Facebook seems to be going everywhere and doing everything. From constantly updating its online video platform to developing its bid to the ad and e-commerce business, the social networking site is now delving into the news. The company is reported to be testing a news app, which is very much like microblogging site Twitter. Business Insider broke the story on August 11, Tuesday.
The app is available for mobile devices, and lets publishers send breaking news alerts in shorter forms for the masses' easy access. According to the report, the new app is part of the Facebook for Business initiative. The initiative is different from Facebook for Work, which the site announced earlier last year. For the app to be used, users should download it on mobile. Then they get to choose which publications they would like to receive breaking news alerts from.
The publication choices will, of course, be coming from among Facebook's partners. When there is breaking news, the partner publications can make mobile notifications and send it out with the app. The alert can only be at most 100 characters long, and will come with a URL that links to the publication's article. One publication cannot make a notification for another.
Business Insider has accessed the screenshots of the app, which it published on the site. The user interface looks a lot like the "Write A New Message" feature the site used before Messenger was launched. The differences lie in the tabs made specifically for URL, Station, and Substation. Facebook has not yet commented on this new development.
The social networking giant is actively pursuing different facets to add to Facebook. Facebook has already established a solid audience for Facebook Videos over the recent years. Among the site's current ventures is its online stores, which have undergone testing late last month.
