Following the massive popularity of audio-based social networking platform Clubhouse, we have seen numerous companies start work on a similar feature for their platforms. So now, Facebook has started testing a new Q&A-based service dubbed Hotline, which looks like a combination of Clubhouse and Instagram’s Live feature.
Developed by the New Product Experiment (NPE) team at Facebook, Hotline is a brand new platform to host live events with a large audience. At first glance, it looks to be similar to Clubhouse and allows creators to host audio-based live events with their audience. While Clubhouse is designed for casual audio-conversation experiences, Hotline is more of a professional platform with some additional features.
For starters, unlike Clubhouse, Facebook’s Hotline offers live video support for the event host as well as the listeners. Besides, for current tests, users will need to sign in with their Twitter accounts and then verify their IDs via SMS to access the platform.
Now, the event hosts have complete control over the user experience. This means that hosts can add or remove guests during a live event. They can also bring a user to the “stage” area for a one-on-one conversation. As of now, the guests are represented by their profile pictures when brought “on stage”. However, there is an option for listeners to turn on their camera from the settings menu which is currently dysfunctional.
The platform is currently out as a public beta for users in the US. It is currently unavailable here in India and shows the same if you go to its official website.
