It looks like Facebook (FB) is quickly becoming an all-rounded social site as Mark Zuckerberg just announced that they are introducing a new dating feature on FB, reported The Star.
Source: Tech Crunch
They plan to play matchmaker for millions of people who list themselves single on FB while simultaneously encouraging Facebookers to spend more time on the social site.
“There are 200 million people on Facebook that list themselves as single, so clearly there’s something to do here,” said Mark to software developers that attended the annual F8 conference.
Source: Heavy
Besides that, Mark also explained that they will give importance to privacy when building the feature as FB’s privacy had become debatable since its scandal with Cambridge Analytica two months back, in March 2018.
Once the announcement was made, FB shares rose 1.1%, closing at USD173.86 (RM680.45), which initiated a sell-off of established dating services providers.
James Cordwell, Atlantic Equities analyst said that a dating service would definitely encourage more people to spend time on FB but it could also pose a huge problem to competitors like Match Group Inc, the owner of dating apps like Tinder and OkCupid.
Source: Global Dating Insights
“But the initial functionality looks relatively basic compared to those offered by Match’s services, so the impact Facebook has on the dating space will be down to how well it executes in this area,” said James.
So, how is this feature different from all the other dating sites/apps?
Thanks to a prototype displayed at the F8 conference, here’s what you can expect to see:
- A heart-shaped button situated at the top-right corner of your regular Facebook that will direct you to your dating profile if you choose to set one up
- No “swipe” left or right option. Instead, there will be two buttons – “pass” or “interested” – to help identify if you’d like to know the person even better
- No hook-ups. FB dating services are only for people looking for serious, long-term relationships. So, no fooling around here, guys!
As of now, the launching date of the new feature is unknown but Chris Cox, Facebook chief product officer, said in a separate presentation that more details of the exciting feature will be revealed over the next few months.
Source: CBS News
Chris also shared that he actually thought of adding the dating feature on FB since 2005 but 2016 is when the company started seriously considering the dating feature after Mark posted a couple’s picture who met through FB. That post received a lot of positive reactions from netizens as some shared how they met the love of their lives through the social site too. Awh, that’s heartwarming!
“That’s what got the gears turning,” said Chris whilst adding that people can start having a convo with their potential match by commenting on their photos. However, for security reasons he didn’t specify, these conversations will only be via text.
Besides a new dating feature, Mark also announced another new and interesting FB feature at the end of the F8 conference. According to Tech Crunch, Facebookers can soon post 3D photos to their news feed. Nice!
Source: Lared
The introduction of this new 3D photos feature makes sense after all for the social media platform, as FB already supports 360-degree photos and videos in the news feed. However, currently, there aren’t too many details on the feature yet, so we’ll just have to wait and see.
All in all, Facebook has definitely announced some interesting upcoming features. So, keep your eyes peeled for these features that will elevate your FB experience really soon!
On a side note, would you consider using the dating feature on FB? Let us know in the comments below!
Also read: Facebook Has Been Secretly Recording Our SMS and Voice Call Histories This Whole Time
