Social media news: Paper, the new Facebook app
It's celebrations all round in the Facebook headquarters this month. The social media giant celebrated its 10th birthday on the 4th of February, using the occasion to announce future strategies of the company. Included in those plans was the successful launch of their new app, Paper. The app was created by Facebook Creative Labs; part of Facebook's plan to have separate apps created by separate teams, away from the main app branding. Initially only created for iOS, Facebook paper is a mobile based version of a newspaper or a magazine. It has an immersive design that helps you to interact with friends and share content from contacts and the world around you. They have also made it easier to create and publish your own stories.
Source: engagor.com
Facebook Paper is essentially an improvement on the basic mobile app. The first section that appears upon opening the app is the News Feed, featuring new designs for photos and rich content. In addition, the app contains further sections that can be added to the app by choice. They are provided with a choice of more than twelve sections, such as Food, Photography, Sports, Science to Design and so on. The app features both well-known publications. and also sources out content from emerging voices.
Many have praised the layout of the app, which provides lots of content without overwhelming the reader. The touch-screen allows the user to thumb through stories with simple, natural movements. It includes a tilt function, through which the readers can explore high resolution panoramic images from corner to corner. You simply have to touch on a video to watch it full screen, and the detailed covers of articles make it simpler to select articles from trusted publishers. Articles fold and unfold in the app, appearing full screen to make reading easier. According to Facebook, they are "crafting new apps to support [the] diverse ways people want to connect and share".
The app still has the basic tools of Facebook, without burdening you down with the clunky toolbar and buttons of the basic app. The graphics engulf the screen, making the experience much more interactive. With this in mind, many have asked why there are two Facebook apps and not just the one, hinting that Facebook may have replaced it's old app with the launch of Paper.
Paper creates the opportunity for readers to discover content, selecting particular articles per section. This acts in a similar way to the format of a newspaper or magazine, where the Editor will select certain content to surprise the reader. It also features articles that have received more likes from other users, showing popular content. However, the app only integrates with Facebook, and does not allow its users to integrate with other platforms like Twitter or LinkedIn.
Either way, the app thus far has had positive feedback, with many excited to see how the app will be developed in the future. Designer Mike Matas comments on the desire to class Facebook Paper as a separate entity to the original app, stating " it's a publishing tool, a way of publishing great content, and a way of viewing great content". Whether it will replace its predecessor or not, only time will tell.
Charlotte Callaghan
Source: joonbug.com
What are the pros and cons of the new Facebook app?
Paper offers a new and exciting way to browse the social network, and get the news at the same time. However, it does not give you the option to create or edit your own news categories. This is a disadvantage for some people, who do not want to be restricted to the app's predefined news sections.The app still has the basic tools of Facebook, without burdening you down with the clunky toolbar and buttons of the basic app. The graphics engulf the screen, making the experience much more interactive. With this in mind, many have asked why there are two Facebook apps and not just the one, hinting that Facebook may have replaced it's old app with the launch of Paper.
Paper creates the opportunity for readers to discover content, selecting particular articles per section. This acts in a similar way to the format of a newspaper or magazine, where the Editor will select certain content to surprise the reader. It also features articles that have received more likes from other users, showing popular content. However, the app only integrates with Facebook, and does not allow its users to integrate with other platforms like Twitter or LinkedIn.
Either way, the app thus far has had positive feedback, with many excited to see how the app will be developed in the future. Designer Mike Matas comments on the desire to class Facebook Paper as a separate entity to the original app, stating " it's a publishing tool, a way of publishing great content, and a way of viewing great content". Whether it will replace its predecessor or not, only time will tell.
Charlotte Callaghan
Charlotte is a trainee journalist, who loves writing about anything and everything. Currently an intern at Social Media Frontiers, you can follow her @charlotteatsmf and @CharlotteR_4
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Social media news: Paper, the new Facebook app
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