This week on the #MMSocialReport: updates from social media giants including Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook; content sharing platform Youtube still optimizing its streaming feature; Grindr attempts to transform the social media platform into a news source for the LGBTQ community.
1.Instagram updates Explore with new location and hashtag stories
by @apollozac via @9to5mac
Remember Snapchat’s public stories? The feature enables you to discover what’s happening in a specific location and submit your own story for the public eye. As Instagram’s own “story” feature gains momentum since its introduction, the photo-sharing platform unveiled its own version of public story in the “Explore” section. In addition to helping users to discover photos and videos tailored to each user’s individual taste and liking, now the “Explore” section enables users to, well, explore what’s happening around their current location.
2. More Ways to Connect with Friends in Facebook Live
by @MattNavarra via @MattNavarra
You might disagree, but it’s somewhat fair to say that Facebook Live shut down the Periscope hype. The livestream feature on Facebook allows users to stream their lives in real time and interact with friends simultaneously. However, when users join a public stream, there’s no way to interact with their friends in the public livestream – waves and waves of comments usually flood the livestream and users lose track of their own interactions very easily, let alone talking to friends during a livestream. Facebook’s latest update offers a solution to this problem, enabling users to interact and invite their friends to any public livestream. Matt Navarra’s article offers detailed insights to the new feature and potential business opportunities.
3. YouTube Live-Streaming Coming to All Users Soon. Probably.
by @adhutchinson via @socialmedia2day
YouTube, slowly but surely, is becoming the predominant content sharing platform. It came into public’s attention lately as the “Ad-pocalypose” incident led to hundreds of advertisers pulling ad placements from the platform. However, there are some good news – according to TechCrunch, YouTube will soon make its mobile livestream feature to everyone.
Previously, this feature was only available to channels with more than 10,000 subscribers. As the livestream competition gets more fierce between YouTube and its competitors, including Twitter and Facebook, the video giant is forced to allow more users to access the livestream feature. Andrew Hutchinson’s article analyzes the feature in detail.
4. Snapchat Launches Custom Stories You Can Create with Your Friends
by @RachelKaser via @TheNextWeb
When you create a story on Snapchat, the story is available to all of your friends to see for the next 24-hours. However, you and only you can contribute and build the Snapchat story. In the latest update of Snapchat, the self-deleting photo & video sharing platform enables other users to contribute. In other words, now you can add your friends as contributors to your Snapchat stories. When your friends create a new snap, they can add to your Snapchat story as a communal story.
Click the link to check out Snapchat’s introduction video of the new feature.
5. Grindr Gets Textual with New Editor-in-Chief
by @GarettSloane via @AdAge
News and publishing is a increasingly tough business. Grindr, the “world’s largest social networking app,” is trying to make its way to the news business with an announcement this week: Grindr hired an Editor-in-chief for its online magazine, which was launched on its website this march.
Currently, Grindr is posting stories and opinion pieces to a section of its website catering to the LGBTQ community with the intention to become a standalone digital publication. With independent digital publications emerging on Facebook and YouTube, the LGBTQ community, most definitely, needs a new source of its own. Garrett Sloane’s article explains Grindr’s new move in great detail and analyzes potential possibilities of the social media app.
Metter Media LLC is a Boston-based social media management company that implements community-based, localized social engagement strategies small businesses and corporations alike. Need help with your social media? Email Lauren today.
