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Six Facebook functions inspired by other social networks | Social networks

When Facebook recently announced that it will launch a dating feature, comparisons soon emerged with Tinder and another dating app, Hinge. This was not the first time that Mark Zuckerberg's social network was inspired by other online services to incorporate new functions. The same happened with the launch of Facebook Stories, for example, since the posts that disappear in 24h appeared on Snapchat.


Below are six occasions when Facebook launched functions similar to those of other social networks.

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How to use Facebook Stories on your computer

How to use Facebook Stories on your computer

This is probably the most emblematic case of "inspiration" by Facebook. Snapchat emerged in 2012 with the proposal to prioritize images in social connections and to exchange non-permanent messages. The application grew mainly among the youngest. The success caught the attention of Facebook, which tried to buy Snapchat a few times. The offer reached $ 3 billion, but the then newcomer did not budge. The network never confirmed the report, but that is the story told by the American press.

Instagram Stories is a tool similar to Snapchat's ephemeral messaging platform Photo: Carolina Ochsendorf / dnetcInstagram Stories is a tool similar to Snapchat's ephemeral messaging platform Photo: Carolina Ochsendorf / dnetc

Instagram Stories is a tool similar to Snapchat's ephemeral messaging platform Photo: Carolina Ochsendorf / dnetc

Instagram (which belongs to Facebook) launched Stories in 2016 as a tool for sharing photos and ephemeral videos, with effects filters and stickers. Everything extremely similar to Snapchat. Not satisfied, the social media giant later introduced Stories also on Messenger, the Facebook mobile app and WhatsApp. If the intention was to bring down the competition, it worked: in 2017, the number of Stories made daily on Instagram surpassed Snap stories.

Since 2015, Facebook users have received notifications with reminders of posts made on the same day in previous years and can reshare them. The nostalgic feature, called "On this day", is very reminiscent of the Timehop ​​app. The app launched in 2014 has the function of retrieving memories from various social networks, such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook itself, in addition to photos saved on the smartphone, Google Photos or Dropbox.

Periscope, which belongs to Twitter, gained projection in 2015. The following year, Facebook entered the field of live broadcasting as well. Periscope and the less popular predecessor Meerkat offer easy solutions for real-time streaming over mobile. it is the same proposal as Facebook Live, which allows transmissions on profiles and pages, with interactions with friends and followers.

Ads on Facebook Lives Photo: Gabrielle Lancellotti / dnetcAds on Facebook Lives Photo: Gabrielle Lancellotti / dnetc

Ads on Facebook Lives Photo: Gabrielle Lancellotti / dnetc

The use of hashtags as keywords to identify topics in a publication started on Twitter more than ten years ago. The resource has spread through various social networks and is now part of the Internet's daily life. In 2013, it was Facebook's turn to incorporate the hashtag. The user can follow subjects marked with the same tag in posts made worldwide.

This other feature that came from Twitter. In the microblog, users follow and are followed. This type of relationship, not necessarily mutual, is a fundamental part of the network. Facebook has always worked with reciprocal connections: one user adds another and, if he accepts, the two become friends. But, in 2012, the giant joined the boto to follow. People can follow another user – a famous person, for example – and follow his publications without him being a friend.

Twitter Photo: Marvin Costa / dnetcTwitter Photo: Marvin Costa / dnetc

Twitter Photo: Marvin Costa / dnetc

Check-in via Facebook at a bar, cinema or tourist spot has been possible since 2010, but the pioneer in this function was Foursquare, which later split and gave birth to Swarm. Both allow you to show friends where you go, see who has been to a certain place, make assessments and find out who is nearby.