Facebook has announced new tools to help people manage their time on its platform and on Instagram: an activity dashboard, a daily reminder, and a new way to limit notifications.

These tools were developed based on collaboration and inspiration from leading mental health experts and organizations, academics, Facebook’s extensive research, and feedback from its community.

In a post, Ameet Ranadive, Product Management Director at Instagram and David Ginsberg, Director of Research at Facebook said: “We want the time people spend on Facebook and Instagram to be intentional, positive and inspiring. Our hope is that these tools give people more control over the time they spend on our platforms and also foster conversations between parents and teens about the online habits that are right for them.”

To access the tools, go to the settings page on either app. On Instagram, tap “Your Activity,” and on Facebook, tap “Your Time on Facebook.” At the top, you’ll see a dashboard showing your average time for that app on that device. Tap any bar to see your total time for that day.

Below the dashboard, you can set a daily reminder to give yourself an alert when you’ve reached the amount of time you want to spend on that app for that day. You can change or cancel the reminder at any time. You can also tap on “Notification Settings” to quickly access the new “Mute Push Notifications” setting. This will limit your Facebook or Instagram notifications for a period of time when you need to focus.

Facebook has a responsibility to help people understand how much time they spend on its platforms so they can better manage their experience. In December 2017, it shared insights about what the team is doing to create experiences that help people connect and build relationships.

Building on its commitment to train people in vital digital skills across Nigeria throughout the year, Facebook has announced two training dates specifically designed for female entrepreneurs and owners of Small and Medium-sized Businesses in Kaduna.

She Means Business

Partnering with She Leads Africa (SLA), #SheMeansBusiness Nigeria is the first to launch in Sub-Saharan Africa and will bring together thousands of female entrepreneurs in a series of day workshops and training sessions across six cities in Nigeria, including Kaduna, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Abuja and Aba. Training sessions will be followed by post-training clinics aimed at re-engaging, advising and mentoring participants.

Training dates:

She Leads Africa: #SheMeansBusiness training – July 27th and 28th

Organisations interested in arranging training for their members or groups can contact the various training partners:

For She Means Business, visit http://sheleadsafrica.org/shemeansbusiness

Facebook today launched Watch Party – a new experience inspired by Facebook Live set to bring the interactivity of Live to more videos on Facebook.

In a Watch Party, members of a group can watch videos together in the same space at the same time — live or recorded videos are chosen by the group admins and moderators. With everyone watching, commenting and reacting to the same moments together, it creates a shared viewing experience for video that helps build the kind of community and engagement we’ve seen with Live.

Facebook is starting with Groups because one billion people use Facebook Groups every month to connect around their passions and hobbies – from foodies, to dog lovers, to sports enthusiasts, to fans of video creators – and video is a huge part of this interaction.

Speaking on the feature, Mark Zukerberg said: “Facebook has always been about personal connections and making it easier for people to interact with each other in meaningful ways. As we think about video on Facebook, we’re focused on creating experiences that bring people closer together and inspire human connection instead of passive consumption. That’s something Facebook can do better than anyone else, and it’s something Facebook Live has done from the start. We are excited about what might be possible when we bring the best elements of Live that people love to more video experiences like Watch Parties.”

The benefit company focused on building a generation of happy, flourishing and fearless young Africans leveraging the latest research on happiness and resilience, Joy, Inc. [www.joyinc.xyz] is set to host a special edition of The Joy Masterclass – with the theme ‘Dealing with Depression’. This special edition of #TheJoyMasterclass holds on Saturday, July 28, 2018 in Lagos, Nigeria.

Guests at the masterclass – who will share their experiences dealing with depression – include Nigerian singer Banky Wellington – known by the stage name Banky W, entrepreneur and music artiste manager, Ubi Franklin, and Dr. Gbonjubola Abiri, a medical doctor, consultant psychiatrist, managerial psychologist, and member of Joy, Inc.’s advisory council.

Depression, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) is the leading cause of disability in the world, with over 615 million people suffering from anxiety and depression. Evidence from recent nationwide poll and data-gathering by Joy, Inc. with help from research partners at Yale and NOI-Polls confirm the same crisis in Nigeria – at least 7 million Nigerians have previously been reported to suffer depression.

The Joy Masterclass, hosted by Chude Jideonwo, founder of Joy, Inc. and Yale World Fellow, weaves the confluence of thinking and research about happiness, human flourishing and resilience – across Psychology, Economics, Divinity and Philosophy – into practical lessons, habits and tools that help participants transform their thinking, attitudes, and actions. This edition is in partnership with Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative and She Writes Woman, two internationally recognised non-profit organisations working on mental health in Nigeria.

Joy, Inc. had earlier this month embarked on a #FightDepression Media Tour across TV and radio stations to change perceptions about depression and other emotional/mental challenges.

Though free, potential attendees are advised to register for the masterclass at register www.joyinc.xyz.

Continuing on from its commitment to train people in vital digital skills across Nigeria and here in Abuja, throughout 2018, Facebook announced two training dates specially designed for female entrepreneurs and female owned Small and Medium-sized Businesses in Abuja.

She Means Business
Partnering with She Leads Africa (SLA), #SheMeansBusiness Nigeria is the first to launch in Sub-Saharan Africa and will bring together thousands of female entrepreneurs in a series of day workshops and training sessions across six cities in Nigeria, including here in Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna, Port Harcourt, Ibadan and Aba. Training sessions will be followed by post-training clinics aimed at re-engaging, advising and mentoring participants.

She Leads Africa: #SheMeansBusiness training – July 20th and 21th

Organisations interested in arranging training for their members or groups, can contact the various training partners:
For She Means Business, visit http://sheleadsafrica.org/shemeansbusiness/

Facebook has released statistics on the top content shared on its platform during the World Cup. This measures global and country Facebook conversations related to the World Cup between June 14th and July 15th.

The statistics reveal that over 383 million people had more than 2.3 billion interactions relating to the World Cup on Facebook.

First runner up, Croatia interactions on Facebook went 180% higher during the knockout stage compared to the group stage while interactions about France were 300% higher during the knockout stage compared to the group stage.

Below are more statistics from the World Cup 2018.

The most discussed teams are:

Brazil

Argentina

France

Russia

Mexico

England

Croatia

Portugal

Germany

Spain

The most discussed players are:

Lionel Messi

Neymar Jr

Cristiano Ronaldo

Philippe Coutinho

Mohamed Salah

Luka Modrić

James Rodriguez

Andrés Iniesta

Marcelo Vieira

Harry Kane

Countries most engaged in the World Cup conversation are:

Brazil

U.S.

Mexico

India

Vietnam

Most Loved post

Mexico’s Raúl Jiménez shares a photo of his team after it upset Germany in the group stage.

Top Video:

Ranked based on views

A video posted by former Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

Top Posts:

Based on overall interactions

Leo Messi updates his profile picture.

Cristiano Ronaldo encourages his team and country at the start of the World Cup.

James Rodriguez shares his heartbreak after Colombia’s loss to England in the round of 16.

Top Social moments during the World Cup final:

Ranked by highest spikes in conversations

France wins the World Cup (conclusion of the match).

Paul Pogba gives France a 3-1 lead with his goal in the 59th minute.

France takes a 1-0 lead on the Mario Mandzukic own goal in the 18th minute.

Players who got the most likes during the course of the tournament:

Leo Messi

Neymar Jr

Cristiano Ronaldo

Mohamed Salah

Paulo Dybala

Facebook is celebrating Nelson Mandela International Day on 18 July—which this year marks 100 years since his birth—by inspiring its global community to reflect on Mandela’s legacy of compassion, justice and care for the community.

“Nelson Mandela dedicated his life to the struggle for equality and social justice, and many around the world remain indebted to him for the selfless contribution he made to humanity,” says Nunu Ntshingila, Regional Director for Facebook in Africa.

“Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday is a moment we should celebrate globally. We will anchor on Madiba’s legacy as a way to inspire people to do good in their own community, wherever they are in the world.”

Building on its partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Facebook will be celebrating Mandela Day through several initiatives:

Partnering on the Mandela Archives: Facebook in February announced a three-year partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation to honour Mandela’s legacy through the preservation and digitisation of the extensive Mandela Archives.
Annual Lecture with Obama: Former U.S. President, Barack Obama, will deliver the Mandela Annual Lecture in Johannesburg. This year, Facebook is supporting to the Foundation with FB Live streaming. You can watch the lecture on the NMF page on July 17th from 15:00-18:00 South African time (13:00 – 16:00 GMT).
Global Community Moment & Profile Frames: Facebook users across the world will receive an alert at the top of their News Feeds on Wednesday. It pays tribute to Nelson Mandela, inviting people to follow in his footsteps by taking action, inspiring change and making a difference in their communities. In addition, those who are in English speaking countries can access a unique camera profile frame featuring a quote from the great man.

With a population of over 180 million people, many under the age of 30, Nigeria promises vast potential. One of our failings as a nation is that we have been unable to convert this potential to economic prosperity and social equity for all Nigerians.

As one of the country’s leading banks, Access Bank has first-hand experience in catering to disadvantaged communities and is committed to finding ways to serve these communities and provide them with value beyond banking services.

Access Bank is big on corporate responsibility and philanthropy, and is keenly interested in partnering with organizations that share these values and are open to giving back to their communities. This informed the bank’s partnership with The Fifth Chukker Polo and Country Club, Kaduna, the country’s premier Polo society, renowned for its sportsmanship and commitment to fostering community. Fifth Chukker upholds the city’s equestrian history, and is renowned for its steeds and stables.

For the last ten years, Access Bank has partnered with the Fifth Chukker Club and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to support the prestigious sport in its efforts to raise funds for children in disadvantaged communities within Kaduna state, especially children who are predisposed to displacement from violence and childhood diseases.

The most prominent medium through which all parties have raised funds is the highly lauded annual Access Bank UNICEF Charity Shield Polo Tournament, an event dedicated exclusively towards fundraising which begins in Kaduna and peaks in London. The first Annual Charity Shield event was held in 2006, and funds raised from the tourney were used to provide support services for 240 orphans from 12 communities in 6 local government areas in the state.

Since then, the tourney has grown to attract some of the best local and international players in the world, who give back through the event. The funds raised from the 2017 tourney helped provide 12,500 children with scholarships and develop community-based projects with a focus on education and community sanitation. The 2018 Access Bank UNICEF Charity Shield Polo Tournament held on June 16, 2018 at the Fifth Chukker Polo and Country Club, Kangimi Resort Kaduna, feting high society as the teams battled for supremacy on the continent.

Access Bank supported this year’s Kaduna tourney with an annual donation of N10 million to UNICEF’s community efforts in Kaduna. The donation was presented during the tourney by Access Bank CEO, Herbert Wigwe to the UNICEF campaign to reduce infant and juvenile HIV/AIDS infections. The Bank also pledged to reach 20,000 more persons in Kaduna state through community-driven projects. This brings the total amount raised for UNICEF through the annual tourney to N100 million. Thousands of children from selected schools within the state were introduced to the noble sport during this year’s tourney.

This year’s ‘Access Day’ event is slated for July 16, 2018, and will see Nigerian and international polo players compete as a means to raise funds for the aforementioned cause.

Access Bank welcomes everyone interested in the tournament and the causes it supports.

See you at the ‘Access Day’.

Ramsey Noauh, Toke Makinwa, and Odunlade Adekola were among the celebrities who attended an evening of glitz, music, and networking to celebrate the launch of Facebook for Creators.

The initiative which is a collaboration between Facebook and Afrinolly is aimed at empowering creative communities across Nigeria through specialized training modules. It is designed to equip the next generation of content creators with the skills needed to thrive in a digital world.

The Facebook for Creators program, which will be free for all participants, will roll out in cities across Nigeria including Abuja, Lagos, Jos and Kaduna.

See photos below:

Continuing on from the commitment to train 50,000 people throughout 2018, Facebook rolls out a series of training dates specially designed for entrepreneurs and Small and Medium-sized Businesses in Port Harcourt:

Boost Your Business
A free one-day course in making the most of digital tools to grow businesses and make meaningful connections with potential consumers.
Run in partnership with Digivate360, this training session will take attendees through the fundamentals of developing social media skills to help unlock new audiences, including; setting up a Facebook page, understanding ads and creating engaging video content.

Digivate 360: Boost Your Business training – July 14th
Organisations interested in arranging trainings for their members or groups, can contact the various training partners:
For Digivate 360 – http://www.digivate360.com/boost-your-business/
For people interested in attending one of the Boost your Business sessions should email: [email protected].