3 million people leave Snapchat following redesign
More bad news for Snapchat. New figures have been released revealing that daily active users have fallen by 3 million in the second quarter. So, did Kylie Jenner kill Snapchat? Or is the app’s recent redesign to blame? In a move about as controversial as Brexit, pissed off users expressed their pissed offness all over other social channels, pointing fingers at Spiegel and his UX squad for causing them to flee the ephemeral platform. While Snap Inc. claimed the overhaul was done to ease user frustrations and “show more of the right content to the right people,” it appears the only people happy with the change are advertisers. An uplift in advertising space has allowed the company to charge less for ads, which has led to a 44% increase in revenue from this time last year!
Snapchat’s growth is a DOT to Facebook’s!
More more bad news for Snapchat. The holy Facebook trinity: Facebook (core app), Instagram, and WhatsApp have all individually added the same amount of MAUs as Snapchat’s total user base in just the last year. Although teenagers are still big fans of Snapchat, it doesn’t appear to be catching on with older users. In fact, Snapchat’s second-quarter earnings show that the number of daily active users has shrunk to 188m from the 191m they had last quarter.
Snapchat lets its top creators trial shoppable AR
In order to woo its most lucrative users (come back, Kylie Jenner), Snapchat is letting them use shoppable AR lenses to shift merch. So grab yourself some of Nicky “Queen” Minaj’s exclusive Truffle Butter while it’s still hot!
Facebook redesigns business pages as newsfeed reach declines
It appears all the networks are due for a makeover these days. As businesses are finding it harder and harder to get onto our Newsfeeds, Facebook has done a redesign of 80 million small business pages to make them more like ‘destination’ pages for users. This includes adding elements such as booking links for salons and menu areas for restaurants. For those smashed avo fiends (or “smavo,” for you heathens) out there, you’ll know which cafe to hit up for your fix. And for Snapchat, a lesson in how to redesign something with users in mind…
Take a seat, grab a beer – old mate Facebook Friends Lists are outta here
You know the tab on the side of Facebook that lets you organise all your mates into lists? Yeah, nah, I don’t either, but apparently it’s a thing. The feature was launched way back in 2011 as a way of “organising your friends on Facebook,” but with so many changes in the platform’s algorithms and functionalities since 2011, most users seem to find many of its features redundant. Pretty sure my Facebook Lists would consist of two: people I actually like IRL (~5), and 239029039 of my cousin’s friend’s ex’s dog walker’s brothers I shared a dart with at Splendour one year.
Facebook launches mentorship system
While a majority of our Facebook “friends” may seem outdated/useless/totally random, it’s been reported that 200 million people think they’re part of groups they consider ‘meaningful.’ To capitalise on this, Facebook has now allowed admins of groups to create mentors within these communities. It is available in select groups and focuses on parenting, professional and personal development. Once group members apply and are paired, they receive step-by-step guidance. Thank goodness I can finally have a mentor in my Bin Chicken Appreciation Society (BCAS). Yay!
Facebook adds AR games to its messenger app
Facebook has announced the launch of its new selection of AR games, which can be played by up to six people within its messaging app. The new development looks ripe for monetisation as revenue in other areas starts to shrink. It also has a game that I’m confident I’ll set records in – the Don’t Smile game.
Celebrities can dispel online myths with Google’s new Cameos app
Cameos brings a new way for celebs to connect with fans and answer frequently asked questions. Results will also be published in Google search results, meaning people can see the real answers to things the media may be skewing. Access is via invitation only, but if you think you’re kind of a big deal, you can also apply.
Twitter Lite now available in 47 countries
Twitter Lite, which is a data-friendly app version of our second favourite bird (after bin chickens, naturally), expanded into 21 more countries yesterday. The key highlights in this expansion are Turkey and India, which are the 5th and 6th largest users of the platform. They appear to be targeting developing nations with an emphasis on accessibility for those with 2G or 3G networks. Will this move boost their MAU numbers? Tweet me your thoughts.
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