Facebook has launched a new feature to help small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) monetise online events free of cost on its platform in an effort to help them ride out the pandemic.
Facebook page owners – including businesses, entrepreneurs, educators, publishers and content creators – can create an online event, set a price, promote the event, collect payment and host the event all in one place, the company said.
“We remain committed to supporting SMBs, and we will keep finding ways to make it easier for them to bring their businesses online,” Fidji Simo, vice president and head of Facebook App, said.
“By combining marketing, payment and live video, paid online events meet the end-to-end needs of businesses. Pages can host events on Facebook Live to reach broad audiences,” she added.
Businesses are using Facebook to host various events including expert talks, podcast recordings, cooking classes, meet-and-greets and fitness classes after the pandemic necessitated social distancing and put a temporary halt to large gatherings around the world. The social networking giant has seen an uptick in such events as more businesses turn to online platforms to reach wider audiences in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The company said it is also testing paid events with Messenger Rooms – a video chat room where users can share links to connect with more people – for more personal and interactive gatherings.
In the first phase of the release, Facebook launched the feature in 20 countries, including the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, Italy, India, Spain, Singapore and Belgium.
To support small businesses and creators who have been affected by the coronavirus, Facebook will not collect any fees from paid online events for at least the next year, the company said.
More than a quarter of SMBs around the world closed their doors at some stage in the first five months of the year due to the Covid-19, according to a survey released last month by Facebook, the World Bank and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
However, this number surged to more than 50 per cent in some countries such as Ireland and Bangladesh.
“Many businesses are struggling and every cent matters. Shifting in-person events to online is costly enough that businesses shouldn’t have to worry about fees charged by platforms,” said Ms Simo.
“For transactions on the web and on Android in countries where we have rolled out Facebook Pay, small businesses will keep 100 per cent of the revenue they generate,” she added.
The social media giant, which has more than 2.6 billion users globally, also launched Shops – an e-commerce platform that is likely to compete with industry titans such as Amazon, Alibaba and eBay – in May as more people make digital transactions during the stay-at-home measures.
This service allows businesses – irrespective of size and budget – to list and sell products directly to consumers across Facebook’s apps for free.
Slow loris biog
From: Lonely Loris is a Sunda slow loris, one of nine species of the animal native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore
Status: Critically endangered, and listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list due to growing demand in the global exotic pet trade. It is one of the most popular primate species found at Indonesian pet markets
Likes: Sleeping, which they do for up to 18 hours a day. When they are awake, they like to eat fruit, insects, small birds and reptiles and some types of vegetation
Dislikes: Sunlight. Being a nocturnal animal, the slow loris wakes around sunset and is active throughout the night
Superpowers: His dangerous elbows. The slow loris’s doe eyes may make it look cute, but it is also deadly. The only known venomous primate, it hisses and clasps its paws and can produce a venom from its elbow that can cause anaphylactic shock and even death in humans
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Meydan race card
6pm Dubai Trophy – Conditions(TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,200m
6.35Dubai Trophy – Conditions(TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,200m
1,800m
7.10pm Jumeirah Derby Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (T)
1,800m ,400m
7.45pm Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
8.20pm Al Fahidi Fort – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,400m
8.55pm Dubawi Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m
9.30pm Aliyah – Rated Conditions (TB) $80,000 (D) 2,000m
Match info:
Portugal 1
Ronaldo (4')
Morocco 0
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