Skip to main content

Facebook wants you to share your to-do, bucket lists with a colorful status

Got a to-do list, or maybe a bucket list? Facebook has a spot to share that. On Tuesday, February 13, Facebook began rolling out the option to add a list-style status update, complete with colored backgrounds. The update comes as Facebook is also looking to expand the Watch tab with a section dedicated to news and stretches virtual reality Spaces to now include Groups.

The new list option allows users to share any type of list content by organizing with a header and separate list items, which in longer lists, collapse under a “see more” option. Like plain text options, the feature comes with an assortment of backgrounds for making that to-do list a bit less boring. An emoji can also be added to the list header.

Friends can interact with the usual slew of reactions, or start their own list. The change comes as Facebook is working to fill the news feed with more friends and not so much of the viral videos, links, and memes. While seeing a friend’s to-do or grocery list probably falls under the same category as those what-I-had-for-lunch posts, other options like bucket lists, travel lists or humorous lists could lead to more interaction between friends. Some users will gain access to the feature right away, but it is expected to see a slow rollout, so many will have to wait before seeing the option.

The status update change comes as Facebook is also exploring an expansion of the Watch option to include a section dedicated entirely to the news. Watch is Facebook’s home for original video content, a page that mixes both videos from followed Pages along with the most-watched videos, clips friends are watching, and new video suggestions. The new section is expected to follow the news feed’s new focus on local news but Facebook has not shared a launch date for the new section yet. The change comes as Facebook is delivering around one percent less actual news to the news feed.

Another expansion for the social media giant expands Facebook Spaces, the virtual reality hangout, to Groups. While the feature previously allowed users to interact with friends inside VR, the update expands the interaction to members of the same Group. Meeting with a fellow group member may mean you don’t actually know that person in real life, so with the change, Facebook will allow users to mute, pause or report interactions with other Group members.

Hillary K. Grigonis
Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…
Bluesky barrels toward 1 million new sign-ups in a day
Bluesky social media app logo.

Social media app Bluesky has picked nearly a million new users just a day after exiting its invitation-only beta and opening to everyone.

In a post on its main rival -- X (formerly Twitter) -- Bluesky shared a chart showing a sudden boost in usage on the app, which can now be downloaded for free for iPhone and Android devices.

Read more
How to make a GIF from a YouTube video
woman sitting and using laptop

Sometimes, whether you're chatting with friends or posting on social media, words just aren't enough -- you need a GIF to fully convey your feelings. If there's a moment from a YouTube video that you want to snip into a GIF, the good news is that you don't need complex software to so it. There are now a bunch of ways to make a GIF from a YouTube video right in your browser.

If you want to use desktop software like Photoshop to make a GIF, then you'll need to download the YouTube video first before you can start making a GIF. However, if you don't want to go through that bother then there are several ways you can make a GIF right in your browser, without the need to download anything. That's ideal if you're working with a low-specced laptop or on a phone, as all the processing to make the GIF is done in the cloud rather than on your machine. With these options you can make quick and fun GIFs from YouTube videos in just a few minutes.
Use GIFs.com for great customization
Step 1: Find the YouTube video that you want to turn into a GIF (perhaps a NASA archive?) and copy its URL.

Read more
I paid Meta to ‘verify’ me — here’s what actually happened
An Instagram profile on an iPhone.

In the fall of 2023 I decided to do a little experiment in the height of the “blue check” hysteria. Twitter had shifted from verifying accounts based (more or less) on merit or importance and instead would let users pay for a blue checkmark. That obviously went (and still goes) badly. Meanwhile, Meta opened its own verification service earlier in the year, called Meta Verified.

Mostly aimed at “creators,” Meta Verified costs $15 a month and helps you “establish your account authenticity and help[s] your community know it’s the real us with a verified badge." It also gives you “proactive account protection” to help fight impersonation by (in part) requiring you to use two-factor authentication. You’ll also get direct account support “from a real person,” and exclusive features like stickers and stars.

Read more