Facebook's annual F8 developers conference has kick started. While we are done with the first day of the conference, a lot has been said and revealed via a host of announcements from the social-networking giant.
Here's a closer look at the top announcements and revelations Facebook has made at the conference so far. Get ready to welcome the Facebook of the future.
Spherical Video
Of the many things announced, most of the noise has been made by the introduction of a 3D-supported spherical video view in the newsfeed. With the features, users will be able to hover around a video with their mouse cursor. Facebook's latest move is an attempt to bring its VR abilities to the newsfeed, and while it won't make much of a difference on a flat-screened monitor, pairing it with a VR headset should guarantee a 360 degrees spherical video experience.
App Analytics
This one is more oriented to the advertising side of things. According to the announcements made, Facebook is planning to offer details about app usage to developers. The company will now let developers find out who is using their apps, like whether most of their gamers are male or female, and so on. The analytics will chart out the paying customers, and is aimed at simplifying the procedures developers go through after developing an app.
Facebook Messenger = Platform
At the F8 conference, Facebook has announced that it is now offering Messenger as a platform for developers. This enables third-party developers to work on content and information for the Messenger while also giving the apps access to the company's Messenger service. Facebook is planning tie-ups with about 20 different players in the industry for the matter.
Facebook Embedded Videos
Facebook has announced that videos uploaded to the site can now be embedded around the web, drawing out a direct contest with YouTube. The new feature has evolved from the earlier concept (where you had to embed the entire post). However, this will only be possible for videos where the privacy level is set to public.
Facebook Share Sheet
Facebook also unveiled a new share sheet that developers can incorporate in their apps for a better sharing experience. Users, with the new share sheet on board, will be able to tag their Facebook friends or share on Facebook Messenger groups – all this without leaving the app.
LiveRail
Facebook intends on making the most out of its acquisition of video advertising firm LiveRail, and is now planning on making video ads that will help its business evolve. LiveRail is said to fill ad space within apps and sites with stuff from the highest bidder. Not only will it support mobile display ads (with video), it can also calculate the Facebook data and display an ad that will be apposite.
