Miss the latest social media news? Here’s a recap of the latest updates on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and YouTube.
Facebook’s standalone Events app has received a significant update, which comes with a full rebranding and more opportunities to discover local highlights. No longer being focused exclusively on events, the app has been renamed “Local.”
In addition to being able to find local events, the new app allows for the discovery of restaurants, bars, and other local businesses.
Learn More: Facebook Updates Events App With Restaurants, Bars, and More
Facebook revealed details about version 2.2 of its Messenger platform, which comes with a highly requested customer chat plugin.
This plugin allows businesses to carry on conversations with customers between their website and Facebook Messenger. That means a conversation can begin on a business’ website and then seamlessly transition to Messenger, or vice versa, without losing any of the chat history.
Learn More: Facebook Introduces Messenger Chat Plugin for Business Websites
Facebook rolled out a new feature to pages and profiles that will allow users to post simple polls, and even add GIFs to them as well. Polls include one question and two choices of answers, similar to the new Instagram polls that were introduced recently.
Learn More: Facebook Introduces a Simple Polling Feature With Support for GIFs
In a bid to encourage more users to privately message one another, Instagram announced a new feature it’s calling “remixing.” The process involves editing a friend’s photo sent to you via direct message with stickers and custom text and doodles, and then sending it back to them within another photo of yourself.
Learn More: Instagram now lets you vandalize your friends’ photos with custom text and doodles
Instagram tweaked a couple of its direct messaging features to make them a bit more flexible and interactive. You can now automatically capture and remix photos sent to you in replies back to friends, and allow photo and video replays to be replayed more than once.
Learn More: Instagram now allows optional photo and video message replays
Instagram is testing a number of new features including the ability to search for GIFs to upload in your stories, according to screenshots obtained by The Next Web. TNW also detailed a number of other new features Instagram appears to be testing:
- A close friends list to share with only a small group of people.
- An automatic archiving option for all your stories.
- Hashtag and emoji search options.
- The ability to follow hashtags to get top posts and stories on a particular trend.
Learn More: Instagram testing GIF search for Stories
LinkedIn is telling people’s bosses about what they’re posting online. The networking site is analyzing users’ sharing habits and offering to send its findings to their employers.
This includes the amount of content people are posting, and the impact these updates are having on “content engagement.”
Learn More: LinkedIn lets your boss keep tabs on what you’re posting online with new feature
Snapchat
Snapchat is now using object recognition to identify what’s in users’ photos and serve them relevant filters. So, if you take a picture of some food, Snapchat will suggest filters with slogans like “get in my belly” and “what diet?”
Learn More: Snapchat now recognizes food, pets, and more when suggesting filters
Snapchat is rolling out a new ad format just in time for the holiday season: Promoted Stories, which will let advertisers pay to push their story to more users. Anyone on Snapchat can create a Story, including brands or businesses, but they are only visible to the account’s followers.
Promoted Stories, though, are country-wide, which means a brand could push their ad to all Snapchat users in the U.S., for example.
Learn More: Snapchat is selling a new type of ad just in time for the holidays: Promoted Stories
By putting best friends first and dividing them from professional publishers, Snapchat hopes to conquer Instagram and revive its own growth with a big redesign that begins rolling out Friday. And it looks great. Snapchat is finally personalizing, highlighting the most relevant content so it’s easier to consume.
Learn More: Snapchat starts algorithm-personalized redesign splitting social and media
Twitter officially doubled its character limit from 140 to 280, following a short test which showed longer tweets receive more engagement. More specifically, Twitter is doubling the character limit in countries where “cramming was an issue.”
Learn More: Twitter Doubles Character Limit to 280, Says Longer Tweets Drive More Engagement
Twitter’s data-saving application has landed on the local Google Play stores of 24 new locations.
After a successful test run in the Philippines, the social network has released its Lite app in Algeria, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, Israel, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Malaysia, Nigeria, Nepal, Panama, Peru, Serbia, El Salvador, South Africa, Thailand, Tunisia, Tanzania, and Venezuela.
Learn More: Twitter’s Lite app reaches 24 more countries
YouTube
Even YouTube is adding Stories. The popular is now making its way to YouTube as a new feature the company is calling “Reels.”
The idea with Reels is to introduce a new video format on YouTube that lets creators express themselves and engage fans without having to post a full video. Instead, creators make new Reels by shooting a few quick mobile videos of up to 30 seconds each, then adding filters, music, text and more, including new “YouTube-y” stickers.
Learn More: YouTube is launching its own take on Stories with a new video format called ‘Reels’
