Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Social Media
  3. News

Facebook now lets Pages go Live from desktop, adds more Live Video tools

Saqib Shah
By

facebook fake news newspaper ads woman using
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Facebook is giving Pages the option to live-stream from a desktop or laptop. The feature, which the social network began testing in September, is now rolling out more widely — although it is still not available to general users.

Live Video on desktop supports both peripheral cameras, in addition to built-in cameras on laptops, allowing Pages to create a larger variety of content, such as daily vlogs. The feature was first spotted on the Facebook app for Windows 10 in May.

Recommended Videos

For the uninitiated, Pages basically allow brands, businesses, and public figures to maintain a presence on Facebook that can be managed by multiple account holders. General Facebook users who like a Page can get updates (including notifications for when that page is live-streaming) within their News Feed.

Related

Aside from web streaming, Facebook is also introducing a number of tools for Pages to help increase the reach of their broadcasts. Now, Facebook Page admins will be able to set Live contributors, allowing even more individuals to broadcast Live Video on behalf of a Page. Facebook claims the update is ideal for media industry publishers (a group it is increasingly targeting) looking to cover breaking news events.

Facebook’s insights for Live and regular videos Image used with permission by copyright holder

Profiles with 5,000 followers or more will also be able to access a set of lightweight insights for Live and regular videos. These metrics will include total minutes viewed, total number of views, and total engagement (reactions, comments and shares). Additionally, aggregated insights will be made available for videos posted over the course of a weeklong, monthlong, or two-month period. These insights will also be rolling out to users of Facebook’s “Mentions” app, which is aimed at celebrities and public figures.

In order to help Pages easily direct viewers to all their video content, Facebook is launching a permalink URL. Viewers who visit the link will be able to watch a live-stream, as well as access previous Live Video streams and general clips all in one location. That’s not all: Pages can now pin relevant comments to the bottom of a live-stream, and cross-post previously recorded live-streams to other Pages that they operate. You can learn more about all the new features here.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Saqib Shah
Saqib Shah
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Saqib Shah is a Twitter addict and film fan with an obsessive interest in pop culture trends. In his spare time he can be…
No more Like button? Facebook is revamping how you’ll use and follow Pages
facebook pages redesign test no more like button old vs new 001

Facebook Pages could soon see a major refresh -- including the absence of a Like button. The social media network is rolling out a test of a redesigned Pages experience that overhauls the look, feel, and tools associated with Facebook’s profiles for businesses, media, organizations, and public figures. Among other refinements, the test trades the like button for a follow one and gives Pages administrators their own news feed to interact with.

While many changes won’t be too distinguishable for the Facebook owners that are not Page administrators, one change could affect both admins and average users -- the elimination of the Like button. Under the new redesign, users can follow a page, but the longstanding Like button is gone.

Read more
Amazon now lets you create up to six viewer profiles on Prime Video
amazon prime video viewer profiles

Amazon is, at long last, rolling out viewer profiles for its video-streaming platform, Prime Video. The new update allows as many as six people to have their own profile on a single Amazon account. In addition to separate watch progress and watchlists, each profile also offers personalized content recommendations based on the watching habits of the person using it.

Viewer profiles for Amazon Prime Video had begun appearing in a handful of regions such as India since late March. Amazon now says it’s bringing them to all of its customers worldwide, and will gradually make them available over the next couple of days. You will be able to manage profiles on every Prime Video platform including the web, Android, iOS, Fire TV, PlayStation 4, and more.

Read more
Facebook will now let users turn off political ads
Mark Zuckerberg

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said his social media company is gearing up for the 2020 election by rolling out an option for users to turn off political ads and launching an initiative to increase voter turnout.

In an op-ed for USA Today, Zuckerberg said users will be able to switch off political ads, a tool it first introduced earlier this year in January.

Read more