Facebook has just launched an exclusive new app for the iphone called Mentions to enable interaction between famous people and their fans. It is only available to verified parties using the social network, including “actors, athletes, musicians and other influencers,” with the end goal of getting them involved in discussions and message threads with their fanbase. Facebook’s goal with the app is clearly for the celebrities on its network to drive even greater engagement from the rank and file, and making that happen means paring down the experience overall.
The News Feed is split into Following and Trending, which Facebook says will make it easier for celebrities to “add [their] voice to the story” while they’re on the go. The Trending section, interestingly, is almost identical to the panel found on the right-hand side of the News Feed while you’re browsing on the desktop. The app features a post button for a stress-free way to share photos, videos and status updates, as well as live Q&As. There’s also a shortcut to the the user’s profile and a new Mentions section which Facebook says will let users “see what fans are saying about [them] and join the conversation.”
For now, Mentions is only available for people with verified pages in the US. Facebook says it’ll roll out the app to more countries and approved users in the coming months.
Bottomline – You must be famous or verified to use this app. We published sometime ago that Omotola Jolade Ekeinde got verified on facebook. Such people will be one of the beneficiaries of this app.
