Facebook gets video commenting -- here's how to use it
For quite a while, I was hesitant to embrace Facebook because of privacy concerns. While that is still a worry, I have softened a bit, coming to like its Messenger app in particular. While the logic Facebook uses to list content in my timeline still eludes me (what's wrong with chronological?), it is a satisfying experience overall.
Believe it or not, the ability to leave comments and reply to posts using video was not previously available on Facebook. This is probably because video cannot be text-mined, but I digress. Today, the social network announces that video commenting is now a reality. Want to try it yourself? It is actually very simple.
"At Facebook's 50th Hackathon early this year, we prototyped the ability to upload a video into comments and replies on posts, because we wanted enable more engaging and immersive conversations. This adds to the suite of multimedia features within comments including: links, photos, stickers, emoji, and starting today video", says Bob Baldwin, Project Engineer, Facebook.
Baldwin further says, "Videos in Comments are now available worldwide! You can upload them as replies to posts by people and pages, as well as within groups and events. It's supported on desktop web, iOS, and Android. To try it out, click the camera icon next to the comment field".
Yep, it is that easy folks. When you see the camera icon (as seen above), you simply click it. From there, you can reply with a video, enhancing the Facebook experience. With that said, not all replies are video-worthy -- from an etiquette perspective, it is probably wise to reserve them for moments when appropriate. A flood of video replies could be both annoying and time consuming -- plus an increase of data usage.
Not to mention, privacy on Facebook is still a major concern. Even seemingly tame things such as quizzes from sites like Meaww can apparently collect your data. Posting reply videos of yourself acting silly, nasty, or using foul language could end up getting out -- something colleges and employers might see. Just because you disagree with a Facebook post, doesn't mean you should fire off an expletive-laced video reply! Think twice, folks.
Are you excited to use video commenting on Facebook? Tell me in the comments.
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