy-out deemed unprofitable. Hence, in April, Nokia roped in the heavyweights of technology including Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Alibaba Group, etc. to sell its maps business. According to Techcrunch, one of those potential buyers has already sealed a deal with Nokia.

For now, Facebook has not given any details about its availability on iOS.

May 5, 2015
This Upcoming App Converts Your Facebook Page into a Full-fledged Website

The Facebook Page feature helps businesses, brands and other organisations create public profiles. They use this to gain followers or fans, with people who ‘like’ their page. Now if you ever thought of converting your page into a full fledged website, you may very well have a chance of doing so. An experimental app is being worked upon that shows potential of achieving this feat.

The app, named Pager, has been developed by a team of three engineers. The rough framework was developed within 24 hours. All you need to do is link your Facebook account, and a list of pages owned by you pops out. You can then choose your desired page and save it, after which the site goes live. The site is divided into four categories, namely, ‘About’, ‘News’, ‘Events’ and ‘Gallery’.

‘The Trap’ page converted into a website

The ‘About’ gallery displays your business details like name, site information, etc. The ‘News’ section works pretty much like a wall post and ‘Events’ and ‘Gallery’ displays upcoming events and photos/videos, respectively. Alex llea, Anton Shevchenko and Darrel-Day Guerrero, who developed this app during the Disrupt NY Hackathon said that the central idea behind this was to allow small businesses who use Facebook to manage their website. The app is still in its infancy stage, but the team is laying down all the codes that can support the Facebook API.

May 4, 2015
Facebook Donation Drive Collects $10 Million to Help Nepal

Last weekend, Nepal was hit by a devastating earthquake which claimed more than 6,000 lives and many more missing are still missing. The earthquake’s epicentre originated 17km south of Kodari, Nepal and measured 7.9 on the Richter scale. Its after-tremors could be felt in places as far as Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Many communication and technological powerhouses came forward to aid Nepal in this time of crisis. Google came up with an app that can be used to locate missing people, telecom enterprises like BSNL, MTNL, Idea, Vodafone and Airtel lowered down their call rates or made it entirely free of charge.

Facebook initiated a donation drive in order to collect money for Nepal. The social networking giant launched a donation button that reached out almost 1.4 billion users worldwide. Facebook successfully raised over $10 million (Rs. 1.2 billion) within two days. Zuckerberg stated that the company would add $2 million, bringing the total to $12 million.

We’ve seen our community come together in some amazing ways since the earthquake in Nepal. We activated Safety Check... Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday, April 30, 2015

All the money will be handed over to a non-profit organization, International Medical Corps, who will be providing medical care, medicines, food, water, and other basic amenities for the Nepalese community. Zuckerberg states this effort have been amazing.

Read more in detail about how different technological powerhouses joined hands to help Nepal here.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Click here to witness the devastation in Nepal after the earthquake.

May 2, 2015
You Can Now Play Classic MS-DOS Games On Twitter

Who would have thought that Twitter, one of the world’s largest social networking site, would now allow its users to play old MS-DOS games within its app? Now, thanks to the feature that allows you to embed various forms of media into tweets, it is possible to share old DOS-format games.

Well, we can now embed playable Internet Archive games into tweets, so: https://t.co/sMZwcB5nAN

— Chris Kohler (@kobunheat) April 29, 2015

For now, the Internet Archive’s library is offering a good amount of games such as Metal Gear, Prince of Persia, Wolfenstein 3D; that can be shared and played within tweets. All you need to do is click on the game, copy the link, paste it in the tweet compose field and press send.

The games can also be embedded within the Wordpress platform. Try playing Aladdin below:

Most of these games can be played otherwise, but you may face problems while playing these because programs like DOSBox are not compatible with modern machines. If you wish you spend hours on these nostalgic games, make sure to play it on full screen mode. This helps in dealing with the pixel problem. Happy gaming!

April 30, 2015
Instagram Users Can Now Use Emojis as Hashtags and Play Around With Three New Filters

In a first, Instagram, the world’s most popular photo-sharing app, has allowed emojis to be used in/as hashtags. The app has also added three more filters, namely Lark, Reyes and Juno.

Before, you could add an emoji to captions, but they could not be searched as a hashtag. But now, the new update will allow you to hashtag a particular emoji that can be searched just like any other hashtagged word. Also, if you previously had tagged an emoji, it can be searched now. Instagram explains the change in its official blog:

Over the past few years, emoji have become part of a universal visual language. And just as we share photos and videos, we use emoji to communicate emotions and feelings in ways that anyone can understand, regardless of language or background. With emoji hashtags, you can discover even more by adding them to your own photos and videos, searching them on the Explore page and tapping on them when you see them in captions.

You can try out the different emojis here.

Talking about the new filters, Instagram, has been inspired by adventure outdoor looks. Instagram blog states they are “a family of modern, subtle filters that brighten and enhance your photos in refined, beautiful ways”.

Lark filter desaturates red colour and while raising the blue and green hues. Reyes gets back the retro look in the picture while Juno taps at cooler tones of colour for a vibrant picture.

April 29, 2015
Thinking of Donating to Help Nepal? Check Out Facebook’s Impressive New Initiative

Facebook’s initiatives to help the earthquake-hit people in Nepal are appreciable. Earlier it launched a ‘Safety Check’ feature to help people know who all are safe in the affected region. The social networking service has now come up with a new tool that will lend a hand in making contributions for the victims of the Nepal earthquake.

The company has rolled out a ‘Donate button’ within the website which lets millions of connected users make a donation through Facebook. The fund raised for the Nepal earthquake-affected victims will go to International Medical Corps, which are on the ground serving the needful. The most brilliant part about this initiative is that the amount you donate, Facebook will match your donation till $2 million.

The CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg stated in his blog post –

People are coming together to support those affected by the earthquake that struck Nepal and impacted the populations of Nepal, India and Bangladesh

Mark also announced through his Facebook account that it will match every dollar donated up to $2 million, and matching funds i.e. $2 million will be donated by the company. Facebook will distribute the amount to the local relief and rescue organizations providing immediate and continuous relief. The official page of Mark Zuckerberg reads –

Today we’re launching a special campaign to help raise funds for those affected by the Nepal earthquake.At the top of…

Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Monday, April 27, 2015

Facebook says that till date, millions of people have been marked as safe and tens of millions of others have learnt about their safety across different sections of the world.

Many countries have joined hands to help Nepal get over this tragic situation. India has already sent and is sending assistance to its neighboring nation. United States has also stood up to do its bit and has announced to send $10 million in relief to stand by Nepal in its hard time.

The natural disaster that struck Nepal a few days back shook the very existence of the country. The death toll has passed 4,000 and is still increasing. According to UN, as much as eight million people are affected by this devastating incident.

Willing people can make their contribution here and save lives.

April 28, 2015
With this New Feature, Facebook Messenger is Now Ready to Take on Skype

Voice-Calling within the app is a recent trend every established and emerging messaging software company is following. Recently, Facebook joined the drift and updated its Messenger service to enable voice-calling in the app. Now users can talk face-to-face with their friends anywhere through Facebook.

Initiating the voice chat service is a child’s play, and users just have to tap on the video icon in the top right corner of the screen to pop up a voice call. The service is available for iOS and Android users as of now. Countries that will be able to access this feature are Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Laos, Lithuania, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, the UK, the US and Uruguay. The tool will soon arrive in other countries “over the coming months.”

The standard messaging service on Messenger still exists. Users can anytime stop a voice call and get back to the customary messaging platform and vice-versa. The company claims that there are over 600 million active users of its Messenger app, and the voice-calling tool will help them with real-time video communication.

Facebook’s Messenger platform is on a development spree. Previously, it added the ability to send money to friends via Messenger, which was followed by the release of Messenger platform for Developers to help people connect with businesses.

Check out the video below for a detailed description of voice-calling on Messenger:

April 28, 2015
Facebook and Google Have Been Instrumental In Locating Nepal Earthquake Survivors

A destructive earthquake shocked Nepal for two days and left nearly 2,200 people dead, and many more were left injured or missing. It was one of the most dangerous earthquakes whose epicenter originated 17km south of Kodari, Nepal and measured 7.9 on the Richter scale. At this hour of crisis, many technological powerhouses have made it easier for rescue workers and family members to reach out to missing people.

Google’s Person Finder is a free tool that doubles up as a registry or a message board for survivors. This app was developed first during the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and its aggregated data include registries run by CNN, the Miami Herald and the New York Times. This tool can be used by family or friends to locate missing people or loved ones.

Facebook’s Safety Check is a tool that allows people to inform their family members or friends about their safety status. This feature works by accessing the user’s profile information and check-in updates and tracks people near the area of impact.

https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10102050030813611

This feature was first initiated by Facebook on 16th October 2014.

For the current disaster in Nepal, Facebook has mapped every person in Nepal and nearby Indian states within the reach.

Viber cancelled the Viber Out bill system so that users can make calls for free to any mobile or landline number during the stretch of the disaster. Similar steps were taken by BSNL, MTNL, IDEA, Airtel and Vodafone. BSNL, Vodafone, MTNL and Idea have lowered down the call rates to Re 1 for the next three days while Airtel offered free Airtel India to Nepal calls for the next three days.

The earthquake jolted Nepal yesterday whose tremors were felt in Delhi and places of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The quake flattened down many houses and buildings, including the famous Dharhara tower.

April 27, 2015
Facebook Launches a Multi-Functional Dialler App, Hello

We have to admit that the Phone app on our smartphones is really basic. It just performs limited number of functions like keeping call log and allowing users to make a call. However, Facebook aims to change our call making experience. The social networking service has brought out a smart app that is a blend of TrueCaller, Google Search, Google Maps, and WhatsApp. Hailed as ‘Hello’, it’s an Android-only dialler that works in conjunction with your Facebook account.

The Hello application is a product of Facebook’s Messenger team. It connects the Facebook data with the contact info on your device, and pops up relevant details of the incoming and outgoing calls. No worries if your phone book is narrow, you’ll still get to know the name and other available details of the caller via Hello. Users have the choice to block possibly spam numbers and avoid unwanted calls. Meanwhile, TrueCaller is best known for this feature.

Users can also find businesses with the Hello tool. Meaning you can start a search for a restaurant right in the Hello app and can call for a reservation. The tool comes with direction support, subtracting the need to start off Google Maps to get directions.

Its features don’t end here. With Hello installed on the device, one can text and make calls for free. Hello links with the Messenger app and allows users perform both the functions using cellular data.

Hello is available for free on Google Play Store for the US, Brazil and Nigeria. The tool is likely to arrive in more countries soon. Check out the video below to know how it works:

April 23, 2015
You Will Never Miss Out on Your Friend’s Posts With Facebook’s Improved News Feed

Facebook announced today that they will be changing and reconfiguring their website’s News Feed section. The social networking site has applied three changes and aims to supply information about the people ‘you care about’.

One of the main changes to the Facebook layout will be that your News Feed will first prioritise your closer friends. Photo or a Status put up by them will be placed higher in the News Feed so that it won’t be missed out.

The second change is that the rules for seeing multiple posts from the same source has been toned down. This modification has been done for people who do not have much content to view. Now, you will never reach the ‘end’ of a News Feed easily.

Finally, the last change would be that you will see lesser posts of your friends liking or commenting on other friend’s posts. These stories will be pushed further down the News Feed so that you first see the posts or photos of the people you care about more.

The only downfall would be that Facebook Pages may get compromised. Facebook states in its blog:

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Facebook Official Blog”]

The impact of these changes on your page’s distribution will vary considerably depending on the composition of your audience and your posting activity. In some cases, post reach and referral traffic could potentially decline. Overall, pages should continue to post things that your audience finds meaningful and continue using our Page’s best practices.

[/quote]

Facebook has asked Web Publishers and Page Managers to visit their blog to know more about page feeds and posts under the new circumstances. Click here to visit the blog.

April 22, 2015
New YouTube Upgrade to Shut Down App Support for Older iOS Devices and More

The video-sharing website YouTube has made some alterations, which is making its app dysfunctional on some aging devices. In a recent statement, YouTube announced to have upgraded its Data API, which implies that the YouTube app will not work on certain devices of 2012 model and older.

The upgrading of the Data API Version 2 to Version 3 will render the app inaccessible on the aforementioned models. The list of devices includes older iOS devices, Google TV running on versions 1 and 2, second-gen Apple TV, older smart televisions, and Blu-Ray players. Google said the app support for previous versions have already started to shut down, and will completely end by the last week of April.

There will be no way for the aged devices to access the YouTube app. iPhone, iPads or iTouch gadgets with iOS 7 or above will only be able to access the YouTube app. The company says the new API will bring in new video viewing experience and can be accessed from any screen. Starting from Monday onwards, users with API Version 2 will receive a warning video that reads, “YouTube is upgrading to a newer version, which is not supported by this device or app. To learn more and see where you can watch YouTube, visit www.youtube.com/devicesupport”.

Meanwhile, the web version on the handsets will still work. Users will older devices can access YouTube simply via visiting the mobile site, provided it supports Flash/HTML5.

April 21, 2015
Twitter Revamps its Homepage to Lure New Users

Only yesterday Twitter hinted that a new and friendlier user interface is on its way, and today, Twitter has confirmed the news is true. The social networking service has rolled out the new web interface in US today, providing a new experience to its users.

The official blog post of Twitter reads –

Starting today, when you go to the twitter.com homepage, you’ll find interesting topics to explore like Politics, Pop Artists and even Cute Animals. Click on the topic and you’ll see a timeline of Tweets from some of the most popular accounts in that topic. It’s rich real-time content, just like the Twitter experience for users who log in.

Twitter states the new homepage will be made accessible to other regions as well in due time. The page for signed-out users displays three columns with a header that welcomes the users and invites them to see ‘What is happening right now.’

The left column includes categories like News, Sports, Entertainment, Science and Technology, etc. which is divided into more sub-groups. The middle column shows thumbnails with titles like ‘Business News, people and sites’, ‘Country Artists’, etc. These clickable thumbnails take users to another login page that shows highlights of that particular section. The right column is kept for Login or Sign Up.

Right now, users can directly check out tweets without logging 0nto Twitter. The company said an approximate of 200 million people visit profiles without signing in. Hence, if they manage to convert even a small percentage of the visitors into active users, the company will grow significantly.

April 16, 2015
Facebook Launches WhatsApp Web-like Desktop Version of the Messenger

Facebook has launched a desktop based chat interface for its Facebook Messenger users worldwide. It is available right now for its English users, with more languages to follow in the next few weeks. It is accessible at Messenger.com where users can chat with their friends from their Web browser. A user would require a Facebook account to access the service.

Just like Whatsapp for Web, the Messenger site features the list of chat threads on the left with a large white chat interface on the right. Most of the mobile app features can be accessed here, like audio and video calls, photos and stickers.

At present, Messenger for Web lacks the ability to send photos, audio messages, or use the new Messenger platform content sharing apps. But, Facebook can add those features later as the service matures. Users also have an option of enabling a desktop notification; small pop-up is overlayed on the computer screen the alerts the users for incoming messages.

So how is the new service different than the regular Facebook chat box? Well, Facebook says Messenger.com could become an instant hit among busy users, who just use Facebook to talk with their friends and are looking to avoid the social content of the main site, like wall posts or notifications.

April 9, 2015
Decoded : Snapchat’s Recent “Emoji” Update
Snapchat has launched a key update that allows you to recognize your closest friends based on a complex tier system of emojis. Previously, anyone could visit your Snapchat profile and check out who you sent the most number of snaps to. Hence, friendships would be questioned if a person did not appear in the ‘Best Friend’ list.

The app ditched the Best Friend feature in January, and now they are back with a new personal way to see who you’re closest to. The new Friend Emojis on your screen of incoming snaps will only be visible to you. Next to some of your Snapchat friends’ names, you will see an emoji that indicates the status of your photo-sharing friendship. Here is how the new Snapchat emoji looks like:
- Gold Heart: You are the #1 Best Friend. This is the person to whom you send the most number of snaps, and they snap back at you the most too.
- Grimace/Grit Teeth: A Mutual #1 Best Friend: You send the most snaps to the same person that they do.
- Smile: One of your Best Friends: One of the people to whom you exchange snaps the most after your Best Friend.
- Sunglasses: One of your best friends is one of their best friends: One person to whom you snap the most is also the person another friend snaps the most.
- Smirk: You are their Best Friend but they are not yours: You don’t send them many snaps, but they send you a lot.
- Fire: You two are on a Snapstreak: You have snapped this person every day, and they have snapped you back. Increases with number of consecutive days.
Snapchat has also bought in some technical changes that include a new low-light mode for your phone camera, simply by clicking on the Moon icon on the top of the screen. Also, a new bracket has been added- friends who have not snapped in a while will fall under the category of ‘Needs Love’.
April 7, 2015