The Facebook story link allows users to share stories, videos, photos and other media directly to their Facebook timeline or page. This feature is available in the Facebook mobile app and on desktop. The location of the story link depends on which platform you are using.
On mobile, the story link can be found at the top of the news feed, to the left of the search bar. It looks like a paper airplane icon. Tapping this will allow you to create a new story post. The story link is also available from within the media viewers for photos, videos etc. There will be a button labeled “Share to Story” which you can tap to share that content directly to your story.
On desktop, the story link is located in the status composer box at the top of the news feed. It is the icon that looks like a landscape. Clicking this will switch the composer to story mode, allowing you to create a story post. The story link is also available when uploading photos, videos or other media. There will be a dropdown option to “Share to Story” which will add that content to a new story draft.
So in summary:
– Mobile app – Paper airplane icon top left
– Mobile media viewers – “Share to Story” button
– Desktop site – Landscape icon in status composer
– Desktop media upload – “Share to Story” dropdown
Why Facebook added stories
Facebook introduced stories in 2017 as a way to compete with Snapchat and Instagram stories. Here are some of the main reasons why Facebook decided to add stories:
– Stories are popular – Stories were taking off on other platforms like Instagram and Snapchat, so Facebook wanted to implement the same engaging, ephemeral sharing format.
– Encourage more sharing – Stories allow for more casual, frequent sharing than a traditional Facebook post. The 24 hour expiration gives users more freedom to share everyday moments.
– Attract younger users – Stories are especially popular with younger users. Adding stories helped Facebook appeal to this coveted demographic of teens and young adults.
– Advertising opportunities – The short videos and photos in stories can be used for ads, creating additional revenue opportunities for Facebook.
– Data on users’ lives – Stories give Facebook insight into users’ interests, activities and connections throughout the day. This data can be used to improve ad targeting.
– Competition with Snapchat – Snapchat popularized stories as their main feature. Facebook likely wanted to provide an alternative to prevent losing users to Snapchat.
– Complement to the news feed – Stories offer a different way to share and consume content beyond the central news feed.
Overall, adding stories allowed Facebook to follow the latest social media trends, retain and attract users, and explore new monetization and data collection opportunities. The feature has become a core part of the Facebook experience.
How to create a Facebook story
Here are the steps to create and share a story on Facebook:
1. Open the Facebook app on your smartphone or access Facebook on your desktop.
2. Tap the story icon (paper airplane on mobile, landscape icon on desktop). This will open the story composer.
3. Take a photo or video by tapping the camera icon, or upload existing photos/videos by tapping the image icon.
4. Edit the story using text, stickers, drawings and other creative tools.
5. Specify which friends you want to share the story with:
– Your story – share to all friends
– Close friends – share to your closest connections
– Hide story from – exclude specific friends
6. Tap “Your Story” at the bottom to post the story.
7. View your posted stories by going to your profile and tapping Story Archive at the top.
8. Tap on a specific story to see who has viewed it and any reactions.
9. Stories will disappear after 24 hours. You can also manually delete stories in your archive.
10. Use the Facebook Story app on your smartphone to create stories with AR effects and creative editing tools.
The key to creating great stories is capturing authentic, engaging moments from your day and using creative tools to make them fun and interesting to watch. Stories allow you to give friends and followers a deeper look into your daily life.
How Facebook stories work
Here is an overview of how Facebook stories work:
– Ephemeral sharing – Stories disappear after 24 hours, creating pressure to view them before they expire. This encourages more frequent checking of the app.
– Content types – Stories allow short videos (up to 15 seconds), photos, live videos, boomerangs, GIFs, and text overlays. Creative tools like filters, drawings, and stickers can be applied.
– Viewing stories – Friends and followers can view your stories at the top of their news feeds. Close friends are highlighted. They can react and respond with text, stickers, GIFs and more.
– Private messaging – Stories can be shared privately via direct message to individual friends. Replies are also messaged back privately.
– Audience selection – When creating a story, you can choose to share it publicly with all friends, close friends only, or customize visibility by hiding it from specific people.
– User profiles – Public stories are visible on your profile in the story archive. Followers can view your archive to catch up on expired stories.
– Notifications – Followers are notified when you share a new story. Number of viewers is displayed once a story expires.
– Ads – Facebook inserts ads between stories from friends and pages. Advertisers can create branded story ads.
– Data for ranking – How long someone views your story and who reacts to it helps rank them higher in your news feed. Engagement with your stories signals you have a close connection.
Overall, the ephemeral and visual nature of stories keeps users frequently interacting with the app. Meanwhile, Facebook gains valuable insights about relationships and interests.
Tips for using Facebook stories
Here are some tips to create great Facebook stories that engage your friends and followers:
– Share everyday moments – Stories are meant for casual, spontaneous sharing, not just major life events. Capture routine moments like your morning coffee, commute, or meals.
– Use creative tools – Stickers, drawings, filters and text enhance otherwise boring photos and videos. Take advantage of these features.
– Be yourself – Stories are a place to show off your true personality. Let your authentic self shine through.
– Interact with friends – React to your friends’ stories and message them privately. This builds connections.
– Post consistently – Aim to share stories daily, or every other day at minimum. This keeps fans coming back.
– Highlight activities – Share photos and videos of hobbies, sports, events, vacations and more. Show off what you love doing.
– Use hashtags – Add relevant hashtags in your captions to make the story discoverable by more people.
– Leverage trends – Stay on top of viral meme stickers, filters, hashtags and challenges. This makes your stories trendy.
– Monitor feedback – Check story views, reactions and messages to see which types of stories get the best response from your audience.
– Limit private stories – Don’t overshare privately with close friends. This can become annoying and clutter their feeds.
By applying these tips, you can create fun, engaging stories that delight your Facebook friends and keep them coming back for more!
Facebook story settings
Facebook offers several story settings to control privacy and personalize the experience:
– Story privacy – Choose between public, friends, close friends, or custom audience. You can hide stories from specific people.
– Allow story reshares – Permit or prevent other accounts from re-sharing your story to their own audience.
– Download your information – Request an archive of your previously shared stories before they disappeared.
– Story notifications – Turn Facebook story notifications on or off for when friends share new stories.
– Suggested friends – Block the feature that suggests your Facebook friends to add to stories based on your contacts and activity.
– Location suggestions – Disable location suggestions that prompt you to tag places in your stories based on GPS.
– Audience selector – Toggle the audience selector on/off which allows choosing story viewers each time you share.
– Story reactions – Disable ability for viewers to react and respond to your stories if you prefer not to receive comments.
– Story camera audience – Automatically share photos/videos taken via story camera to your public story or other audience of choice.
– Story privacy shortcuts – Create shortcuts to quickly change story audience when posting on the fly.
Adjusting these settings helps optimize your story sharing preferences, privacy and experience on Facebook. Be sure to review the options to tailor stories to your comfort level.
Facebook stories vs. Instagram stories
While Facebook owns both platforms, there are some key differences between Facebook and Instagram stories:
– User base – Instagram skews younger, while Facebook has more older users. Stories must appeal to each app’s core audience.
– Privacy settings – Instagram has more granular options for hiding stories from followers. Facebook just offers friends, close friends or public.
– Ephemerality – Instagram stories permanently disappear. Facebook stores stories in an archive on your profile.
– Aesthetic – Instagram stories tend to be more polished and artistic. Facebook stories are often more casual.
– Brand presence – Companies tend to put greater emphasis on Instagram stories for attracting customers. Facebook is more for community interaction.
– AR filters – Instagram has a huge collection of augmented reality filters. Facebook offers some AR effects, but the selection is more limited.
– Linking to other apps – Instagram stories integrate seamlessly with other apps like Spotify. Facebook linking capabilities are not as robust.
– Video length – Facebook allows videos up to 15 seconds. Instagram caps videos at 10 seconds.
– User focus – Instagram stories spotlight individuals. Facebook stories highlight connections and sharing between friends.
In general, Instagram stories are a more immersive, visually slick experience. Facebook supports richer interactions between friends, but lacks Instagram’s trendier, inspirational factor.
Conclusion
Facebook stories provide a fun, engaging way to give friends an inside look at your daily life through ephemeral photos and videos. The feature is easily accessible on mobile and desktop by tapping the story icon in the status composer. Stories disappear after 24 hours, so you must share frequently to keep friends coming back. Take advantage of stickers, text, drawings and other creative tools to enhance your stories. Monitor feedback and adjust settings to control privacy and notifications. While similar to Instagram stories, Facebook has a more community-oriented, interactive focus compared to Instagram’s inspirational, polished aesthetic. Overall, stories bring users closer together and give Facebook valuable insights into relationships and interests. When used wisely, they can be a delightful way to bond with friends.