Instagram is expanding to editing
Social Media giant Instagram has launched video creation app “Edits” to rival competitor TikTok.
The Meta platform announces the app will allow users to create and edit video content before sharing to socials.
Meta said video creation can be challenging “with Edits, there is now a dedicated space with powerful capabilities for video content”
This announcement follows the looming ban of TikTok in the US over security concerns about its Chinese ownership.
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Maximising click-to-message ads
The click-to-message ad format on Meta is rising, tapping into the familiarity of DM’s to form an immediate connection.
Meta has shared its top tips to maximise your click-to-message ads:
-Brands should choose a greeting that shows they’re available and ready to engage with their audience.
–Link your Facebook, Whatsapp, and Instagram accounts, this can help customers engage with the brand on multiple channels, and help to grow your digital presence.
-Selecting the right engagement objective, if you have a business presence on multiple platforms, select multiple apps when creating the ad. Meta will then determine the default app where the conversion is most likely to occur.
Meta has released a variety of tips to outline the range of ways you can utilise click-to-message ads.
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BlueSky is issuing blue checks
BlueSky is now issuing its own blue checks to the most authentic and notable accounts.
For now the platform is proactively verifying these accounts and awarding them with a blue checkmark next to their name.
Bluesky is also assigning some organisations with the “Trusted Verifier” status, allowing organisations like The New York Times to verify users affiliated with them. Users will then be reviewed by Bluesky’s moderation team “to ensure authenticity.” Trusted Verifiers will have a checkmark in a scalloped circle next to their account name, instead of a rounded one.
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Pinterest is protecting teens
As instagram makes strides to improve its age verification/ detection system, Pinterest is now taking similar steps to ensure the safety of young people.
The new update will now issue prompts to warn users aged 13-17 about opening the app during typical school hours.
The new prompts will urge teen users to shut down the app until after school hours, if opened between 8am-3pm on weekdays.
Obviously, teens can just press the big “X” at the top left of the main image to shut the prompt down, and continue scrolling. But the test aligns with Pinterest’s more positive approach to shifting user behavior. In the hope that it will have some impact on reducing disruptive Pinterest usage.
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Instagram creates a collaborative story twist
As it seems Instagram is always testing a new feature or two, this time it appears to be an adaptation of Instagram stories.
The new update will allow friends to link their story to yours, essentially the new feature “storylines” is a collaborative story built by you and your friends within the app similar to a more collaborative version of “Add Yours”.
“As people join the storyline, followers they follow back can also add. However, you can change who can join the storyline or turn it off altogether.
It is currently only an internal prototype and is not being tested publicly, so it is not yet clear when and if this feature will be widely available.
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