Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) launched a new app that will share hundreds of millions of events. Facebook’s Events took off on October 7th with a new app for iOS only available in the U.S. The Play Store will see the app in the following weeks.
Around 100 million people use Facebook events every day, so the new standalone app is the social media’s way to give its most outgoing users a dedicated service for browsing and searching exciting plans across town.
The app lets members find and keep tabs on upcoming projects in their area. Users can check who is attending each occasion. However, event creators can unveil their issues on the news feed or select the option to host private affairs.
The events feature in the core mobile app will still be available, so the network will have to attract customers to their new service. After all, events are where friends take photos that end up bolstering Facebooks newsfeed.
How will Facebook Events work?
On the app’s home screen, users will see the events their FB friends are interested in, any new ones posted on a page the user follows, and event updates. At the center of the screen, there is a map to check out directions, and there is a fixed menu on the bottom with four tabs: home, search, calendar, and profile.
The search screen will browse event recommendations based on time, location and interest. The app may let users find comedy shows while they are attending a bar, find the nearest concert during a dull night, and attend after-parties with no invitation.
Lastly, the Calendar option will keep track of upcoming events on the calendar. Users can sync other calendar apps to Facebook’s Events app.
In a way, the new app defends Facebook against critics saying social medias isolate people from the world. The service might find users nearby plans while scrolling the feed on a lonely night.
A promising launch on Friday, but somehow of a miss on Monday
Earlier this week, Facebook also released Marketplace, a buy-and-sell section inside the network’s mobile app where users can swap items in an online bazaar, but the site did not prove to be a sage store for strangers in its first days.
Either on a sharp burst or doing serious business, Facebook subscribers began to offer Illegal drugs, dogs, sexual services and even baby hedgehogs on the site.
After the first couple of days of whiffs and mishaps, the company started to crack down violations of Facebook’s commerce policy and, as of Friday afternoon, illegal items were scarce on sale.
Marketplace charges no fee to the users. However, it offers no return policies if a product turns out defective or if a scam happens.
Source: NewsRoom