There’s a small Twitter army taking to Facebook daily to shut down secret gun sales groups
Since the horror of the Orlando shooting in June, a small group of Twitter users have taken to Facebook in an attempt to reduce the private sale of guns online. These sales, which are banned by Facebook, are often discovered in private groups or coded posts that advertise the sale of t-shirts, pens and the like, only revealing the actual sale items in the images attached.
According to Mashable, the users report hundreds of accounts weekly and are compiling them under the hashtag #ReportGate.
Let’s hope this is one trend we don’t have to see continue.
Facebook will now offer Instant Articles within Messenger
Facebook is integrating its Instant Articles technology into its Messenger app, meaning you don’t need to open a browser to quickly read breaking news. According to the network, stories will now load 10x faster than before, and you can tell which posts are Instant by looking for a little lightning bolt at the top right of embedded links.
Messager app LINE on the rise
LINE, the Japanese messager app, raised more than $1 billion in what turned out to be the biggest tech IPO so far this year. For the uninitiated, LINE is similar to services like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger and offers virtual stickers, animated emojis, and games. Users can also order taxis, make mobile payments, find discount vouchers, and stream music. It has 218m users already, mainly in Asia, and the channel’s reps have indicated that the listing was intended to raise funds for global expansion. Watch out, WhatsApp.
Pokémon GO becomes the most viral mobile app of all time
“For years, #smartspotting has been a way for consumers to share the Smart Cars they see on the road every day on social media. By leveraging the Pokémon Go phenomenon, the brand is able to take #smartspotting one step further with this treasure hunt-style activation on Snapchat”.
If you say so, Mark.
Warner Bros. in trouble for not declaring influencer payments
Snapchat working on new image-recognition advertising tech
In the latest development from the Snap’iverse, the channel seems to be developing new advertising options based on real-world objects users record in their snaps. According to this patent application (published last week), Snapchat is seeking to use image recognition to serve users filters, coupons and adverts.
For example, Snapchat explained that you could be strolling along the streets of Manhattan, snap a photo of the Empire State Building, and be served a King Kong filter on your screen. Think: happy hour vouchers just after your #TGIF snap story. Clearly, there is a lot of room for creativity here. Advertisers will need to bid on the rights to certain objects. Once they have staked their claim, they will be free to add the filter/coupon/game/offer of their liking.
…watch this space!
Twitter signs deal with Bloomberg to livestream financial news
Meanwhile, Twitter has teamed up with Bloomberg Media to live stream three Bloomberg shows as well as the network’s market coverage through the platform. The shows included in the agreement are “Bloomberg West”, which broadcasts technology news, “What’d You Miss?”, which delivers global financial news at the close of the U.S. trading day, and “With All Due Respect”, which gives political analysis.