It’s the end of another week and we’re back with the latest in social media news! Social networks teased us with mystery updates and also launched some pretty neat, proactive initiatives focused on community. Find out more in this edition of Spark Bites:
- Facebook upgraded its 3D technology to support the industry-standard gITF 2.0 format. This allows developers to create and share 3D objects directly to News Feed and also display websites in 3D. Additionally, users can integrate these 3D objects into Facebook VR and AR.
- Facebook announced that it will share the biggest AR/VR news in the company’s history at the upcoming F8 developer conference. F8 is scheduled for May 1-2 2018. To say our interest is piqued is an understatement!
- Facebook upgraded Messenger to allow users to convert a one-on-one voice/video call to a group call without hanging up. The feature will also automatically create a group chat after the end of the call. We think this is pretty neat as it enables easier and more efficient connectivity.
- The Instagram-Snapchat war is heating up. Instagram updated Direct Messaging to give users a range of privacy options for photos and videos. Users can now opt for the recipient to have the ability to view a photo/video only once, replay it temporarily, or replay it permanently. This seems to be another of Instagram’s attempts to one-up Snapchat!
- Twitter updated its guidelines to have stricter policies around content that encourages suicide and self-harm. Following an update that allows users to report accounts posting such content, the social network enforced account lock-out and suspension for offenders. We think this is a commendable proactive effort.
- Twitter’s policy updates also included anti-spamming initiatives. The social network will now prevent identical content from being posted simultaneously from multiple accounts. Furthermore, it will restrict simultaneous activity such as liking, retweeting or following an account from multiple accounts. This is one of Twitter’s many initiatives to reduce spam and bot activity on its platform.
Snapchat
- Following a 1.2 million-strong Change.org petition asking Snapchat to reverse its design and layout update, the app officially stated that it will not revert to the old design. It did, however, announce that it will make changes to the Friends and Discover sections to alleviate user-complaints.
- Snapchat plans to double its video shows to 80 this year. The app is partnering with several publishers to create serialized, scripted shows. The company’s intention is to offer more professional content on its Discover section.
- Snapchat’s store, which strictly sells app merchandise, exclusively opened its doors to Jordan sneakers. Attendees of the NBA’s All-Star game in Los Angeles could buy unreleased Jordan sneakers on the Snap store during the event. Looks like the app is geared up to expand its store offerings in the near future!
Although this week wasn’t buzzing with a lot of news, the few updates social networks announced got us pretty excited! We’d love to talk social with you － contact us here and check out our work.