Meta is launching a messaging strategy from the media called Channels on WhatsApp, like the recent update posted on Instagram, as the social juggernaut tries to give two billion people a chance to chat. The company also wants to make money from this feature on the go. In WhatsApp, channel information will appear in a new tab called Updates. It is a departure from the way Meta and Instagram, where the announcement of the channel is sent by direct message. In WhatsApp, Meta focuses on supporting channels for organizations such as NGOs, medical research institutes and fact-checking companies, as opposed to individual creators.Administrators can post text, photos, videos, posters and polls on these channels, Meta said. In particular, these are one-way conversations, so users will not be able to reply to these messages. Where users can join a channel through an invite link,WhatsApp is building a directory to find different channels for entertainment, sports teams and city leaders.
The company said it will introduce a tool for administrators to disable detection for their channels. He added that messages sent to the channel will be deleted after 30 days and the company will not keep any records. Meta launches channels in select markets - Colombia and Singapore - with early adopters such as the Singapore Heart Foundation and fact-checker Colombia Check. A number of high-profile international partners are also on board, including the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and famous sports teams such as FC Barcelona and Manchester City, the company said. In the coming months, Meta plans to to expand the availability of strategic Channels in many countries, with the ultimate goal of giving each user the ability to create their own channel.The company led by Mark Zuckerberg is also considering the various opportunities it can explore with this feature. One of them is to remove end-to-end restrictions for large channels so as not to block the audience. The company also sees this as a way to make money. Meta analyzes the payment services of business incentives and channels and the possibility of promoting them to the registry. In the last few months, WhatsApp has allowed users to easily pay merchants from within the app in Brazil and Singapore.Channels are WhatsApp's efforts to facilitate large-scale and community-based conversations for its over 2 billion user base. The company launched Communities last year to help clubs, schools and dorms have one place for all chats. Through the channel, WhatsApp may want to be a platform for organizations and authorities to post updates and notifications for users.
“Today we’re announcing WhatsApp Channels — a private way to follow people and organizations that matter to you, right within WhatsApp. We are starting in Singapore and Colombia, but will roll out to everyone later this year. We’re building Channels to be the most private way to communicate. As a channel admin, your phone number won’t be shown to followers, and following a channel won’t show that to the admin or others following the channel either, ” Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement.
