We’ve got the scoop on all the biggest social media updates of the week! Read on to get all the details on Pinterest’s algorithm changes, Facebook’s new ad restrictions, WhatsApp’s recent deal with Google, Instagram’s addition of polls to private messaging, and more.
Google Voice has introduced some updates that make the business-focused product a lot more practical, user-friendly, and sleek-looking. The icon has been updated to look more like the hangouts icon, and a contacts tab was also added! The most exciting update, however, is the new and improved do not disturb feature. All you need to do is set up your working hours on Google Calendar, and Google Voice will automatically activate do not disturb while you’re not at work!
LinkedIn announced it will be making major changes to LinkedIn Groups. The biggest change is that Groups will be integrated into the main app, and new tools and options will also be added. Stay tuned for more details about the upcoming update!
This week, Pinterest quietly rolled out a new element, called PinSage, to its sharing algorithm. As opposed to using just an image or keyword to create new suggestions, PinSage uses contextual information from Pins surrounding ones you’ve shared to provide much more accurate Pin suggestions!
Facebook has updated its Events to make listings more specific about when and where events are taking place. When creating a new event, you can now add a schedule and list different event happenings, with a start and end time for each, as well as additional venues if the event will be moved somewhere else.
Recognizing that videos perform best across most platforms, Facebook launched a new process that enables advertisers to convert still images into videos. The new option will allow advertisers and creators to maximize performance of ads on the platform without going through the regular workload of creating a video ad.
Facebook is taking another step to improve privacy on its platform by adding a new authorization process for people who manage large Facebook Pages. All page managers will be required to confirm their primary country and secure their account with two-factor authentication before posting to avoid unauthorized posts reaching their large following.
In taking yet another step to improve the security and accuracy of information being presented in ads on the platform, Facebook is implementing new ad restrictions, which will greatly affect the addiction treatment industry and providers of bail bonds. Facebook announced it will ban all bail bond ads, and addiction treatment ads will need to be certified by LegitScript, which will evaluate their background, qualifications, and compliance with licencing regulations.
The Facebook-owned messaging company, WhatsApp, recently cut a deal with Google to make all users’ data backed up on Google Drive completely free, so you no longer have to sacrifice your storage to save your contacts and messaging history!
As of this week, you can send private polls through Instagram’s DMs. It works the same way as applying poll stickers in your Stories, but through private DMs, you can choose the people you send them to, and only the recipients will be able to view the live results while they vote, making it a perfect tool for playing games with small dinner parties!
Twitter announced it will officially kill off key features in its third-party streaming apps, including Tweetbot, Twitterrific, Talon, and Tweetings, by revoking their access to Twitter APIs. Twitter has long been excluding the third-party apps from new features, such as polls, bookmarks, and Periscopes, and now Twitter will also remove the APIs necessary for the apps to auto-refresh their timelines and power push notifications. Twitter announced that the purpose of killing off the apps is so it can focus on its native app.
That’s all the social media updates we have for you this week! See you next week for another edition of Spark Bites. Have a great weekend, everyone!