10 Things to Expect From Facebook’s F8 Conference

When Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg takes the stage at his company’s annual F8 Developers Conference on April 18, competition will be on his mind. With Snapchat posing a competitive threat, Zuckerberg is expected to discuss his plans for boosting the advertising appeal of its rapidly growing Instagram photo-sharing app and outline new photo-sharing features to take on Snapchat. Zuckerberg is also expected to discuss Facebook’s lingering fake news problems and how it plans to make virtual reality headset maker more relevant in the rapidly evolving VR market. Improvements to Facebook’s Live Video controls also seem likely. This eWEEK slideshow will discuss what Facebook might have planned for F8 and why so many enterprises and consumers will be paying close attention to what Zuckerberg has to say.

Facebook has been investing heavily in worldwide growth, and Zuckerberg will likely discuss that at F8. He’ll likely talk about his company’s efforts at expanding its presence in emerging markets and how it plans to connect people who might have never joined a social network. Much of Facebook’s business growth is in overseas markets, and Zuckerberg will discuss how the company can reduce pricing and improve access to get more people on its service.

Video has become exceedingly important to Facebook’s business, and the company of late has done a better job of providing it through better algorithms that deliver relevant videos to users. Zuckerberg could talk about all of that at the show.

Facebook’s live video initiative has been the subject of controversy. It has become a popular way for people to communicate, but it’s also been used to stream violence. Facebook needs to address its live video problem, and the company could do it at F8.

Facebook clearly sees Snapchat as a threat and has launched numerous features to take on the service. Still, Snapchat is growing. Look for Facebook to take aim at its competitor once again at F8 to reassert itself as the dominant force in social media.

Facebook continues to make modest upgrades to Instagram. The photo-sharing app is growing, with one of the largest user bases in the world. Still, Facebook needs to find new ways to monetize the service. Expect Instagram updates at F8.

Facebook Messenger received some big updates last year, but Facebook now needs to draw more users with more bot support and other features. Facebook knows that, and could announce some of those upgrades at F8.

Facebook Workplace hasn’t garnered much attention in a world of productivity apps dominated by Slack, but it is strategically important to the company. Facebook could announce new app integration and corporate-friendly features and tools to help companies get more from the service.

Oculus wasn’t the breakout success Facebook hoped it would be, but it’s not irrelevant. Oculus and its Rift sit at the center of a burgeoning market with huge opportunities. Facebook could discuss its plans for Oculus and the virtual-reality future.

Facebook simply cannot ignore advertisers at its  F8 Developers Conference. Advertising is Facebook’s lifeblood, and it’s trying to attract media companies and others to boost its content and advertising opportunities. It’s all valuable content for generating revenue.

Facebook has come under fire over allegations that its site is filled with fake news that ultimately affected the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Facebook has already begun addressing that problem, but it would be a conspicuous omission if it isn’t discussed at F8.