We all remember the commercials on TV (or in my case, Hulu) for Facebook Live. Share with friends! Be in the moment! Never miss a thing! They preyed hard on the fear of missing out most of us social creatures suffer from, and they succeeded pretty well. Here are the top 4 reasons why you should try Facebook Live for your personal enjoyment.
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Fosters personal connection
It may sound a little counterintuitive to say using a social media application fosters personal connections, but in the grand scheme of things, Facebook Live is the closest we’ll get to being in every spot around the world we want to be in with the people we want to be with. Want to see the World Cup with your dad but couldn’t get off work? Check out his live stream on Facebook, along with the official FIFA live steam. You may even see some things your good ol’ dad missed! Did your best friend go on vacation to Montana? Watch her video of the snowy mountaintops live and feel like you flew there with her. Now when she talks about the sun on the snow and how it sparkled, you’ll remember that moment she shared over Facebook Live. It’s not entirely as personal as a one-on-one video chat, of course, but it allows friends and family to share moments with everyone without having to call down the list individually. Which bring us to…
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Private chat about public live videos
With new updates came new features to Facebook Live. One of the new items is the ability to private chat with a group of your friends about a Facebook Live stream while it plays above the thread. So let’s say you and your buddies have a favorite sports team, and they’re streaming a game live on Facebook. Gather your friends in the private chat and go ham on the opposing team or share inside jokes without the rest of the Facebook universe there to interrupt or argue. It’s like a welcome shield from the vast amount of faceless Facebookers.
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Joint live broadcast!
Sometimes doing a Facebook Live video all by yourself can be… well, kind of lame. But now you can have a friend in a separate location on the screen with you. It’s basically like letting others watch your Skype or Facetime conversation with your BFF. Think podcast with your favorite person but live, on video. Don’t have anything interesting to say? No problem! Let your friend hold the conversation while you think of the next punch line.
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Reminisce on live moments
Maybe a little contradictory here as well, but think about it. You capture a birthday party or a surprise homecoming on Facebook Live, and when you look back on the moment, it’s real and in the present, not rehearsed or staged in any way. It adds that sprinkle of genuine to the occasion, and it’ll make reminiscing that much more special. Plus, you get to see all the comments and likes streaming in real time, so you can laugh with your kids in ten years at the reactions to the Facebook Live video of their gender-reveal parties.