Here’s some of what happened in the search engine and social media industries from 15th to 21st February 2020.
1. Twitter’s new ‘Continue thread’ option
Twitter is expected to roll out a new feature soon that will make it easier to thread multiple tweets together. You’ll be able to link tweets during the composition stage. Once you pick the ‘Continue thread’ button, your tweets till be inter-connected.
Previously, Twitter offerred the ability to join multiple tweets when composing; the new feature makes it straightforward to link with previous tweets.
[source]2. Instagram’s new ‘Latest Posts’ feature
Insta users who miss reverse chronological feeds can now see the most-recent content from the accounts they follow. Instagram has been prototyping a ‘Latest Posts’ feature to pop-up over the main feed to display the latest content.
If launched, this feature can satisfy users who fear they may have overlooked important updates. Instagram said the feature was inspired from a recent hackathon and isn’t available publicly; at least yet.
[source]3. Snapchat launches interactive ads in the US
After the launch of its ‘Swipe Up To Call’ ad feature in the Middle East, Snapchat has announced offering the same for US businesses. The feature drives direct phone calls from the ad within the app, expanding on its existing ‘Swipe Up’ ad options.
Snapchat’s official statement says that the new feature will boost customer engagement for businesses particularly real estate and eateries.
[source]4. SoundCloud Mobile Uploads launched
SoundCloud has finally unveiled an upload feature that allows content creators to upload tracks directly from their phones. At the moment, this feature is only available for the iOS app. To access, tap the upward-pointing arrow on the top-right of home screen, choose the file of your choice and upload. Voila!
[source]5. Facebook page of North Carolina labelled ‘fake’
A Facebook page ‘North Carolina Breaking News‘ that was apparently sharing local news was found to be fake. Although page admins claimed to be students working on a ‘news project’ at North Carolina State University, the university denied these accusations and pointed toward Russian bots.
The admins further revealed they sought to get President Donald Trump “re-elected”. Facebook informed BBC that it was “actively looking” into the page.
[source]
I love that feature of being able to click on a phone icon to dial a number. Snapchat is wise for having interactive ads indeed. And the fake North Carolina news on facebook is humorous. Informative article by DirJournal.