It’s no secret that Facebook has been increasing its emphasis on video in the past year. Now an after-hours side project of the team at Facebook has come to light, Riff. It’s yet another video app, yes. So what makes it different?
Riff is all about collaborative video and video length falls in-between Vine and Snapchat at 20 seconds or less. Video on Facebook now accounts for 30 percent of all content types on the social network, so the emphasis on shorter video feels necessary.
“The potential pool of creative collaborators can grow exponentially from there, so a short video can become an inventive project between circles of friends that you can share to Facebook, or anywhere on the internet, at any time,” said Facebook product manager Josh Miller in their blog announcement.
We chatted with Nic Mercado, project manager and social media strategist at Ayzenberg to find out what her initial thoughts are on Facebook’s pet app project.
Nic Mercado, Project Manager and Social Media Strategist at Ayzenberg
What was your first thought when you heard Facebook has launched another app?
I’m always a little hesitant when Facebook launches something new because they are so brand-based now, but considering it’s a video app, it definitely piques my interest!
What are your thoughts around Facebook’s increasing emphasis on video as a format?
It’s smart of them to jump on the video wagon. There are so many interesting video apps and programs, I’m shocked it’s taken them this long to come up with something themselves.
Are you excited at all to experiment with Riff?
As a huge Snapchat fan (and video in general), I am super excited to try out Riff. I have a lot of friends that do amazing things all around the world, so it would be nice to “collaborate” on a video from miles away. Photo and video sharing will never go away, so when there’s something new and exciting, I’m always stoked to try it out.
What are some video apps you’re currently using and what do you like about them?
I use Snapchat on a daily basis and love how advanced it has gotten with geo-tagging and sharing stories. I’m constantly finding myself “snapping” things and sharing funny/interesting stuff happening in front of me. I also really like seeing my friends’ stories and seeing what they are up to all day. Also, I’m a little addicted to PHHHOTO but I wish more people were on it!
