????在“閱后即焚”式的自拍照片分享應(yīng)用市場，Snapchat又迎來了新的競爭對手。

????本周二，F(xiàn)acebook推出了一款名為Slingshot的新應(yīng)用，用戶可利用它與好友分享信息和圖片，而這些信息和圖片在對方看過之后很快就會消失。Facebook旨在通過這項新服務(wù)來挑戰(zhàn)新創(chuàng)公司Snapchat。后者普及了“閱后即焚”式的信息分享理念，而且已經(jīng)很快發(fā)展成為業(yè)界爭相追逐的新寵。

????Slingshot的獨特亮點在于所謂的短暫信息傳送機制，即要求接受圖片的其他用戶必須先回應(yīng)發(fā)送者。如果不回應(yīng)，接收者就無法打開原始圖片，只能看到像素化的圖片——僅此而已。這個功能可確保用戶雙方交流互動，而不只是簡單地接收別人的圖片。當(dāng)然，隨著Slingshot用戶數(shù)量的不斷增加，這項功能也符合Facebook自身的利益需求。

????“每個人都是創(chuàng)作者，沒有人是旁觀者，我們希望借助Slingshot來構(gòu)筑這樣的氛圍，”Facebook在一篇介紹這一新產(chǎn)品的博客文章中這樣寫道?！爱?dāng)每個人都參與其中時，壓力就會減輕，創(chuàng)意就會越來越多，甚至生活中微不足道的小事也能轉(zhuǎn)化為令人驚嘆的分享體驗。這就是Slingshot的全部意義所在?！?/p>

????Slingshot的開發(fā)人員甚至煞費苦心地在介紹信息中提到（實質(zhì)上是抨擊）了Snapchat：“我們欣賞利用Snapchat來彼此發(fā)送短暫信息的做法，我們期望未來能出現(xiàn)各種各樣探索這種全新分享方式的類似應(yīng)用?！钡獸acebook認(rèn)為Slingshot可以將這場競爭游戲提升一個檔次?！坝辛薙lingshot，我們等于看到了創(chuàng)造出與眾不同全新交際空間的機遇。在這個空間中，大家可以與很多人即時分享每一天的精彩瞬間，”Facebook在博文中這樣寫到。

????Slingshot用戶也可以發(fā)送智能手機拍攝的視頻，還可以在照片上添加評論信息或者以繪圖的形式進(jìn)行回復(fù)。

????去年，F(xiàn)acebook 曾出價30億美元，希望收購Snapchat，但這家公司年輕的創(chuàng)始人們拒絕了這個收購提議。鑒于Snapchat并無任何收益來源，因此當(dāng)時的決定非常出人意料。但Facebook并沒有動怒——它決意嘗試以實際行動來報復(fù)，于是Slingshot便應(yīng)運而生。有些人甚至認(rèn)為Slingshot就是Snapchat的2.0版或復(fù)制版。

????除了Slingshot之外，F(xiàn)acebook旗下的應(yīng)用陣營還包括聊天應(yīng)用Messenger以及大受歡迎的照片和視頻服務(wù)應(yīng)用Instagram。最近，F(xiàn)acebook又以190億美元的價格收購了通訊服務(wù)應(yīng)用WhatsApp。

????考慮到Facebook在信息傳遞領(lǐng)域的大力開拓上曾有過失敗的經(jīng)歷，因此現(xiàn)在我們還很難說Facebook推出的Slingshot一定能取得成功。就在上個月，F(xiàn)acebook才剛下架了去年才發(fā)布的類Snapchat應(yīng)用Poke。（財富中文網(wǎng)）

????譯者：徐黃兆

????Snapchat has some new competition in the market for selfie photos that disappear after a few seconds.

????On Tuesday, Facebook introduced Slingshot, an app for sharing messages and images with friends that vanish soon after they view them. With the new service, Facebook is challenging Snapchat, a start-up that popularized the idea of disappearing messages and has quickly become one of the technology industry’s darlings.

????Slingshot puts its own spin on so-called ephemeral messsaging by requiring anyone who receives a photo to respond to the sender. If they don’t, they are unable to open the original image and instead can only see a pixelated screen — and nothing more. The reasoning is to ensure people engage with one another and don’t simply receive photos without contributing. Of course, this is also serves Facebook’s interest by increasing use of the service.

????“With Slingshot, we wanted to build something where everybody is a creator and nobody is just a spectator,” Facebook said in a blog post introducing the new product. “When everyone participates, there’s less pressure, more creativity and even the little things in life can turn into awesome shared experiences. This is what Slingshot is all about.”

????The Slingshot crew even took the time to mention (read: take a swipe at) Snapchat in its introductory message: “We’ve enjoyed using Snapchat to send each other ephemeral messages and expect there to be a variety of apps that explore this new way of sharing.” But Facebook feels it can take the game up a notch. “With Slingshot, we saw an opportunity to create something new and different: a space where you can share everyday moments with lots of people at once,” the post said.

????Users can also send videos from a smartphone camera, add a message commenting on a photo, or draw an image in response.

????Facebook FB 1.86% had offered to buy Snapchat for $3 billion last year, but the company’s young founders rejected an acquisition. It seemed like an astounding decision at the time considering Snapchat had no revenue. But Facebook didn’t get angry — it decided to try to get even. Some may even consider Slingshot to be a kind of Snapchat 2.0 or Snapchat clone.

????The new app joins a cast of others already owned by Facebook including the chatting app Messenger and Instagram, a popular photo and video service. Facebook also recently acquired the messaging service WhatsApp for $19 billion.

????Facebook’s success with Slingshot is hardly assured considering it has failed in the past to make much headway in the messaging space. Last month, it shut down a Snapchat-like app called Poke a year after its release.