Social Media Friday Four

November 23, 2018 Becky Mariano

The Social Media Friday Four is back, and it’s time to go through what’s new in the social world!

Facebook users now have the capability to delete messages in Messenger, Instagram has added new e-commerce features to the platform, LinkedIn has unveiled its new and improved “LinkedIn Pages”, and Snapchat has released its Creative Partners Program.

Let’s jump in ⬇️.

Facebook’s New “Unsend” Feature

Have you ever sent a message you didn’t mean to send? Or a picture? Or a made a typo that you wish you could fix? Well, Facebook has been listening to customer feedback, and has implemented an update, which will allow users to delete messages that they’ve sent in Messenger - woohoo!

Upon review of the deletion process on their app, Facebook’s VP of Messenger shared that most message deletion attempts were legitimate and due to mistakes made or content that wasn’t meant to be sent in the first place. The global rollout of this feature has already begun, and many users are already seeing the new update.

With “unsend,” users will have up to 10 minutes to delete a sent message, and once removed messages will be erased from the chat. When a message is removed, a “tombstone” placeholder will appear stating, “user removed a message”. The message recipient will be able to see the “tombstone,” and will be enabled to report the content removal if they feel that the message was sent maliciously in order to combat online bullying.

Let’s hope the feature is as helpful as it sounds, as this could be a huge help to those of us who don’t always proofread our content before hitting send!

Instagram Is Building Out its E-Commerce Features

E-Commerce businesses rejoice! Instagram is building out its shopping features even further with the announcement of three new product updates. Did you ever wish you could buy something straight from a video you were watching? Save items to a “shopping collection” for later? More easily shop from business profiles? You’ll soon be able to do all three.

Have you ever used a shopping aggregate tool that saves all your favorite items (usually on sale!) all in one place? These tools are GREAT because you can browse and bookmark all your favorite items, then revisit them all in one place once you’re ready to compare and make purchases. Well, now you won’t need to leave Instagram to do this!

We also love Instagram’s shoppable posts, which are now being integrated into videos! It’s the worst when you see something you love and want to buy while watching a video, but then need to stop the video, open a new window, and search for that item online. Thankfully, soon enough you’ll be able to click right on items within a video, and make a purchase.

And if Instagram wasn’t making this whole shopping season easy enough for us, business profiles are also getting a slight redesign so that their shoppable posts will be organized under a new “shop” button and organized into one area.

Instagram’s new features will provide users a more fully formed shopping experience where they’ll never have to leave the platform... just in time for the holidays this year!

New and Improved LinkedIn Pages

“LinkedIn Pages” was just rebuilt from the ground up, and we’re excited because this business network hasn’t always been the most intuitive platform to use. But, thankfully with this rebuild, LinkedIn has just gotten MUCH easier for both small and large companies alike to engage in constructive conversations with employees, customers, and followers within the community.

Pages were originally created to make connecting organically with other organizations simple and to make it easier for users to build lasting connections with one another. But, the platform didn’t quite hit the mark in terms of ease-of-use. One of the best things? Community management for admins will now be significantly easier!

Admins will be able to post updates and respond to comments through Pages, listen and respond to conversations surrounding their brand or relevant topics, and share documents, like PowerPoint presentations, Word Documents and PDFs to tell richer and more compelling brand stories. There’s also a new Hootsuite API integration, and a Crunchbase partnership that brings in funding insights and key investors on the professional social network.

LinkedIn spokesperson said, “We believe that individuals make up a business, but it’s the community that brings them all together.” Hopefully the new improvements to Pages will make our lives easier, but only time will tell!

Snapchat Launches Creative Partner’s Project to Team Up with Brands

Just when you thought that Snapchat was done improving upon augmented reality, they step up their game!

The company introduced its Lens Creative Partners program on Monday, offering brands a way to find certified AR Lens creators. With more than ⅓ of its 186 million daily users interacting with AR Lenses, it’s no wonder they’re casting an even wider net.

Almost a year ago, Snap Inc. launched Lens Studios, allowing anyone on the platform to create AR Face Lenses. Now Snapchat is offering companies, both small and large, connections to AR content creators who will be able to help develop AR filters for their brands. According to Snapchat, they have selected the first 30 creators, that were put through an extensive Snapchat development course in order to learn about ad policies and buy models before starting AR creation.

For now there are only 30 Snapchat creators for companies, but in the next few months they are looking to add more than 100 creators. According to Snap, Nielsen Catalina measured 22 campaigns from different consumer-packaged-goods brands, and found that the AR Lenses used led to an average sales increase of 10%, along with increased ad awareness and brand life.

Snapchat’s AR camera features are a cornerstone of the app, so it’s only natural that they would expand the program. We’re really looking forward to having even MORE options coming through!

Did you enjoy today's content? Leave a comment below, and check back every Friday for the latest in social media!

Social Media Friday Four

September 7, 2018 Becky Mariano

Happy Friday! We’re ushering in fall with the four newest pieces of social media news you need to know from this past week.

Instagram is testing a new standalone-shopping app (which we’re psyched about TBH), Microsoft is redesigning Skype once again in an effort to keep up with its competitors, Twitter has hinted at a couple new features coming to the platform to make it more “conversational,” and Snapchat is now analyzing people’s emotions based on their selfies.

Instagram Is Reportedly Developing A Standalone-Shopping App

Is Instagram coming after Amazon? It seems that way! Looks like the highly visual social media platform is taking on the e-commerce giant with its new standalone app, which is focused on shopping. It is rumored to be called “IG Shopping.”

The proposed app would allow users to buy products directly from the retailers that they follow on Instagram, and since Amazon has already shown how third-party sellers can generate online revenue it’s a no-brainer! Instagram began testing a shopping feature in 2016 that allowed retailers to tag products in photos, which rolled out more broadly in 2017, but it’s unclear when this new app might launch.

Let’s hope this new app makes it to market, because we think this could be great for retailers and consumers alike!

Microsoft Is Redesigning Skype Once Again And Killing Its Snapchat-Like Feature

Microsoft’s Skype is getting a makeover, and is pulling away from its Snapchat-like feature “Highlights.” The video-communication platform wants to make it a bit easier for users to navigate and find contacts, and has removed its “Highlights” feature similar to that of Snapchat’s “Story,” as users didn’t seem to be readily using the function to document their day with photos and videos.

With the rapid rise of competitors such as Facebook’s WhatsApp and Apple’s FaceTime, Skype has struggled to retain dominance in the video-communication space. A statement from Peter Skillman, director of design for Skype and Outlook reads, “This past year we explored some design changes and heard from customers that we overcomplicated some of our core scenarios. Calling became harder to execute and 'Highlights' didn't resonate with a majority of users."

Fingers crossed that this re-design takes off, unlike the many before it.

Twitter Hints At New Threaded Conversations And Who’s Online Features

In an effort to make things more “conversational” on the platform, Twitter is considering the addition of two new features in the form of threaded conversations and status indicators. Sara Haider, Twitter’s director of product management, shared a couple screenshots last Friday showcasing these “rough” changes, which we re-tweeted by Twitter chief Jack Dorsey (Endorsement?? We think so!).

The nested, color-coded conversation threads are similar to Reddit’s and Facebook’s threads, as responses to responses are indented. The online status indicator is just as it sounds, and shows other users when you’re on the platform and ready to respond with a green dot, similar to that on Facebook and Instagram.

Personally, we’re fine with the new threaded conversations (no harm done there!), but not pleased with the online status indicator functionality. In today’s day there is far too much bullying and online trolling, and TBH we really don’t need another way for users to be barraged and targeted as soon as they’re “active.”

Let’s see what happens!

Snapchat Figured Out How To Analyze People's Selfies To Score Their Emotions

And we’ve reached a new level of creepy! Sentiment word analysis is one thing, but monitoring people’s emotions at events via their selfies is a whole other ballgame.

Snap has come up with a patented way to monitor exactly how people are feeling at events such as concerts and speaking engagements. The patent for this technology was originally filed in April, 2015, and it could use facial recognition through selfies on Snapchat, in addition to taking cues from messaging, to score people’s emotions.

Snapchat toyed with using a ranking system to score precisely how a human might feel across a complex range of emotions. The diagram from Snap’s patent documents shows an example model of human emotions in a sort of floral pattern. The patent filing suggests that Snap could charge event coordinators a fee to gauge the crowd’s overall emotion and sentiment.

There seems to be a payment model for everything these days! Just because Snap has the technology to monitor a crowd’s emotions, however, doesn’t mean it will actually be used. We’ll see!

Did you enjoy today's content? Leave a comment below, and check back every Friday for the latest in social media!

Social Media Friday Four

August 31, 2018 Becky Mariano

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Happy Friday! We wanted to provide you with some great social media content as you head into your long Labor Day Weekend, and are sharing four of the newest social media updates from this week.

Snapchat is now enabling musical GIF sharing, Facebook is testing a new “things in common” label in an effort to connect more people on the platform, Instagram is now allowing users to apply for verification, and Facebook Watch has launched worldwide. Let’s jump in ⬇️.

Snapchat Now Lets You Send Musical GIFs

Snapchat has integrated with music GIF provider, TuneMoji, enabling musical GIF sharing via Snap story or within chat. Snapchat’s new developer kit, Snap Kit, which was launched in June, is what enables TuneMoji’s integration into Snapchat. TuneMoji has a searchable database of GIFs, much like Giphy, with the capability of searching by words, phrases, or emoji.

The annoying piece at the moment, however, is that while TuneMoji GIFs can be shared via Snapchat, they can’t be shared within Snapchat itself. These musical GIFs must be pushed to Snapchat from within the TuneMoji app. Hopefully a closer integration will be coming soon, but in the meantime we’ll enjoy the added element of fun with GIFs!

Facebook Tests “Things in Common” Label to Try to Connect Non-Friends

Unsurprisingly, Facebook wants people to consistently discover things they have in common with the rest of the Facebook community, with whom they are net yet familiar. The company is testing a new label, called “things in common,” that people will see when commenting on posts among non-friends.

So, how will this work? While reading through public conversations on the platform, label boxes will appear above someone’s name (with whom you are not friends) who has something in common with you, i.e. you both went to the same college, or you both work at the same company. There are many other types of labels; such as if you’re both part of the same Facebook Group, or are from the same town, but are not friends on Facebook.

The idea of this “things in common” label is to spark connections with people whom you might otherwise pass over. Currently this is just a test in the U.S., and will obviously only be able to see information that people have made public.

You Can Now Apply to be Verified on Instagram

This is the best news we’ve heard all week! Instagram is now allowing more people to apply for verification on the platform, in addition to more security improvements. Users with large followings will be able to fill out a request form in hopes of becoming verified by Instagram.

To apply, you’ll simply go to your profile, navigate to settings, and tap “request verification.” You can then fill in your account name, full name, and a legal or business I.D. You will receive a notification from Instagram on your verification status, although the review process time frame has not been determined.

We always wondered how accounts were verified in the past, but this new update will provide some clarity and a clearer path to verification.

Facebook Watch is Launching Worldwide

In support of Facebook’s goal to “…provide publishers and creators with the tools they need to build a business on Facebook,” they are launching Facebook Watch worldwide. Facebook Watch is the social media giant’s hub for original video content, and direct competitor to YouTube.

We were surprised to learn that the Watch tab touts over 50 million monthly viewers who watch at least 1-minute of video, since it’s not something we normally use, but it makes complete sense given video’s popularity among social media users. Watch also hosts participatory viewing experiences like Watch Parties, Premiers, and HQ Trivia competitor, Confetti.

The key to Facebook’s success will be in “fostering an active, engaged community and sharing longer content that viewers seek out and regularly come back to.” We hope this brings them the success they need right now!

Did you enjoy today's content? Leave a comment below, and check back every Friday for the latest in social media!

Social Media Friday Four

August 24, 2018 Becky Mariano

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Happy Friday! This week in the social media world the LinkedIn mobile app is welcoming Groups, Snapchat's new Android app has finally arrived, the New York City Library is making reading cool again with Instagram Stories, and Facebook and Twitter are cracking down on propaganda pages. Get the scoop with today's Social Media Friday Four ⬇️

LinkedIn’s Mobile App to Welcome ‘Groups’

LinkedIn’s earlier-deleted ‘Groups’ app will now be integrated into its main iOS program. After six months away, this feature will be re-released by the end of the month.

With the merging of the main LinkedIn application and the side Groups app it will be smoother and easier than ever before to navigate the application. Users are looking forward to having their entire LinkedIn experience in one space.

Snapchat’s New Android App Is Finally Here

Almost a year after the initial announcement, Snapchat’s new and improved Android app is here, as long as you have root access. There are some aesthetic changes and fun additions like the Emoji brush, but overall, the whole point of Snapchat Alpha is to bring Android performance up to that of iOS.

To be clear, the update has a ways to go: it does not allow for chatting, crashes are frequent, and Snapcodes are not accessible. In any event, this is an exciting step for Android users!

Instagram Is Making Reading Cool Again with Stories

The New York City Library might be starting a new trend on Instagram: reading classic books. @nypl has launched a new campaign using graphics and videos to encourage followers to read and visit the library.

Insta Novels will be featured in the ‘Highlights’ portion of their profile for users to browse. They even include a space for your thumb so it won’t be in the way of the words while you hold the page to read, and we think that's pretty cool! Alice in Wonderland was the first featured read, and it is only the first of many.

Facebook and Twitter Work to Remove Propaganda Pages

These platforms have been successful in removing several hundred accounts that were created with the goal of “coordinated manipulation.” Twitter has revealed that it was able to remove 284 accounts associated with the Iranian government and Facebook has removed 652 pages from the same sources.

This shows that social media giants are still taking security seriously following concerns that arose from Russian manipulation of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. We're feeling at least a touch safer from digital malice!

Enjoyed this content? Leave a comment below, and check back every Friday for the latest in social media!

Social Media Friday Four

August 17, 2018 Becky Mariano

Happy Friday! This week, we’re talking Facebook’s Friend List Feeds update, their competition with LinkedIn, Instagram DM polls, and AR shopping on Snapchat. Let’s get started ⬇️

Facebook Gets Rid of Friends List Feeds

As part of Facebook’s return to its roots by prioritizing user experience over business, Facebook users will no longer have access to the Friends List Feeds feature. Facebook released a message explaining that they are removing this feature in order to create a more holistic experience on the main News Feed. Friends Lists will still be available, meaning you can still create and share to your friends lists, but will not be able to access a feed. Bottom line: Facebook is going to look more like it did when you first joined.

Move Over LinkedIn, Facebook Wants to Be Your Career Destination

Facebook wants you to look to them to find your next mentor. The platform has already experimented with programs for connecting mentors and mentees in education and crisis recovery, and they are now moving into addiction recovery and professional advancement. What makes these programs unique is that they don't use an algorithm to match their pairs. Matches are made manually, considering qualifications and expertise. Reps from Facebook say this is only the beginning when it comes to mentorships.

Instagram Introduces Private Polls in DMs

Instagram has added a new way to engage with your friends through polls in direct messages. It works the same way that you would send a poll through to your story, but now you can select specific people to share it with. Everyone included in the group chat will be able to vote and see results as they come in. While this update doesn’t exactly bring anything cutting edge to the table, it is another way to use Instagram for personal communication.

Snapchat Creators to Access Shoppable AR

More and more top creators are gaining access to Shoppable AR filters. Filters like these offer a new kind of access, since they are longer lasting and more interactive than temporary stories. Nicki Minaj was the first creator to test this feature out, letting users purchase her new album and a necklace right in the app. Snapchat is hoping to use these filters to become more competitive in e-commerce with other social platforms.

Enjoyed this content? Leave a comment below, and check back every Friday for the latest in social media!

Social Media Friday Four

August 10, 2018 Becky Mariano

Happy Friday, everybody! This week, Facebook is the social forerunner, announcing lots of new projects and developments. Also, Snapchat has outdone themselves once again with new filters. Let’s jump in ⬇️

Facebook Gets Ready to Take on the Dating World

Forget one night stands, Facebook is working on a new dating feature that will live within its app to help you find a committed partner. Users will have the opportunity to customize their settings, including sexual orientation and whether friends of friends can view them or not.

Your activity won’t be shared to the newsfeed, but Facebook will use your data and preferences to find you matches. If both you and another person are interested in one another, you’ll be able to chat each other up via Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp. The best part is that Facebook has no plans to monetize these features, meaning users will soon be able to find love for free!

Facebook Brings Advertising to WhatsApp

Facebook is making it more lucrative than ever for companies to advertise within WhatsApp! When a Facebook user sees an ad in their newsfeed, they will soon be able to message the corresponding company via Whatsapp.

The best part? It will be incredibly easy for that company to track engagement, and engagements will be direct and personal. WhatsApp also plans to introduce its own digital ads soon, similar to sponsored Instagram Stories.

Facebook Introduces Resources for Digital Literacy

Facebook has begun promoting its Digital Literacy Library for educators of middle school and high school children to encourage critical thinking and thoughtful behavior online. The initiative addresses “privacy, reputation, identity, exploration, security, safety, wellbeing, and more.”

While many teachers recognize the issues that come from uninformed consumers of social media, few have the means to address it with their students. And with the help of Harvard University, Facebook is bringing these lessons to their platform where they will be easily accessible.

Snapchat Launches Voice-Controlled Lenses

The newest Snapchat lenses will be able to recognize and respond to voice commands. Simple English words including “hi,” “yes,” “no,” “wow,” and “love” will trigger Snapchat’s signature fun animations, instead of actions like opening your mouth or raising your eyebrows. Each word will be connected to a different filter. Users can plan on trying out five or six of these new lenses over the next week.

Enjoyed this content? Leave a comment below, and check back every Friday for the latest in social media!

Social Media Friday Four

August 3, 2018 Becky Mariano

Happy Friday, and happy August! Let’s talk about what’s new this week in social media, from Facebook time limits and Pinterest’s ‘Night Mode’ to LinkedIn VoiceMails and Snapchat ‘Storytellers.’ Let's dive in ⬇️

Facebook and Instagram Introduce Time Control Tool

As our society becomes more willing to discuss mental health and wellness, Facebook has enlisted the help of mental health professionals to develop a tool limiting users’ time on their apps. Users will now be given the option to view how much time they’ve spent on the Facebook or Instagram apps, in addition to setting timed reminders to help limit their usage. Some are excited about the update, but many say it’s too little too late. A lot of people are aware they spend too much time on social media, but they aren’t ready to do anything about it. Would you use this new feature?

Pinterest Adds Night Mode to Its Mobile Web Presence

Pinterest is changing the feel of its app with the new ‘Night Mode’ feature. Available right in the web app’s settings, you can give your Pinterest a darker makeover to bring your brightness down. This comes with several changes Pinterest is enacting to improve its mobile web experience, boosting performance and limiting the data load. These changes have given the platform an unbelievable increase in international leadership, in addition to double the domestic active users over the previous year.

LinkedIn Introduces Voice Clips Into Their Messages

You may be wondering why LinkedIn is making headlines for something our cell phones have been doing for ten years. However, the new VoiceMail feature could be a networking asset, especially when it comes to international communication. Certainly adding a more personal edge to the traditional message or email, leaving a voice message can be more efficient and flexible. Also, because we’re creatures of habit, this change could be more important than we realize, as we become more and more reliant on the age of Alexa and the ‘voice search.’

Snapchat ‘Storytellers’ Forges Relationships Between Creators and Advertisers

Snapchat’s new program is pairing brands with five of its biggest content makers to star in ads and collaborate on creative direction. As it has lagged behind Instagram Stories, Snapchat is looking to establish and show advertisers the most effective way to promote themselves through their app. While this is an important step for Snapchat regardless, it comes at a time when Snapchat really needs to assert itself and find more ways to bring in money.

Enjoyed this content? Leave a comment below, and check back every Friday for the latest in social media!

Social Media Friday Four

July 27, 2018 Becky Mariano

Happy Friday! This week, we've seen updates with data transfer among four of the big social media giants, video syndication in the Snapchat Discover section, status updates on Instagram, and a new test on YouTube’s ‘Explore’ page. Let’s get started:

Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Twitter Partner for New Data Project

The most powerful forces in social media are coming together for a new program they’re calling the Data Transfer Project. Once in effect, users will be able to transfer all types of data directly between the platforms without having to download and re-upload their data. Microsoft is even encouraging other companies to join the project and help grow its influence! The big questions on everyone’s minds, however, is how will the plan adhere to the GDPR and how will the concerns of dedicated users worried about the privacy of their information be addressed?

Snapchat Syndicates Video Programming on Discover

Snapchat has opened up its Discover page to house video content that was originally created and shared on other platforms. Complex, BuzzFeed, Tastemade, Wired, and GQ are just a few of the brands that have taken advantage of this new feature. Previously, Snapchat was only interested in shows that were unique or exclusive, but they've recently decided to open their doors and options to so much more. Snapchat will still be very selective when it comes to deciding which shows will make the cut, and they do plan to continue their policy of splitting the revenue generated evenly with the content creators.

Users Can Now See Active Instagram Friends With a Green Dot

Instagram unveiled yet another new feature that allows users to see when their friends are on the app. When a friend is active in the app, a green dot will appear next to their name, similar to how Facebook Messenger works. However, you will only be able to see the green dot with friends who follow you or people you have sent direct messages to. That being said, ‘ghost mode’ is still an option, allowing you to hide your activity status while also hiding your friends’ statuses.

YouTube Is Testing an ‘Explore’ Tab on iPhone App

In an effort to broaden recommendations for users, YouTube is in the early stages of testing an ‘Explore’ tab. Recommendations will still be based on viewer activity, but they will be much more diversified. The ‘Trending’ section of the app will still be available under the new page, similar to Instagram’s ‘Explore’ page, which is likely a response to the threat from IGTV. YouTube hopes that these changes will allow creators to reach more viewers than ever, even if their videos aren’t trending.

Enjoyed this content? Write us a comment below, and check back every Friday for the latest in social media!

Social Media Friday Four

July 20, 2018 Becky Mariano

Happy Friday! This week, we're looking at updates in collaboration on Pinterest, removing followers on Instagram, breaking news on Snapchat, and Snapchat advertising. Let's jump in ⬇️

Pinterest is Adding a Way for Users to Collaborate on Boards

Pinterest wants to become your go-to event planning hub! The platform is now providing group boards their own designated feed, as well as incorporating new notification options, @-mentions, and the ability to like comments.

Pinterest has maintained a strong reputation as the top visual nerve center for inspiration, but their primary goals are to stand out as one of the top social media platforms on the market, and to become a part of all users' daily social routines, much like Facebook or Instagram. They're hoping these new features will encourage users to visit the platform every day, not just when they're looking for inspirational ideas.

Instagram Test Lets Public Accounts Remove Followers

Instagram is officially testing a feature that would allow public accounts the ability to remove followers, an option that was previously only available to private accounts. Very few details of the feature have been released, but we do know that "removed" followers will not be notified that they have been withdrawn from following an account.

With this and other new elements, Instagram is clearly making a statement, and are doing everything in their power to keep users happy and keep them in the app. For them, keeping their loyal users happy is clearly more important than attracting new ones.

A New Snapchat Initiative Will Help Journalists Find and Verify Breaking News

Snapchat will allow organizations with subscriptions to NewsWhip, Storyful, SAM Desk, and TagBoard access to public Snaps for news discovery and verification. And Snapchat will be providing this for FREE, a word absent from the vocabulary of most social media giants.

This collaboration will give news networks, both big and small, access to a whole host of Snapchat data. Additionally, the geo-location features of SnapMap will give journalists an edge during breaking news situations, which introduces a new element to journalism as we know it.

Snapchat Beefs Up Ad Targeting in Deal with Nielsen

Snapchat and Nielsen are now offering marketers the ability to make targeted ad buys based on offline data as a part of their partnership. This partnership is set to put Snapchat on par with the likes of Twitter and Pinterest, with 30,000 audience segments from Nielsen Buyer Insights and Catalina Solutions available to them, much from offline loyalty card and credit card data.

Nielsen predicts that advertisers in the fields of retail, auto, finance, travel, and tech will find the partnership the most beneficial. The timing is great because as Facebook is scaling back on purchase-based targeting due to recent data and privacy concerns, Snapchat is scaling up.

Enjoyed this content? Write us a comment below, and check back every Friday for the latest in social media!

Social Media Friday Four

July 13, 2018 Becky Mariano

Happy Friday! This week, we're looking at updates in Facebook advertising through use of Augmented Reality, a new Instagram Stories Sticker, Snapchat filter expansion, and YouTube policies.

Facebook Starts Testing Augmented Reality Ads

Augmented reality is changing the online shopping experience, and Facebook is welcoming the trend. The platform is now testing a way for users to “try on” products advertised in the News Feed, just the same way that you would use a Snapchat filter. Michael Kors became the first brand to test this feature out, where users were presented with the option to “try on” pairs of sunglasses through their ad. Next up? Sephora, Wayfair, and Pottery Barn will join the ranks of AR advertisers on Facebook, allowing users to see how cosmetics and furniture will look before purchase.

Instagram Tests Open-Ended Questions in Stories to Make Content More Interactive

For some time now, Instagram has allowed users to poll their followers in Stories, but with their newest Questions Sticker, users will be able to ask open-ended questions of those that they follow. The feature debuted on Tuesday with the goal of generating greater engagement amongst users. This new feature will create a more conversational relationship between brands, influencers, and their followers, and TONS of bloggers and celebrities are already taking full advantage!

Snapchat’s New Lens Explorer Lets You Browse Community Filters

Snapchat is improving its user experience regarding face filters, and it has begun allowing more and more people the ability to create and upload their own filters. The new Lens Explorer will let you browse more than 100,000 filters, as well as where they're appearing in users' public Stories. The coolest part? If you watch a story and see a filter you like, you’ll be able to unlock the filter right then and there! Your feed will also be optimized based on geo-location.

YouTube Says It Has a Plan to Stop the Flow of Misinformation Videos

Noticing a steep rise in misinformation during times of breaking news, YouTube has begun to take new precautions. A spokesman for the platform explained that YouTube plans to strengthen its relationships with news publishers, and in doing so the content deemed most “reliable” by YouTube will appear first and most prominently. This has sparked skepticism among users as it gives YouTube a lot of power to "curate" the news. In a collaboration with Google News, YouTube will begin highlighting the most current information available in real time.

Enjoy this content? Write us a comment below, and check back every Friday for the latest in social media!