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Facebook Stories: share videos based on a monthly theme

Amber Sass

Amber Sass

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Facebook recently launched a new site called Facebook Stories. It’s a site that portrays how people use Facebook in unique, sometimes quirky, and often productive ways.

Each month, Facebook aims to collect stories on a different theme, all based on the premise that people can use Facebook in extraordinary ways to better their lives and connect with the world around them. Users can submit their own video stories directly on the Facebook Stories website for consideration. If they’re chosen, their video will be featured on the Facebook Stories website as part of the monthly theme.

This month’s theme is based on “remembering.” Examples of featured videos include a group of Guelph, Ontario locals who are trying to save a historical building by invoking the collective memory of their community and a New Yorker piece that also relates to the topic by presenting selections from their archive. The main featured story depicts the struggle of an individual who lost his memory as a result of meningitis and used his Facebook friends list and the “people you may know” feature to help remember friends and family.

In addition, Facebook Stories has introduced regular monthly features. One of them is The Bookshelf, which offers a list of Goodreads books that relate to each month’s theme. Another feature is The Playlist, which uses Spotify to introduce different genres of music that will change every month, as well. There’s even a monthly podcast on iTunes available to keep up with each new theme and subsequent video collection.

It remains to be seen whether Facebook Stories will really take off. Ultimately, it likely depends on whether Facebook’s user base is 1) willing to make time to create videos for the project, and 2) actually creative enough to use Facebook in more than just mundane ways. So far, August’s theme and featured stories seem to be a step in the right direction.

Amber Sass

Amber Sass

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