Miss the latest social media news? Here’s a recap of the latest
updates on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and YouTube.
Facebook
Facebook introduced a new option for muting people and pages,
which is a little less anti-social than unfollowing or unfriendliness them. A
‘Snooze’ option is currently being tested among U.S. Facebook users. It appears
after clicking on the drop-down menu next to the name of a person, page, or
group.
Facebook is testing Instant Videos, a feature that will allow
users to watch more video on mobile without eating into their data plan. Videos
will be downloaded and cached in the background while using Facebook on a wifi
network.
After switching to a cellular network, the pre-loaded videos
will be available to watch without having to use mobile data. ‘Instant Videos’
in your feed will be marked with a lightning bolt icon, like AMP and Facebook’s
Instant Articles.
Facebook was quick to offer support for 360-degree photos and
video, now it’s going a step further by allowing users to capture 360-degree
photos within the mobile app. The ability to capture 360-degree photos is
available on both iOS and Android.
Facebook took a hard stance against the sharing of fake news and
hoaxes on its platform by banning pages from advertising on Facebook if they
have a history of repeatedly sharing fake news.
Instagram
Instagram is bringing its Snapchat-like stories to the mobile
web.When logged into Instagram.com on a mobile web browser, you will now see
stories at the top of your feed just like in the app. While viewing a story,
left and right arrows will appear for skipping forward or backward.
Bringing Instagram stories to mobile browsers will give people
the opportunity to view stories on a larger screen, such as those using
tablets.
Instagram is giving users the option to share stories directly
to Facebook. This feature is being tested, Instagram confirms, without noting
when or if it will be rolled out on a wide scale.
Facebook has its own version of Stories, which is presumably
where Instagram’s stories will be uploaded. Despite having more daily active
users, Facebook’s Stories have not managed to reach the popularity of
Instagram’s.
Instagram users are no longer limited to publishing galleries
full of square photos and videos. The company announced photos and videos in
portrait or landscape format can now be used within galleries. Instagram has
supported portrait and landscape formats for some time now, but not in
galleries.
LinkedIn
Everyone with a LinkedIn account can now upload videos to their
page, a feature that was previously available to only a select test group of
users. Whether it’s uploading a speech you’ve given, a video resume, or a
demonstration of a product, there is now a myriad of new opportunities to
showcase yourself and your work on LinkedIn.
Pinterest
Pinterest hit a milestone of 200 million monthly active users,
which represents a 40 percent growth since last year. Over half of those users
live outside the USA. The company also notes over 100 billion pins have been
created, and 85 percent of Pinterest searches are on mobile devices.
Twitter
Twitter is doubling its signature 140-character limit to 280, a
move intended to give people more room to express themselves.
Don’t go on Twitter and try to compose an extra-long tweet just
yet though, as the expanded character limit is only being rolled out to a small
test group of people. However, Twitter has every intention to roll it out to
everyone if the test proves to be successful.
A new addition to Twitter, called ‘Popular Articles,’ will show
you the top articles your connections are tweeting about. Popular Articles can
be found by opening the Twitter app and tapping the search tab. On this screen,
you’ll find sections such as current trending topics, ‘Today’s Moments’ and the
new ‘Popular Articles.’
Twitter still has 328 million monthly active users, 100 million
daily active users, and 500 million tweets are sent every day on the platform.
Businesses can now tailor search results based on a range of dates, people,
hashtags and specific phrases, while also excluding words and phrases. This
simple guide covers how to use Twitter Advanced Search, with actionable tips
that can help you use this tool with maximum efficiency.
Learn
More: A Guide to Twitter Advanced Search
Twitter tested a tweetstorm feature built into its own app. When
you have a message to get out that exceeds the 140 character limit, chaining
multiple tweets together has become known as a “tweetstorm.” Tweetstorms have
been a popular feature for years, but doing it correctly involves some careful
planning.
Learn
More: Twitter is Testing a Built-in Tweetstorm Feature
YouTube
YouTube is adding restrictions on which accounts can add
external links at the end of their videos. External links are added to videos
in the form of end cards, and now there are requirements that every account
needs to meet to be able to use end cards.
The new requirements for using end cards are that you must join
the YouTube Partner Program and your channel must have 10,000 total public
views or more.
Google has updated its YouTube app for iOS with the ability to
live stream iPhone or iPad screens. YouTube utilizes Apple’s ReplayKit API to
allow for live streaming of a user’s screen.
Only verified YouTube users with no live streaming restrictions
will be able to take advantage of this feature. While live streaming content on
their screen, YouTube users can also use the device’s microphone and
front-facing camera to add their own commentary.
YouTube is undergoing a series of changes on mobile and desktop,
the most noticeable of which is a new look complete with a new logo. Additional
new features include a new design, new gestures, and suggested videos.
Courtesy & OA : searchenginejournal
