Skip to main content

Facebook Marketplace will soon become an even better spot for buying cars

Facebook Marketplace Cars
Facebook
First, Facebook went after online classifieds in Marketplace, then online job boards — now, Facebook wants to connect users to their next car. On Thursday, October 26, Facebook announced new auto-focused features inside of Marketplace, along with introducing new tools for Groups.

The company says that cars are one of their most popular categories inside Facebook Marketplace — prompting the platform to partner with Edmunds, Cars.com, Auction123, CDK Global, and SocialDealer. Those relationships mean that, in the next few weeks, looking for cars inside of the Marketplace, users will also see vehicles listed from those platforms as well.

The vehicle section will also be gaining a few more tools to sort through all those listings, including filters to limit searches based on the vehicles’ year, make, model, mileage, vehicle type, and transmission. Listings will also integrate estimates from Kelly Blue Book. Users won’t even have to leave the platform to send dealerships a message with Messenger integration.

Facebook says that other Marketplace updates to categories for jobs, event tickets, retail and home rentals are all being tested with expanded options. The new auto tools will roll out over the next few weeks.

Facebook launches new group features

Along with expanding Marketplace for auto shoppers, Facebook on Tuesday also announced new tools for Groups. The first allows administrators to easily post welcome messages that automatically tag the newest members. Administrators also have access to new tools for Group Insights, including personalized tips and options for enforcing rules of conduct.

Members will also be able to easily see who’s who in the Groups hierarchy. New badges next to profile names will identify administrators, moderators, and new members. Every member will have a new profile that lists publicly shared data, including the latest activity and “Things in Common” including mutual friends and events both members attended.

Facebook is also launching an invite-only group that brings page administrators into one group as a place for local leaders to connect.

Facebook says that the most common Groups categories are for local, pregnancy and parenting, animal and pets, and occupational groups.

“We’ve learned so much from working with group admins already, and this is just the beginning,” wrote Alex Deve, Facebook’s director of Product Management. “There’s a lot more work to be done and we look forward to continue building the tools they need to bring the world closer together.”

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…
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
Here’s how to delete your YouTube account on any device
How to delete your YouTube account

Wanting to get out of the YouTube business? If you want to delete your YouTube account, all you need to do is go to your YouTube Studio page, go to the Advanced Settings, and follow the section that will guide you to permanently delete your account. If you need help with these steps, or want to do so on a platform that isn't your computer, you can follow the steps below.

Note that the following steps will delete your YouTube channel, not your associated Google account.

Read more