Facebook adds reactions, group chat to its 'Stories'
San Francisco, June 28 : Aiming to get more people to interact with its "Stories" in the main app, Facebook has added group chat and reactions among others to the service.
Facebook "Stories" are short user-generated photo and video collections that can be viewed up to two times and disappear after 24 hours.
"The social network announced a few new features for the service, which lets people post a string of photos and videos that automatically disappear after 24 hours," CNET reported on Thursday.
Now, if users reply to a "Story", they would be able to add other people to the reply which creates a new group thread in Facebook Messenger -- the social network's chat application.
Users would also be able to see if they got any Messenger replies to their "Story" without leaving the "Story" itself.
"Facebook is also adding the ability for people to reply with stickers and 'reactions' -- the 'like', 'love' and 'sad' buttons you usually see on the social network," the report added.
The social network giant "copied" the "Stories" feature from rival Snapchat and added it to all its apps, including popular photo-sharing platform Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Facebook itself.
Stories on Instagram and WhatsApp are wildly popular, with 300 million and 450 million daily users, respectively that eclipse's Snapchat's 191 million users for the entire app, according to CNET.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
SSLC exam begins in Kerala; Education Minister wishes students success
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The SSLC (Class X) examination commenced in schools across Kerala on Thursday.
Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty wished students appearing for the SSLC examinations success and urged them to approach the tests with confidence.
Apart from the SSLC examination, the Plus One examination also commenced on Thursday, while the Plus Two examination will begin on Friday.
As many as 4,17,497 students are appearing for the SSLC examination, which is being held at 3,047 centres.
ALSO READ: Nitish likely to file nominations for Rajya Sabha polls
A total of 633 students have registered for the SSLC examination from the Lakshadweep region.
Similarly, 633 students have registered for the SSLC examination in the Gulf region, where the examination has been postponed due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
The examination will conclude on March 30.
According to the Education Department, valuation camps for the exam papers will be held from April 7 to April 28, and the results are expected to be declared in May.
Sivankutty, in a Facebook post, said examinations should not be viewed with anxiety but as an opportunity to express the knowledge students have acquired.
Noting that students are appearing for the exams after completing their studies with revised textbooks based on the New Curriculum Framework 2023, introduced after a gap of 11 years, the minister said the new evaluation system aims to assess 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, analytical ability and creativity.
He also assured students that there are no changes in the examination structure this year and cautioned them against attempts by some people to deliberately spread fear in connection with the exams, urging them to reject such messages with discretion.
He reminded students that the Class 10 examination is only a qualifying test for higher studies and that the government has ensured Plus One seats for all students in Kerala.
The minister further urged students to prioritise their physical and mental health during the exam period by maintaining proper sleep and food habits.
“This is not the last examination in life. A world of opportunities lies ahead of you. Enter the examination hall with a calm mind,” he said, wishing all students success.
As many as 4,11,025 students have registered for the Higher Secondary (Plus One) examination and 4,52,437 students for the Higher Secondary (Plus Two) examination, which will conclude on March 28.
