14 DAY TRIAL // Facebook's F8 conference this year is gearing up to be the biggest yet. As a number of rumors are converging, it's becoming clear that Facebook will launch an all-out assault on content, the site wants to become an entertainment hub for everything online.
This year's conference motto will be: "Read. Watch. Listen." and that tells you all you need to know.
Read means integration with news sites, like Yahoo, CNN and others.
Watch is about online video and Facebook is said to be working with a number of sites and platforms to bring TV shows, movies and clips to the site.
Finally, Listen is about music and we already know that Facebook is partnering with Spotify, Rdio, SoundCloud and several others to integrate music into the social network.
Of course, there's always been content on Facebook, it's what most people share. But what Facebook wants now is to have it consumed at the site as well.
For example, you'll be able to listen to music on the site, while you're browsing any page, from any of the music services that Facebook is partnering with.
The same may be true for video and news, though there are fewer details on this. A news hub and news apps are expected to debut on the site which will make it easier for users to keep up with their favorite topics or publications, read articles and share them with friends, everything inside Facebook.
Facebook has always wanted to keep people on the site for longer and to create a parallel (and closed off) web of sorts. Why go to other websites when you have music, games, movies, chat, phone calls all on Facebook, the site wants you to think.
With this big media push, it's assimilating another huge portion of the web. But if you still find yourself browsing other websites, Facebook plans to launch Read, Watched and Listened buttons as well.
F8 starts in a couple of days, so it won't be long until the extent of Facebook's plans are known, but there are indications that there may be even more than just the media push unveiled at the event.