Tag Archives: Social Media Today

This could be a big one for LinkedIn marketers – according to a new discovery in the back-end code of the app, LinkedIn is developing its own poll option for posts, which would give users the capacity to query their LinkedIn followers on anything and everything. As you can see in this example, shared by reverse engineering expert Jane Manchun Wong, the new poll option would be made available within your post composer options. When selected, users would be able to add a question, then include up to four possible answers to choose from. You’d then be able to set the poll duration and post it, as you would a […]

With Ramadan approaching, Facebook has this week published a new set of insights, and a new mini-site, dedicated to helping marketers connect with audiences around the annual celebration. As per Facebook: “Brands have an opportunity to create meaningful connections during Ramadan by being of service to observers and taking stands on the values and issues important to the community. This should be done in a respectful way because, while business opportunities exist during the month, it is a special time for the community, particularly now when there’s a crisis at hand.” Facebook’s Ramadan usage insights are separated into nine different regional markets, along with a collection of global stats on […]

Amid all the angst and disagreement online, which has arguably lead to more societal division, and tribalism within communities, how much of that negativity is actually triggered by misinterpretation? People get angry at each other’s tweets, comments and posts all the time, but is that anger justified? How often do you post something, only to have others read it the wrong way, and respond more aggressively than you might have expected? This has always been a challenge in text-based communication – without visual cues and other signals, sometimes, context gets lost in translation. It’s also particularly the case with sarcasm – for example, comedy writer Megan Amram recently tweeted this: […]

After it was spotted in testing late last month, Facebook has now officially unveiled its new ‘Care’ Reactions for both Facebook and Messenger, which will provide another quick response option for COVID-19 related updates. As you can see here, on Facebook, the ‘Care’ Reaction depicts a smiley face character hugging a heart, and will be the seventh Reaction added to the set. On Messenger, you’ll now have the option to change the existing ‘Heart’ response to a purple, beating animation of the same. Facebook says that the new Reaction will give users another way to express a relevant emotion amid the current crisis, and better connect with other users. As […]

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has outlined a rough plan for getting Facebook employees back to normal operations, which will align with a staggered approach to get all regions back on track in the wake of the COVID-19 lockdowns. Right now, of course, we don’t know how long the lockdowns will persist, but Zuckerberg has provided some guidance as to Facebook’s plans, and how it will seek to work around other, more critical elements of society, especially given that the majority of Facebook’s staff are able to work remotely and don’t need, as such, to be among the first wave. As per Zuckerberg: “We will require the vast majority of our employees […]

Amid rising usage during the COVID-19 lockdowns, Pinterest has seen the emergence of a range of new search trends, which could provide some valuable insight for brands looking to use the platform to connect with their audiences. And brands should, indeed, be considering Pinterest. The platform has seen a 44% YoY increase in Pinners engaging with shopping Pins on the platform, with many replacing their regular mall browsing with looking through Pins instead. That could present significant opportunity – to give you a better idea of some of the key shifts, Pinterest has this week highlighted three key, emerging trend areas. First off is food – Pinterest says that the […]

TikTok is releasing an important new function called ‘Family Pairing‘ which will give parents more options to better manage their kids’ time in the app, while also protecting them from unwanted exposure to both offensive content and potential predators. As explained by TikTok: “Today, we are advancing our commitment to building for the safety of our users by introducing Family Pairing, which allows parents and teens to customize their safety settings based on individual needs. Family Pairing is part of our continued work toward providing parents better ability to guide their teen’s online experience while allowing time to educate about online safety and digital citizenship.” As you can see in […]

It’s hard not to be somewhat skeptical about Facebook’s enhanced efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19 misinformation across its platforms. Not from a practical standpoint, of course – false information about the virus and its spread can have significant consequences, and there’s absolutely a clear need to address such. But the skepticism is more around how proactive Facebook has been in working to stamp out COVID-19 misinformation, which it hasn’t been for other misleading and untrue reports in the past. In the latest on this front, Facebook is introducing two new measures to choke the circulation of coronavirus fake news. First, Facebook is going to start showing users who’ve […]

With shopping activity on the rise on Pinterest amid the COVID-19 lockdowns, the company has this week announced an expansion of its Pinterest Partners program, with a range of new additions to assist brands with their on-platform advertising, eCommerce, creative elements and more. As per Pinterest: “Pinterest Partners help make it easier to create Pins of every item in your catalog, measure how well you’re doing, or help people buy products. They can build creative that demands attention. They can automate posts. Each partner also brings experience, skills and a proven track record. (We know because we’ve vetted each one.)” Last year, Pinterest changed the name of its partner program from […]