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Lately in Social Media – 6/1/18

Posted on June 1, 2018

Winston Churchill once said, “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” If that’s the case, then our favorite platforms certainly inched closer to perfection in May!

It was a big month of changes, and that’s not even counting updates from companies scrambling to “get ready” for GDPR. Even the ones who said they were ready haven’t been spared, so it sounds a little chaotic across the pond at the moment. Count your lucky stars if GDPR isn’t something your company actively needs to worry about right now. Here’s what else has been happening:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

  • Twitter has always enjoyed designating public officials with the blue verified check, but now the platform will also label the accounts of candidates for state governor, the House of Representatives and the Senate. Also, advertisers running political campaign ads for federal elections will have to identify themselves and confirm that they’re in the U.S., as opposed to on a Macedonian troll farm.
  • Twitter is also using behavioral signals to identify harassment and make those trash tweets less visible to the rest of us. And thanks to recent algorithm updates, you shouldn’t encounter quite as many bots and trolls. Personally I’m glad their taking action, especially since hardly any of us questioned the fake news – yikes.

INSTAGRAM

SNAPCHAT

  • “You hated the redesign, so take this new redesign and please just shut up about it.” – Snapchat
  • This new AR mask responds to sounds, so come up with some creative ways to use it before Snapchat releases even more filters like it.
  • Better yet, ask an app developer to take Snapchat’s best tools and build something cooler with those AR camera features.
  • Snapchat copied a Facebook feature that allows marketers to buy Snap ads for a set CPM if planned in advance, TV-buying style. The tables have turned!
  • If the Snap Map feels too thirsty, you can still let people know where you are by quietly sending them your location or requesting theirs. Perhaps users really wanted this feature, to spare them the trouble of typing “where u at”? (I can’t think of a reason why a brand or business would want to use this ability, I just think it’s odd and hilarious. But then again, that’s how I feel about Snapchat in general.)
  • Is this platform becoming a ghost town? You tell me – I’m not on there anymore.

YOUTUBE

  • If the youth are your target audience, rest assured that YouTube is definitely their preferred platform – as opposed to Facebook, where their parents and grandparents run wild.
  • YouTube channels are experiencing a recent viewership surge for live video, so hurry up and get in on that live action!
  • Here’s a good feature for both personal and professional use: Turn on a reminder to take a break after awhile.

PINTEREST

  • Get your best video content ready, because Pinterest is currently testing a promoted video format that will span across the two-column feed of the mobile app, available in 16:9 and 1:1 ratios. Paramount is testing it now, but no word yet on when the new format becomes available to the rest of us plebes.

LINKEDIN

  • The Sales Navigator tool claims it is GDPR-ready – unlike everyone else!

And just as a bonus: Have a laugh at all these GDPR fails.

Got questions about social media marketing? Not sure how social tools could benefit your business? Let’s talk!

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