Facebook hosted its annual F8 summit last week in San Francisco. This two day developer conference was accessible to millions of people across the globe this year as it was live streamed. Don’t worry if you weren’t able to tune in at the time though; we’ve put together a summary of the key things you need to know from the conference.
Introduction of bots for messenger
Across online service as a whole, we are seeing an increased number of bots being used. If you have ever spoken to customer services on a live chat stream, there’s a strong likelihood this was a bot talking. Facebook are now looking to introduce bots to Messenger too, as users are increasingly engaging with businesses via their Facebook pages, which at the moment can be tricky to manage effectively. This will allow greater interaction, something which consumers are demanding more and more.
Anonymous login
You might have noticed that more and more often, when logging into websites or apps, you are given the option to login via Facebook. And this is great – it’s quick, it’s simple and you don’t have to waste time typing out your details over and over. However, you may sometimes feel wary sharing a lifetime of information with a website. Facebook are now giving you the option to anonymously log in until you decide whether you like or trust an app. Try before you buy, if you will. This mode will hide the user’s name but still allow activity on the app to be saved, such as high scores or progress in a gaming app.
Embedded mobile like button
Shared content on Facebook has boomed dramatically recently. It really highlights how Facebook is now so embedded in how we use other apps and social media services. In line with this, Facebook announced at the F8 summit that soon there will be an option to embed a like button in other apps. This will enable users to instantly like and share content to friends via their Facebook newsfeed, rather than having to move between sites and apps to do so.
