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THE CEO OF Facebook has explained why the company decided to make its users download its messaging app.
Facebook Messenger became a mandatory download in July, much to the annoyance of its users. While it was effective, more than 500 million Android users downloaded the app, many were annoyed about Facebook directing it away from the main app and onto a different app.
At a public Q&A session, Mark Zuckerberg explained the company’s thought process behind the decision, acknowledging that making people download an app was bound to annoy a lot of people.
The first thing I want to do is acknowledge that asking everyone in our community to install another app, Messenger, is a big ask so I appreciate that that required work and [caused] a bunch of friction and I just wanted to acknowledge that up front.
So why did they do it? The simple reason was it boils down to the entire experience and simplifying it for users.
The reason why we wanted to do this is because we believe this is a better experience. We think that messaging is becoming increasingly important so on mobile, each app can focus on doing one thing well, we think, and the primary purpose of the Facebook app is News Feed.Messaging was this behaviour that people were doing more and more, there were 10 billion messages sent every day, but in order to get to your messages, you had to open the app, which would take a few seconds, and then go to a separate tap, and we saw that the top messaging apps people were using were these dedicated focused experiences.
The continued focus on messaging apps and their growing importance meant it made more sense for the company to create an experience that plays to this strength instead of cluttering the main app with different actions.
Even though it was a short-term, painful thing to ask folks to install a separate messaging app, we knew we could never deliver the quality or experience inside as just a tab in the main Facebook app… we needed to build a dedicated and focused experience.
He also addressed the issue of why downloading it was mandatory instead of giving users a choice in the matter.
One of the biggest challenges about building products at Facebook is we build for the whole community … The reason is that we’re trying to build an experience and a service that is good for everyone in the community, and one of the things that we found is because Messenger is faster and more focused, if you’re using it, you respond to messages faster.
We realise that we have a lot to earn in terms of trust and proving that this standalone messenger experience is going to be really good, and we’re really committed to that and we have a team of our most talented people working on this.
Zuckerberg covered a number of other topics during the hour-long Q&A. Among them was his feelings on the 2010 movie, The Social Network, which he said he found “hurtful”.
“The reality is that writing code and building a product and building a company is not a glamorous enough thing to make a movie about. It would have been me sitting at a computer coding for two hours straight … They just kind of made up a bunch of stuff that I found kind of hurtful.”
The question of why he always wears a grey t-shirt no matter what he’s doing (he has more than one, thankfully).
I’m in this really lucky position where I get to wake up every day and help serve more than one billion people, and I feel like I’m not doing my job if I spend any of my energy on things [that weren't important]. Even though it kind of sounds silly that that’s my reason for wearing a grey t-shirt every day, it’s also true.
And in case you’re wondering, Facebook was never meant to be cool. Instead, his aim was to make Facebook a utility that always there for people to use and rely on.
“You go home, you turn on the lights, right? You’re probably not like, “Yeah, electricity!” It just needs to work. My goal is that the ability to connect and communicate should be that. It just should work.”
The entirety of Zuckerberg’s Q&A can be found here.
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Can anyone tell me why the government don’t break down the cases each day by where they are and how they were transmitted?? This would make us be a lot more aware in certain situations!
@Andy O’B: The covid app does the county breakdown, which helps. Its a pain that Dublin has half the cases nationwide when these measures feel designed with a Dublin approach, ignoring anything beyond the pale with the possible exception of those Killarney parties.
@Paul Cunningham: it would be useful if the app gave a daily account of where the new cases are. As it stands you just know how many cases there have been to date in any particular county. In order to work out where the new daily cases occur you need to be keeping a note of the previous day’s numbers and comparing.
@Anne Marie Devlin: just found that the Irish mirror has given a county by county breakdown of cases for the past 2 weeks. Dublin has had 62 cases. Everywhere else is at low single digits, eg 4 cases in Kerry over the past 2 weeks, or 0 https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/coronavirus-ireland-county-county-four-22358142.amp
@Andy O’B: they don’t want people to know. They should release the targets they have to get the country open. 4 cases per 100K and EU average is above 12. Keep people out of pubs = house parties. Thousands of jobs in the balance. Masks in shops, where is the science and numbers that it is being spread here. Nonsense on stilts.
@Anne Marie Devlin: it’s not only the app. Their releases also give everything in percentages only without data points . Same with testing numbers . The give community referrals but then mix the lab results with health staff .
@Isabel Oliveira: they said on Morning Ireland that there are 12 people in hospital with Covid, 8 in ICU. The economy is going crash if we don’t reopen the economy
@Isabel Oliveira: there are currently 8 people in ICU with Covid and further 4 in hospital. It’s time to get back to normal before the economy is completely destroyed
@PC: Just woke up did we? Been asleep in since Paddy’s Day? I remember back in March when we were back to normal and cases were low. How did that turn out PC? Have a look at the US and tell us how being back to normal is working out for them?
@PC: I think the issue here is that people seem to be making the assumption that there are only 2 outcomes when it comes to CoViD-19. You die, or you 100% recover. The thing is, not everybody 100% recovers. How many survivors have other damage to their bodies. I’d be interested in finding that out.
@Paul Cunningham: screenshot app today and see diff tomo.
@Andy O’B: who thought it would be a good idea to put Mehole in charge ffs! He will cock up the whole ‘plan’… put the other guy back in charge already
@Isabel Oliveira: I think you’re confused, that’s community testing and hospital lab testing
@Gary Kearney: Thanks for that Gary. Interesting read. Never realised the one about the blood clots.
We don’t need a new communication campaign . People have been terrorised quite enough. You can’t do anything without being reminded of covid 19.
Many countries are stopping this covid-centric speech because they can see the enormous mental harm being done to people. Young people are fed up with restrictions and anybody who knows how young minds can be contrarian will realise that if you forbid something they will do it even more.
People need to be able to work without the government shutting down their work places and be responsible on their own without state intromission.
Instead of more useless Communication campaigns, start preparing for the winter by hiring more health staff, stocking PPE , increase test: trace & put other health services up & running urgently.
@Isabel Oliveira: well said
@Isabel Oliveira: people also need to be safe
@Isabel Oliveira: are you saying ignorance will help? This is the greatest threat our communities have and it’s up to us to prevent it from spreading. How do you propose we do that silently..??
@Isabel Oliveira: “People have been terrorised quite enough?”… OK Karen. Calm yourself down. You want to speak to the manager and vent YOUR hurt feelings over being “terrorised”? You speak for all peoples and countries now too Karen?
@2thFairy: This is not the greatest threat to our community. If you look at the % of people who die from heart disease every year, which is preventable, it puts things into perspective.
@Isabel Oliveira: The Government is not shutting down places of work for fun. All these restrictions, no matter how much we hate, them are for the benefit of the people and their health. Look at USA, Brazil etc and you can see the results of opening up too soon. I as an Irish person do NOT want that for anybody in Ireland.
@Isabel Oliveira: So you recommend blissful ignorance? I have never known a problem to go away by ignoring it.
@2thFairy: anybody who is ignorant of covid after the last 4 months had to be in a spaceship in mars without communication to base.
@Bren: Don’t be so patronising. Get a grip. A nonsense comment
@Peter Murray: they are not for the benefit of the people. It’s like a utility curve , after a certain point the utility crashes to negative values.
Lockdown was made to give the government & health service time to prepare & learn. It was always a temporary measure. Since June we are watching something very against the interest of people : jobs curtailed, rights curtailed , medical care did other pathologies curtailed, civil rights curtailed.
We must remember we are not in the same position we were in March . That is essential. We have non excessively public health measures in place to counter it as well as more knowledge. Things are only constant if the variables are the same . The variables have changed: PPE, testing , hygiene , screening , ICU beds , etc .
@Isabel Oliveira: you’re right, we’re not in the same position we were in on March, we now have over 1,500 less citizens
@Isabel Oliveira: Its Ireland, we do not do the wise things.
Id prefer less powers in the Government, and more individual freedom. I am sick of Irish politicians having so much control over our lives, I cannot think of a single individual from any party, honestly competent. We should be following Scandavia and Germany for the way to do things, they have all reopened, but act sensible. We are driven by emotions and twitter trolls
@Dave O’Keeffe: seasonal influenza kills approximately 650k people worldwide in a bad season. Look at the WHO website you’ll find it there
@Dave O’Keeffe: I have to correct you there. We lost about 15000 citizens since March. Oh sorry I forgot only those that died with covid19 matter of course!
Four from the US is four too many.Lets just deal with our own cases shall we.
I had no intention of going in my holiday,cancelled it without question, but set an example ffs.You cannot advise against forgein travel while allowing people to forgein travel here.it’s actually insulting and they are brazen about it.
I think it a shockingly conservative approach, putting responsibility onto the general population for a small rise in cases solely due to 2 outrageous house parties. There is absolutely no evidence of transmission in shops over the last 5 months either. It seems the stategy is to keep the general population in constant fear.
@Robaird O Raighne: Kerry has had only 4 cases in the past 2 weeks. From what I read, the house party in Killarney resulted in only one positive diagnosis.
@Robaird O Raighne: Absolutely no need for masks for staff. Zero cases in shops and supermarkets. Where is science and data gone?
Imagine working in a shop having to wear a mask all day.
@Robaird O Raighne: so who do you ask? It’s up to the general public to stop the transmission. We had lockdown which clearly helped stop the spread. Now, in the absence of a vaccine we have to behave responsibly. That way we can go to work and see our wider family members. One party leads to 2 parties and before you know it we are managing this pandemic the same as the US.
For the greater good it’s really not that hard for the majority of us to comply with simple procedures. The absolute main objective at the moment is to get the schools open and that’s only 6 weeks away. Not a lot of time given the aggressive nature of this virus and how quickly it could spread.
@2thFairy: “Its up to the general public to stops its transmission”
Do you honestly think a virus like this can be stopped? We either build immunity and very tiny % succumb to it. By stopping its spread we are prolonging all measures, financial ruin for many and creating a generation of fear.
Sweden bashing must continue unabated because the government can never perform such a big u turn.
The Swedish stats dont lie.
@Vladimir Macro: herd immunity does not work with this virus. In the absence of a vaccine we have to adapt our lifestyle to be able to reduce the risk of spreading the virus while trying to remain working.
@Robaird O Raighne: no evidence of transmission in shops?? what do u think community transmission is? since you don’t seem sure it means you caught the virus while going about your business in the community and not through close contact with someone you see often who unfortunately had the virus.
you’re right though in the sense that they don’t break community transmission down – was it in a church, a pub, a shop, a restaurant, a factory, a bus etc. I wonder how much they actually know
@Vladimir Macro: my wife does. She was doing it by choice.
@Anne Marie Devlin: those four were reported the day before yesterday and two yesterday so it’s actually six over the last two days which is high for Kerry.
@Anne Marie Devlin: you could be correct on that. But I read that the reason there was only a small rise in kilarney is that the 30 or so cases had travelled there on holiday from dublin. We should be getting more information on how the cases are occuring and the lack of it is causing fear and confusion. Is that a deliberate policy?
@2thFairy: Well if haerd immunity doesn’t work the PM of Sweden will be tried in the Hague for genocide.
It will also be the first time in human history people cannot build antibodies. Somehow I really doubt this virus could wipe us out, because if it was that dangerous, we would all be dead already.
@Lorraine Mac Rory: aldi staff dont wear facemasks and they did a joint survey with lidl that found that less than 1% of staff had caught it, which is similar to the population in general. My valid point is that after 5 months, including a period of high level of virus, if this was being spread in shops we have heard strong evidence from the workers themselves. Why wont they give us detailed information on how this is being transmitted? They have it from contact tracing records.
@Anne Marie Devlin: “Recorded” cases, you seem to forget that many are asymptomatic of Covid 19 and therefore haven’t been tested, the numbers you see are people who have been tested and gotten their results
@Vladimir Macro: there is definitely a need for people working in shops to wear a mask.
It is not impossible..here in Italy we have been doing this for the past five months..as do customers..
It definitely helps stop the spread..we now only have 60 people in ICU out of a population of over 60 million…and coming from the nightmare of February to may…we are glad to wear a mask instead of incubation
@Vladimir Macro: Antibodies have been shown to reduce down to close to zero after about three months. There will be no herd immunity for this virus.
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/06/chinese-study-antibodies-covid-19-patients-fade-quickly
@Ronan Skelly: Research Ivor Cummins- seasonality of the virus.
His channel on youtube has great data centric content.
@M T Boudoir: But a cough or cold for 95% of people
@Vladimir Macro: You clearly don’t understand herd immunity so maybe stop spouting about it. No-one here is saying it’s going to wipe us out, either. But do you really think that more people should die so that workers don’t have to wear face masks? The reality is we will have to continue to be very cautious for the foreseeable future in order to save lives.
I just all so confusing. People can fly in and out of the country but i can’t go to my local pub for a drink, but i can go to another pub for a drink if i buy a sandwich. They tell us to limit home visits to 10 people yet tell us you can have 50 people at indoors events. I get they want to stop the large house parties but the reality of it is people will continue to have them if they can’t go out for a drink. They tell us to social distance, wash our hands, wear face makes, yet we can go training and play contact sports with 30+ others.
@IrishGal26: exactly I know pubs that are big enough to social distance but can’t open cos they don’t serve food. It’s like the food will protect you from the virus. What a joke.
For the life of me I don’t get a limit in my house of 10 people from 4 different families and 50 people can gather indoors. Is it just me??
@Its Me: is your house a wedding venue?
@Lorraine Mac Rory: now there’s a thought
@Its Me:lol!
@Its Me: 50 people indoors in public venues, I would imagine.
@Its Me: Presumably because public venues will usually be much larger, i.e. social distancing possible.
Surly to god if a Country is on the ‘Green List’ the travel advisory should be lifted for that Country.. Makes sense that Countries where the virus is worse there should be an advisory but there should be no advisory for a Country that has lower or similar rates to ours.. A vaccine is a long way off yet and if the Government persist with a travel advisory tens of thousands of jobs will be gone in the travel sector. Every tour operator in the Country will have to close.. Its a ridiculous situation considering People from other Countries can come visit here but according to the Government we’re not advised to leave here..
@David Garland: what?! You’re free to head off to any country you want, green list or not, and ignore all health advice, if you want to Dave! You surely get why they’re advising against non-essential overseas travel though?! Assume the people that have travelled here have been advised by their own countries not to travel too, but chose to anyway.
@Joe Kennedy: First of all, it’s David! Secondly the only reason a travel advisory is in place still is because the Government want us all paying extortionate prices to holiday back home.. Plus the Government have already said anybody on the Covid payment are not entitled to it if they go abroad while the advisory is in place and all civil servants have to take two weeks unpaid leave if they decide to go on holiday.. So they’re saving money all over the place with the advisory in place.. But they’re going to cost thousands of people their jobs
@David Garland: Plus if you comeback giving out about people on the payment going on holidays, don’t even because they’re entitled to.. Barmen or other workers who are told by the Government not to work could of had holidays paid since well before this started. They’re entitled to go and receive that payment while they’re away
@David Garland: tours coming into this country cancelled so all jobs involved in tourism will probably be lost drivers guides hotels restaurants and jobs in tourist sights. Also jobs in airlines and all associated with travel. Huge loss to the economy
@David Garland: need to calm down lad! Everyone’s entitled to go anywhere they want to when they want to! Just did a quick check there and Canada, UK, Australia all advising against non-essential travel so I assume many (maybe all?) countries are advising same but you think ours has some hidden agenda in advising it?! You don’t have to holiday at home either if you don’t want to pay the “extortionate” prices. You do what you want to do yourself….reads like you need a break anyway!!
It all went pear shaped when Me-hole took over…….
@Stuart Wootten #FBPE: You can say that again.
Hope UK is on green list. Need to get across to sort out two auld uncles who need company and repairs doing on the house.
Monthly trip normally, not seen since January.
@Bill Liffin: the UK infection rate over the past 2 weeks has gone done well below the recommended ECDC rate of 20 per 100,000 and it stands at around 14. But of course they wont tell you this because they need to point fingers at other countries to cover up for Ireland’s mismanagement.
@Bill Liffin: Why would you not go? I wouldn’t be waiting on unelected Doctors telling me I couldn’t see Family members.. We’re turning into North Korea with all these restrictions and propaganda
@Bill Liffin: in any case quarantine will remain voluntary. The only obligation is to provide the address where you will be residing. And that is not a requirement if you travel via Belfast or Derry. But I wouldnt bother with that.
It’s not confusing. Do you want to be mollycoddled or do you want to try and use your common sense given the guidelines that are in place. People like you trying to confuse the guidelines and who need the reasons spelt out for why they exist. If you open all pubs then it’s a massive problem so the guidelines limit people’s time in them and the food helps the costs of the proprietor to actually open his door and pay his staff. It’s not rocket science but it’s better than no pub at all. The petulance of some posters on here because they are being asked to make lifestyle changes during a pandemic is laughable and annoying. It’s 6 weeks before schools open. That’s the focus at the moment. We have to be vigilant if we want our schools to open. So please stop bellyaching about pubs not opening
@2thFairy: do ya seriously think these weapons grade muppets even have a plan for schools to open, they by all accounts don’t want to seem to spend any extra money on teachers or cleaning staff for school, there’s no guidance on anything yet and you think people are annoyed cos they can’t go the pub. No people are fed up with the ever changing winging it tripe from these lot in power and the hit and hope attitude they are doing with relation to travel, all the while the economy is tanking, other medical issues seem to no exist and the impending mental health crisis from lockdown and covid doesn’t seem to really bother these lot cos they don’t want it getting out they were part of the last lot of clowns in power that approved the slashing of mental health services funding
It all went pear shaped when Me-hole took over…….
Will be hard to put the wear on young ones at a house party of we’re all wearing masks.
This rodent Martin is going to Brussels on Friday and Saturday and says he is not going to self isolate on his return, “do as I say not as I do”
Not happy about government let usa tourists suppose stay 14 days isolation they ingore go outside may spread covid case rise will go back lockdown
Shopping in Dundrum at the moment. Mask wearing no higher than about 1 in 3 people.
@Mairead Jenkins: Good!
@mar: yeah lets get everyone infected. the science is in on this one, wear a mask you selfish person
@Andre Delaney: I’m not sick, I go out of my way to keep distance from people and I don’t speak to anybody when I’m shopping so why on earth should I be wearing a mask?! If you want people to wear a mask because it helps you deal with your irrational fear than you are clearly the selfish person here.
@mar: It is not irrational fear, over 500,00 people have died from it. Selfish, yes you are. You are well, good, so am I but I wear a mask in shops on public transport etc and have from the start.
Why as it is not like I can give it to someone but by wearing a mask I am showing them I am not spreading the infection.
Typhoid Mary was asymptomatic but killed loads of people.
@mar: how do you know your not asymptomatic or presymptomatic? If you are symptomatic, you would be home self isolating ( I hope) Thats why we wear face coverings.
@mar: You can’t possibly know that you’re not sick and asymtomatic (or not yet symptomatic). No-one can. That’s the whole point.
A top doctor has warned that coronavirus could transform our society and claim the lives of 120,000 people in Ireland as it infects 4 million people.
Professor Sam McConkey of the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland has said that COVID-19 will impact every citizen in the country ‘in a radical way’.
https://extra.ie/2020/03/09/news/irish-news/doctor-coronavirus-society-ireland-lives
@John Hoare: the fearmongering is off the charts
@John Hoare: that was March and was his worst case scenario without restrictions. Basically it’s what we avoiding by locking down quickly.
@Vladimir Macro: obviously you did not lose anyone to this virus, witness anyone struggling to stay alive on a ventilator, work on a ward where you didn’t have the right equipment to protect yourself, tell families that they could not see their FYI g relatives before, during and after their death. You are very lucky to be able to stand on your soap box and shout about the indignation you feel at having to listen to the truth.
@Lorraine Mac Rory: 15,000 cases by the end of March?
@2thFairy: Sorry to hear you lost someone but the truth is well and truly gone out the window.
@Lorraine Mac Rory: Sweden had no really significant restrictions and didn’t have an apocalyptic scenario like that
Am certainly not saying we should have copied them as a lot more people did die there but it was no where near this level of madness
@Luke: a lot more would not of died. Sweden has 3 times the amount of over 65′s we do and 92% of deaths are from the over 65 category. CSO
Communication is what the are utterly rubbish at, let’s be honest the goalposts change every day and mehole and Co just look inept as did Leo, simple Simon and Co did before them. People are fed up of the lack of clarity and direction by those in power esp young people, who don’t listen or pay attention to MSM in this country and in the pockets of government media like rte. The lack of clarity on mask wearing up until yesterday was pathetic and the unbelievable clown like circus around travel information and restrictions is beyond a joke
Would be handy if the app was available for older phones, and for those who don’t rely on the Google or Apple monopoly…
The government are making up a green list of supposedly safe countries that people can come in from but what’s to stop Americans say flying to Iceland for example and then getting a flight to here. There is no talk of the country of origin or what’s to stop anyone from an infested country to take connections to a safe country and come here unless the connecting country has the same rules as us.
@paul mccoy: A friend of the family met a Texan in Kerry who had travelled to London, from London to Belfast, and from there to Killarney, all without any self isolation as far as she could tell. She works in the service industry and is very nervous.
33 Florida Labs BUSTED padding the numbers !!!! REPORTING 98% POSITIVITY INSTEAD OF 9.8%!!!!!! #CovidGate
So much complaining. Pubs were not due to open until the last phase. Those with restaurant licences were allowed open to operate as restaurants, not for people to just go on the lash. They were unable to even get that right, 37 recorded breaches & crowds in town being served drink & being utterly witless. Is it so hard to just do the right thing & wear a face covering in enclosed public spaces & transport? I’d say the most I wear a mask for in the entire week is about 90 mins but this is too much for some people??? If we want things opened up & semi normal life we need to suppress the virus as much as possible ie keep our distance, sanitise, mask and avoid crowded indoor spaces. Do the right thing & stop the selfish crap & complaining. Other European countries manage to do this just fine.
@Heather Knowles: Yep. I notice how no-one is remembering that pubs were originally not set to open AT ALL until 10 August. And yet now they’re throwing a hissy fit. I understand the people worried about their jobs but anyone who is complaining about not being able to get a pint or having to wear a mask honestly has their priorities totally screwed up.
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