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Messenger Rooms: The NEW Feature Facebook is Launching to Rival Zoom

2020-05-04

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Facebook is launching Messenger Rooms—their solution to compete with Zoom. Everyone is living on Zoom these days, whether for business or reconnecting with family. It’s reached mind-boggling numbers due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The number of users skyrocketed from 10 million users to over 300 million. Enter Facebook. They’re launching an alternative that could steal some of Zoom’s market share. When will it be rolled out? What are the other competitors? Is it worth a shot? Listen to this Monday Marketing Minisode of the Wingnut Social podcast to find...

Facebook is launching Messenger Rooms—their solution to compete with Zoom. Everyone is living on Zoom these days, whether for business or reconnecting with family. It’s reached mind-boggling numbers due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The number of users skyrocketed from 10 million users to over 300 million.

Enter Facebook. They’re launching an alternative that could steal some of Zoom’s market share. When will it be rolled out? What are the other competitors? Is it worth a shot? Listen to this Monday Marketing Minisode of the Wingnut Social podcast to find out!

What You’ll Hear On This Episode of Wingnut Social

[1:43] 300 million users on Zoom
[2:36] Facebook launching ‘messenger rooms’
[4:34] Zoom is an expensive option
[6:40] Zoom alternatives that don’t break the bank
[8:33] Will messenger rooms be the answer to Zoom?
[9:15] New AR filters coming out on FB messenger
[11:47] Blooper Reel!

Resources & People Mentioned

How to use Facebook’s Messenger Room
The Verge article on Messenger Rooms
Microsoft Teams
Google Hangouts
Houseparty
WhatsApp

What is Facebook Messenger’s new feature?

Between Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, people are making 700 million calls—per day.

To capitalize on that traffic—and perhaps capture some of Zoom’s audience—Facebook decided to expand what they offer in their apps. So what will their new feature look like?

Messenger rooms will be an extension of the Messenger app. It will allow video messaging “chat” rooms for up to 50 people. For those who are Facebook-averse, it doesn’t even require you to have a Facebook account. The best part? It sounds like it will be FREE!

Check out the link in the resources for a complete how-to reference for using the app once it’s rolled out worldwide.

Will Facebook’s new ‘Messenger Rooms’ feature rival Zoom?

Darla and Natalie use Zoom for business, but they’ve reached their max limit of users. And there’s NO doubt about it—upgrading the account is pricey. Darla is excited to test out messenger rooms and see how the platform compares to Zoom. But they aren’t the only competitor to Zoom. There are a few other options available for those who video chat:

Google Hangouts: Easy to use and free offering from Google.
Microsoft Teams: Natalie recommends setting up a “co-owner” of the account so that any issues that arise can be fixed quickly.
Group Facetime: Fun and easy alternative—but you have to own an Apple product.
Houseparty: Great for the younger crowd, but not so much for business meetings.

Each has its pluses and minuses, but are all decent alternatives to Zoom. So what other cool features will FB messenger have? What expansions are they doing on the Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram apps? Find out in the rest of this episode!

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