Welcome to another Spark Social Report by Spark Growth. It’s already the last social media update of May and we’re wondering where the time went! This week, Facebook introduced some new data optimization features to its video content, while YouTube has taken steps to make sure its users aren’t watching funny dog videos too late into the night. Keep reading for more social media updates!
Facebook’s Creator Studio app is getting some big updates that will surely be convenient for those on the go. Within the Creator Studio app, users can now publish and schedule content. For those who manage multiple Facebook pages, a user has full control over which account they post as by selecting the correct page. Video posts have also received some updates with new video metadata fields and thumbnail selection, allowing users to further optimize their content.
Next, some new updates are coming to Messenger! Focusing on minimizing the risk of users getting scammed or harassed through its Messenger app, Facebook announced it will be introducing safety notices. These will appear when the app detects suspicious activity and will be accompanied with tips on how users can keep themselves safe online. An example the company gave is an internal system that detects when an adult user sends out messages to many under-age users. While the Android update was rolled out in March, Facebook is now releasing this update globally on iOS. In its official statement, Facebook also noted that it is working toward end-to-end encryption, but did not mention any specific dates as to when users can expect this.
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Lastly, Facebook released a statement detailing updates and further clarification of its guidelines regarding music used in videos and livestreams on both its Facebook and Instagram app. While the company says its licensing agreements with rights holders remain confidential, it did provide some tips on how users can use licensed music in their content. For instance, there will be no music limitations on Stories and music should also be accompanied by visuals. In other words, a video can’t just be a blank screen with music playing in the background.
As part of these updates, Facebook has also made some modifications to its in-product notifications, which automatically alert users when the app detects music usage that does not follow Facebook’s guidelines. These in-product notifications are now much clearer and pop up earlier in the case of live broadcasting. To learn more about Facebook’s music guideline updates, click here to read the official statement.
Twitter has officially announced that it is testing with limiting user replies. Now when users send out a tweet, they can select what group can respond to their post. These groups include all other users on Twitter, only people the user follows, or only other Twitter users @ mentioned in the tweet. If a user chooses to restrict who can respond to their tweets, the post will be appropriately labelled and the reply icon will be grayed out. In cases where a tweet has limited replies, users who are not able to comment can still interact with the post in other ways. This includes being able to still view the post on Twitter, retweeting the post (with or without a comment), and liking the original tweet. At this time, this new function is being tested among a limited group of global users.
https://twitter.com/Twitter/status/1263145271946551300
YouTube
If you’re staying up until 2 AM watching cat videos on YouTube, the company’s latest update will help manage your viewing time. YouTube has updated its screen management feature with a new bedtime reminder option, allowing users to set start and end times in the Settings. One neat option is that users can set the bedtime reminder to go off after a video has finished whether the notification can interrupt a video they are currently watching. This feature is available for both Android and iOS users.
For those of you who use Collections in Microsoft Edge, we have some good news! It was recently announced at Microsoft Build 2020 that the company will be working with Pinterest to implement its features, including seeing Pinterest-related suggestions at the bottom of the collection and being able to access trending Pins to help users find related content. Microsoft Edge users can also export their collection to their Pinterest account, which will make sharing content more versatile and straightforward. In the image below, “Send to Pinterest” is now an available option.
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That’s all the social media updates for this week! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram for interesting social media stats and fun Marketer Highlights featuring online marketing experts. In the meantime, if you want to learn more about how our digital marketing services can help your business grow, click the button below to read about our client success stories
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