Facebook wants you to send birthday greetings in 15-second videos

[Wireless News]

http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/RGDKBNQsXX_.pbDbnCuSMw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3NfbGVnbztmaT1maWxsO2g9ODY7cT03NTt3PT EzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/homerun/digital_trends_973/de62aab2e985fe80e1643d50b68e5b3c (http://news.yahoo.com/facebook-wants-send-birthday-greetings-101531853.html)Bland and undeniably brief, those simple “HBD” messages from Facebook friends do a poor job of filling-you with the kind of joy and happiness usually associated with such an occasion. Hoping to infuse a little more charm and cheer into the special day, the social networking giant has just introduced a “birthday video cam” for its mobile app so you-can knock together a snappy message for your buddy to wish them all the best. Related: Facebook reveals extensive list of things you care about – and some of it is outright strange Currently for iOS users but coming to Android soon, the feature lets you quickly record a 15-second birthday greeting-that you can jazz up with an overlay before posting it on your friend’s wall. Facebook’s birthday-alert feature is one of the platform’s most-used offerings, so it’s kind of surprising the company hasn’t rolled out something like this sooner, even more so when you consider how video has become a central part of the company’s expansion efforts over the last 18 months. Related: Mark Zuckerberg talks virtual reality and 360-degree video during surprise MWC appearance “We wanted to find a new way for close friends to post something fun and as quickly as possible,” Facebook’s-Henry Soong said of the new feature, adding, “Having [friends] post ‘HBD’ on my wall is awesome, but what’s better than to actually see someone wishing you ‘Happy Birthday?'” It’s certainly a lot more personal, and we imagine the new feature will be a hit with Facebook users – both senders and recipients. Also watch: India Ban’s Facebook’s Free Basics over Net Neutrality Please enable Javascript to watch this video



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