Don’t have time to follow all of the most important social media news? Who does? Check out our round-up of the biggest changes in social media from the last month.
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The top news in social media that we covered this month includes:
Facebook
Facebook expands notes, becomes more customizable: While not many people use or even know what ‘notes’ on Facebook are, they are longer-format updates and appear to be Facebook’s way of approaching content similar to blogs. Something to watch – may be a place to add blog content.
Facebook Ad changes – can buy 100% in-view impressions: While most online ads are sold CPC (cost per click) or CPM (cost per impression), Facebook is launching a new advertising payment plan where they guarantee that an ad was actually seen.
Is Facebook adding a DISLIKE button?: Facebook held an international Townhall meeting where they took questions. One was regarding adding a ‘Dislike’ button on Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg shared that they are working on ways to show empathy, but it is not their intent to encourage negativity (or voting for popularity with a LIKE vs DISLIKE button) on Facebook.
Google to let advertisers upload and target email lists in AdWords with Customer Match: Advertisers will be able to upload email lists to target customers and similar audiences with ads on search, Gmail and YouTube. The new product, called Customer Match, allows advertisers to upload their customer and promotional email address lists into AdWords.
Klout adds YouTube to social score ranking: YouTube activity will now impact your Klout Score – which measures your social activity/influence on a scale of 0-100. To connect YouTube to your account, go here .
Twitter
Twitter does a visual refresh: You’ll see something new next month on Twitter – the Tweet and Follow buttons will switch to a modern, high-contrast design of white text on a dark blue background.
Twitter expands self-service ads: Twitter has expanded their self-service ads platform from 33 countries to over 200 countries and territories. Now, small and medium-sized businesses can more effectively reach their target audiences on Twitter in 15 languages.
Blogging
Lifespan of a Blog Post: A new study recently released states that a blog post has a ‘long tail’ of readers. There is an initial spike of impressions with 78% readers in the first month, and 28% of readers
Instagram
Instagram hits 400 million accounts: Instagram continues to grow and released that the community has reached 400 million. Keep in mind that more than 75 percent living outside of the US. However, if you’re looking to reach consumers 18-35, Instagram continues to grow in size and influence.
Instagram ads open to all businesses: Instagram opened up ads for businesses earlier this year. They’ve extended this now to all businesses. Video ads have grown to 30 seconds in length, so brands can engage in richer storytelling.
Instagram improves Instagram Direct: Instagram made a number of changes to Instagram Direct making it more functional (threaded conversations, groups, emojis and private conversations around posts). It can assist with group sharing, which might be good for company teams using/sharing Instagram photos.
Instagram contest app makes contests easier: Contests are a way of generating more awareness, followers and engagement. Wishpond is a new app that makes contests on Instagram and Facebook easier to conduct/share.
Meerkat
Meerkat introduces live #Hashtags: Meerkat is a live streaming platform (similar to Periscope, below). They recently added live #Hashtags as a way for users to connect and follow conversations (similar to how #Hashtags are used on other social networks like Instagram and Twitter).
Periscope
Periscope updates its iOS App: Periscope is constantly improving and updating its iOS. This upgrade allows viewers to share screenshots that they take during your stream as well as lets you see who follows you back and invite them in a single tap.
Periscope introduces Web Profiles: Another new feature Periscope added is Web Profiles. Basically it’s the same as other social networks – it shares your image/logo, description and the URL. Go to periscope.tv/username to see all the recent broadcasts for any Periscoper.
Periscope now supports landscape broadcasting: Most video is done in landscape (horizontal image) and Periscope has now adapted to allow portrait (vertical) or landscape live streaming broadcasts. This is great for sharing live streaming of things like company events, tradeshows, etc.
