Facebook Launches Viral Video Creator Riff

Riff takes a shot at Vine and Snapchat

Facebook is launching a new stand-alone video application on Android and iOS called Riff. The app, which is the latest project from Facebook’s Creative Labs, was created by a few employees at Facebook’s London office during after-hours as a side project.

According to Josh Miller, Riff’s product manager, the app was inspired by the viral ALS Ice Bucket challenge, which helped Facebook reach over 1 billion video views per day, from /4/to July last year. When Miller and his team started developing Riff over beers, they knew that collaborative videos would make the creative process more fun and exciting.

To use Riff, simply download the app, and then take a video of yourself. Next, give it a title or a topic so that your friends will have an idea of the video. For example, you can use Riff to congratulate someone or greet happy birthdays. Once you upload the video, your friends will be able to make their own contributions. The idea is to create a collaborative video that has the potential to go viral.

Miller says that the pool of creative collaborators is limitless. “A short video can become an inventive project between circles of friends that you can share to Facebook, or anywhere on the internet, at any time,” he said. While Riff is an interesting application, its fate has yet to be determined. The app will also allow Facebook to deepen its knowledge on the habits of its users.