Facebook Stories...
CNNTech production assistant Lisa Fischer, 22, suggests picking things that are "interesting or funny in the moment but not long-term interesting enough to post as like, an Instagram."
Yes, really.
If Facebook didn't own Instagram I'd be calling them out for this but it appears the success of Instagram Stories has rubbed off and they are trying their luck on more channels!
Facebook Stories sits at the top of your mobile news feed and has two distinct parts: Direct and Stories.
You’ll find Direct at the top left-hand side of your news feed and you can access it by tapping the paper airplane icon. Direct is a new private messaging feature linked with Stories, and it allows you to view any Story images or videos sent to you directly. You can also see any replies to your own stories.
"Don't post too many selfies or you'll seem like a narcissist," says Fischer. "But if you insist on posting selfies, do it with a filter so people think you're being tongue-in-cheek."
Stories is located in the area along the top of the news feed. Here you’ll see circles that represent the stories (videos and images) posted by you and your friends. Just tap the relevant circle to view a story, which will consist of one or more videos or images, looking something like this above. (Sound familiar?)
Other features include being able to take a video up to 40 seconds long and choosing an image from your camera role from MORE than 24 hours ago unlike on Instagram Story. Facebook Story also gives you more choices in the way of filters, stickers, effects, overlays, masks and paintbrushes.
My cheeky recommendation to Facebook would be to open up a story function for Pages and THEN it can be really well utilised in a marketing sense! It's only a matter of time.
If you are going to give Facebook Story a shot, here are some tips:
- Shoot in profile/vertical format.
- Keep speaking or sound out of videos, or to a minimum.
- Instead use a text overlay to say it. Most people browse on mute.
- Great for 'on the run' type images of your surroundings and discoveries.
- Note that people WILL know if you are watching them!
Have you ever wondered what a current employee would say about a company and the boss BEFORE you apply for the job? Well there has been an app invented purely for this purpose!
BetterCompany lets job seekers anonymously chat with employees! A random animal avatar is assigned to each post and comment made within the community and the avatar changes for each post and comment that is made.
I'm not sure how utilised this will be in New Zealand but the idea has merit! You know what I suspect it may be used for though? Bosses seeing what their employees are saying.. #justsayin
Chanelle O’Sullivan is Grass Roots Media's Social Media Specialist. She originally studied agriculture, before moving south onto a Station, followed by a stint dairy farming. After three years vet nursing, she is now a Mum to two kids and creator of Farming Mums NZ and ‘Just a Farmers Wife’ while also working part-time for the NZ Landcare Trust and Grass Roots Media.
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