Though this still doesn’t include the average Joe, Facebook is quickly warming to more and more people accessing their Mentions platform, something it was previously a little reserved about, though no actual date has been revealed as to when Verified Profiles can use the service.
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In the media, this has largely been seen as Facebook’s answer to popular new apps like Periscope and Meerkat.
That means every new live stream is another piece of fresh content added to Facebook’s growing video library that the social giant can advertise against.
Readers: What do you think about verified profiles gaining access to Facebook Mentions?
The time watched metric also enables Periscope to capture viewership of its users’ live broadcasts outside of the Android or iOS environment, such as on periscope.tv. In replies to requests from Verified Pages about when they’d get access to the VIP-only Facebook app Mentions that houses Facebook Live, the company wrote “In the future, Mentions will be available to verified Profiles”. Fans can interact with the Facebook Live streamer by leaving comments which overlay on the video feed. The social site debuted Live on August 5, but at the time, it was only available to some celebrities like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Martha Stewart, and Michael Bublé.
At the end of the broadcast, Facebook Live streams are permanently saved as a video that people can watch. Some have used it to hold real-time video Q&As, others have made announcements.
The app will also include access to the recently launched Live feature which allows to instantly broadcast live video streams.
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The reason for Facebook not opening the system to everyone is that it’s probably figuring out a way to handle the load as well as likely using celebrities as an example of what users should do with such services. Periscope might have gotten a five-month head start and just hit 10 million registered users. It could turn the platform into a tool for spontaneous journalism, the way Periscope has started to become.
