Tag Archives: Social Media Today

Facebook has announced that it has acquired GIF platform GIPHY in a deal reported to be worth around $400 million. GIPHY is the most popular GIF database on the web, with its 500 million daily active users viewing more than 11 million hours of GIFs every day through various surfaces. GIPHY has been able to maximize its usage by offering API integration to a range of websites – including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, among others. Now, GIPHY will be brought into the Instagram team – as per Facebook: “A lot of people in our community already know and love GIPHY. In fact, 50% of GIPHY’s traffic comes from the Facebook family […]

Could Snapchat play a key role in deciding who will become the next US President? It could certainly have an impact, based on the findings of two new reports. The first comes from Democracy Works, which found that of the 450,000 Snapchatters who registered to vote through its TurboVote process in 2018 – via a campaign that was actively promoted by Snap – around 57% then went on to vote in the US Midterms. That equates to around 260,000 extra votes cast as a direct result of a push via the app. Snapchat launched a range of election day stickers and Lenses to encourage users to vote in 2018, along with listings of […]

Instagram has launched a new ‘House of Instagram’ mini-site, which provides links to a range of guides, tips and resources for businesses, with a focus on the Australian market. The information hub includes overviews of how to build your brand on the platform, how to connect with Instagram audiences, as well as case studies and wellbeing tools. It also includes an ‘A to Z of Instagram’ listing, which, according to Instagram: “[Provides] an inside look at some of the latest trends, incredible communities and creators on Instagram that connect their passion with people. Some you may have heard of, and some you’ll discover for the first time. It’s the A […]

Try as they might, social networks just haven’t been able to integrate blockchain technology into their processes in any workable way as yet. Facebook’s Libra project is still plagued with issues, and while Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is a big advocate for cryptocurrency, there’s no obvious use for such within tweets at this stage. But maybe, Reddit has found a way – this week, Reddit has launched a test of a new, blockhain-based ‘Community Points’ system, which will enable Reddit moderators to allocate points to community members based on their activity within their subreddits. Those ‘points’ can then be used to purchase things like ‘Special Memberships’, which will give users […]

LinkedIn has announced a re-brand of its editorial team, which has now grown to more than 75 individual staff, working across 15 regions. As explained by LinkedIn News VP Daniel Roth: “Editors play a central role in LinkedIn’s professional community, from original reporting to cultivating/curating conversations from members, Influencers and publishers. Our mission is to give professionals the news and views they need now to stay informed and to build their voices. To help members connect with this content, today we’re launching a distinct editorial identity – LinkedIn News – that reinforces our work as a trusted professional news brand, while communicating the value we bring to you and the community.” Aside […]

Facebook has reportedly committed more than $1 billion to the development of a new sub-sea cable link designed to improve connectivity in Africa, and connect more people to the internet – and subsequently, connect more users to Facebook. The plan’s part of Facebook’s broader mission to connect with world, with over 3.5 billion people reportedly still unable to access the internet. As explained by Facebook: “Africa is currently the least connected continent, with just over a quarter of its 1.3 billion people connected to the internet. As part of our commitment, we’re proud to announce that Facebook has partnered with leading African and global operators to build 2Africa, the most comprehensive subsea […]

Instagram has been rolling this option out over the last few weeks, but today, it’s officially announced that all users can now save the video of their Instagram Live broadcast to IGTV, and keep it available for viewing for as long as they choose. Up till now, Instagram Live broadcasts have only, technically been available to viewers during their broadcast – i.e. when the ‘Live’ marker appears on the users’ Stories bubble. Users have additionally had the option to save the video of their Instagram Live broadcast to their camera roll, then re-upload as they see fit – but now, you’ll also have the capacity to send the video direct to […]

Snapchat has rolled out an update to its in-app analytics for Creator accounts, while it’s also added a new ‘Quoting’ feature which will enable Creators to respond to replies in their public Stories. As shared by Mike Metzler of Conviva, the new analytics layout provides more specific insight into your Snap performance, and the updated format makes it easy to understand how the data relates to each Snap. Here’s a comparative side-by-side with an older version of Snapchat analytics: Of course, Snapchat analytics are not available to all users, so not everyone will be able to access the updated tools, but for those who can, it could make it easier to stay […]

YouTube Creator Insider Tom Leung has this week provided an update on two significant features that are coming to YouTube publishers. First off, Leung has confirmed that its new listing of when your YouTube audience is online is now available to all users. As you can see here, the new chart, available in YouTube Studio analytics, displays when your audience is most active on the platform, which can help in your planning. As per Leung: “We started rolling it out very gradually, but now it’s available to all, 100% of Creators”. It’s similar to Facebook’s audience insights, which, as noted, provides more guidance as to when you should be looking to […]

Group live-streaming app Houseparty is using a three-day, virtual ‘In The House’ festival, which includes a range of celebrity guests, to showcase its latest co-watching feature update. I mean, that’s obviously not the only reason – with Facebook and YouTube running star-studded graduation events for the Class of 2020, Houseparty, which is primarily used by young students, is also looking to get in on the same. As you can see here, Houseparty co-watching enables users to gather together to virtually participate in video events as a group. As noted by TechCrunch, Houseparty first showcased the option last week with a virtual prom event hosted by DJ D-Nice. With in-person events off […]