(AFP Photo / Getty images)
By Sara Aggour
Speculations which have been circulating the internet for a week over Facebook’s latest product have peaked hours ahead of the company’s revelation which is set to take place on Thursday.
The social networking website sent out an invitation to the American press promising the debut of a new product on Thursday, 20 June. The mysterious invitation, which was sent via post in a white envelope, read: “A small team has been working on a big idea. Join us for coffee and learn about a new product.”
The coffee-stained invitation caused a stir among media and technology savvies, who were left to speculate over the possibilities. While some believed it could be a new application that allows for video capturing and sharing, others have argued it would be an updated version of an existing function.
The social networking website introduced several new features this year, such as Facebook home, Facebook timeline and graph search. Most recently, Facebook added the hashtag option for its users, which allows words or phrases that have“#” to be clickable. Users can view posts of friends and pages they follow that contain the same trending hashtag. The same option is used on Twitter, the micro-blogging social networking website, and on Instagram, the picture sharing website.
Greg Lindely, Facebook’s product manager, announced that the hashtag feature is “just a first step” to help people discover what others are saying. He assured that the company will continue to reveal additional features during the coming weeks and months.
The unveiling of the product was set to take place in Facebook’s Menlo Park California office, with news predicted to go viral shortly after the announcement.
