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Facebook launched a feature that allows people to request or offer help to neighbors - here's how it works

Apr 1, 2020, 15:17 IST
REUTERS/Andreas GebertFacebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
  • Facebook launched a new tool called "Community Help" on Tuesday.
  • Community Help is designed to let people request or offer help to people nearby during the coronavirus pandemic.
  • You can request or offer help with groceries, supplies, or general volunteer work.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Facebook has built a tool for hooking up those requesting and those offering help during the coronavirus pandemic.

As the coronavirus has spread across the globe Facebook has had to race to react to misinformation, price-gouging on essentials like hand sanitizer, and even phoney coronavirus cures.

The company launched "Community Help" on Tuesday, describing it as: "a place for people to request or offer help to neighbors, such as volunteering to deliver groceries or donating to a local food pantry or fundraiser."

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Facebook said it is rolling the tool out in the US, the UK, France, Australia, and Canada over the next few days, and is looking to expand to more territories after that.

Here's what it looks like:

Do you have a personal experience with the coronavirus you'd like to share? Or a tip on how your town or community is handling the pandemic? Please email covidtips@businessinsider.com and tell us your story.

And get the latest coronavirus analysis and research from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is impacting businesses.

This is the main page

You can control how big an area you want to see requests or offers from

You can select 10 km, 25 km, 50 km, or 100 km.

There's also a filter on the sidebar for what kind of posts you can look for

Categories include: baby supplies, food, information, transport, and volunteer work.

Once you have your settings in place, Facebook shows a wall of nearby offers and requests

Clicking on "request help" or "offer help" brings up this window

You can also control the privacy settings of your post

Like on your regular Facebook account, posts can be made "public," visible to "friends of friends" or just "friends."

You can also choose between being contacted on Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp

There's also a panel dedicated to either finding or making a Facebook fundraiser

Facebook itself has already set aside $20 million to match donations to two separate funds dedicated to fighting the virus.

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