Facebook has announced two new features for live video that should make it more interactive and social.
First, there’s Live Chat With Friends. This allows people to invite their friends to a private chat thread that accompanies a public live broadcast. For example, users can begin watching a live video from their favorite artist and invite their Facebook buddies to talk about it in real time. Facebook says people will be able to follow public conversations as well as private chats during live video at the same time, and private chats will continue after the live broadcast ends. The feature is being tested in several countries right now and should become more widely available over the summer.
The second new feature is called Live With. This feature lets people broadcast live video with a guest.
“To invite a friend to join you in your live video, simply select a guest from the Live Viewers section, or tap a comment from the viewer you want to invite,” explained Facebook in a blog post.
Facebook thinks this will be a great way for high-profile users (read: celebrities) to interact with regular people and fans. The Live With feature is now available to all users, profiles, and pages.
