More than ever before, Facebook is thinking mobile. After Paper and Slingshot, the company is expanding its repertoire with Mentions, a new iOS app geared towards celebrities and public figures.
Built by Facebook Creative Labs, it’s designed to help actors, athletes, musicians and other so-called “influencers” to contribute and engage on its platform. While it looks similar to the normal Facebook app on the surface – with a vertical feed and navigation bar at the bottom – a closer look reveals a refined and reworked experience for the iPhone.
The News Feed is split into Following and Trending, which Facebook says will make it easier for celebrities to “add [their] voice to the story” while they’re on the go. The Trending section, interestingly, is almost identical to the panel found on the right-hand side of the News Feed while you’re browsing on the desktop – does this mean Facebook wants prolific users to share and comment on high-ranking content, or simply post their own status updates in the hope they too will make the cut? It’s a little unclear at the moment.
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The app features a post button for a stress-free way to share photos, videos and status updates, as well as live Q&As. There’s also a shortcut to the the user’s profile and a new Mentions section which Facebook says will let users “see what fans are saying about [them] and join the conversation.”
Based on the screenshot below, it appears to highlight all posts and comments that include the user’s name, making it easier for celebrities (or most likely, their social media managers) to engage their fans and grow an audience.
For now, Mentions is only available for people with verified pages in the US. Facebook says it’ll roll out the app to more countries and approved users in the coming months. In short, unless you’re famous or already verified – it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be using this anytime soon. Sorry about that.
Facebook Mentions now available for approved users.
Featured image credit: Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
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