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!
A few changes coming for chat/messenger apps:
- Looks like Google is set to release a messenger app – with an added bonus that you’d be able to chat with a bot that could help answer questions you might typically google.
- Microsoft just bought a messaging app called Talko, which means you should expect to see new updates and features coming to Microsoft-owned Skype.
- Leaked WhatsApp screenshots suggest the app’s next major update will include video calls.
And the rest of the headlines are:
- A look back at Twitter’s 2015 – financially, not the best.
- Instagram wants you to use its app Boomerang – adding a subtle button to all photos you’re editing to encourage you to click to the app. Boomerang creates GIF-like mini-videos.
- Normally Iconosquare will release an update around this time giving users a mini photo video looking back at their most liked images of the year. I haven’t seen the feature yet but I did see this – you can get your top 9 most liked photos in a photo grid through this site. If you’re curious about my ‘#BestNine2015’ – here it is! (No surprises – cats and food lol).
- Looks like Twitter is looking into patenting drones that can receive and do actions based on tweets.
- This is a good read on the Free Internet Neutrality Dilemma. What’s more important? Restricted free Internet access for the poor? Or maintaining an open neutral Internet without limitations (and Facebook-heavy promotion).
- R.I.P. Flash video. “Facebook has struck the final blow in the long, slow demise of Flash by switching to HTML5 video.”
- I cannot believe the status update chain mail type of posts people fall for. No, Mark Zuckerberg will not give away millions of dollars to people copying and pasting a status update. Come on, guys.
- Check out what each province in Canada googled the most in 2015. Some of the top searches include Ashley Madison, big butts, drugs, ‘Netflix and chill’ and bae.
- Here are some predictions for social media trends we can expect to see in 2016 including virtual reality coming to social media (Mark Zuckerberg says “imagine sharing not just moments with your friends online, but entire experiences and adventures.”) plus mainstream live video streaming and more.
- Snapchat has started producing original content for its Discover platform – adding a music-themed channel. Until the new year, Snapchat is dedicating each day to a specific music genre – publishing original articles and videos recapping music moments of the year.
- 2016 is also said to be a big year for Snapchat – possibly at the expense of Twitter – especially when it comes to video. “Twitter hans’t really built a compelling story around video and Snapchat is tying themselves to events in a way that Twitter has as well” said MEC Global head of social.
- This is interesting, out of Australia: Social media may be one of the biggest threats to blowing the cover of hundreds of witnesses kept in secret protection programs.
- And out of the UK: Psychological abusers who control victims through social media could now face up to five years in prison.
- This is a bit old now but I forgot to include it in previous Social Media Notes – I think West Edmonton Mall’s “Twizzard” was really cool – people tweeting with hashtag #twizzard could create ‘snow’ that fell inside the mall. Really neat campaign!
- Have you been trying to find pandas and cats within cute illustrations on Facebook? Here’s another one – plus the question, why we are so obsessed with this kind of stuff?
- Edmonton’s first Twitter user @mastermaq is celebrating his birthday today! Happy birthday Mack! Thanks for all you do for Edmonton and all you’ve done for the local Twitter community.
- This week’s Cat Saturday shows the Best Cat Saturday photos of the year!!
Thoughts on these stories? Tweet @ me or leave a comment below!
Linda
