Tag Archives: Social Media Today

After announcing a ban on all ads which mention “coronavirus” or “COVID-19” last month, Twitter has now revised its stance in order to enable some advertisers to mention the virus in selected promotions, based on utility. As per Twitter: “In response to the shifting advertising landscape, and in order to support helpful causes during this time, we’re now allowing managed clients and partners to advertise content containing implicit or explicit reference to COVID-19 in certain use cases, with restrictions.” Those specific use cases will be: Adjustments to business practices and/or models in response to COVID-19 Support for customers and employees related to COVID-19 That will mean that approved brands will […]

Amid the global lockdowns as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have found themselves with a lot more time on their hands, which many are now using to try to build their personal brands, and maximize their profile through online platforms. And now may be a good time to do it – while the global economy is taking a massive hit, which will have long-reaching implications, digital platforms are seeing higher engagement rates than ever, with more people looking to information and entertainment online, and focusing their attention on social platforms and other apps. That could provide an opportunity to get your thoughts out there, and to build […]

YouTube has confirmed that it will reduce the recommendation and distribution of videos which promote conspiracy theories that link the spread of COVID-19 to 5G technology. This comes after a spate of attacks on cell phone towers in some regions – according to The Guardian in the UK, signal towers in Birmingham, Merseyside and Belfast were set on fire in the last week, in attacks that have been linked to the rising theory. Mobile carrier workers have also reportedly been subjected to abuse due to concerns about 5Gs role in the pandemic. The circulating rumor suggests that 5G signals exacerbate the spread of the virus. The core concept relates to the use of […]

Facebook has outlined its latest efforts to assist health authorities in combating the spread of COVID-19, with its ‘Data for Good‘ initiative providing a range of location tracking and individual connectivity maps which can help to highlight key areas of concern, and better prepare for influxes before they overwhelm local health systems. Facebook says that it’s providing three types of data tracking tools to assist authorities – first, Facebook is providing co-location maps, which highlight “the probability that people in one area will come in contact with people in another, helping illuminate where COVID-19 cases may appear next”. The blue lines here indicate people movements, based on location tracking on mobile […]

Amid the largest ever migration to remote work, one thing that can get overlooked is account security, and making sure that our information is still safe when you work on publicly connected networks. For the most part, corporations have their own VPN and related security systems enabled, yet even then, there are additional considerations to keep in mind when logging in via remote PCs, and accessing professional networks with high levels of secure data. To help with this, Facebook has published a new set of tips to help users better secure their accounts and ensure that they’re not contributing to potential vulnerabilities as they work from home. We’ve compiled Facebook’s […]

Lyft, the massive rideshare company operating in over 600 cities in the United States alone, has taken advantage of growing technology to creatively fill a pretty significant need in the lives of their customers: transportation. But you probably already know this. What you may not know is that Lyft also owns most of the major bike shares across the country. And beyond that, the company is heavily focused on campaigns for food equity, voting access and job access programs. These values – accessibility, equity, etc. – drive the company’s brand, and not just behind the scenes, where they’ve been working hard to treat employees well during the current COVID-19 crisis and long […]

Are you monitoring your businesses ‘brand health’, and actively working to improve this key metric, and maximize performance? Brand health, which started as a quirky definition, has become an important indicator of success for most companies, yet, the definition might still sound pretty confusing to some marketers out there So to begin, let’s break it down. What is brand health? Brand health is a collection of metrics which represent brand awareness, brand reputation, and brand’s share of voice. It includes customer satisfaction and the opinions potential customers have on the company. How is brand health measured? The easiest way to measure brand health is by using focus groups, questionnaires, and […]

It’s no secret to anyone involved in social media circles that Twitter has a bot problem. For years, users have complained about the impact of bots and fake accounts on the platform, and while various research reports have pegged Twitter’s fake profile levels at between 5% and 15%, their presence is likely more significant than that, with researchers repeatedly pointing to massive swarms of bot accounts being used for malicious purpose – in particular, to amplify certain political messages, and drown out opposing views through mass retweeting. Twitter’s bot issue was highlighted once again this week, with the platform confirming that it had removed 20,000 fake accounts linked to the governments […]

Over the past few weeks, both Google and Facebook have begun sharing location-tracking information with various authorities around the world in order to help them plan their COVID-19 containment strategies, and better ensure that they’re addressing key areas of concern. The data provided is anonymized and aggregated, so there are no personally identifying markers. But the data does track people’s movements – for example, Google’s Mobility Reports, which it’s made available for 131 countries and regions, show foot traffic trends at different locations over time. That can help public health officials get a better understanding of whether people are adhering to stay at home orders, and map such trends against […]

As marketers grapple with the best approaches to take amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and how they can help keep their businesses running during in order to minimize losses, Snapchat has this week provided some tips on how brands need to evolve their messaging, in line with shifting expectations and needs during the crisis. And it can be a difficult balance. Many people have lost their jobs, or have seen their income reduced, not to mention the amount of people that have been directly impacted by the virus. As such, you don’t want to be pushing inappropriate or insensitive content – yet, at the same time, the economic impacts of the COVID-19 […]