Facebook has started introducing a variety of new features that will help users use their connections to discover new things, decide what to do or where to go, and connect with local businesses in easier and faster ways.

Facebook will allow users to order a meal, buy movie tickets or make an appointment at the hairdresser without having to leave the social networking site.

"Whether traveling to a new place, looking for a hair salon, or searching for the perfect place to eat, people already turn to their friends, family, and local groups on Facebook for advice. We are rolling out a new tool that makes it easier to get and organise all those recommendations in one place," the company said.

"When you write a Facebook post looking for advice on local places or services, you’ll have the option to turn on Recommendations for that post. If you turn on the feature, your friends can comment on your post with suggestions, and you’ll see all of them mapped out and saved in one place. You can also go to your Recommendations bookmark on Facebook to ask a new question or help your friends," it said.

To make exploring events even better, Facebook has revamped the Events bookmark on Facebook. Users can catch up on the latest events activity from friends and hosts and browse event recommendations based on what’s popular with friends or events they’ve connected with in the past. This new version of the events dashboard will start to roll out in the US in the coming weeks.

Order food: Users can now order food from restaurants directly from their Facebook pages. Simply click “Start Order” on any restaurant’s Facebook Page that uses Delivery.com or Slice.

Request an appointment: For local businesses that require you to book an appointment, such as spas and salons, users can now request a time via the business’ Facebook Page and view their entire slate of services and offerings. They’ll then get back to you on Messenger to confirm your appointment.

Get a quote: Some local business Pages will now have a “Get Quote” button at the top that lets you easily and quickly request a quote from the business.

Get tickets to movies and events: For many new movies this fall, users can buy movie tickets straight from their Facebook Pages via Fandango. In partnership with Ticketmaster and Eventbrite, Facebook is also making it possible for people to get tickets to other events — free or paid — directly from the event page on Facebook.

The new features are being rolled out initially in the US. "Over the coming months we’ll be launching even more new features that will make it easier to get things done, make confident decisions and communicate directly with businesses on your time and terms," Facebook said. - TradeArabia News Service