Social Media updates and what they mean for you – March 23rd

Grab a cuppa and get settled because there’s a lot to get through in this week’s social media updates you need to know.

Twitter
From March 31st Twitter is open-sourcing all code related to recommended Tweets.

They’re currently exploring a feature that would enable you to get notifications for activity on any tweet, whether it was yours to start with or not.

More details about Twitter Blue incoming… ID verification to ensure the person signing up is a real person is in testing. This was a key part of Twitter Blue but was (unsurprisingly) ditched in the rush to roll it out so bringing it in now could be like bolting the stable door after the horse has gone, unless they’re going to retrospectively implement it.

Tweets will soon have new text formatting options such as bold, italic and underline. Available in the tweet composer window, you’ll be able to make yourself stand out.

Priority ranking for Tweet replies from Twitter Blue users is on the way. Will it persuade you to pay $8 a month?

What does this mean for me?
This could be a MAJOR positive. We could potentially see which tweets gain traction, how to maximize tweet reach through engagement, and which specific elements (such as replies, retweets and likes) Twitter will reward most. It could also result in spammers. Only time will tell.

If Twitter rolls this out you would be able to keep tabs on any replies or quote Tweets, which could be great for keeping tabs on mentions, so you can see how people are responding to criticism or praise of your business.

Stringent ID checking would remove the issues of bots ad scammers using the system for ill gain. If you are looking into Twitter Blue make sure you have your ID at the ready for future verification.

Text formatting could be a useful tool for making certain bits of text stand out, particularly in long-form Tweets.

If you want to lead the conversation around certain topics, priority ranking for Twitter Blue could be a good thing for you. But generally we’re still not seeing a whole lot of positives as to why you’d sign up just yet.

Facebook/Meta
Meta launched a desktop version of WhatsApp so you can host group video calls with up to eight people and audio calls with up to 32 people.

Say hello to a new section of the Safety Hub mini-site highlighting various safety resources for journalists and public figures across its apps.

Remember Meta Verified from a few weeks back? Well it’s officially launched in the US. Yay.

Account authentication can now happen via a missed call.

What does this mean for me?
You could feasibly use WhatsApp for video meetings, which is pretty handy if you’re already using it for other comms.

If you’re a journalist, this mini-site will be incredibly useful. It contains a 48-page safety guide, links to security tools, and info about the Meta Journalism Project.

Realistically Meta Verified is coming to all whether we like it or not. If you want it for Instagram and Facebook you have to fork out for each platform individually. It comes with a few benefits: verification ticks (obvs), account protection against impersonation, dedicated account support, exclusive stickers, and 100 Stars every month to give to other creators.

If you’ve ever got locked out of your account you’re going to appreciate another way of getting back in.

LinkedIn
Some small updates this week – native post scheduling for company pages, new audio event options, and following other pages in the app.

What does this mean for me?
If you’re using a desktop to write an update for a company page, you’ll now be able to schedule it ahead of time. Easy. You’ll also be able to share an automated post when adding an open job listing to maximise reach. Audio events on company pages give you another way to engage with your audience. As does following other pages, which is sort of similar to how the New Pages experience works on Facebook. It’s almost as if platforms copy each other!

TikTok
Is TikTok about to be banned in the US? Unlikely. But they’re concerned enough to have their CEO provide a statement to the Senate. More updates to follow.

They reached 150 million US users, highlighting the devastating effects a ban could have. The app was banned in India in 2020, losing them 200 million users, so they’re pretty keen to avoid the same happening again.

The video-sharing app also updated their Community Guidelines with the most significant being that AI creations depicting realistic scenes must be labeled as such, they’ve also stated that AI depictions of private citizens isn’t allowed whereas public figures are allowed as long as they are not used to endorse products or services or violate other policies.

You’ll now be able to refresh your feed if you don’t like the videos being recommended to you. They’re also rolling out new systems to avoid repetition and limit exposure to harmful elements.

What does this mean for me?
The first two won’t make too much of a difference unless a ban does come in. We’re waiting with baited breath.

We HIGHLY recommend checking out the new community guidelines to stay up to date with everything as some language changes have come into effect.

Given how the algorithm works, i.e. what you interact with dictacts who your content is shown to, refreshing the feed could be helpful if you’re planning on pivoting. The system to avoid repetition is focused on stopping users from being shown too much potentially harmful or triggering content, resulting in overexposer.

Instagram
Full length (up to 60 secs) Reel plays in Stories are in testing, taking another step towards full integration.

Two new ad options are being added – Reminder Ads and ads in Search results.

What does this mean for me?
People are sharing more content in Stories and DMs, which is why this update is coming. If you’re using Stories as part of your Strategy, that’s an important piece of info to bear in mind.

Reminder Ads will send people who opt in 3 alerts to make sure they don’t miss the event. Ads in search results mean you can reach even more people based on the keywords they’re searching for.

That’s it for this week folks! Remember to sign up for weekly updates direct to your inbox and follow us on LinkedIn for more tips. See you next week!