Facebook Expands Community Help Features to Fight COVID-19.
Facebook is expanding the Community Help feature to allow users to request and offer assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first feature was launched in 2017 to help each other after natural or man-made disasters.
And now features are being expanded to help people in need in the middle of a pandemic. This feature will be launched in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Australia and Canada, and will come to more countries in the coming weeks.
Users can enter the Facebook Community Help section through the COVID-19 Information Center which can be found at the top of the News Feed. Once there, users can filter by post that offers or requests help
Users can also choose the type of assistance sought by categories such as baby gear, transportation, or food. Each post includes how far the person is from the user, and the user can then respond with comments publicly, or reply privately.
Not only Facebook, Snapchat has also released new features that support Physical Distancing.
The Snapchat application released two new Augmented Reality (AR) filters to support physical distancing amid the corona virus pandemic (COVID-19).
The first filter is called 'My Social Distance' which utilizes the user's cellphone camera to visualize the space that the user needs to save from others to avoid spreading the corona virus.
On the smartphone screen the user will see a circle around that stays green if there is no one inside but keeps red when people get closer.
While the next filter involves rendering an animation that reminds users of the importance of washing hands, staying at home and not touching the face.
Both filters have been developed with the help of the World Health Organization (WHO) and feature links to their website with further safety tips on covid-19.
Snapchat has previously released updates related to corona viruses such as mental health resources and Bitmoji, which keeps social distance.
'We believe that Snapchat users play an important role in stopping the spread of viruses. "Our community can help by using the full power of technology while physically alienating, whether it is communicating with loved ones, playing games with friends or staying informed," Snapchat said.
Snapchat also revealed that it has collaborated with WHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to ensure users have all the latest information.
"WHO and CDC publish regular updates for Snapchat users from their Official Accounts and we have worked with WHO to develop special content to answer questions from our community," Snapchat added.