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Tag: Messenger

  • Facebook Is Integrating Messenger Features With Its Mobile App

    Facebook Is Integrating Messenger Features With Its Mobile App

    Facebook is integrating Messenger features with its mobile Facebook app, potentially reducing the need to have Messenger installed.

    Until now, users have needed to have Messenger installed on their mobile devices to chat with their Facebook friends and family. The company is looking to unify the experience, incorporating some of Messenger’s functionality within the core Facebook app.

    Tom Alison, Head of Facebook, made the announcement in a blog post:

    We’re also seeing more people turning to messaging as a way to build community. We started introducing community chats to some Facebook Groups last year as a way for people to connect more deeply with their online communities in real time around the topics they care about. And, the early results are promising. Across Facebook and Messenger, we saw the number of people trying community chats increase by 50% in December 2022.

    Over the coming year, we’ll build more ways to integrate messaging features in Facebook. Ultimately, we want it to be easy and convenient for people to connect and share, whether in the Messenger app or directly within Facebook.

    The news will likely be welcome by most users, especially if it saves the trouble of switching back and forth between apps.

  • Facebook Rolling Out End-to-End Encryption in Messenger

    Facebook Rolling Out End-to-End Encryption in Messenger

    Facebook has started rolling out end-to-end encryption (E2EE) across Messenger, continuing its efforts to bring E2EE across its platforms.

    E2EE is the gold standard in secure communications, encrypting data so that only the sender and recipient can read the messages. WhatsApp already included E2EE for messaging, and recently rolled it out for chat backups.

    The company is now implementing E2EE across Messenger. CEO Mark Zuckerberg made the announcement in a Facebook post.

    End-to-end encrypted voice and video calls are now rolling out on Messenger, and we’re introducing opt-in end-to-end encryption for group chats and group audio and video calls too. I’m proud that we continue to extend encryption across more services.

  • Telegram Gained 70 Million New Users During Facebook Outage

    Telegram Gained 70 Million New Users During Facebook Outage

    It was a known fact that Telegram gained users during Facebook’s recent outage, but founder Pavel Durov is putting a number on it: 70 million.

    Facebook experienced one of the worst outages in its history on Monday, impacting all of its services, including Messenger and WhatsApp. Users flocked to Signal and Telegram to stay in contact with their loved ones, friends and business associates, causing both services to struggle with the increased load.

    Durov has quantified exactly how many new users flocked to Telegram, to the tune of 70 million, according to his Telegram channel.

    Yesterday Telegram experienced a record increase in user registration and activity.

    The daily growth rate of Telegram exceeded the norm by an order of magnitude, and we welcomed over 70 million refugees from other platforms in one day. I am proud of how our team handled the unprecedented growth because Telegram continued to work flawlessly for the vast majority of our users. That said, some users in the Americas may have experienced slower speed than usual as millions of users from these continents rushed to sign up for Telegram at the same time.

    I ask our existing users to say hi to their newly arrived friends, help them unpack, and let them know what we have in stock. Make sure they stick around and see why Telegram is light years ahead of the competition.

    For the new users I’d like to say this – welcome to Telegram, the largest independent messaging platform. We won’t fail you when others will.

  • Router Configuration Change Responsible for Facebook Outage

    Router Configuration Change Responsible for Facebook Outage

    Facebook has disclosed the cause of its outage Monday, one of the worst in its history, and misconfigured routers were to blame.

    Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp services went down late Monday morning, and remained down most of the day. The company has revealed the problem in a blog post.

    Our engineering teams have learned that configuration changes on the backbone routers that coordinate network traffic between our data centers caused issues that interrupted this communication. This disruption to network traffic had a cascading effect on the way our data centers communicate, bringing our services to a halt.

    The company said it is working to learn from its mistake.

    People and businesses around the world rely on us everyday to stay connected. We understand the impact outages like these have on people’s lives, and our responsibility to keep people informed about disruptions to our services. We apologize to all those affected, and we’re working to understand more about what happened today so we can continue to make our infrastructure more resilient.

  • Telegram a Casualty of Facebook’s Woes

    Telegram a Casualty of Facebook’s Woes

    Telegram was an unlikely casualty Facebook’s troubles Monday, as people flocked to the messaging service, slowing it down.

    Late Monday morning, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp went down. Given how many people rely on Messenger and WhatsApp for daily communication, many started turning to Telegram to fill the void.

    In fact, so many users jumped on Telegram that the service started slowing down, according to reports on Twitter. The company acknowledged it was a result of the massive influx of users.

  • Messenger Calls and Instagram DMs Get End-to-End Encryption

    Messenger Calls and Instagram DMs Get End-to-End Encryption

    Facebook has added major security features to Messenger calls, as well as Instagram DMs, upgrading both with end-to-end encryption (E2EE).

    E2EE is a form of encryption that secures communication in such a way that only the participants can access the conversation. Even the software or service provider is unable to decrypt the communication.

    While Messenger has supported E2EE in one-on-one text chats since 2016, Facebook is now rolling it out — on an opt-in basis — to audio and video calls in Messenger.

    Disappearing messages are also getting an upgrade, with more fine-tuned controls over how long the timer lasts, from 5 seconds to 24 hours, before a message disappears.

    Similarly, the company is testing opt-in E2EE DMs in Instagram. The test is fairly limited, with only adults in certain countries able to participate.

    The upgrades are good news for Messenger and Instagram users, adding an extra layer of protection and security.

  • Facebook Integrates Payments Into WhatsApp

    Facebook Integrates Payments Into WhatsApp

    For the first time, Facebook has added the ability to send and receive money to WhatsApp.

    Facebook has been looking for ways to monetize WhatsApp, after buying the messaging platform for $19 billion in 2014. The company had previously looked at including ads in WhatsApp, something its original founders were bitterly opposed to. In fact, they went so far as to change the terms of service to expressly prohibit ads, and make it difficult for Facebook to do so at a later date. Facebook’s ongoing attempts, however, are one of the big factors that led WhatApp’s cofounders to exit the company, leaving behind some $1.3 billion in deferred compensation.

    The ongoing backlash seems so have been successful in convincing Facebook to abandon its efforts to include ads and focus on commercial transactions instead. Today’s announcement is a major step in that direction, with the new feature rolling out in Brazil.

    The feature is powered by Facebook Pay, which is available in the US via Facebook and Messenger. Integrating it with WhatsApp is sure to be a big hit, given the worldwide popularity of the messaging platform.

    Needless to say, this feature will likely be rolling out around the world sooner rather than later.

  • Facebook Acquires Giphy, Adding It to Instagram

    Facebook Acquires Giphy, Adding It to Instagram

    Facebook announced it is acquiring Giphy, with plans to integrate it into the Instagram platform.

    Giphy is a popular service that lets users share short, looped videos, reminiscent of animated GIFs. The service is widely used in text messaging, social media and more. Facebook already uses the Giphy API across its many services, including Instagram, Facebook, Messenger and WhatsApp. The social media giant sees the purchase as a way to increase integration and improve the user experience even more.

    “A lot of people in our community already know and love GIPHY,” writes Vishal Shah, Facebook VP of Product. “In fact, 50% of GIPHY’s traffic comes from the Facebook family of apps, half of that from Instagram alone. By bringing Instagram and GIPHY together, we can make it easier for people to find the perfect GIFs and stickers in Stories and Direct. Both our services are big supporters of the creator and artist community, and that will continue. Together, we can make it easier for anyone to create and share their work with the world.”

    While Facebook did not comment on the particulars of the deal, Axios reported that its sources claimed the deal was worth some $400 million. As Axios points out, however, given the scrutiny Facebook has been under recently for privacy and antitrust concerns, this deal is likely to attract regulatory attention. Even so, Facebook is striking an optimistic tone regarding the acquisition.

    “GIFs and stickers give people meaningful and creative ways to express themselves,” continues Shah. “We see the positivity in how people use GIPHY in our products today, and we know that bringing the GIPHY team’s creativity and talent together with ours will only accelerate how people use visual communication to connect with each other.”

  • Facebook Launches Messenger App for macOS and Windows

    Facebook Launches Messenger App for macOS and Windows

    Facebook has announced the release of a native Messenger app for both Windows and macOS.

    While users could access Messenger via their web browser, the new apps will allow users to benefit from a desktop environment, including larger screens and multitasking. As an added benefit, messages sync across mobile and desktop devices.

    “Now more than ever, people are using technology to stay in touch with the people they care about, even when physically apart,” writes Stan Chudnovsky, VP of Messenger. “Over the past month, we saw more than a 100% increase in people using their desktop browser for audio and video calling on Messenger. Now with apps for MacOS and Windows, the best of Messenger is coming to desktop, including unlimited and free group video calls.”

    Facebook hopes the new apps will make it easier for people to stay in touch at a time when social media and digital connections are more important than ever.

  • Facebook Now Requires An Account to Sign Up For Messenger

    Facebook Now Requires An Account to Sign Up For Messenger

    According to VentureBeat, Facebook has ended the ability to sign up for Messenger without a Facebook account.

    In the past, individuals who wanted to use Facebook Messenger could use their phone number to sign up. In an email to VentureBeat, the social media giant confirmed that ability is now gone.

    “If you’re new to Messenger, you’ll notice that you need a Facebook account to chat with friends and close connections,” the email said. “We found that the vast majority of people who use Messenger already log in through Facebook and we want to simplify the process. If you already use Messenger without a Facebook account, no need to do anything.”

    As expected with a change this big, VentureBeat is reporting the transition has not been entirely smooth, with some users’ accounts being restricted.

    Facebook has made no secret about its desire to integrate its various messaging platforms, including Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram. The company wants its users to be able to communicate across its platforms. In a post, Zuckerberg emphasized this point:

    “**Interoperability**. People should be able to use any of our apps to reach their friends, and they should be able to communicate across networks easily and securely.”

    Needless to say, regulators are not exactly thrilled with this approach and there has been talk of the FCC trying to get an injunction to prevent the integration. It will be interesting to see if this move triggers further scrutiny.

  • FCC May Block Facebook From Integrating Its Various Messaging Apps

    FCC May Block Facebook From Integrating Its Various Messaging Apps

    According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the Federal Communications Commission may seek a preliminary injunction to prevent Facebook from integrating its messaging apps.

    Facebook currently has three separate messaging apps: Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram. The company has made no secret about its intentions to increase integration and interoperability between the different products. In a post discussing the plans, Mark Zuckerberg detailed the reasons:

    “I understand that many people don’t think Facebook can or would even want to build this kind of privacy-focused platform — because frankly we don’t currently have a strong reputation for building privacy protective services, and we’ve historically focused on tools for more open sharing. But we’ve repeatedly shown that we can evolve to build the services that people really want, including in private messaging and stories.

    “I believe the future of communication will increasingly shift to private, encrypted services where people can be confident what they say to each other stays secure and their messages and content won’t stick around forever. This is the future I hope we will help bring about.

    “We plan to build this the way we’ve developed WhatsApp: focus on the most fundamental and private use case — messaging — make it as secure as possible, and then build more ways for people to interact on top of that, including calls, video chats, groups, stories, businesses, payments, commerce, and ultimately a platform for many other kinds of private services.”

    Zuckerberg then goes on to discuss the benefits of integrated messaging:

    “**Interoperability**. People should be able to use any of our apps to reach their friends, and they should be able to communicate across networks easily and securely.”

    Critics have argued that Facebook integrating its different messaging apps could make it more difficult to divest the company of those assets should the government decide it wants to breakup the social media giant.

    According the WSJ’s report, seeking an injunction against messaging integration could help bring the government’s antitrust efforts against Facebook to a head, and accelerate any resolution. It could also help the FCC get a leg up in the process over the Department of Justice. The two agencies are both looking into antitrust issues with Facebook and whichever agency can move their case forward first will likely have a bigger role moving forward.

  • Google Bringing RCS To Android Messages Starting Today

    Google Bringing RCS To Android Messages Starting Today

    Android messaging has long lagged behind iOS, where Apple Messages has included features absent from standard SMS texts. According to a CNET report, Google is rolling out a major upgrade in the U.S. starting today.

    Rich Communication Services (RCS), is an improved form of text messaging that has many of the chat-style features found in iOS, as well as apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and others.

    The new features will include:

    – Ability to send high quality photos and videos
    – Read receipts
    – Typing indicators
    – Group chat management (naming a group, adding and removing people)
    – Chat over WiFi

    The one feature that RCS does not have is end-to-end encryption, unlike iOS Messages, WhatsApp, Signal or Facebook Messenger. When asked about its absence, Sanaz Ahari, director of product management for Google’s communications services, described it as a “fairly complicated topic.”

    As CNET points out, there are other privacy concerns as well. RCS messages will be routed through Google’s servers, meaning, it could theoretically be subpoenaed to provide messages to authorities. However, Drew Rowny, Google’s product lead for Messages, “said Google deletes messages from its servers as soon as they’re sent, so it’s less likely it would have the data to hand over.”

    Whatever its limitations, RCS messages will be a welcome improvement for Android users.

  • James Patterson Says He is Releasing New Book ‘The Chef’ on Facebook Messenger

    James Patterson Says He is Releasing New Book ‘The Chef’ on Facebook Messenger

    James Patterson is releasing his next book “The Chef” on Facebook Messenger. It will be a hybrid combining the written word with video and photography in an attempt to appeal to the millions of millennials that are on Facebook and tend not to read literature.

    James Patterson, author of “The Chef” discussed this novel marketing strategy of releasing a hybrid book with video in an interview on CNBC:

    It’s About Drawing Attention to Books

    This is about just drawing attention to publishing to books. Books don’t get as much so we’re trying new things. What this is and what’s exciting about it to me is you read the book and then it goes to film and you read the book and it goes to film and you read the book and it goes to film. It’s kind of like a bookie, a book meets a movie, and it’s free on Facebook Messenger.

    Why did I do that? Why would I give away a book for free? It just draws more attention to books which I think publishers need to do more of that. It’s a good story and you’ve never ever seen anything like it. It’s just so different.

    Combining Film, Photography, Books, and Text

    I think that a lot of people go out to Messenger and it’s about a three-hour experience, the whole thing, and that’ll be a success. We’re gonna put it out in book form in February and it will be longer and available at a regular price.

    Literally, you’re reading text and then all of a sudden you see film of what you were reading about. Then it’ll come back and then it might go to photography the next thing and then it might go to newspaper headlines, so it’s just different. This just goes on for about three hours and you can watch it on your phone obviously or on your computer.

    I love that idea of combining film, photography, books, and text. We went to Facebook and they said, yeah we’re in. They thought it was an exciting thing to do and different and they need content obviously. Well, I shouldn’t say what they need, that’s for Mark and Sheryl and I don’t know, but I think they need content, so here we are.

    We Need Publishers That Are Willing to Experiment

    I think it’s a mixed bag. I think independent bookstores are doing better. The whole retail business is in flux, obviously, because so much is done online. So hopefully, Barnes & Noble will rebound and I think they will. We miss Borders.

    Maybe 20 years from now, who knows, maybe it’ll all be done online, but for the moment in this country we really need literature and that can’t be done online right now. We need good publishers that are willing to experiment and do things that are unusual.

    Amazon Has Lightened Up Which is Great

    I think Amazon has lightened up which I think is great. They’re in a position to do a lot of good. Initially, the sort of back and forth between them and publishers I didn’t think was healthy. I do think we need strong publishers and I think we need bookstores out in the world right now. As they say, that may change.

    I’ve changed my tune a little bit. I think they’re doing a better job now, there isn’t that back and forth thing that they were having with publishers. I like that Jeff is giving away a lot of money, I think that’s good.

    Facebook Messenger… Yay.

  • How Facebook Messenger Can Help You Drive Sales

    How Facebook Messenger Can Help You Drive Sales

    Facebook Messenger is only about three years old and it’s already one of the most popular messaging platforms in the world. With the right marketing strategy, the app can easily convert leads and drive sales.

    Since its unveiling at the 2015 F8 conference, more than one billion messages have been sent to Facebook Messenger by businesses and their customers. Analysts expect this trend to continue and have predicted that the app will have 139.2 million users by 2020.

    Number of Facebook Messenger users in the United States from 2014 to 2020

     

    There are about 1.3 million people using Facebook Messenger now. That’s a number that marketers should not ignore, especially since the app is a great marketing tool.

    Advantages to Using Facebook Messenger

    Consumers today use messaging apps like Messenger, Viber, and WhatsApp more often than social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. This means that brands who can successfully use these apps can enjoy advantages like:

    • Improved Communication With Clients: Reaching your customer is faster with Messenger since you don’t have to wait in queue or be placed on hold. One Facebook study also revealed that people nowadays prefer to send a message than to call customer service. A majority of customers also tend to purchase online from brands that they can easily reach through chat.
    • Raised Awareness of Your Products: You can raise more awareness about your products or services via Messenger. This is because you can swiftly start a dialogue regarding the products or services you offer with your prospective customer.
    • Better Customer Service: A lot of customers prefer to send Private Messages instead of publicly posting their questions in the comments section of the Support Page. With Messenger, you can quickly reply to your customers and provide them with the information or answers they need. Plus, 63 percent of consumers surveyed by Facebook were found to have developed a good impression of brands that they can easily chat with.
    • Faster Transactions: It’s also simpler to conduct transactions with the help of Messenger. You can sell your products and services directly to your customers. The application can also assist you to immediately take orders, book appointments, invite prospective clients, and send product photos, receipts, and shipping information.

     

    [Graphic via Facebook IQ]

     

    4 Ways to Use Messenger to Boost Sales

    1. Use a Welcome Message to Initiate a Conversation

    When you enter a store, you are always welcomed in by someone, whether it’s the owner, the manager or a sales personnel. You can do the same thing with your online shop. Consider setting up a welcome conversation so that when a customer sends a message to your page, you can greet them automatically. You can then proceed to inquire about what they need and assist them in finding it. A welcome conversation will make your customer feel appreciated and supported. It also provides a good experience that will entice repeat business.

    2. Send a Reminder About Abandoned Carts

    Buyers abandoning their carts is a big concern. Facebook Messenger has been found to be more effective than email in converting abandoned carts to sales. Set up a message that will ask the customer if they would like to complete their purchase. You can even put options like “Remind me tomorrow,” “Still thinking,” “Thanks” or even a “like” or “heart” icon. 

    3. Drive Traffic With Pop-Ups

     This is one of the most popular strategies to drive traffic and accumulate opt-ins. It’s easier for users to just tap on a button to opt-in instead of typing out their whole name and email address.

    4. Set Up an Auto Reply Feature 

    Aside from a chatbot, companies can also utilize the Messenger’s Auto Reply feature to send a custom message to customers and prospective clients. People today don’t want to waste time listening to messages that they can just read. With Facebook’s Messenger app, you can program and send messages based on the consumer’s requirements in a quick, interactive and convenient way. This can also boost the chances of opening a conversation with the client over what you’re offering.

    Your business has the potential to grow bigger if you use Facebook Messenger, especially since the company continues to develop new ways to interact with consumers. So integrate the app into your marketing campaign and give yourself an edge over your rivals.

  • Facebook and PayPal Collaborate to Allow Peer-to-Peer Payments

    Facebook and PayPal Collaborate to Allow Peer-to-Peer Payments

    Facebook is making it easier for users to send and receive money. Online payment giant PayPal announced that Facebook users can now make peer-to-peer payments via Messenger by using their PayPal accounts.

    The agreement between Facebook and PayPal will also make it easier for the social network’s users to fund online purchases or send money even if they cannot provide credit or debit card information. The peer-to-peer payment started going live on October 20, 2017, but is currently only available for users within the United States. At the moment, it is not yet clear if the service will be made available for users located in other parts of the globe in the future.

    The new feature can be accessed in the same manner as setting up a credit card or debit card payment method by simply tapping on the plus icon to access the Payments option.  Users will then be presented with two methods to choose from—cards or PayPal. Choosing PayPal will link you to Facebook Payments, which doesn’t require credit card or debit card information.

    PayPal’s entry as one of the social media platform’s payment option is expected to boost Facebook’s status as an eCommerce hub. Online transactions within the social media platform are already on the rise with around 450 million active users per month.

    The online payment system is continuing its thrust to be the payment system of choice for online transactions. Recently, PayPal also partnered with the popular messaging app Skype, making it possible for users to send money even in the middle of a chat, a useful feature for those living a mobile lifestyle.

    [Featured Image via PayPal]

  • Snapchat Now Bigger Than Twitter With 150 Million Users Daily

    Snapchat Now Bigger Than Twitter With 150 Million Users Daily

    According to a report by Bloomberg, Snapchat has surpassed Twitter in daily users by 10 million. Twitter is said to have 140 million daily users while Snapchat now has 150 million.

    According to sources not revealed by Bloomberg, Snapchat had 110 million daily users in December. This conceivably would mean that Snapchat is on track to reach 200 million users by the end of 2016. Twitter once was the second largest social media app behind Facebook, but now it ranks below several other apps including Instagram, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.

    According to statista, Twitter is the 9th most popular social network as of April 2016 by number of active users in a month. Snapchat according to their count is ranked 15th. Snapchat users are logging in far more frequently than Twitter users which is why they rank higher in Bloomberg’s daily user report.

    Twitter has 320 monthly active users while Snapchat has 200 million according to statista. The leading social network, Facebook, has nearly 1.6 billion MAU followed by Whatsapp with 1 billion and Facebook Messenger with 900 million.

    Screen Shot 2016-06-02 at 10.35.36 AM
    For those not familiar with Snapchat (It targets millennials and younger!) it is a mobile app where friends can follow friends if both accept. Friends can post snippets of text, pics and videos and creatively edit those within the app and then post them to “My Story” where all their friends can view them, or alternatively direct them just at certain friends messaging style.

    More and more Snapchat is being used in place of texting and in place of Facebook messaging by teens and those 20-35 years old. The difference is that SnapChat posts typically can only be viewed once and then they disappear. If someone saves or screenshots their phone the friend who posted it is made aware of who did this within the app, thus discouraging bad behavior or reposting.

    Snapchat also competes with Twitter and Facebook because users can post to all of their friends at once. These posts also go away but can be re-viewed and typically last a few days before disappearing. There is no timeline or archive of your posts or your friends posts, making Snapchat very unique with social media apps.

  • Facebook, Messenger & Instagram Get Windows 10 Apps

    Facebook, Messenger & Instagram Get Windows 10 Apps

    Facebook just announced new Windows 10 apps for Facebook and Messenger on desktop and Instagram on mobile. The apps, the company says, will load quickly within Windows and have the most up-to-date features.

    “We built the new Windows 10 Facebook app so it’s fast and easy to access your favorite features,” says product manager Davis Fields. “Facebook is one click away from the Start Menu, and the app starts and loads your News Feed much faster than previous Facebook desktop applications. You can stay up-to-date with Facebook through desktop notifications, and you can pin a new Facebook Live Tile which shows you the latest updates from your friends, family and Pages you follow. It’s also easy to share photos to Facebook straight from your favorite apps or File Explorer.”

    “To keep your conversations going wherever you are, we’re also rolling out a Messenger app,” he says. “Along with many of your favorite Messenger features – like stickers, group conversations and GIFs – Messenger for Windows has native desktop notifications that make your experience richer and more complete. You also can see when you have messages waiting for you with a Live Tile.”

    As Messenger becomes a more important tool to businesses as Facebook plans, it’s going to be increasingly critical that it gives users of all major platforms a good user experience. The same goes for Instagram.

    The new Instagram mobile app for Windows includes Instagram Direct, Explore and video as well as support for Live Tiles, which show you updates on your home screen.

    Images via Facebook

  • Upcoming Marketing Webinars From Facebook Cover Important Topics

    Upcoming Marketing Webinars From Facebook Cover Important Topics

    Facebook announced eight upcoming webinars tackling various aspects of marketing with Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. A couple of them are this week.

    On Tuesday, April 26, they’re hosting one on running campaigns across Facebook, Instagram, and the Audience Network, with guidance on when to use the platforms together as opposed to separately. Facebook’s product team will cover advantages cross-platform advertising, which include incremental reach and better performance, according to the company.

    Then, on Thursday, April 28, they’ll dig into getting more out of Facebook Lead Ads. This will look at benefits of the ads and provide tips on how to use them for higher quality leads.

    After these, there will be webinars on May 5, May 26, June 9, June 15, June 29, and June 30. These will cover advanced performance marketing on Instagram, Messenger best practices, Dynamic Ad best practices, going global, Slideshows on Facebook, and Local Awareness Ads respectively.

    You can find the full webinar series and descriptions of each one here.

  • Facebook Gives Developers Tools To Build Messenger Chatbots, Should Change How Businesses Is Done on Facebook

    Facebook Gives Developers Tools To Build Messenger Chatbots, Should Change How Businesses Is Done on Facebook

    Well, we knew it was bound to be a big day for Messenger news with Facebook’s developer conference F8 kicking off, and it has so far been just that. Within its first hour, Facebook made a slew of announcements about Messenger and otherwise.

    In short, Messenger is about to become a lot more than most people are used to. It’s going to be a communication path for many more businesses and people are going to be interacting with artificial intelligence a whole lot more. Both of these scenarios will often be simultaneous.

    At last year’s event, Facebook announced Messenger Platform, but now it’s getting a full beta launch, and with it, businesses and developers get tools to build their own chatbots to interact with people.

    You can use bots and live-messaging tools to create custom experiences for customer service, e-commerce or whatever you come up with. These experiences can be integrated with Messenger plugins (buttons for your site, emails, etc.), or Messenger codes and links introduced last week.

    Facebook is allowing for customer matching so what you’ve been sending through SMS can now be sent through Messenger. There’s a tool that lets you match optex in customer phone numbers to a messenger account.

    Soon, there will be the ability to buy News Feed ads that will take people directly to your bot in Messenger. According to the company this will help with new users acquisition as well as retention.

    The company showed off three bots from early partners including Spring, Poncho, and CNN.

    Messenger lead David Marcus demonstrated buying a pair of shoes through Messenger with Spring. He specified what kind of shoe he wanted, his price range, and was presented with a carousel of results to choose from. This is a clear illustration of how this could be a game changer for ecommerce.

    “I can guarantee you you’re going to spend way more than you want with this,” Marcus said. “It’s really addictive.”

    He demonstrated Poncho the weather cat, a bot that has a “dry and witty” sense of humor that it uses to give you weather info in a fun way. He says it feels like a real conversation.

    They’re experimenting with ways businesses can reconnect with people, but are giving users the ability to block businesses as well.

    The company launched a new Send/Receive API that’s available today to help you build bots. For more complex bots, they’re opening up a tool called Bot Engine based on what it has learned from “M” to enable you to build high-end self-learning bots.

    Some companies are already announcing their new offerings resulting from all of this. SparkCentral announced a customer care agent, for example. Salesforce announced the Salesforce for Messenger Platform.

    “Together, the companies are empowering companies to engage their customers through dynamic experiences around products, brands and moments—all connected to their business,” the company said. “Powered by Salesforce Lightning, the proven platform for more than 150,000 companies and millions of users, Salesforce for Messenger will deliver personalized engagement at scale with CRM data.”

    You can get started building your bot with the documentation and resources available here. There will of course be sessions on all of this at the conference, and Facebook is making some sessions available online at the F8 site.

    Facebook also discusses the news more in a blog post here.

  • Facebook Messenger Gets Video Chat Heads

    Facebook Messenger Gets Video Chat Heads

    Facebook introduced Chat Heads for Messenger a few years ago. These are images of your friends that appear on your device when you get a Facebook message from them. They appear regardless of what app you’re currently using. The feature is optional.

    Facebook announced Video Chat Heads for Messenger on Monday.

    In a post on the Messenger page, the company said, “With Video Chat Heads, you can talk to your friends from a smaller chat head instead of using your full phone screen. This allows you to continue a video call while you’re messaging other people, or – on Android – even while you are using other apps.”

    This way you don’t have to completely pay attention to the person you’re talking to face to face. How convenient!

    The feature will be available for both iOS and Android users around the world in the coming days.

    Last week, Facebook announced some additional new feature for Messenger including Messenger Codes, Usernames, and Links with a m.me[youusername] URL for people and businesses. It also announced that Messenger has surpassed 900 million monthly active users.

    Image via Facebook

  • Facebook Messenger Surpasses 900M Users, Gets New Features (With Business Potential)

    Facebook Messenger Surpasses 900M Users, Gets New Features (With Business Potential)

    Facebook Messenger lead David Marcus made some new announcements for the product on Thursday. First off is a new milestone with Messenger achieving over 900 million monthly active users. That’s an addition of about 100 million in about three months. In January, Facebook released an infographic showing 800 million.

    Marcus also announced that there are now over a billion messages sent per month between people and businesses/pages. That number is destined to see rapid growth itself as Facebook puts more of a business focus on Messenger. Recent revelations from the app’s code include a potential payment feature, and some are even seeing a suggested businesses feature right in the app itself. It’s unclear if this is just a limited test or if it will become a full-fledged feature.

    Other new announcements from Marcus include the roll-out of Messenger Codes, Usernames, and Links with a m.me[youusername] URL for people and businesses. These, Marcus said, will make it easier than ever to connect. The roll-out will be gradual, he said, but that it “shouldn’t be too long.”

    Both the codes (which will presumably be scannable with phone cameras) and the links should be particularly helpful for businesses hoping to connect with people through Messenger more. They can potentially be included anywhere a brand wants them to be seen and interacted with. There’s a lot of marketing potential here.

    Facebook’s F8 conference is coming up next week, and there will no doubt be plenty of focus on Messenger, what can be done with it now, and at least hints of of what’s on the horizon.