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Tag: social media

  • Instagram working on TikTok-like vertical Stories feed

    Instagram working on TikTok-like vertical Stories feed

    Instagram borrowed the short-form video format from TikTok and rebranded it as Reels. Now, the Facebook-owned platform is looking to clone another one of TikTok’s ideas.

    The social media giant has announced that it’s in the process of testing a TikTok-like vertical feed for Instagram Stories, a feature that was rather ironically borrowed from rival Snapchat.

    Alessandro Paluzzi was the first to spot the new feature and his screenshots reveal a fairly simple UI that informs users about the new ability to scroll vertically to view Stories.

    Instagram, which confirmed the feature’s development to TechCrunch, is probably planning to prioritize videos over photos moving forward, hence the updated Stories feed.

    Adam Mosseri, the Head of Instagram, recently implied that Reels and IGTV videos could be merged into a single content format alongside regular videos. After all, most users likely don’t know the difference. This would leave Instagram with a much cleaner and, more importantly, clearer UI for users to navigate.

  • Pomelo, Senreve explain how to maximise sales conversions via social media

    Pomelo, Senreve explain how to maximise sales conversions via social media

    Online retailers who follow their consumers along the customer journey can see where buyers trail off without completing a purchase. Worldwide, the online shopping abandoned cart rate is about 70%—representing a key challenge and opportunity for marketers. At leading fashion eCommerce brand Pomelo Fashion, which produces a range of stylish, affordable clothes for the digitally native female consumer, finding a way to meet that challenge was a major marketing priority, one they decided to address by leveraging Braze.

    Founded in 2013 in Bangkok, Pomelo Fashion has disrupted the fast fashion industry by providing a seamless shopping experience both online and offline. Pomelo has a strong presence in Asia, with over 4 million monthly visits to their website and a 60 million monthly reach on their social media pages. As a result of being a leading fashion brand in the region, styles frequently run out of stock as customers race to buy their favorite items.

    Customers take advantage of the purchase options Pomelo Fashion gives them, such as the ability to buy from specific store inventory and the ability to buy online and pick up in-store. Buying online and picking up in-store is so popular amongst customers that Pomelo has multiple pick-up only locations amongst its rapidly expanding retail portfolio. As a customer-centric company, Pomelo wanted to give customers a heads up when items they’re interested in are running low on stock. 90% of sales come from the Pomelo Fashion app, so communicating with push notifications and News Feed cards made the most sense.

    You’re reading Perspectives magazine, our new monthly hub for industry-shaking news and strategy—plus interactive experiences and refreshers to make the most of our platform. Want to see the whole story?

    At Pomelo Fashion, they knew that speaking to their customers as individuals was the key to encouraging users to re-engage after abandoning a cart. Pomelo Fashion utilized Canvas—the Braze lifecycle engagement tool—to target consumers based on their personal preferences and recently viewed items, as well as where they stopped along their purchase journey. The “Browsed Category” level and the “Added Item to Cart” level were the two stages where users were targeted for follow-up communications.

    At the “Browsed Category” level, the goal was to encourage users to return to the category and view a product. Push notifications and News Feed Cards mentioned the category of clothing that a user viewed, focusing on the scarcity of products within that category. This campaign saw a 5% increase in sessions, an 84% increase in conversion rate, and a 235% increase in revenue when compared to users who didn’t receive targeted messages.

    The campaign that targeted app users at the “Added Item to Cart” level also saw very successful results. The goal of this campaign was to nudge users to come back to the app to complete their order. Pomelo Fashion tested generic push notifications against hyper-personalized push that included a user’s name and an image of the low stock item that a customer had recently viewed, which was pulled into the message using the Braze platform’s Connected Connect dynamic personalization feature. This campaign drove a 126% increase in sessions and a 66% increase in conversions when compared to their generic push notifications.

    A user’s News Feed on the Pomelo Fashion app was leveraged by the brand to showcase relevant promotional content for each individual. By segmenting users based on whether they were new customers, existing customers or lapsing users, Pomelo was able to display different coupon codes in the News Feed based on user type, supporting a more targeted experience.

    Geo-triggered push notifications were also used by Pomelo to send out promotional messages. When target customers were close to brick-and-mortar locations, they received notifications triggered using Braze Geofence support. These notifications highlighted new collections and offers in stores that were relevant to users based on their preferences. Other notifications alerted users about items they had recently viewed in the app and items on users’ wishlists. By leveraging Braze APIs and Connected Content, Pomelo Fashion’s notifications were able to notify users when items were newly available in a given user’s size.

    Pomelo Fashion tackled one of the most entrenched problems ecommerce retailers face—namely, customers failing to complete a purchase after beginning the process. By skillfully utilizing data highlighting product scarcity, Pomelo sent out targeted notifications based on an app user’s viewed items that moved the needle for their engagement efforts. The success of these personalized push notifications and News Feed Cards shows how powerful testing campaigns against a control group can be.

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  • Tim Cook calls Facebook’s business model violent and says that it leads to divisiveness

    Tim Cook calls Facebook’s business model violent and says that it leads to divisiveness

    Earlier this morning, we told you that Facebook was reportedly planning to attack Apple-in court. The social media network is believed to be ready to accuse Apple of violating antitrust laws by using the iPhone’s popularity to force a major change on third-party app developers. In order to keep iOS users from constantly being served up targeted ads, iPhone and iPad users would have to opt-in and allow themselves to be tracked. Since you could assume that most iPhone users would prefer not to be tracked, this change is going to negatively impact outfits like Facebook that derive a large percentage of their business from posting online ads.

    Today, Apple CEO Tim Cook gave the opening address during a panel at the European Computers, Privacy & Data Protection (CPDP) conference. Cook discussed Apple’s privacy initiatives pointing out the dangers of business models that rely on collecting personal information from users. During his address, Cook stated, “As I’ve said before, if we accept as normal that everything in our lives can be aggregated and sold, then that we lose so much more than data. We lose the freedom to be human.” The executive did not mention Facebook specifically although those who have been following recent events had a good inkling about which company he was talking about.

    Discussing the dangers of businesses that collect personal user information, Apple’s CEO said, “If a business is built on misleading users, on data exploitation, on choices that are no choices at all, it does not deserve our praise. It deserves scorn.” Cook also said that such businesses could lead to polarization, distrust of life-saving vaccinations, and violence set off by extremist groups. Many of these outcomes are already being seen in the United States. Cook also spoke about Apple’s decision to protect its users’ privacy “to create ripples of positive change across the industry.”

    Cook said, “At Apple, we made our choice a long time ago. We believe that ethical technology is technology that works for you. It’s technology that helps you sleep, not keeps you up. It tells you when you’ve had enough, it gives you space to create, or draw, or write or learn, not refresh just one more time. It’s technology that can fade into the background when you’re on a hike or going for a swim but is there to warn you when your heart rate spikes or help you when you’ve had a nasty fall. And with all of this, always, it’s privacy and security first, because no-one needs to trade away the rights of their users to deliver a great product.”

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  • Facebook pissed at Apple’s new plan requiring users opt-in to receive targeted ads

    Facebook pissed at Apple’s new plan requiring users opt-in to receive targeted ads

    Apple and Facebook should not be invited to the same dinner party. Facebook fired another salvo at the iPhone maker on Wednesday accusing the company of anticompetitive behavior. Dan Levy, Facebook Vice President for Ads and Business Products, dropped the bomb in front of reporters when he said “Apple is behaving anti-competitively by using their control of the App Store to benefit their bottom line at the expense of creators and small businesses. Full stop.”

    Apple, which has been preaching privacy for its devices (especially the iPhone), is looking to prevent developers from using their apps to start tracking users and running targeted advertisements. Apple says that its new rules won’t force Facebook to change its “approach to tracking users and creating targeted advertising.” But it will force Facebook to give iOS users the option whether or not to opt in to these services. In a statement, Apple said, “We believe that this is a simple matter of standing up for our users. Users should know when their data is being collected and shared across other apps and websites — and they should have the choice to allow that or not.”

    Today, Facebook ran a full-page ad in major newspapers throughout the country. The ads criticized Apple for limiting apps from gathering information from others’ phones. This data is used to send targeted advertisements to consumers. But Facebook says that Apple is unfairly exempting its own ads platform from the new requirements it is imposing on other firms.

    During the summer, Apple said that a pop-up notification will ask iOS users for “permission to track them across apps and websites owned by other companies.” Most digital advertisers expect consumers to decline this request. Facebook’s Levy said that while his company doesn’t agree with Apple, it will comply with the new rules. “We don’t have a choice if we want our app to be available in the App Store, Levy stated. Apple and Facebook have also argued about the 30% cut of in-app purchases that Apple charges developers. Facebook has aligned itself with the small developers most affected by what is known as the “Apple Tax.” This is the same issue that has led Apple and developer Epic Games (creator of Fortnite), music streamer Spotify, and video streamer Netflix to complain about the 30% of in-app revenue that goes into Apple’s pockets.

    Facebook said today in its blog post that it was “committed to providing relevant information” in a “federal antitrust lawsuit filed by Epic Games.” Facebook wouldn’t specify how it planned to take part in the litigation.” The social media giant also paid for full-page ads in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. The headline on the ads read, “We’re standing up to Apple for small businesses everywhere.” The ad says, “At Facebook, small business is at the core of our business. More than 10 million businesses use our advertising tools each month to find new customers, hire employees, and engage with their communities. Many in the small business community have shared concerns about Apple’s forced software update, which will limit businesses’ ability to run personalized ads and reach their customers effectively.

    Forty-four percent of small to medium businesses started or increased their usage of personal ads on social media during the pandemic, according to a new Deloitte study. Without personalized ads, Facebook data shows that the average small business advertiser stands to see a cut of over 60% in their sales for every dollar they spend.

    While limiting how personalized ads can be used does impact larger companies like us, these changes will be devastating to small businesses, adding to the many challenges they face right now. Small businesses deserve to be heard. We hear your concerns and we stand with you.”

    The bottom line is that Apple’s plan to beef up iPhone users’ privacy by asking them to opt in if they want to see targeted advertisements is not good for large or small businesses. And Facebook call this anti-competitive behavior on the part of Apple.

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  • Social media payment apps test Vietnamese waters

    Social media payment apps test Vietnamese waters

    Social payment, or money transfer via social media, is entering an early development stage in Vietnam as new players step in.

    Payment service company PayMe last month launched its payment solution via chat boxes of popular social media like Facebook, Instagram and messaging app Viber.

    A user can link his or her PayMe and Facebook Messenger accounts and create a link to send money to another person or request a payment. The receiver can pay using his or her bank card.

    Home-grown messaging app Zalo had earlier this year launched a similar service allowing users to transfer money with a few taps on their phone, taking advantage of the company’s e-wallet service, ZaloPay.

    A Zalo spokesperson had said in August that the social payment solution was a factor in the number of transactions on ZaloPay increasing by 300 percent year-on-year in the first eight months of this year.

    Industry insiders say that the large number of social media users in Vietnam makes the country a market with large demand for social payment solutions.

    Facebook has 50 million users in Vietnam, while other social media like Twitter, Google and Instagram combined have around 40 million. Zalo says it has 100 million users.

    In this scenario, companies like PayMe are seeking a head start in the industry by offering social payment solutions to Facebook vendors and other companies with a large number of app users.

    “We are working to provide services to nearly 10 partners, each of them having nearly one million users in their ecosystems, meaning we will immediately have six million users,” said Le Hoang Gia, CEO of PayMe, which received the license for its e-wallet last year.

    He said that the booming of social commerce in Vietnam, or the combination of social media and e-commerce, is key to the development of social payments. Vietnam’s social commerce market was estimated at $5.9 billion in 2018.

    A survey by German statistics portal Statista in May 2019 showed that the penetration of social commerce among people 20-30 years old was over 51 percent.

    Many Vietnamese social media users have gotten used to requesting more information about products and making orders via messaging apps, but they mostly pay with cash on delivery.

    The goal of PayMe is to digitize and automate the social payment solution to complete this final step in the e-commerce system, Gia said.

    Stiff competition in other segments of the e-wallet industry, such as MoMo seeking to be a super-app providing various different types of services and other companies like Grab and VinCommerce having established deals with payment firms or developed their own app, forces new players like PayMe to branch out into a niche segment with potential. For now, that is social payment.

    However, there are roadblocks facing development of this new payment channel. The Military Bank (MB) in 2018 launched a feature to allow users to transfer money via Facebook Messenger using only their phone number. However, it decided to stop focusing on this payment solution and switched attention to developing its own payment app.

    Vu Thanh Trung, director MB’s digital bank department, said security was the biggest roadblock for this type of payment. Many social media users in Vietnam have reported receiving messages from accounts of friends and family members requesting payment. It turns out often that the person asking for money is a hacker.

    As hackers often use links to steal social media accounts, people get suspicious when they receive a social payment link, he said.

    “When it comes to transferring money on social media, even young people become cautious.”

    Most banks have already developed their own payment apps that are fast and convenient with a high degree of reliability and security, so many companies have tended to neglect the social payment segment, Trung said.

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  • Twitter now warns you when you like a misleading post

    Twitter now warns you when you like a misleading post

    Twitter’s battle with misinformation has been ferocious in the past few months and especially during the US elections. The company rolled out new labels for misleading content and started to show a warning when users try to retweet such disputed tweets. Now the social network is adding yet another weapon in its arsenal – a new alert will pop-up when people try to like a post that is labeled as misleading.

    Twitter announced the change via its official Support profile, stating that the aim is to reduce the spread of misinformation about sensitive topics like the COVID-19 situation for example. The official post shows how the pop-up warning works – users will see a large exclamation mark with a text saying “This is disputed”. A “Find out more” button will link to an explanation of what Twitter calls “credible information”.

    According to the social network, the warnings showing when people try to quote misleading tweets helped decrease the spread of false information by 29% so the company is hoping to expand on this with the new alert. The update is rolling out for iOS and the web, while Android users will have to wait a couple more days.

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  • Trump claims to have a deal in concept with Oracle, Walmart, and TikTok

    Trump claims to have a deal in concept with Oracle, Walmart, and TikTok

    U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters gathering to see him off to a campaign rally, that he has approved “in concept” Oracle’s bid for the U.S. operations of TikTok. The short-form video app, owned by China’s ByteDance, has been accused by the Trump administration of being a national security threat because it could pass along personal data from U.S. customers to the Communist Chinese government in Beijing. Trump signed an executive order that forced ByteDance to divest itself of TikTok’s U.S. operations this coming Monday, September 21st

    Last week, after several U.S. companies had expressed interest in TikTok such as Microsoft, Oracle, and Walmart, Oracle’s plan was given the nod by ByteDance. However, the administration felt that the plan didn’t go far enough to protect them better than 50 million active U.S. TikTok users. As a result, the U.S. said that it would ban downloads of TikTok in the states starting on Monday morning. Those who have already downloaded the app before Monday would be allowed to continue using it until November 12th unless a deal was approved by the U.S. But everything might have changed following this afternoon’s announcement. What isn’t clear at this point is what the president means when he says that a deal has been approved “in concept.”

    While things are still up in the air at this hour, Trump says that the deal will also include Walmart and hinted that TikTok would be “totally controlled” by Oracle and Walmart, something that he repeated several times this afternoon. “I have given the deal my blessing,” the president said. “If they get it done, that’s great. If they don’t, that’s okay, too.” Previously, the president wanted the companies involved in acquiring TikTok’s U.S. operations to make a payment to the U.S. Treasury. But such a deal would be illegal, something that Trump was not aware of. Still, the president spoke with Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison and Walmart Inc. Chief Executive Officer Doug McMillon on Friday, telling both executives that he still wanted a cash payout for the U.S. government.

    A new company called TikTok Global will be created, according to those in the know, and it will help create a $5 billion fund for U.S. education. Discussing this contribution, Trump stated that “They’re going to be setting up a very large fund. That’s their contribution that I’ve been asking for.” The new TikTok Global will probably be headquartered in Texas and 25,000 people will be hired according to the president. But that figure could not be independently verified. Facebook had 45,000 employees last year while Twitter had 4,900 employees. There is speculation that TikTok Global will hold an IPO and go public within the next year. The president said about TikTok Global, “It will have nothing to do with China, it’ll be totally secure, that’ll be part of the deal. All of the control is WalMart and Oracle, two great American companies.”

    ByteDance will retain TikTok’s algorithm which is used to decide which videos are available to certain TikTok users. China recently announced a regulation that prevents other countries from using any algorithm created in the country. Oracle will get full access to review TikTok’s source code and any updates to make sure that there are no backdoors involved that could be used to steal U.S. subscribers’ personal data.

    TikTok has been a popular destination for teens and others looking to pass time during the pandemic. Users can create 15 or 60-second videos showing lip-synching, dancing, pranks, protests, and more. The app has been installed over two billion times from the App Store and the Google Play Store.

  • TikTok to battle executive order banning U.S. firms from having transactions with the app

    TikTok to battle executive order banning U.S. firms from having transactions with the app

    Short-form video app TikTok will begin a legal challenge to President Donald Trump’s campaign to ban the popular app in the states. TikTok has over 100 million users in the U.S. and has been installed over 2 billion times worldwide from the App Store and the Google Play Store. Favored by teens, TikTok has given bored kids something to do while stuck at home during the pandemic. Content on TikTok lasts 15 or 60 seconds and includes members lip-syncing to hit songs, dancing, doing comedy bits, and protesting hot button issues.

    An executive order signed by Trump on August 14th ordered TikTok’s Chinese based parent DanceByte to sell off its U.S. operations in 90 days. In his order, Trump said that there is “credible evidence that leads me to believe that ByteDance … might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United States.” Some U.S. companies that have announced an interest in buying the app’s U.S. operations include Microsoft, Oracle, and Twitter. Apple was rumored to have an interest in TikTik but later denied it. Trump has hinted that any purchase of TikTok by a U.S. company might need to include a payment to the U.S. government adding up to a “substantial portion” of the transaction amount. Considering that TikTok’s value has been estimated at a figure as high as $150 billion, the U.S. portion of the business alone might generate a large sum for the U.S. government.

    TikTok plans on challenging an earlier executive order signed by the president on August 6th that requires Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to draw up a list of transactions involving ByteDance that should be banned after 45 days. The order relied on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and thus deprived it of due process. TikTok also will challenge the White House’s defining TikTok as a national security threat.

    However, even if ByteDance is able to challenge the August 6th order, it will still have to divest itself of TikTok’s U.S. operations or face a ban. That’s because the August 14th order does not face a judicial review. Under the earlier order, U.S. companies could be blocked from advertising on the site, TikTok employees in the states might not be allowed to get paid, and landlords might even be forced to evict TikTok workers from any property they leased or rented to them. Additionally, the U.S. could force TikTok to be defended by attorneys from outside of the country.

    Earlier this month, TikTok said that it might fight back against the Trump administration by arguing that the executive order was rushed out, blindsiding the company. Normally, a company being targeted by the Feds receives a subpoena and has a confidential meeting with the DOJ. Where TikTok plans on filing its lawsuit as soon as Monday is unknown. While the company previously said that it would explore its legal options, employees were said to be considering their own separate lawsuit.

    If TikTok is banned in the U.S., there could be some backlash by users of voting age who might feel compelled to vote this November. Meanwhile, other apps have already started to debut features similar to TikTok. For example, Instagram has already launched Reels, and a new app similar to TikTok called Clash was released months ahead of expectations.

    For those wondering whether the president has the authority to issue the executive orders, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said that a 1977 law allows the president to regulate interstate commerce to safeguard the country from unusual events. McEnany said, “The administration is committed to protecting the American people from all cyber threats.” She noted that apps like TikTok “collect significant amounts of private data on users.”

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  • Twitter reportedly meets with TikTok about a combination

    Twitter reportedly meets with TikTok about a combination

    People who make their way around Twitter know a way that they can see if the Twitterverse hates a particular tweet. It’s called getting ratio’d. It’s quite simple really; if the number of replies vastly outnumbers a tweet’s likes and retweets, it means that the content of that tweet is disliked by Twitter subscribers. The messaging app recently tested changing some of the terminology associated with the app and also made it easier to figure out a particular tweet’s ratio.

    During the test, retweets with comments were called Quotes. In an email sent to The Verge, a Twitter spokesman said, “A few months ago, we’ve made Retweets with Comments more visible when you tap to see Retweets on a Tweet. This is available to everyone. Now, we’re testing making Retweets with Comments accessible directly on the Tweet and new language (Quotes) to see if this makes them easier to access and more understandable.”

    Back in May, Twitter tested a Retweets with comments counter on some iOS devices. But now, the new test adds the Quote counter to the stats on the bottom of a tweet. Twitter, like most social media sites, has been under attack for the polarizing and baiting comments left by many users. Twitter said in the past that it wants to add features to its UI to improve conversations between users.

    Speaking of Twitter, last Sunday it has had preliminary discussions with TikTok about a potential combination. The short-form video app has until the middle of next month to find a partner willing to take the U.S. operations of the app off the hands of its parent firm ByteDancer. That’s because the latter is a Chinese tech firm which automatically raises suspicions by the U.S. government. An executive order signed by the president last week calls the company a threat to national security and notes that being owned by a Chinese firm means that it is potentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage.”

    Microsoft is seen as the leading candidate to take over the U.S. operations of TikTok and has the wherewithal to make such a purchase which could cost the software giant tens of billions of dollars. It isn’t clear how Twitter would be able to finance any deal. The company’s stock market capitalization is approximately $29 billion compared to Microsoft’s $1.6 trillion valuations. As of June, Twitter had $7.8 billion in cash and securities compared to $136 billion for Microsoft. TikTok has been installed over two billion times from both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Globally, TikTok has 800 million active users with 100 million in the states. During the pandemic, TikTok gave teens, pre-teens, and even parents stuck inside a chance to release some steam by producing 15-second or 60-second videos. Typical content includes lip-syncing, dancing, playing comedic pranks, and more.

    Twitter once ran an app that was somewhat similar to TikTok. Vine was developed in 2012 and was purchased by Twitter during the following year; the app allowed users to create video clips lasting six or seven seconds and content was shared over Facebook and Twitter. In 2016, Instagram Video was launched allowing users to record longer 15-second clips and many Vine users started to move on to Instagram, Snapchat, and other apps. Vine hung around in various forms with the last iteration of an app using the Vine name closed in 2019.

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  • Instagram launches Reels, competition for TikTok

    Instagram launches Reels, competition for TikTok

    Short-form video app TikTok has 41 days to complete a deal with Microsoft or any other U.S. company or else President Donald Trump has said that he will ban the app in the U.S. That’s because TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is based in China and a law in the country allows the communist government to order tech firms to collect intelligence from consumers and companies in the states and send it to Beijing. This is the same reason why outfits like Huawei and ZTE are considered national security threats in the states.

    NPR reported that twenty separate lawsuits accusing TikTok of capturing information about users’ facial characteristics, locations, and close contacts were merged into one class-action suit. The plaintiffs are minors who use the app and the suit states that the personal data collected by TikTok is sent to servers in China. ByteDance says that the servers it uses for TikTok are located in the U.S. with backups in Singapore. Experts for the plaintiffs said in the filing that personal data collected by TikTok is “under the control of third-parties who cooperate with the Chinese government. Such information reveals TikTok users’ precise physical location, including possibly indoor locations within buildings, and TikTok users’ apps that possibly reveal mental or physical health, religious views, political views, and sexual orientation.”

    With talk of a possible ban, many of the 100 million TikTok users in the U.S. have been looking for a new app to record their lip-syncing, dancing, singing, comedy bits, and protests. One app called Clash launched months early so that it could sign up TikTok members worried about losing the app to a ban. Instagram announced the launch of its short-form video feature called Reels. Instagram says, “Reels invites you to create fun videos to share with your friends or anyone on Instagram. Record and edit 15-second multi-clip videos with audio, effects, and new creative tools. You can share reels with your followers on Feed, and, if you have a public account, make them available to the wider Instagram community through a new space in Explore. Reels in Explore offers anyone the chance to become a creator on Instagram and reach new audiences on a global stage.”

    To use Reels, open Instagram and touch the camera icon in the upper left of the screen. On the bottom of the page, tap the Reels tab to get started. On the left side of the screen, you’ll see icons for Audio, Speed, Effects, and Timer. With the Audio setting, you can search for a song from Instagram’s music library or use your own by creating a reel with original music. If you share an original song on Reels, you will get credit for it. And your musical creation can be used by others by selecting “Use Audio” from your Reel.

    With AR Effects you can pick one from Instagram’s effect gallery which also includes effects made by creators all over the planet. This will allow you to create multiple-clips with different effects. If you are recording a Reel, you can record it hands-free by tapping on Timer and Countdown. A 3-2-1 countdown will alert you when your device has started recording.

    Perhaps one of the most important features on Reels is Align. This allows you to line up objects from your previous clips to help you record seamless transitions for outfit changes and more. And Speed lets you speed up audio and video. Reels can be recorded one at a time or all at once. Instagram says, “Record the first clip by pressing and holding the capture button. You’ll see a progress indicator at the top of the screen as you record. Stop recording to end each clip.”

    If you have a public account, your Reel can be shared in Explore or over your feed. If you use a private account, only your followers will be able to view your content from your feed. Original audio can’t be shared with this setting and others cannot share your Reels with others who don’t follow you. And a Reel can also be shared like a Story which means that it will disappear after 24 hours.

    “Reels in Explore showcases the best of trending culture on Instagram. Discover an entertaining selection of reels made by anyone on Instagram, in a vertical feed customized for you. If you love a Reel, you can easily like, comment or share it with your friends. You’ll also see some Reels with a “Featured” label. If your Reel is featured in Explore, you’ll receive a notification. Featured Reels are a selection of public Reels chosen by Instagram to help you discover original content we hope will entertain and inspire you.

    Reels gives people new ways to express themselves, discover more of what they love on Instagram, and help anyone with the ambition of becoming a creator take center stage.”

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  • Facebook testing Dark mode for iOS

    Facebook testing Dark mode for iOS

    What do you do when your social-media site is under attack because of your policies that allow offensive posts and posts filled with hatred to ferment until they blow up? Why you start pushing out Dark mode for the mobile version of your site. Of course, we are talking about Facebook. The social-media giant has lost a lot of high-rollers from its advertising roster over the last week including Verizon. The nation’s largest carrier spent nearly $1.9 million on Facebook and Instagram ads from May 22nd to June 20th. As more and more big-name advertisers pulled out, Facebook’s stock cratered leaving co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg some $7 billion poorer on Friday alone.

    Facebook has started rolling out Dark mode for “a small percentage of users globally right now.” Dark Mode inverts the typical black text on a white background to black text on a white background. This prevents users from having the white-hot background irritate their eyes at night or in a dark room. On phones using an AMOLED display, it can save battery life since OLED panels create the color black by turning off pixels in the appropriate area. Pixels that are turned off do not draw on the phone’s battery.

    There have been rumors for years about a Dark mode for Facebook and occasionally Facebook has tested such a feature. The most recent story we wrote about it was posted three weeks ago. Meanwhile, Dark mode has surfaced on Facebook Messenger, Facebook Lite, WhatsApp, and Instagram. It is also offered to users of the desktop (web) version of the site.

    A Facebook user who shared an image of Facebook in Dark mode on Twitter was apparently using the first developer beta of iOS 14. To see if you have Dark mode on your Facebook app, go to settings and if a Dark mode button appears, congratulations. You have Dark mode for Facebook. Unfortunately, we did not get Dark mode yet on our iPhone 11 Pro Max running iOS 13.5.1 and our Pixel 2 XL running Android 11 beta 1. Unless Facebook really does broaden the distribution of this update, it will turn out to be another disappointment for those Dark mode fans who want the UI for their Facebook app.

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  • Likes and followers more meaningfull post Covid-19

    Likes and followers more meaningfull post Covid-19

    As consumers around the world spend more time on social media in the Covid-19 era, likes and followers on social media are likely to become increasingly valuable to retailers.

    According to a new report by research firm Globaldata, 43.7 percent of international consumers are spending more time on social media due to the coronavirus pandemic. The firm is now advising brands to capitalize on this activity to promote purchasing and build shopper loyalty in a time of significantly dampened demand for non-essential goods.

    “Social media will play an even more important role in marketing post Covid-19, as many retailers are slashing marketing budgets to preserve cash to cope with the crisis, especially those that previously relied on traditional forms of marketing such as television and billboard adverts,” said Globaldata retail analyst Emily Salter. “Social media is a far cheaper method, especially if brands can leverage user-generated content and rely less on sponsored posts and collaborations.”

    The firm recommends retailers ensure their social media content is not too heavily skewed towards purchase-focused posts, with a significant number of followers facing financial instability following a global rise in unemployment. That will ensure engagement and boost likes and followers.

    “Retailers need to focus on aspects beyond products: elements of their brand identity that resonate with shoppers, the positive actions they have taken during the crisis, and building engagement to foster a sense of community,” said Salter. “These are all elements that shoppers will be able to relate to whether they are in a position to purchase items or not, building brand loyalty and influencing shoppers’ choices in the long term.”

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  • Instagram launches online food-ordering apps

    Instagram launches online food-ordering apps

    Social media platform Instagram has launched new food-ordering tools to assist small-to-medium businesses facing difficulties during the coronavirus pandemic.

    Foodservice operators can now share food order stickers in Instagram Stories and as a button on their profiles.

    Consumers clicking on the Stories sticker or profile button will be taken to the business’ food-delivery platform to complete their purchase. They can also reshare the stickers with their own followers on Instagram Stories.

    “We heard really clearly that restaurants want help staying open,” said Instagram COO Justin Osofsky. “As you’re looking at what’s happening just naturally on Instagram, a lot of people are trying to promote gift cards and the ability to support them, and a lot are using Instagram to highlight their delivery services. This is taking something that’s already happening and making it a lot easier.”

    The Instagram features were rolled out in the North American market a fortnight ago and are now being rolled out globally in multiple languages, including in Hong Kong and other Asian markets.

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  • Facebook offers COVID-19 self-reporting survey for epidemiologists’ research

    Facebook offers COVID-19 self-reporting survey for epidemiologists’ research

    Facebook is offering a new way to help health organizations in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak. Now, VentureBeat reports about a new survey that Facebook’s users will be able to fill out and therefore provide info about the virus spread, as part of a research program done by Carnegie Mellon University.

    The survey option will be available for American users as a link in the top section of the News Feed page. Researchers will be able to identify places in need for medical resources as well as create maps with self-reported coronavirus infections. Facebook stated that if the approach is successful, the method can be used in other countries as well.

    Additionally, Facebook stated that Carnegie Mellon researchers will not share responses to the survey with Facebook and Facebook will not share information with the researchers too.

    To further help organizations fight the pandemic, Facebook provides aggregated data to epidemiologists via its Disease Prevention Maps. Based on the data, researchers can offer information on people’s mobility in different areas to local authorities.

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  • Twitter to verify health experts with priority

    Twitter to verify health experts with priority

    Twitter is taking another step in fighting misinformation and highlighting credible sources of info about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The company explained in a tweet that it is “working with global public health authorities to identify experts” and get them verified as soon as possible. The Twitter verification label signifies that a profile is authentic, trusted, and a source of truth for an individual, business or organization.

    In the past, the process of verification was under attack for giving the blue label to radical groups and individuals. The verification program was suspended in 2017 after it verified the organizer of white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia and afterward the CEO Jack Dorsey called it “broken”. In the current situation, however, the blue badge can help people discern valid information in the high tide of rumors and speculation moving along with the viral wave.

    According to Twitter, the company has already verified hundreds of accounts but apparently there’s more to be done. In a message to health experts, Twitter explained that it will give priority to “accounts that have an email address associated with an authoritative organization or institution”, and added a link to the “How to update your email address” tutorial on Twitter’s help center.

    The company is working on a public-accessible form to help health experts apply directly for verification. “We’ll likely share a link to an intake form soon for experts to fill out to request verification”, commented Twitter product lead Kayvon Beykpour. Other tech companies offered help in providing fast and reliable information about the health situation as well. Facebook opened its Messenger app to developers to help build new messaging solutions for reporting coronavirus-related info. WhatsApp announced that it is opening an information hub in partnership with the WHO, UNICEF, and UNDP.