Here’s what you need to know:
Instagram (why the new timeline has us in a strict love/hate relationship)
Two words: March Madness – and no, we’re not talking about the college basketball tournament. This past March, Instagram announced it’s next big move: an algorithm timeline. Sending users into a confused state, many were worried about what their soon-to-be-updated feed would look like. Now that it’s been a few months, here’s what we think:
What we love: Getting to see the content we love the most first. Instagram released a short and sweet blog post with some surprising statistics. On average, users miss a whopping 70% of their feeds. As a result, Instagram created an algorithm to ensure your interests don’t go unseen. Now, there’s no need to fear — your favorite foodie accounts will now just be on the top of your feed, ready to make your mouth water.
What we don’t love: Missing the content we loved seeing, but never really engaged with. Also, the sense of “real time” posting is lost with posts displaying out of order. By creating an algorithm that promotes your main interests first, Instagram buried some of your favorite accounts you didn’t always engage with at the end of your feed. The solution for the user is clear– keep scrolling! The content hasn’t disappeared, it’s just a little bit harder to find.
How will this affect user engagement? Quintly recently released a study saying Instagram engagement has gone down 33% in the past year for popular accounts. While it’s still a bit early to tell, it’s plausible to assume the change in algorithm has contributed to this. So, if you happen to notice a slip in engagement, get proactive! Use strategic hashtags (i.e. hashtags that are relevant to your niche, brand, etc.) and to continue to be social (like, comment, share) with other Instagrammers — especially after you post. Last but certainly not least, pay attention to your page’s analytics to ensure you’re posting at optimal times.
Twitter (new update that make tweets STICK)
Twitter just made tweeting that much more creative. Twitter is offering users fun and vibrant stickers to give their photos an extra flair. Tweet a picture, put a sticker on it and you’ve just created a masterpiece in less than 140 characters.
What’s so great about that? Well, when users click on a sticker you’ve placed on your photo, it acts as hashtag, showing you every picture ever tweeted that uses the same sticker as the one you clicked. This is similar to Instagram enabling emojis to be a searchable hashtag.
Connect your photos to the world with a visual spin on hashtags: tap #Stickers to peel back a fun new way to search. pic.twitter.com/YVy7r53Nja
— Twitter (@Twitter) June 27, 2016
Snapchat (turning yesterday’s memories into today’s stories)
Snapchat, our beloved self-destructing photo sharing site, has just made the biggest move since the dog filter- Memories. Instead of saving snaps to your phone’s camera roll, Snapchat has created a searchable album within the app. In addition, you can take your “Memories” and send them to friends or even MyStory them again! On your MyStory, it will be clearly indicated that the photo is from the past, as a frame is placed around the image. For the serious snappers out there — Snapchat also enables you to add filters that were available at the time you took the photo, like geofilters and timestamps. And you don’t even have to wait until Throwback Thursday. What a world.
To throw yet another feature into the mix, Snapchat has also created a password protected album called “My Eyes Only”. We don’t want to know why you’d need to use this, but it’s there. Snapchat warns you though, once you create the passcode, there is no way of retrieving it if it’s forgotten. Choose wisely friends.
So, what does all of this mean for the future of Snapchat? It broadens the app’s appeal — especially to users who want to create more curated stories. Hubspot.com notes that “People who are more “unplugged” than the typical Snapchat user will also appreciate the ability to snap a photo and deal with the sharing later.”
Memories have already begun their infiltration, and we’re looking forward to how Snapchat will continue to expand on their newest updates. Of course, with Instagram just releasing a strikingly similar feature called “stories”, we’re guessing the battle for releasing updated features on Snapchat has only just begun — more on this later!
Which recent social media update has been your favorite so far?
Did you know?
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