Facebook Archives - Page 3 of 40

Facebook’s ad tracking system now updates in milliseconds
By Julia Breakey on 13 February, 2017
Facebook announced Friday that it would be providing marketers with in-depth analysis on the ads they pay for. Over the course of the year, the company intends to detail to buyers the milliseconds an ad is on screen -- that is the milliseconds 50% of an ad was on screen, and the milliseconds 100% of an ad was on screen. The company also intends to offer buyers more choice in how they pay for ads. The three new options are completed-view buying, two-second buying and sound-on buying. Completed-view will allow advertisers to pay for video ads that have been viewed in...
Facebook Safety Check will let you be a mini-hero during disasters
By Andy Walker: Editor on 10 February, 2017
Facebook's Safety Check system has been one of the company's more notable additions to the site in 2016. The system -- which triggers when disasters are mentioned on the site, and allows users to mark themselves as "safe" -- now allows those who can to do their bit to help others affected by disasters. We're not saying that Facebook wants to make a super hero out of you, but it does want to "empower the community to help one another," according to its VP of social good, Naomi Gliet The new addition, called Community Help, will let "people find and give help...
Facebook one step closer in quest for original content
By Julia Breakey on 9 February, 2017
Facebook has been dropping heavy hints that they intend to prioritise original content in the near future, and have had no shame in picking up TV executives on their way. MTV executive Mina Lefevre announced Wednesday that she would be joining Facebook as Head of Development, teaming up with Ricky Van Veen (of former CollegeHumour fame). This isn't the first sign that the platform will be pushing for original video. On 26 January, Facebook announced that they would be placing a greater emphasis on longer videos in the News Feed. The company included "percentage completion" to their algorithm -- determining a...
Over 200m people are now using Facebook Lite
By Andy Walker: Editor on 9 February, 2017
Around 1.8-billion people now use Facebook on a monthly basis, but what about Facebook Lite? The social media giant has today announced that over 200-million people are using the Lite version of the app monthly, which aims to cater for lower-bandwidth areas of the globe on cheaper, less powerful devices. "While we continue to make all Facebook apps a great experience, we heard from people they want an even more lightweight option," the company states in a press release. Facebook Lite is only available for Android devices at present "To help make sure everyone can have a great Facebook experience regardless of where...
Facebook’s fake news tools coming to France ahead of elections
By Andy Walker: Editor on 6 February, 2017
According to a report, Facebook will implement fake news checking systems in France ahead of the country's elections. The move is in a bid to quell and expel fake news from Facebook's network, and prevent the backlash the company faced in light of Donald Trump's US Presidential win in late 2016. Many believe that fake news on the social network aided Trump in his campaign and during the elections. To prevent a similar story in France, the network has announced that it will partner with eight of the country's media outlets, including the likes of the AFP, BFM, and Le Monde,...
5 impressive numbers from Facebook’s latest earnings report
By Staff Reporter on 3 February, 2017
Facebook is an internet colossus in the same way we viewed Google a few years ago. The company is riding a remarkable growth curve, a trend that it has again cemented with the release of their Q4 2016 earnings report. The report, published at the turn of the month, sheds some light into the company's manic growth, clear focus areas and user statistics. Here are some of the tastier numbers and factoids lurking within the report. 1.23-billion The number of daily active users on the 'Book in December 2016 Yes, you read that correctly. Daily. Nearly a sixth of the world accesses Facebook...
Facebook’s next destination could be your television
By Staff Reporter on 1 February, 2017
Facebook has been on a roll in January, spitting out updates to its multiple services and outlining its future plans. But the latest report from the Wall Street Journal could see the company take over your television set. According to "people familiar with the matter", the social network is planning both content deals with media companies, as well as an app for media consoles, like the Apple TV. Both suggestions seem highly likely. The network has been popular for live broadcasters in recent months, with the US PGA deal, in addition to users' Facebook Live broadcasts. The company clearly no longer...
CNN’s Facebook accounts briefly breached by OurMine
By Staff Reporter on 30 January, 2017
CNN's Facebook accounts were briefly compromised this weekend by hacking collective OurMine, Mashable reports. The group, now infamous for gaining access to accounts to peacock their security products, hit CNN's primary, International and Politics pages early morning in South Africa. This isn't the first time OurMine has been in the news in the past six months While the group didn't post anything incriminating or vile, it did flood the pages with its posters, and its usual message: "Hey, it's OurMine we are just testing your security, please contact us for more information." It seems that the group's chief motive was publicity. looks like @CNN...
You can now log in to Facebook using a special USB or NFC key
By Andy Walker: Editor on 27 January, 2017
Facebook just can't stop announcing things this week. With Facebook Stories revealed for its mobile app, and tweaks also heading to its Facebook Trending system, the company is now turning to a largely forgotten area -- privacy and security. This week, FB announced a number of new privacy tools that will be heading to user profiles on 28 January. The revamped Privacy Basics page will allow users to better understand privacy management of their account. It takes the form of an interactive FAQ, and will be available in 44 languages. Overall, there are 32 guides focusing on a number of privacy-minded...
Facebook Stories will soon let you ‘Snapchat’ from your Facebook app
By Andy Walker: Editor on 26 January, 2017
Facebook has already implemented a rehashed version of Snapchat Stories on Instagram. But it hasn't yet bolted on the feature to its flaship app. Until now, that is. The social network has announced that Facebook Stories is now a thing on its Android and iOS app, and yes, it works almost exactly like Snapchat and Instagram Stories (pictured). Users can scroll through a horizontal list of Stories located at the top of the app's screen (just below the notifications and search bar). It's almost visually identical to Instagram Stories too, and will let users share ephemeral videos and snaps that will...
Facebook Trending updates, now adds context to network’s hot topics
By Andy Walker: Editor on 26 January, 2017
In its new-found bid to highlight genuine news on its network, Facebook has announced updates to its Trending feature. Trending, a feature added to the social network in 2014, shows users "popular topics being discussed on Facebook that they might not see in their News Feed" based on algorithms and reviewed by a company team. It's a lot like Twitter's trending hashtag system, and allows users to gauge what's currently hot on the social network. But this doesn't always mean that what's hot is actually relevant, or even factual. According to Facebook's product management VP, Will Cathcart, the company will be making...
Oculus: Hugo Barra’s next move revealed
By Hadlee Simons on 26 January, 2017
It was only a few days ago that Xiaomi Global vice-president Hugo Barra announced he was leaving the Chinese smartphone conglomerate. The former Googler said at the time that he was returning to Silicon Valley, giving no clue as to what he'd actually be doing. Now, it's been announced that Barra will be joining Facebook and Oculus -- and not just in any old role. In fact, he'll be the vice-president of VR, leading Oculus and Facebook's VR efforts in general. "I'm excited that Hugo Barra is joining Facebook to lead all of our virtual reality efforts, including our Oculus team," Zuckerberg wrote on the social network. Hugo...
Gang rape of Swedish woman broadcast live on Facebook
By Andy Walker: Editor on 24 January, 2017
According to a grim tabloid report from Sweden, three men on Monday recorded and broadcast an alleged gang rape using Facebook Live -- the social network's live video streaming service. The incident, which took place in Sweden's fourth largest city Uppsala, is currently undergoing a "preliminary investigation", according to police officials. Police were alerted by a concerned member of the closed Facebook group in which the video was being broadcast. According to a member of the group, around 200 people were watching the broadcast simultaneously. Reports also suggest that there might be two videos currently circulating on Facebook. Police, in a press...
Facebook blocks Russia’s RT prior to Trump inauguration
By Andy Walker: Editor on 20 January, 2017
Both Facebook and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg aren't having the best of weeks. While Zuck is out in Hawaii settling land disputes, Facebook has looked due East, blocking an influential Russian media network. Kremlin-funded RT revealed yesterday that it was briefly blocked from posting multimedia and articles to Facebook. "RT has been blocked from posting content to its Facebook page," the network announced on its website. "The ban, according to the Facebook bot, will last until Saturday 10:55pm Moscow time (2:55pm EST) and will extend across US president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration." According to the company, a live stream rights issue caused the ban...
Zuckerberg forces sale of Hawaiian native land
By Matthew Alexander on 20 January, 2017
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg ran into some trouble when purchasing land for his US$100-million family sanctuary. Much of the land purchased by Zuckerberg is owned by Kama'aina families, who have rights to the land. This unexpected turn of events has backed Zuckerberg into a corner, so much so that he's now trying to force the sale of the land rights, as first mentioned in a Hawaiian publication. Using what's known as the "quiet title and partition", which challenges the individual's claim to the land, Zuckerberg aims to put the land up for public auction. Donald Eby, a real-estate attorney who isn't involved in the case, explained how...