Facebook continuesexpanding its COVID-19 relief and assistance efforts.
This week Facebook released a new platform entitled “Community Help”. This platform is where people can offer assistance to others in their community or request help with tasks from the locals, according to Social Media Today.
“Today we’re announcing Community Help, a place for people to request or offer help to neighbors, such as volunteering to deliver groceries or donating to a local food pantry or fundraiser,” Facebook explains.
“Community Help” can be accessed here; this platform allows users to search through assistance or request posts which have been posted by anybody within a 50 mile radius of a user’s location.
It is important to mention however, that users can narrow down the range to their immediate local community, according to Social Media Today.
Social media expert Matt Navarra took to Twitter to post this image below of the “Community Help” platform late last week.
Facebook's 'Request or Offer Help' feature for #Coronavirus now rolling out to more countries?
Previously only available in the US.
Find it here: https://t.co/0ENrAPaMdr pic.twitter.com/MfhQHHFZfg
— Matt Navarra | #StayAtHome (@MattNavarra) March 26, 2020
Through this platform, users can either tap on “Request Help” or “Offer Help” thus activating a pop-up tab which would include a variety of options that users can add onto their post, with up to 14 images and relevant tags in order to help sort their posts for searchers, according to Social Media Today.
Users can set their preferred contact method – Messenger or Whatsapp – and decide whether their post would be available publicly or only to their friends list as they could on Facebook posts.
While the intense focus right now is placed on assisting those in need of help amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Facebook might be opting to keep Community Help as a permanent option as it gives local communities a means to better connect and help each other through the application, according to Social Media Today.
This option is originally being launched in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Australia and Canada – this launch will be happening over the next few days and Facebook is planning to expand this functionality to more regions “in the coming weeks”, according to Social Media Today.
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Photo Credit: Unsplash