Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cloud
    • Cloud
    • Innovation

    Facebook Enables Celebs to Webcast Live via Mentions App

    By
    Chris Preimesberger
    -
    August 6, 2015
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      If you’re a public figure, like The Rock, Taylor Swift or Barack Obama, you now have a new way to interact with your followers on Facebook.

      The Social Network on Aug. 5 introduced live video interaction for public figures via Facebook Mentions, a new app that enables athletes, musicians, politicians and other influencers to talk with their fans and each other.

      Mentions is a new live streaming service similar to Meerkat and Periscope in that a smartphone videocam is used as the creation device, but it has an important differentiator: Only famous people can use it for broadcasting on Facebook.

      So anytime they want, verified public figures can sign into their Facebook pages, log into the Mentions app, start Webcasting live from wherever they may be, and deliver whatever message they want to their Facebook News Feed followers. We’ll soon be seeing a lot of famous people talking live on Facebook from red carpet events, exotic locations—or even from their own living rooms and pool patios.

      By the way, a public figure, as defined by Facebook, is a “verified account of a politician, actor, musician, athlete, etc.” Thus Facebook itself, through its internal verification process, decides who can access and use this app.

      If you think you qualify as a public figure, follow the instructions here, and Facebook will get back to you.

      This brings the idea of mobile live video interaction to a new level. Followers can comment on the public figure’s Facebook page; they can like or share the video while watching a live broadcast; and they can also see when friends or other public figures start watching the same Webcast. If users miss the live broadcast, they can watch the video later on the public figure’s Facebook page.

      YouTube, look out—you don’t provide this kind of service.

      As one might imagine, it is imperative that in rolling out a new function like this that a select audience be enabled, at least at first. Facebook figured: Why not celebs? The new bandwidth that will be used certainly will not be insignificant; it would be sheer folly to open such a feature to all 1.4 billion Facebook members. In fact, something like this theoretically could blow up the entire site within a few hours’ time.

      Early Webcasters on Mentions included Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Serena Williams, Luke Bryan, Ricardo Kaká, Ashley Tisdale, Lester Holt, Martha Stewart, Michael Bublé and others, Facebook said.

      More than 900 million people are connected to public figures on Facebook, Product Manager Vadim Lavrusik wrote in his Facebook blog.

      Chris Preimesberger
      https://www.eweek.com/author/cpreimesberger/
      Chris J. Preimesberger is Editor Emeritus of eWEEK. In his 16 years and more than 5,000 articles at eWEEK, he distinguished himself in reporting and analysis of the business use of new-gen IT in a variety of sectors, including cloud computing, data center systems, storage, edge systems, security and others. In February 2017 and September 2018, Chris was named among the 250 most influential business journalists in the world (https://richtopia.com/inspirational-people/top-250-business-journalists/) by Richtopia, a UK research firm that used analytics to compile the ranking. He has won several national and regional awards for his work, including a 2011 Folio Award for a profile (https://www.eweek.com/cloud/marc-benioff-trend-seer-and-business-socialist/) of Salesforce founder/CEO Marc Benioff--the only time he has entered the competition. Previously, Chris was a founding editor of both IT Manager's Journal and DevX.com and was managing editor of Software Development magazine. He has been a stringer for the Associated Press since 1983 and resides in Silicon Valley.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×