Facebook Live comes of age in an interview with George Bush

When Facebook introduced its Facebook Live platform, we here at TNW were some of the first to question the validity. The problem, when any site introduces its own communications platform, is that it holds the potential to be nothing short of a bullhorn. So far, what we’ve seen from it has only reinforced that fact, with Facebook Live being used simply to toss out the messages that Facebook wanted to talk about.

A couple of days ago, however, we heard that former US President George W. Bush was going to be using Facebook Live to talk about his new book. This was more along the lines of what Facebook likely had in mind for its Facebook Live feature and the results look promising.

In a rather candid interview, Bush answered questions about his book, his time in office and spent some time ribbing on Mark Zuckerberg in good nature. But what was more striking, to us, was something larger than the interview itself. The Facebook Live platform has shown its legs as a viable, effective method by which any number of speakers can find an audience.

It’s interesting, looking back, that Vokle is attempting to do the same thing. Seeing a need for a platform upon which anyone can hold a civilized, monitored discussion, Vokle is making some great strides. Facebook, however, has a leg up in its ability to dedicate resources that Vokle simply doesn’t have for larger, live events such as this. While Vokle is a great choice for individuals hosting a “town hall” type virtual meeting, Facebook Live has cemented its place as an announcement platform.

Speaking to an audience just shy of 7,000 online viewers, Bush has shown that Facebook is truly onto something with Facebook Live. While the side-of-screen chat box showed comments both good and bad, the service remained solid and the discussion held during the interview was admirable.

Now, if only Zuckerberg had graduated from college, maybe he could have made something of himself.