After Instagram and WhatsApp, now Messenger is becoming the latest Facebook property to launch its own version of (Snapchat) Stories.
Snapchat may have been the precursor, but Stories are now available on almost every app owned by Facebook. And there’s a reason why: they are super popular with users.
Stories are a collection of photos and videos that can be shared with our friends and followers. They only last 24 hours before they disappear, and can be decorated with text, stickers or doodles. Users love the Stories format because it allows them to “overshare” without “polluting” their main feeds.
Instagram Stories have been very successful, and now Facebook is bringing the format to its most successful app so far. Messenger. And it makes perfect sense, because Messenger is where we interact the most with the people who matter the most: our close friends.
Here’s how Messenger Day works:
- First make sure you’ve updated your Messenger app, so you have the latest version.
- Open Messenger, and tap on the camera highlighted with a sun to celebrate this launch. Doing so drops you right into the full-screen camera. Or, tap the “Add to your day” button at the top of your inbox to get started.
- Snap a quick selfie, or take a photo or video of what’s around you.
- To add art and effects, tap the smiley face icon in the top right and then tap to add to your photo or video. You can also add text over your images by tapping the “Aa” icon, and you can overlay a drawing by tapping the squiggly line in the top right corner.
- Once you have your photo or video the way you want it, tap the arrow in the bottom right corner. You can then add directly to your day, save it to your phone’s camera roll, and/or you can choose to send it to a specific person or group of people. The photo or video that you add to your day will be viewable for 24 hours.
Facebook thinks Messenger Day will spark even more conversations with your friends on Messenger. And I tend to agree. I am a BIG fan of Instagram Stories, but to me the feature lacks the interactivity I can have with Messenger. Yes, you can reply to Stories with Instagram Direct, but it just isn’t the same thing.
What do you think?
How many Stories can we really create each day? Is Facebook risking to fragment its user base even more? I’m sure they have thought of that. I’m sure Snapchat has thought of that too.
Now you are probably wondering, “what next?” Well, you should know that Facebook has already started testing the Stories format as part of its main app….
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