Facebook is now making the posts of some of your friends look like chat windows in your PC browser. The social media giant is reportedly testing a feature that pushes certain posts to the bottom edge of users’ web browser, similar to what the tech giant does when the user gets an instant message from a friend, according to CNET. Gmail does the similar with its email composer and instant messages.
Easier way to participate in conversations
According to a Facebook spokeswoman, “We’ve heard from people that they would like an easier way to participate in conversations on a post while they are still in News Feed so we are testing a new option that opens up a window when someone comments on your post, replies to your comment or tags you in a comment.”
Facebook’s new pop-out posts have a text field that allows a user to comment. There is also an option to either see the complete post or hide it, notes CNET. The spokeswoman added that users can always turn off notifications or hide the conversation from within the dropdown menu of the post. It is not certain how many users are part of the test, but the spokeswoman said it is a “small test.”
Facebook frequently tests new features with a small percentage of its 1.86 billion users before launching them broadly to all users. It is also unclear what criteria prompts the social networking giant to give a post that kind of treatment or how long it has been testing it.
The more people the tech giant can attract to a post, the more it can woo advertisers. Hence, it is a win for the company any time it can get you to spend more time liking, scrolling, or reading posts.
Facebook working on a YouTube alternative
Facebook has also reportedly redoubled its attempts to reach a broad accord with the music industry, according to interviews with music publishers, trade associations and negotiators at labels. A deal would potentially pave the way for the social media giant to obtain more professional videos from the label, reports Bloomberg.
David Israelite, president of the industry trade group National Music Publishers Association, said, “We’re hopeful that they are moving towards licensing music for the entire site.”
Facebook’s interest in music rights is linked to its increasing interest in video. Even though the company is seen directly competing with Snapchat and Twitter, its main competitor is Google, as music is one of the most popular types of videos on YouTube.
