Facebook Introduces Team Devoted to Social Virtual Reality

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Facebook hasn’t held back when it comes to showing its interest in the virtual reality. Following its purchase of Oculus VR back in 2014, the company has made strides by showcasing new video pieces, as well as providing more of a consumer push for the forthcoming device, which will finally launch this year.

This week, the company continued to show its confidence in the medium, as co-founder/CEO Mark Zuckerberg made a surprise appearance at the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked Event during the Mobile World Congress, as seen in the image above, explaining how virtual reality will play such a huge part in the market.

“In the future, VR will enable even more types of connection – like the ability for friends who live in different parts of the world to spend time together and feel like they’re really there with each other,” the company stated, summing up Zuckerberg’s thoughts on the technology.

But the team intends to take VR one step further with a truly devoted social team to help push the technology. “We’ve created a Social VR team at Facebook focused entirely on exploring the future of social interaction in VR,” it confirmed. “This team will explore how people can connect and share using today’s VR technology, as well as long-term possibilities as VR evolves into an increasingly important computing platform.”

The team will work independently alongside Oculus VR to help bring new ideas to fruition, and “build the foundation for tomorrow’s social VR experiences on all platforms” as a result.

It’s unknown just what kind of push is expected just yet, but video will play a big part, considering that Facebook Video has come a long way in just a short amount of time.

Samsung VR will also benefit from this push, since Zuckerberg was at the event to help promote its forthcoming gear. “Gear VR is by far the best mobile VR experience. And that’s’ because it combines the best hardware, from Samsung, with the best software – from Facebook, with Oculus.”

It’s also worth noting that Samsung recently launched a neat new promotion to get more VR units in homes, by providing a free Gear VR device with every pre-order of its forthcoming Galaxy S7.

It’ll be interesting to see what results Facebook’s VR social team produces over the next few months, leading to the arrival of so many units on the market.

Could Ads Be Coming To Facebook Messenger?

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Ads have played a big part in Facebook’s strategy over the past few years, as the company has been looking to accommodate advertisers in creative ways, without interrupting the social experience of its many users. That said, it could be working on a way to implement them into its messaging service.

TechCrunch reports, per a “leaked document,” that the company is hard at work on a new ad set-up that will launch in Messenger as soon as the second quarter of 2016. With it, businesses will be able to send along ads as messages to consumers who previously talked about that company through chat.

To prepare for this, Facebook has supposedly requested companies to get in touch with consumers with message threads, in the hopes to have ads ready to launch when the service goes live.

The company is also reportedly working on creating URL short links that will instantly open chat threads with a business, should consumers want to ask them questions about products or other inquiries.

Facebook has already responded to the leak by stating, “We don’t comment on rumor or speculation. That said, our aim with Messenger is to create a high quality, engaging experience for 800 million people around the world, and that includes ensuring people do not experience unwanted messages of any type.”

However, this indicates that the company could be taking a cautious approach with its ads, so that it doesn’t overflow the experience that users have gotten used to now – nor will it introduce any unsolicited content that they don’t want. The process will supposedly revolve around those that have voluntarily chatted with a business to get ads, and not just general audiences.

This is a change of pace from what Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg said in the past about Facebook advertising, stating, “I don’t personally think ads are the right way to monetize messaging.” But keep in mind that the social media giant has been making leaps and bounds in promoting brands the right way over the past few months (including its expanding video service), and that finding a way to effectively do it with Messenger could be the next logical step.

We’ll see what happens in the months ahead, but Facebook is bound to find an effective way to make this work without bombarding users with too many ads.

Twitter Continues Extended Reach To Brands

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Twitter has made quite a few changes over the past few weeks, in an attempt to streamline its service and make it easier to pair with brands. Back in December, it made a killing with Star Wars-based emojis; and it recently pondered the idea of introducing an algorithmic timeline, so it would be set up in a similar manner to its biggest competitor, Facebook.

Today, the company debuted some brand-friendly new options: the ability to integrate a private message button into their tweets. This lets users initiate conversations based on something they see on the site. For instance, movie studios can debut trailers, then get people talking about them. Delta and StarBucks are already on board with the program, and several vendors, like Hootsuite and Sprinklr, are looking to mix it in as well.

In addition, the site will soon introduce a feedback option, which will enable marketers to ask users about customer service interactions. There are already a number of companies that try to interact with consumers based on experiences (like @Xboxsupport for Microsoft’s Xbox console), but this would indicate that Twitter is looking to take such an experience to the next level, helping companies out even further. With private messaging, users can share more sensitive information without it being seen in public.

While these features may benefit Twitter in building partnerships with brands and other potential clients, there is a bit of concern lingering in the back of some peoples’ minds. With some of these business moves, even though the site may see a profit, it could be turning it into a “pay to play” site?

There has already been some uproar over some changes, like the removal of wallpaper from users’ sites (likely to make room for potential ads) and the algorithm timeline. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey was quick to quell fears, but still remained cryptic in regards to their inclusion.

He also assured that the social front of Twitter would remain in place, rather than delving full-on into business practices.

However, even small changes have some users feeling that the platform is becoming worse. Back in November, the company made a small change to the “favorite” system on the site, changing them to “likes” – such as Facebook uses. As a result, there was a huge outcry, with most users indicating they liked Twitter the way it was.

Following this change, Fortune writer Matthew Ingram made a note on the change to some of Twitter’s business tactics. “A lot of what Twitter is now didn’t come from the company at all, but from its loyal and passionate, and in many cases irritating users. So then how much attention should it pay to the concerns of those users now, when it is trying to broaden the reach and appeal to new kinds of audiences? There’s no easy answer to that one.”

Whether Twitter’s new approach to cater to businesses while keeping its avid userbase intact will be effective has yet to be seen. The small changes thus far haven’t had too big an impact, but if it does indeed lean more towards the “pay to play” style of approach, it’s hard to tell just how social they’ll continue to be. At least Dorsey remains optimistic.

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Facebook Enhances Video With Automatic Captions

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Facebook has huge success with its video component, establishing over three billion daily views and testing out new features to bring in new potential advertisers. Today, the company continued to make strides in that direction, offering a unique feature that could challenge marketers to try something new: closed captioning.

The social media giant has begun offering two lines of automated captions in branded videos for no additional charge, according to an AdWeek report. This will enable companies to set up a silent autoplay feature in Facebook feeds, while keeping their message relevant, and it could be something that catches the eyes of viewers long enough to keep them from scrolling past.

Granted, the challenge now lies with making sure the message is displayed quickly enough to catch those eyes, according to Facebook ad products marketing director Graham Mudd. He noted that captioned video ads have a 12 percent increase in video view time over those without them.

“In a feed-based environment, people are in control of what they consume,” he explained. “So, unless you focus on earning that attention, really through relevance, you’re not going to succeed as much as you would otherwise.”

Further research by Fors Marsh indicates that users tend to remember content in a news feed, even if they’re scrolling by it in a quick manner. Facebook followed that up by noting that, per research from Nielsen, recall can pick up as much as 47 percent after three seconds of viewing, and as high as 74 percent after ten seconds.

Not only that, but closed captioned videos are also noticeable across a number of formats, including mobile. Considering that mobile ad revenue makes up 80 percent of the company’s overall ad funds, that’s a big deal.

Mudd noted that the big challenge for companies now lies in adapting said content for video, and not just with closed captioning. “I think the massive adoption of smartphones, etc. is all coming together to produce a new advertising channel that has tremendous reach,” he explained. “And I think that mobile as a device is becoming one of the most – if not the most – important devices to people.”

Facebook will also continue to expand its video opportunities with other features, including new video ad analytics that measure ads independently, as well as the ability to purchase “100 percent in view” for more markets, as it was previously only available in the United States. (This enables the opportunity to let video ads run full-on through a news feed.)

These changes should help Facebook see more potential business for its video division – and captioning isn’t needed to get that message.

Twitter and Facebook See Slight Drop With Super Bowl

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This year’s Super Bowl was a big hit, with more than 111.9 million viewers tuning in to see the big game, along with some unforgettable commercials. However, not everyone seemed to benefit.

Marketing Land recently reported that Super Bowl-related posts on Facebook and Twitter saw a slight drop over last year’s numbers. While both sites still saw moderately strong traffic, with 27 million tweets and 200 million social interactions, these were slight drops from last year.

When Super Bowl 2015 played out, Twitter saw 28.4 million tweets during the big game, while Facebook reported an estimated 265 million interactions. That’s a five percent drop and a 25 percent drop, respectively.

About 60 million users posted some form of Super Bowl interaction on Facebook this year, compared to 65 million from last year – about an eight percent decrease.

Instagram also saw a decent amount of traffic this year, with 38 million people posting across 155 million interactions. Though previous numbers weren’t reported, it’s a safe bet that the company is quite happy with the news.

As for the reasoning behind the drop on Facebook and Twitter, many believe that the contest just wasn’t as exciting as last year’s. While the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos delivered a good contest (which ended with a victory for Denver), some felt it didn’t compare to last year’s match-up between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. Plus, some felt that last year’s Super Bowl ads were more “buzzworthy”, led by Liam Neeson’s memorable spot for Clash of Clans.

That said, social media was still buzzing, and Twitter decided to focus more on the positive aspects of the Super Bowl. It recently sent out a tweet boasting about the 4.3 billion views of football-related tweets both on and off Twitter.

Not everyone saw a decrease in numbers from the Super Bowl, however. Snapchat, teaming up with Gatorade for a special sponsored lens promotion, featuring pro tennis player, Serena Williams.

Kicking off just in time for Super Bowl Sunday, the ad, which enabled Snapchat users to look like they have football-style eye black on and have a giant container of Gatorade dumped on them, managed to generate 100 million views over the course of the day. It managed to gain a huge amount of attention on the app through private sharing with friends and posting on Stories feeds.

While unique visitors weren’t broken down, this is still good news for Snapchat and its growing audience, and proof that its advertising model is effective, albeit pricey. According to Re/code, holiday sponsored lenses are worth $750,000 per lens, which could apply to the Super Bowl.

For now, neither Facebook nor Twitter are concerned with the drop in users, but next year’s Super Bowl could tell a different story.

Twitter Prepares New Algorithmic Timeline Set-Up

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Twitter users may have noticed the hashtag “#RIPTwitter” trending over the past few days. That’s because some users are fearing that the social media platform’s days may be numbered, now that the company has announced a new algorithmic style listing for its service.

That said, it’s not all doom and gloom, since users can opt out.

According to those familiar with testing, a user’s timeline will be shuffled based on rankings of tweets – basically an expansion of the “while you were away” feature. This will be updated throughout the day, depending how often a user checks on the timeline, and will then revert back to a reverse-chronological timeline when refreshed. Related posts of popular tweets will also be included, for those looking more into a particular subject.

Former Twitter employee Paul Rosania spoke in defense of the new timeline. “In a purely chronological feed, tweet quality is distributed *randomly,*” he explained. “If you miss any tweets, *any at all,* there will be just as much good stuff in there as there is in what you actually see. Delivering some of that, by pushing down something else, is *guaranteed* to give you a better experience. Not by principle, just by math.”

The move is the latest by Twitter in an attempt to bring in more users. The change in the timeline to an algorithmic format shouldn’t be a surprise, considering how popular it is on Facebook. “Algorithmic feed was always the thing people said they didn’t want but demonstrated they did via every conceivable metric,” said Bret Taylor, former chief technical officer for Facebook. “It’s just better.”

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has since gone on the offensive to quell the fears of users posting the “#RIPTwitter” hashtag, explaining that “Twitter is here to stay” and “We love the live stream. It’s us. And we’re going to continue to refine it to make Twitter feel more, not less, live!” Plus, there were reassurances that the new timeline could be opted out of, if a user wasn’t interested in trying out the format.

As to when these changes will take place on Twitter has yet to be seen. There were whispers that it could be introduced as of this week, but the social site could still be in the testing phase, for a debut sometime down the road.

Considering the buzz it’s getting from such a change, however, it’s clear that Twitter is hardly anything but dead.

How Virtual Reality Will Shape Social Media

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Incorporating virtual reality features into social media became, more or less, a foregone conclusion the day Facebook purchased Oculus VR for $2 billion nearly two years ago. As the social platform turned 12 this week, it should come as little surprise that its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, stated that he wanted to use virtual reality technology to take 360 degree video of his infant daughter’s milestones.

“Hopefully within a year Max will be taking her first steps, and when I took my first step, my mom wrote down the date in a book,” Zuckerberg said at a small gathering of Facebook users, there to celebrate its 12th anniversary. “I want to take a 360 video of it, so that way even if my parents aren’t there, my grandparents aren’t there, they can experience it, they can actually be in the scene.”

These kinds of videos, which allow friends and acquaintances experience events almost as if they were there, could become commonplace on user feeds as the technology becomes more accessible. Facebook, which recently reported tremendous success (largely due to its video features), began support for virtual reality videos last fall, and has a page dedicated to 360-video ads to help grow support for the format.

Similarly, YouTube has markedly stepped up its support of 360 video, partly as an effort to get more viewers to start using Google Cardboard with their smartphones. However, Google might be looking to step up its game, as it is said to be in talks with camera manufacturers to further develop 360 livestreaming features. As 360 livestreaming technology becomes more accessible, marketers can use it share experiences at a whole new level.

Realizing the potential of virtual reality, Universal Music Group has partnered with iHeartMedia to produce six to ten VR-based music experiences this year so artists can better connect with fans. The VR experiences, which starts with the iHeartRadio Music Awards on April 3rd, will include marquee events like the iHeartRadio Country Festival, Summer Pool Party, Jingle Ball Tour and more. Although other artists have worked with companies like Vrse and Jaunt to experiment with virtual reality, this long-term agreement could mark the start of a trend; especially with the rumors of how Apple may be interested developing virtual reality, which it would likely use to help promote services like Apple Music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6hEWZ9Igy0

Virtual reality doesn’t just have the potential to bring artists closer to fans — it can bring people closer together in general, but being the perfect bridge between huge distances. Users can see, interact with each other, and attend events without leaving their homes. Landmark Entertainment is looking to launch a Virtual World’s Fair in 2017, where people can come together and meet, be entertained, and shop.

AltspaceVR has a similar goal with its VR platform, which allows users to enter virtual rooms and socialize. Last November, social space partnered with Wizards of the Coast to bring Dungeons and Dragons to virtual reality, and that’s just one activity out of many that include virtual stand-up comedy and trivia night parties. The AltspaceVR also recently became available for the  Samsung Gear VR, so now users have a relatively low-cost means of socializing in virtual reality instead of having to spend hundreds of dollars on a high end headset like the Oculus Rift, which also needs a powerful PC to operate it.

Whether it’s sharing a moment, attending an event, or getting together, VR could play a key role in redefining what all of that means.

Panthers Quarterback Cam Newton Takes Madden Game Seriously

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If Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton can make Electronic Arts’ Madden NFL 16 Super Bowl 50 simulation a reality on the field at Levi’s Stadium Sunday night, he’ll likely also end up on the cover of a future game. Newton was a finalist – twice – for Madden cover honors, and lost both times (to Calvin Johnson in 2012 and Richard Sherman in 2014). But given the Madden curse that has plagued many (but not all) cover athletes, perhaps Panthers fans eager for the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory, are just as glad.

Newton, who’s a big gamer, talks about his video game prowess in this exclusive interview.

When it comes to your video game expertise, how have you seen that help you throughout your real football career?

It has nothing to do with real football, but it’s just great to see what you do on actual Sundays and see it come to life in the video game. It’s great. I grew up playing Madden and watching as well, and it’s just a blessing for me to see myself no longer have to create myself and to have my likeness on a game.

What’s the jump been like for you to see PS4 and Xbox One’s version of Cam Newton virtually?

Unreal. You know. I find myself in awe just looking at like, ‘Oh my God that looks just like me.’ And when I have family members come over and they see me playing with my character and they’re like, “Man, I thought that was real because that the graphics are just ridiculous now.”

With Electronic Arts releasing a new game every year, what would you like to see in the next Madden that they don’t do right now?

I’m not sure. That’s something that I’d have to go back and think about. One thing about Madden, those new features that they have on the game are relevant and it’s cool to have that feature. So I don’t want to say nothing right now that wouldn’t have some type of staple in the game. I just have to sit back and watch and play more Madden to see what’s missing.

What advice would you give to someone who is going to play as the Panthers in Madden NFL 15?

I would have to say when the game is on the line but the ball in Ace Boogie’s hands. He seems to get me out of a lot of situations and get me over that losing hump and maybe win a lot of football games. So if it works for me, I’m pretty sure it will work for them too.

When it comes to your team, where do you feel you rank when it comes to Madden skills?

I don’t wear No. 1 for nothing, it’s kind of like a hit, but I will say I’m a pretty good Madden football player. I’m a Madden connoisseur for all type of years dating back, and it’s great to have my thumbs be so talented.

What would you like to see your ratings be if you were in charge?

I would like a slight increase with my speed being like 99. Like ‘big, strong, fast’ is something that we all try to be, and I think I got two of those right. But I’m always slapped back into reality when I play Madden with myself and I say, ‘I’m big, I’m strong, but I’m not fast.’ I’m like 86. I want 99. I need 99. I will not be stopped if I’m 99 and to push Michael Vick’s ultimate reign of being the most dominant Madden player. I need 99 for me to give a run for it.

Who is Cam Newton?

A Super Bowl quarterback, a Heisman Trophy winner, a first-round pick, but more importantly God’s servant. I’m in this position, I scratch my head sometimes and I ask myself, ‘Why am I in this position?’ A lot of answers that I come back with is, ‘Why not?’ When I look at a lot of people where I’m from, and as you mentioned College Park, they don’t have a voice, because when the people that they look up to are the rappers, are this type of person, are that type of person, not even people necessarily from the Bankhead in Atlanta terms, but also people that’s from Buckhead that can make it from that area and be that microphone to so many different people.

How did your car crash last year impact the way you look at things?

That puts everything into perspective. I was going to bring little Chosen (his son) with me, but I didn’t think he could walk down the steps yet. He’s already walking if you ain’t know. He’s a month old. With me going through the car accident, everything is just, I’m just blessed, man. Sometimes you get asked questions and you’re speechless. You’re just here in this moment, because I’m so happy to one, walk away from it, but also see so much blessings be rained upon me.

What was the deal with those pants you wore on the flight to San Francisco?

It’s Super Bowl 50. The mantra … or the colors are black and gold. The black and gold attire that I had in my closet was extremely limited, so when I looked at my pants and I said these are black and gold, these shoes are black and gold, to tie along with the whole Super Bowl 50 black and gold.

What type of pressure did wearing those pants put on you to win the Super Bowl?

Every time I put on an attire, every single morning of my life, it’s a must-win attire, so it’s nothing different.

How do you train to be a great quarterback?

Just like you train to be great in anything else, you have to put your mind to it. First off, you’ve got to enjoy doing it and contrary to popular belief, you have to be enthused about doing it. If you’ve got those ingredients, you’ll be alright.

What do you think of Peyton Manning calling you “the future face of the NFL”?

Anything that the sheriff has to say, you can probably ink it in gold. It’s just a tremendous honor to be even mentioned and affiliated with the face of the league, but yet I think I have bigger fish to fry on Sunday, and then we’ll worry about the rest of the eight to 10 years after that.

What’s your favorite part of preparing for a football game?

I think that my favorite part of preparation would have to be game time when you’ve looked at something all week, when you prepared or you went over something with your coaches and for it to come and lay out, or play out like you went over it in the meeting room and for you to have the answer, I think that’s the ultimate answer for why you study so hard, why you stay countless hours, why you prepare so much.

How’s Super Bowl preparation different?

The preparation is not different at all. It’s just the media. The media frenzy is probably bigger than I expected, but yet it’s the Super Bowl. It’s the most impactful game of all of sports, as you can see.

What was your Super Bowl dream growing up?

Just to play in the Super Bowl, one, and to win a Super Bowl. That was the big dream of mine. I remember when the Super Bowl was in Atlanta and Steve McNair was there, one of my idols growing up, one of many idols. It just goes to show you that this is a game of inches. He threw the slant at the end and reached out and didn’t get it, one of my all-time favorite Super Bowl moments. Yet that just makes you prepare even more so that you’ll be on the winning side of the pendulum.

 

YouTube May Be Expanding 360-Degree Video Possibilities

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360-degree based virtual reality video promises a new level of immersion for consumers that goes beyond what a routine video clip is capable of. Despite there impressiveness, there is still a great deal of untapped potential for the format, but now it appears that YouTube is stepping things up.

Buzzfeed reports that Google’s video division is looking at ways to create 360-degree livestreamed video. Although things are still in the planning stages, several sources note that YouTube has met with several 360-degree camera manufacturers in an effort to gain more support for the format on its platform.

The company first launched its 360-degree video format back in March with several examples of how effective virtual reality video is at adding an extra dimension to everything from high-flying activities to wild concert experiences.

Regular YouTube videos are already compatible with Google Cardboard through the app, but 3D “virtual reality videos” offer a new level of depth.

Now the only question is if technology can keep up, as some videos need to be “stitched” together to create the ideal 360-degree effect. Devices like the GoPro Odyssey are already capable of doing that, and YouTube could be meeting with other manufacturers to expand on the technology.

Reps for the video channel didn’t have any comment on the story, so things remains speculative for now. Still, considering that virtual reality could be heading into a market worth billions of dollars, it wouldn’t be a shock to see YouTube possess the immersive content needed to become a leader in content.

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60 Second Video Ad Format Introduced On Instagram

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Perhaps it’s the allure of potential Super Bowl advertising, or just an overall plan to bring more clients to the site. Either way, Instagram is upping its advertising game, enabling companies to post ads up to 60 seconds in length.

The update (via VentureBeat) doubles the 30 second length Instagram put into place September, which was 15 seconds longer than the videos users are allowed to post to their account. This extra time should prove appealing to advertisers, since it removes some of the restraints on their creative efforts, and doesn’t by force them to “cram” their message in.

Some advertisers have already begun taking advantage of the format, including T-Mobile, which posted this clip featuring performer Drake. Warner Bros. is reportedly prepping something as well, possibly related to the comic book films like Suicide Squad and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Facebook previously reported during its Q4 2015 call that Instagram played a big part in its advertising program. Although specific numbers weren’t given, chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg did note that it was one of the “most important mobile advertising platforms” available on the market. With an increased length, it’s likely to get even stronger.

That said, there is some slight concern over how users are only allowed 15 second videos, now that companies can post videos going four times over that. Could we see a more relaxed video format coming in the future? Only time will tell. In the meantime, bring on the ads.

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