We Are Social’s Monday Mashup #335

Mashup
laura.muldoon
Group chat and Shazam now available in Snapchat
Snapchat users can now chat simultaneously with up to 16 friends in a veritable snap orgy, thanks to changes made in the platform’s latest update. The app has also integrated music identification platform Shazam, so users can identify songs when music is playing nearby and then share them with their friends.

Facebook seeks head of news partnerships in crackdown against fake news
After being dogged with accusations of fake news and bias, Facebook is now seeking a head of news partnerships. The person they’re looking for should have at least 20 years experience, and will become the platform’s leading representative with news organisations worldwide.

Facebook tests letting users hide upsetting ads
I get slightly irked by being pestered by pregnancy test ads, but can’t imagine how it must feel to have children’s toy ads shoved in your face if you have suffered the loss of a child. Facebook is trying to reduce the chance of this happening by letting people block certain types of ads and making it easier for them to know how to do it. At the moment the restriction is only applicable to children’s products and alcohol but will be rolled out to other areas if users report concerns.

Facebook admits fourth measurement error
Wuh-oh! Facebook has admitted making ANOTHER mistake in measurement reporting, this time involving Instant Articles. Instant Articles lets publishers upload articles directly to Facebook which means less loading time for readers and, handily, allows the platform to keep 100% of the ad revenue. Unfortunately a third party measurement company, comScore, has let Facebook know that the website has been under-reporting traffic from iPhones. Facebook is working with comScore to produce updated estimates for the publishers affected.

You can now live stream direct on Twitter… without the need for Periscope
Users can now live stream to their hearts’ content on Twitter without having to use the Periscope app. All you need to do is open the Twitter app, click “compose new tweet” and the tap the “LIVE” button. What you do after that, well, that’s up to you!

Going down: Snapchat Live Stories
The word on the advertiser street is that viewer numbers on Snapchat Live Stories are going down, and with them, marketing spending. Viewership for Live Stories has been flat, at best, for more than a year, but has now dropped from an average of 20m viewers per 24 hours to 10-20m in the same time period.

Instagram users ‘move’ to Singapore in search of more followers
An Instagram algorithm glitch has meant that a swathe of Instagram lovers have tagged themselves in Singapore to increase their chances of getting into the Explore page. The error, which favoured posts from the sovereign city state, has now been fixed – but not before a whole host of people thought there had been a Singaporean party which they had not been invited to…

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Brits swap Christmas cards for… Whatsapp messages
As Britons prepare for a Royal Mail postal strike over Christmas it comes as no surprise that a quarter of them will not be sending cards by post this year. According to tech startup WorldRemit, a whopping 52% or Brits have said they’ll be sending a heart-felt Whatsapp or Facebook message instead. As over 65s become more tech-savvy, even a third of them will be switching from snail mail to social, with Facebook being the platform of choice for sending festive cheer. Bah, humbug.Screen Shot 2016-12-19 at 15.12.24