Meta's game-changer: Facebook broadcast channels for engaging communities

Meta announced the launch of broadcast channels on Facebook and Messenger in October. The feature is now available to the public on all platforms. How can you use this new feature and why was it created?

The eagerly awaited broadcast channels are now accessible to everyone. According to Meta, the primary purpose of these channels is to simplify and facilitate one-to-many communication. This feature opens up opportunities for engaging conversations with creators, as well as building large communities around a single interest area.

"Creators can use broadcast channels to help keep their followers updated and share behind-the-scenes moments using text, photo, video, voice notes and polls," according to Meta's press release.

Theoretically, anyone can set up a broadcast channel on Facebook (or Messenger). Yet in practice, it's primarily available to administrators managing public pages (aka fan pages). To create a channel, you need to navigate to the Channels tab on the profile page, enter a name for the channel, and save it by clicking Create.

Once a channel is established, users can join it through either Facebook or Messenger. The list of each "group" you've joined will be displayed on Messenger alongside your main folder on the home screen, under the tab marked Channels.

The introduction of broadcast channels enables creators on this popular social platform to generate exclusive groups for their fans. However, there's a snag: only the channel managers can initiate discussions. Members are unable to participate directly in these conversations.

The announcement of these new broadcast channels in Messenger coincides with the roll out of "notes" in the same app. These "notes" serve as short, 60-character descriptions placed next to user profile pictures.