This week in social media brought a lot of new things for Facebook from Page restrictions changing to the letting many users upload to a shared photo album. LinkedIn groups were freshened up a bit and Twitter makes it easier to follow the conversation. Check out the most cliche Instagram photos uploaded – how many are you guilty of?

1. Facebook Makes it Easier for Page Promotions

It’s big news so you’ve probably heard that Facebook eliminated the need for a third party app to have a promotion on Pages. This means big things for Pages like the ability to…

Collect entries by having users post on the Page or comment/like a Page post
Collect entries by having users message the Page
Utilize likes as a voting mechanism

What does this mean for your Page?

This opens up a ton of possibilities for Pages. Save money and grow your audience independently by having contests or promotions. For more possibilities and to see the new Facebook Terms of Service, check out Krista’s blog post from earlier this week.

2. Twitter Conversations became Easier to Read

A recent Twitter update for both Twitter.com as well as Android and iPhone apps puts tweets in a single conversation in chronological order. In a feed you see up to three tweets but can tap one to see all the replies – even tweets from those you don’t follow. Check out the video about new Twitter updates…

How does this affect your brand?

This update allows your company to follow conversations with those who engage with you on Twitter. Engagement is key – this will help you keep track of it better.

3. LinkedIn Groups Get a Fresh Look

Recently LinkedIn launched it’s new version of LinkedIn groups with a new look including a more user-friendly feel and the ability for administrators to add banners. Additionally, the new setup moves top influencers to the top of the page, showing those who have been active lately and created the most conversation. Hopefully, LinkedIn will continue to redesign and improve.

What does this mean for you?

LinkedIn has more than 2 million groups with more than 8,000 created weekly. Take advantage of them to interact with other professionals in your industry and build connections around the world. This new design makes it a little easier to see what a group is about and what’s going on quickly.

If you’re an administrator to a group, take advantage of the changes and add a creative banner that applies to your industry.

4. Facebook Creates Shared Photo Albums

On Monday, Facebook announced shared photo albums allowing multiple users to upload images to the same album will be coming soon. With up to 50 “contributors” allowed to share up to 200 photos, new shared albums will have three privacy settings: public, friends of contributors, or contributors only. Facebook will roll out this feature to a small group of English users in the near future before expanding internationally.

Why does this matter to you?

For your personal Facebook account, you can add friends to contribute to albums – clearly useful for big events like vacations, parties, weddings, and the like. As of now, there’s no talk of anything similar coming to Facebook Pages.

5. 12 Most Cliche Instagram Photos

Instagram now has over 130 million monthly active users with over 16 billion photos uploaded since the site’s launch in October 2010. To end your Friday on a good note, check out the most cliche photos uploaded to instagram.