Controversies over misinformation on social media, Facebook policy decisions, and volatile investor expectations dominated July’s social media headlines. Among the chaos, here are the new features, beta tests, and policy changes you may have missed.
- Facebook limits developer access to data, in an effort to protect user information. Developers will now require special permission to access some APIs and will shut down some others.
- Facebook’s new feature “Your Time on Facebook” will tell users how much time they are spending each day on the platform. The feature will include daily usage reminders and alerts.
- Facebook shuts down three mobile apps: Hello, Moves, and TBH.
- Facebook announces a commitment to remove false information intended to incite violence and other physical harm.
- Facebook integrates with AMC Theaters so users can buy movie tickets directly on the platform
- Accounts will likely see a decline in follower numbers after Twitter bans over 70 million accounts due to abuse, spam and bots.
- Instagram adds a “Questions” sticker which lets followers submit questions for a user to answer in Stories.
- Instagram tests two-factor authentication with third-party security platforms, such as Google Authenticator. This gives users an option to authenticate an account if SMS is not a viable option as a second source.
- Instagram tests a way for public accounts to remove followers.
- WhatsApp limits forwarding across the globe to stop the spread of fake news. The app now limits forwarding to just 20 people, and only five in India. In addition, WhatsApp also introduces a way for users to identify what messages are not from the sender, through a tag that marks a message as forwarded.
- WhatsApp introduces a new “Groups” feature for one-way broadcast streams; users opt in to receive alerts from new broadcasts.
YouTube
- YouTube videos of breaking news will now display an information panel that includes a link to an authoritative article on the subject. YouTube will also feature video from “credible news sources” on its homepage during breaking news events.
- YouTube debuts a Copyright Match tool for creators with more than 100,000 subscribers. Creators who use the tool will be notified if copies of their videos surface on YouTube.
- YouTube tests an Explore tab to offer viewers a wider variety of what-to-watch suggestions than what they have today.
- YouTube is extending its time-well-spent feature from its Kids app to the main YouTube app, in order to give users more control over their viewing. The feature includes a timer to remind users to take a break, as well as an option to limit notifications on the app.
- LinkedIn messaging introduces new features including longer message limits, attachment sharing, group messages, mentions, emoji options, and more.
Snapchat
- Snapchat is developing a visual product search that will allow users to take a photo of an item and search Amazon for more information on the image.
- Snapchat launches a news partnership initiative with the goal of helping journalists and news organizations better mine the billions of public videos and photos shared daily on Snapchat for news and information.
- Snap announces it will discontinue Snapcash, a peer-to-peer money transfer service.
- Snapchat Discover opens its doors to nonexclusive video shows that have been created or published elsewhere. For these deals, publishers are not paid licensing fees; the deals are based on shared ad revenue.
- Snapchat launched a program called “Storytellers” that connects brands with top creators to make ad campaigns on Snapchat. The program includes the release of creator-made stickers.
- Twitch announces a partnership with Giphy, allowing viewers to overlay streams they are watching with GIFs.
Social Advertising
- Facebook no longer allows marketers to target based on demographic factors such as sexual orientation, religion and ethnicity.
- Facebook updates its Ads Manager app with new features for better mobile ad-creation agility. Tools such as color filters, stickers, text overlays and logos, image cropping and text length checks are now available from mobile.
- Facebook’s new augmented reality ads let people try on virtual renditions of products. The first example to roll out were AR ads for Michael Kors sunglasses, where users can “try on” different sunglasses through the Facebook camera.
- Instagram rolls out a Collection feature where users can browse multiple products in the same ad; they also plan to add a Shopping Bag icon in Stories.
- Facebook rolls out new requirements for custom audience targeting. Now, those running Facebook ads to custom audiences will need to specify the origin of the audience’s information, as well as agree to the terms of sharing audiences through an audience-sharing relationship in Business Manager. Facebook is also now displaying a way to reach an advertiser through either phone or email, for all ads.
- Twitter trials Promoted Trend Spotlight ads, which appear as visual images or GIF banners at the top of Explore.
- Snapchat and Nielsen are now offering marketers the ability to make targeted ad buys based on offline data, in similar fashion to other popular social media platforms.
- Snapchat unveils a self-serve private marketplace that allows advertisers to buy ad space on Discover channels and shows.
- LinkedIn’s new Campaign Manager creates a better experience for those managing multiple campaigns with multiple accounts.
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