Miss the latest social media news? Here’s a recap of the latest
updates on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and YouTube.
Facebook
Facebook’s standalone Events app has received a significant
update, which comes with a full rebranding and more opportunities to discover
local highlights. No longer being focused exclusively on events, the app has
been renamed “Local.”
In addition to being able to find local events, the new app
allows for the discovery of restaurants, bars, and other local businesses.
Facebook revealed details about version 2.2 of its Messenger
platform, which comes with a highly requested customer chat plugin.
This plugin allows businesses to carry on conversations with
customers between their website and Facebook Messenger. That means a
conversation can begin on a business’ website and then seamlessly transition to
Messenger, or vice versa, without losing any of the chat history.
Facebook rolled out a new feature to pages and profiles that
will allow users to post simple polls, and even add GIFs to them as well. Polls
include one question and two choices of answers, similar to the new Instagram
polls that were introduced recently.
Instagram
In a bid to encourage more users to privately message one
another, Instagram announced a new feature it’s calling “remixing.” The process
involves editing a friend’s photo sent to you via direct message with stickers
and custom text and doodles, and then sending it back to them within another
photo of yourself.
Instagram tweaked a couple of its direct messaging features to make them a bit
more flexible and interactive. You can now automatically capture and remix
photos sent to you in replies back to friends, and allow photo and video
replays to be replayed more than once.
Instagram is testing a number of new features including the
ability to search for GIFs to upload in your stories, according to screenshots
obtained by The Next Web. TNW also detailed a number of other new features
Instagram appears to be testing:
·
A close friends list to
share with only a small group of people.
·
An automatic archiving
option for all your stories.
·
Hashtag and emoji search
options.
·
The ability to follow
hashtags to get top posts and stories on a particular trend.
Learn
More: Instagram testing GIF search for Stories
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is telling people’s bosses about what they’re posting
online. The networking site is analyzing users’ sharing habits and offering to
send its findings to their employers.
This includes the amount of content people are posting, and the
impact these updates are having on “content engagement.”
Snapchat
Snapchat is now using object recognition to identify what’s in
users’ photos and serve them relevant filters. So, if you take a picture of
some food, Snapchat will suggest filters with slogans like “get in my belly”
and “what diet?”
Snapchat is rolling out a new ad format just in time for the
holiday season: Promoted Stories, which will let advertisers pay to push their
story to more users. Anyone on Snapchat can create a Story, including brands or
businesses, but they are only visible to the account’s followers.
Promoted Stories, though, are country-wide, which means a brand
could push their ad to all Snapchat users in the U.S., for example.
By putting best friends first and dividing them from
professional publishers, Snapchat hopes to conquer Instagram and revive its own
growth with a big redesign that begins rolling out Friday. And it looks great.
Snapchat is finally personalizing, highlighting the most relevant content so
it’s easier to consume.
Twitter
Twitter officially doubled its character limit from 140 to 280,
following a short test which showed longer tweets receive more engagement. More
specifically, Twitter is doubling the character limit in countries where
“cramming was an issue.”
Twitter’s data-saving application has landed on the local Google
Play stores of 24 new locations.
After a successful test run in the Philippines, the social
network has released its Lite app in Algeria, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil,
Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, Israel, Kazakhstan, Mexico,
Malaysia, Nigeria, Nepal, Panama, Peru, Serbia, El Salvador, South Africa,
Thailand, Tunisia, Tanzania, and Venezuela.
Learn More: Twitter’s Lite app reaches 24 more countries
YouTube
Even YouTube is adding Stories. The popular is now making its
way to YouTube as a new feature the company is calling “Reels.”
The idea with Reels is to introduce a new video format on
YouTube that lets creators express themselves and engage fans without having to
post a full video. Instead, creators make new Reels by shooting a few quick
mobile videos of up to 30 seconds each, then adding filters, music, text and
more, including new “YouTube-y” stickers.
Courtesy & OA : searchenginejournal
