Social media giant, Facebook, has announced the launch two new tools for page admins aimed at improving the process of publishing videos on the site. Experts from the industry believe that with its video feature overhaul, Facebook is looking to pit itself against the reigning king of online videos – YouTube. With these two updates, Facebook is aiming to accord page admins more freedom to share and organize their video uploads.
New Video Tools
The latest update from Facebook is designed to tweak the process of video uploads, along with bringing in new features that will soon be made available on the current Facebook video API, a statement issued by the site on its media page said. The key highlights of the new video tools being rolled out by the social networking site include the option of prohibiting video embeds on third-party websites and launching secret videos.
The secret video option that has been developed on lines of the unlisted video feature on YouTube allows page admins on the site to release secret videos that can be accessed exclusively through direct URL links. Even after being shared, these videos will not be visible through direct search on Facebook or any other social media platform. In addition to these features, the new tools also accord admins the power to restrict video viewing options according to age, gender or even language and ethnicity. The update also provides admins the option of setting an expiration date for every video, beyond which it will no longer be available on the Facebook Page, however, the insights gathered on expired videos can be kept intact.
Besides these tools that offer greater control over the way videos are viewed and shared on a page, Facebook has also incorporated certain customization features in its upcoming update. Admins will now be able to customize the thumbnails for every video uploaded on a page and also organize them in different categories such as news or entertainment.
The Video Library
The library feature being announced as part of Facebook’s upcoming update is an extension on the videos tab feature included in Page insights in June. The library feature aims at helping admins manage and organize the entire stream of video uploads in once place. The new feature will be added to the publishing tools options already available on the Page. Admins can use the video library on their Page to alter meta description, add subtitles, customize thumbnails, reorganize distribution and publishing options, apply search filters and re-categorize secret videos. All in all, the library will serve as a one-stop-solution for uploading new videos and managing existing ones. The change in video settings can either be made in bulk to the entire database or on a per-video basis.
According to Facebook officials, all the new features and tools announced in this latest update will be made available in a matter of weeks. Given the way the social media giant has been positioning itself lately, users can look forward to more such features and updates being rolled out in the coming months.
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