Social Media Notes
Here’s this week’s round-up of social media (& tech) news. Come by each week for what I hope to be a fun & informative blog post on social stories that caught my eye throughout the week!
- The biggest social media news (I think) is that Instagram is now testing a toggle between multiple accounts function!!!!! The feature appeared for some Android users late last week but then it quickly got removed (maybe it wasn’t supposed to be revealed yet… maybe it got too much hype too fast). Either way, this means IT WILL COME SOON ENOUGH! And I am sure all social media account managers simply cannot wait.
- Expect to see more Snapchat filter/ads, the company cut its $750,000 advertising cost down to a way more affordable $100,000 (still expensive, but in comparison, pennies – maybe that was their strategy all along) – just in time for Christmas ad season!
- Vine is still relevant guys. They’ve announced a swipe left/swipe right feature that would let users discover Vines following a similar theme (ex: watching a Vine about the AMAs, swiping will get you more Vines related to the AMAs even if you’re not following those users)
- Booking a hotel room with Hyatt has never been easier – you can now do it through Facebook Messenger. They’re now responding to availability, reservation info, room features, etc. on chat as they’ve done in past with phone calls or email. I tweet business’ questions, but rarely use Facebook Messenger. As we see more businesses adopting this tool, maybe that will change!
- This is a good read on parents sharing (oversharing?) their babies on social media. With more parents being so active online now, how does that affect what they share – their kids’ social media identities (before they’re old enough to even realize they have one) – parent/child online banter, etc.
- This is an interesting read on emojis / social media and their impact on mental health & well-being. Now more apps and researchers are doing more work around emojis, moods and feelings.
- I meant to include this in a previous Social Media Notes but it got lost in the mix – Oxford Dictionaries’ Word of the Year is … not a word – it’s an emoji! It’s the laughing with tears emoji you use all the time.
- And on that note: a plea from a Forbes writer to parents – please teach your kids to send text messages in complete sentences (an entirely emoji text = a no no in this case).
- And on THAT note… here’s a new corporate campaign using emojis to try to get their message across – in this case it’s Durex (condom company) asking users to tweet #CondomEmoji to encourage Unicode (the official emoji creators) to crate an official condom emoji. They say emojis play a vital role in how young couples connect and are launching this campaign ahead of World AIDS Day on December 1.
- This discussion on social media and what happens to your online profiles after you die comes up every so often, again now after the Paris attacks. Here’s a look at how social media should be used to leave a legacy – “help celebrate and share, remember the good, rather than perpetuate the bad… when used properly, the web can help us become greater people, tell stories of human kindness, petition, raise money, essentially act together for a common good.
- What’s next for Instagram? “Teleportation” says the company’s co-founder. This is a great read on the incredibly popular photo-sharing app and what it’s working on in the next few years.
- I am always horrified to hear how short maternity/paternity leave is for parents in the United States so Facebook’s announcement that they are allowing all employees to take four months paid parental leave is awesome (but still feels so short).
- Did you see this week’s Cat Saturday photos?!
Thoughts on these stories? Tweet @ me or leave a comment below!
Linda