Tag Archives: Social Media Today

After first launching its ‘Restrict’ option to help users better manage their comment streams last October, Instagram is now testing a new process which would enable people to Restrict multiple users in one action, direct from their comments listing. As you can see in this example, which was shared by reverse engineering expert Jane Manchun Wong, the new process would enable users to select multiple comments from their stream, then Restrict the relevant users in one hit. As noted, Instagram’s Restrict mode provides another way to manage your post comments, and weed out offensive or unwelcome commenters from your stream. Once you’ve chosen to Restrict an account, comments on your […]

If you’ve tapped on the Facebook options menu in the mobile app in the last few days, you may have noticed this. The listing has been changed from the all white layout to a blue gradient background, along with bubble tiles for each individual option, with alerts for recent activity beneath each. The team over at Android Police provided this comparison of the old and new menus side-by-side: The update certainly makes each individual option stand out – but as you would expect, some (on Twitter) have expressed their disgust at the change. So why would Facebook do this? The company hasn’t provided any specific insight, but it seems like […]

Twitter has this week brought its option to pin Twitter lists, and access them as swipeable, alternative feeds, to Android devices, providing another way to view your list streams. Twitter first launched the option on iOS last September, giving users another way to view tweet content, and easier access to their lists. As with the iOS version, Android users will now be able to pin up to five selected lists from their ‘Lists’ settings and have them appear as swipeable feeds from the home timeline. You can see where you are within your streams via the grey markers below the title of each. The option gives users more ways to access […]

With social media feeds getting ever more crowded, the battle for attention is constantly ramping up, and if you want to stop people scrolling on by your posts, you’ll likely now need some level of stand out visual element in order to grab them and hook them in. But creating your own visuals is time-consuming, and not always so easy to do, and paying for access to stock libraries can be costly. The alternative, then, is that you probably end up checking out Google Images and/or free image libraries, looking for something that fits – but even then, you could end up violating copyright by posting something that seems legit, […]

After announcing its initial measures to protect the public conversation around the COVID-19 outbreak late last month, Twitter has this week provided an update on the various steps it’s taking to assist and inform. As per Twitter: “We recently revised our travel policy to ensure we’re playing our part in the global containment efforts relating to coronavirus (COVID-19). In tandem, our entire company is stepping up its internal and external efforts to build partnerships, protect the public conversation, help people find authoritative health information, raise relief funds, and contribute pro bono advertising support to ensure people are getting the right message, from the right source.” In its initial update, Twitter announced […]

This could help you create more interesting, engaging video content. Popular visual editing app VSCO has this week launched a new editing tool called ‘Montage‘ which enables you to create multi-layered, still and video combination projects that will stand out in feeds. [embedded content] As explained by VSCO: “Montage offers a blank canvas for your creativity and limitless options for self-expression. You can stack and layer in one or more videos, photos, colors, and shapes to create a unique collage-like video. Perhaps you want to capture your favorite street style shots, memorialize your first festival experience, or create a birthday tribute for a friend to celebrate your friendship. With Montage, you can […]

You knew it was coming, the signs have all pointed to it. This week, Twitter has announced its own variation on Stories, which it’s calling ‘Fleets’. Though Twitter is keen to point out that it’s not Stories: I know what you’re thinking: “THIS SOUNDS A LOT LIKE STORIES!”. Yes, there are many similarities with the Stories format that will feel familiar to people. There are also a few intentional differences to make the experience more focused on sharing and seeing people’s thoughts. pic.twitter.com/OaGYZpChcN — Kayvon Beykpour (@kayvz) March 4, 2020 It works like this: Users with the Fleets available will see a new, rounded profile icon at the top of their […]

This is one of those ones that makes a lot of sense when you take a broader view, and consider the overall impacts. Facebook’s fact-checking labels on disputed stories are a good way to reduce the spread of misinformation, with prominent tags on fact-checked posts giving users reason for pause before they go to distribute the same within their networks. Studies have shown that these labels do work, that they do reduce people’s propensity to share such. That’s obviously a good outcome, but a new analysis conducted by MIT has potentially found a significant flaw in Facebook’s fact-check labeling system. While disputed stories that are labeled as such do see […]

Published March 5, 2020 Are you looking for ways to expand your online audience? Want to know how to go viral with a micro-influencer video marketing campaign? The team from One Productions share their tips for success in this infographic. They break things down as follows: What is a micro-influencer? Why choose micro-influencers over the big shots? Why do audiences engage more with micro-influencers? Advantages of using micro-influencers How to partner with YouTube micro-influencers Check out the infographic for more detail. A version of this post was first published on the Red Website Design blog. Filed Under: Digital Strategy Social Marketing

How many fake accounts are there on Facebook? This has been a key question for advertisers looking to optimize their platform performance. While Facebook offers unmatched potential reach – with more than 2.5 billion active users worldwide – a common criticism has been that a lot of those profiles are fakes, which reduces trust in Facebook’s reach numbers. And definitely, there are fake profiles on the platform – but how many, exactly, has fluctuated over time, based on Facebook’s own reporting. Back in 2018, Facebook said that its fake account percentage was around 4% of its MAU count, which, at that stage, equated to 88 million fake profiles. That figure was far lower […]