In a time where COVID-19 has put a halt on in-person events, Facebook has announced new features to bring people together through video streaming.
One of these new features allows hosts to charge a fee for access to events held through Facebook Live streams. Although there aren’t many details to exactly how and when Facebook plans to roll out this feature, Facebook tweeted this statement:
Along with announcement, Facebook announced they are introducing Messenger Rooms. Messenger Rooms can be created through Facebook or Messenger and users will be able to invite others, even if they don’t have a Facebook account. This was Mark Zuckerberg’s solution to bringing people together during a time of social distancing. Users can invite up to 50 people at once to join their Messenger Room and use the service for as long as they desire since there is no time limit on calls.
A unique thing about this feature is the ability for users to drop into Messenger Rooms as the please. In a statement released by Facebook: “You can start and share rooms on Facebook through News Feed, Groups and Events, so it’s easy for people to drop by.” Users can either be able to drop into rooms that are open to them or join by being invited. This does not mean just anyone can pop into your video calls. When creating a room, users will be able to choose who can see and join. Users are also given the ability to remove people from the call and lock a room to stop anyone new from entering.
Users will be able to use Messenger Rooms from their smartphones or computers within the next few weeks.
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