Your social media news for November 21, 2022:
Meta
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Meta is ceasing further development on its Portal series of smart displays and is no longer planning to develop smart watches.
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Meta’s upcoming invitation-only Community Forums will bring together 6,000 people from 32 countries to help advise on policy and product development.
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Deceased rapper Notorious B.I.G. will present a “concert” on Meta’s VR platform via a hyper-realistic virtual avatar to commemorate what would have been the performer’s 50th birthday.
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Meta’s XTADIUM app will feature 180-degree virtual footage in up to 8K video quality for sports events within the Quest VR environment.
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Facebook is removing religious views, political leanings, and sexual orientation from personal profiles.
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Facebook Groups now have an optional setting (which the platform advises to use with caution!) that would allow any group member to become a Moderator.
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If your Facebook Group members have been a little shy, Facebook is now providing “introduction prompts” to encourage them to share.
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Facebook’s app has added a new tool to help you find restaurants.
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Emoji statuses are rolling out to more users, but appear not to successfully synch between Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram just yet (still in beta).
- Facebook is testing the ability to toggle its “Stars” monetization for Reels on and off.
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You can now pin a Reel to your Reels tab…
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…and also hide the like count on a Reel.
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Instagram also has a new interface to serve up “related Reels.”
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You can now DM a Reel to a friend (as you can with feed posts).
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On-profile ad posts have been spotted in action.
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Instagram is developing the option to control image ratio when viewing profile posts (currently, they always show up square).
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Instagram is working on developing encrypted DMs, accessible via a PIN.
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Instagram is testing the ability to gift profile subscriptions.
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Instagram is testing a comment box at the bottom of Reels (saving a click).
DISCLAIMER: Twitter news is changing on a near-hourly basis, so please double-check the current status before taking action based on any of these stories.
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Assuming Twitter does move forward, Musk’s stated priorities for the platform include new Blue offerings, encrypted messaging, tips, and longform notes.
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…and MAYBE the new Blue will still launch next week?
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Instead of manually creating multiple Tweets in a thread, Twitter may soon automatically break up long Tweets.
- LinkedIn has published a guide to advertising options on the platform.
- At their first-ever B2Believe Summit, LinkedIn introduced a few new tools for B2B brands, including new reporting features, brand safety measures, additional advertising options, and enhanced search.
YouTube
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You can now add up to 60 seconds of music to YouTube Shorts (the limit was previously 15 seconds).
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YouTube Shorts are also getting some new shopping features…
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…which they’re kicking off in partnership with the FIFA World Cup.
TikTok
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TikTok is live testing its Shopping feature in the US.
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TikTok Now (TikTok’s in-the-moment BeReal copy) is now showing up on the For You Page…
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…but the feature may soon have its own feed.
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TikTok has added shortcuts for relevant searches to the bottom of videos.
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TikTok has added new Audience Insights to its Ads Manager.
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TikTok is helping small business owners with a new Shop Small business accelerator program, rolled out in partnership with American Express.
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TikTok is investing heavily in new data security programs to protect US user data, per national security concerns regarding the China-based company.
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TikTok is ready to beta test its API platform for researchers, and are also developing a content moderation API.
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WhatsApp is helping users connect with businesses via a new business search directory, enhanced business messaging, and in-app purchasing features.
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WhatsApp has also introduced polls in group chats.
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WhatsApp is testing a new “companion mode” that will enable you to attach your account to a second device.
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WhatsApp is working on improving video features for its in-app camera.
Misc
- Spotify has expanded access to its video podcasting tools to more creators and more countries.