Best Uses of Facebook Live in 2016
The success of Facebook can be attributed to its excellence in innovation. From merely being a social network, Facebook has expanded its arsenal to include different innovations such as Like Buttons, Facebook Messenger, Facebook Games, among others. The latest and most popular addition is Facebook Live.
Facebook introduced the beta version of Facebook Live in August 2015 to a limited number of users – mostly publishers and influencers. It was meant to compete with similar livestreaming services like Periscope. In January 2016, Facebook Live was rolled out for public use. Its features include live comments and live viewer reactions. Since then, we have seen a number of users livestreaming portions of their daily lives through Facebook Live. Even mainstream and digital media, brands and various organizations adapted the feature.
Below are some examples of Facebook Live videos done right. These are not necessarily the best Facebook Live videos of 2016, but we’d like to highlight them for their exceptional use of the feature.
Election Coverage – News & Media
Facebook Live has been instrumental for both the Philippine Elections and the U.S. Elections. Mainstream and digital media tapped Facebook to livestream several election-related events such as presidential debates and campaign rallies. This allowed those without access to television to witness the said events in real time. Take for example the last presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton which was televised by ABC and also broadcasted through Facebook Live.
Common Ground Music Fest – Branded Event
Facebook Live can also be used to cover events and activations of various brands. Last August, Jameson Irish Whiskey held its first ever music fest in the Philippines, The Common Ground Music Fest. Jameson’s Official Facebook page posted live coverage of the event, including Facebook Live videos. Even though the festival was held in an intimate venue, online viewers were able to watch their favorite local artists perform, in the comfort of their own homes.
Chewbacca Mom Video – Vlog-Style Video
The most successful Facebook Live video of 2016 has over 164 million views. It belongs to Candace Payne, a 37-year old Texas mom who filmed herself laughing over getting a Chewbacca mask. The video became a viral hit and was re-shared over 3 million times. Candace’s story was picked up by news organizations. She was even invited by Mark Zuckerberg to visit the Facebook Headquarters.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Charging Video – Fun Stuff
After Samsung discontinued the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 because of its hardware problems, Dose purchased a handset from Craigslist and run a livestream of the phone charging, trying to see how long it would take for it to explode. Although the video ended (after four hours) with the phone still intact, the video became such a hit with 5.8 million views.
There is no denying that video is one of the most consumed content in the digital arena. Facebook took it up a notch by adding a user-friendly live video streaming feature which proved to be such a great addition to its arsenal of products.
