Great Social Media Ideas: Facebook 360 Photo

Last month, Facebook released a pretty nifty new 360 Photo feature, which allows pages to post a photo that users can than pan/scan/rotate for a 360 degree view. This is a great feature for colleges, because invariably every campus has at least one spot (usually a quad) that lends itself perfectly to a lovely 360 view.

Because it's a new feature, Facebook is making sure that 360 photo posts reach more people than usual, and the novelty effect means that these posts are receiving high numbers of likes/shares/comments. People do love new-fangled features, don't they?

I'm sure several colleges have already tried out this feature, but Lee College was the first one I saw, so they're the one getting featured!  :)

Pretty rad, right? (I can't use the word rad and not link to the beautifully odd and addictive nostalgia bomb Rad Times. One day, I'll make a video that weird and good.) Big props to Lee University for jumping on the trend so quickly - they were rewarded with some huge engagement numbers.

There's a bit of a learning curve to creating these photos, but Facebook has put together a helpful guide on how to create them. (I know, I know... Facebook and "helpful guide" in the same sentence? But it's actually true for once.) Basically, you need either a 360-enabled camera or a regular camera (even iPhone works) that can take panoramas and some stitching software.

If you go the iPhone route, it's important to keep your phone at the same height from the ground for all the panoramas you take. There are lots of ways to do this, but I am a fan of the very easy MacGyver solution of a string and some kind of small weight. 

When you've got it all done, you can upload it just like a regular photo and Facebook will do the rest.

Other uses of the 360 feature could be things like major events (big game, graduation, etc), interiors of new buildings, and even something fun like "coolest dorm rooms on campus."