Weekly Roundup: Twitter DMs, Instagram’s Censored Hashtags, and More
Welcome to our weekly roundup of the most interesting news and changes at the top social platforms last week. Here’s what happened the week of August 10.
As kids head back to school, we were reminded on Twitter last week that we all need to be a little smarter and stop celebrating any “Day” with a hashtag in front of it. #MiddleChildDay #WorldElephantDay #LefthandedDay all trended last week proving we’ll talk about anything. Also, that one guy cracked us up when he hacked the Target Facebook page after tons of adults [in need of a hobby] lost their minds over gender neutrality. He also reminded brands what social monitoring means. In the meantime, social platforms kept making news.
– Twitter direct messages just turned into email
– Instagram continues to support censoring your hashtags (#whatfirstamendment)
– Could YouTube eat Periscope? (I mean it’s small)
Have a wonderful week!
Snapchat
An Adult’s Guide to Snapchat
For those trying to easily explain Snapchat to your roommate, spouse or mom, your search is over. Lesson 1: Snapchat is not about chat. Read more of this useful and simple breakdown of Snapchat’s key features and functionality from BuzzFeed
It’s Official: Twitter Drops 140 Character Limit for DMs (and what that means for brands) and three other mind-blowing pieces of news
Last month we reported the impending news that Twitter would drop the 140 character limit on Direct Messages. Well, now it’s official, but what does that mean for brands, and how can it help brands grow? >>Find Out
Hilary C. showed us this week she’s not a “regular” Presidential Candidate, she’s a “cool” Presidential Candidate by evoking emoji responses. [Note: brands can be cool, too. Visual storytelling is a real thing.]
When consumers want to complain about a brand, more and more evidence shows they take to Twitter first. A new study shows that responding to one complaint might open the floodgates for more customer complaints. But is that so bad? Check out this opinion on why companies should respond to “Twitter Rage Spikes”.
More Ads and The Story Behind Hashtag Bans
Instagram has finally begun opening up its API to third parties and the revenue prospect for the coming year is, as expected, in the billions. Concerns over ad quality decreasing is real but the review process is just as real.
We have also been slightly befuddled by the banning of hashtags on Instagram and we know it’s probably a terrible idea. Instagram is continuing in the crack down either way.
Facebook Confirms Live Broadcasting Will Soon Open to Journalists and Verified Profiles
Well, that was fast… In response to requests about when they’d get access to the VIP-only Facebook Live, Facebook will soon grant the ability to a much wider swath of users who have verified Profiles, meant for public figures that aren’t quite as “famous”. This includes some more entertainers, athletes, politicians, journalists. Normal users were not given broadcast access and that could be because the platform needs some technical work. Or, it could be that Facebook wanted to start with celebrities to teach users what’s interesting to stream, avoiding the “Hello world/this is my breakfast” broadcasts that could convince people livestreams aren’t fun to watch. Considering Facebook changed its tune from just a week ago, we’d expect Live to open up to Verified Profiles before the holidays. – Source [Oh good, more Kardashians.]
LinkedIn Publishing Goes Global with Localized Languages
Members in other languages around the world will soon be able to publish on LinkedIn beginning with Portuguese. In the months ahead, LinkedIn will add other languages, starting with German and French. Read More
Tumblr
NASA Joins Tumblr to Explore the Social Media Frontier
NASA posted its first message to the new Tumblr page Aug. 7, adding that platform to its large collection of social media accounts on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram (which is one of the top Instagram accounts!). Read More
YouTube
The Y in Alphabet
It’s crazy talk that Google’s reorg was so secret for so long, but now the question has arisen about the role of YouTube in the new giant’s digs. Original content is a focal point for expansion.
YouTube Live Broadcast Announced, Google’s Periscope Competitor
YouTube is launching another live broadcasting service, in the same vein of Periscope and Meerkat. Announced at the Samsung Unpacked event last week, YouTube Live Broadcast will allow people to livestream from their phone anywhere. Read More
[Not a lot of naming creativity between YouTube and Facebook – LIVE, LIVE, LIVE. We get it.]
Compiled by our West Region strategists including Melanie Taylor, Cameron Joye, Toby Phillips, Laura Graham, Austin DeArman, Lindsey Mills, and Lauren Wesche.
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