Facebook Updates: Training Program, features Live Producer & more

Facebook Live Producer has been updated with new features, the platform is testing News Feed Preferences, and a new initiative, Summer Of Support has been launched.

Summer Of Support, is an initiative to aid small businesses and aspiring digital marketers with resources and learnings to ace marketing on Facebook. The Facebook Live Producer will improve the usage of Facebook Live, which has recently seen a peaking spike.

Facebook Live Producer

Facebook Live Producer, a means for availing Facebook Live using high-end production equipment and streaming software, is typically used by broadcasters for managing Live videos, broadcast settings, and interactive features.

But the tool has observed increased usage by brands, creators, publishers, and more users for hosting interactive sessions, webinars, virtual concerts & conferences, and more.

With the new updates spotted, broadcasters will also be able to add graphics on their live video such as Tickers. With the options to add the Ticker's text and manage the speed of the motion.

A feature to queue comments with publishing options is also available now. Incoming comments can overload some times, and viewers might miss on the important ones, the feature is intended to tackle that. It is mainly useful for creators and publishers holding live Q&A sessions.

Users can now also feature a link on the Live Video with a description. The option is particularly useful for brands and creators who want to drive traffic to their website or generate leads.

For instance, when a brand hosts a Live Session to showcase their new line of products and have an expert discussing it, they can simultaneously feature their website and lead the viewers who would be interested in buying products they just discovered.

Also Read: Facebook Updates: News Tab, Business Inbox, & more

News Feed Preferences

News Feed Preferences will give users more control over the posts they see in the Home tab. With options to see relevant posts first, see posts by favorites, and see recent posts first.

This option will create some sort of distortion as to how the Facebook algorithm works, although as of now it is unclear how the options would affect upstream or downstream posts.

In February 2020, Instagram was found to be working on something similar to the option 'Latest Posts', a section being developed for users to catch up on the recent posts they missed out on.

Although, Twitter was the first one to roll out a feature that gives users more control over what they see in the Home Feed. First launched on iOS(December 2018), then Android(January 2019), the 'Sparkle' button lets users switch between the most recent tweets and the most popular tweets.

Boost With Facebook Summer Of Support

Summer Of Support, is an initiative launched under the Boost With Facebook program. The initiative provides six weeks of free training, and a hub of resources, tools, and insights, to aid small businesses and aspiring digital marketers to grow.

With featured sessions, training classes, expert insights, and resources, a user can deep dive into all Facebook-owned commerce platforms, learn about the available ad solutions and state of businesses and acquire skills aligned with best creative practices across Facebook apps.

Snapchat also recently launched a similar offering named Snap Focus, a learning portal for advertisers with resources and courses to attain user insights, build brand strategy, streamline media planning, and get certified on the platform.