We Are Social’s Tuesday Tuneup
Instagram Launches Live Test of New ‘Flipside’
Goodbye finstas, hello Flipside. After months of experimenting, Instagram has started rolling out its new ‘Flipside’ option to select users. Flipside is an alternative profile space which is only accessible to the user themselves and their chosen connections.
Once a user creates a Flipside profile, they can then select it as their post audience, meaning the post will only go to that space. Chosen users can then visit and view a Flipside as an alternative profile gallery. Flipside profiles can also have new profile names and pictures.
TikTok Adds New ‘Cutout’ Option
TikTok has added a new video editing tool called ‘Cutout’ which enables users to easily replace the background of videos with an alternative, by isolating the focus element of the clip.
Although it is pretty much the same as the green screen effect, this provides more editing capacity without having to plan ahead, which could be good for situations where you don’t like the look of your background or can’t get the lighting right.
Meta is rolling out tighter teen messaging limitations
Meta is rolling out DM restrictions for teens, on both Facebook and Instagram, that prevent anyone not following the account from messaging them. Messenger users will only get messages from Facebook friends, or people they have in their contacts.
The new restrictions will apply to all users under 16 or even up to 18 in some countries. Meta is also making its parental controls more robust by allowing guardians to allow or deny changes in default privacy settings made by teens.
Deck.blue brings a TweetDeck experience to Bluesky
Bluesky, the emerging alternative to Twitter, has launched its new project called deck.blue. The TweetDeck-inspired app allows Bluesky users to organise posts in a column-based format, featuring home timelines, notifications, likes, lists, and custom feeds.
The new app, which launched only a month after development began in August, has attracted 15,000 registered users, with around 1,000 active daily. Users can support deck.blue on Patreon at rates ranging from $2 to $7 per month.
Meta launches Creator Management tools
Meta is launching new creator management tools within its Business Suite, which will provide more ways for agencies to manage their talent across Meta’s apps.
Meta’s new options will streamline the creator management process, by giving agencies access to analytics, profile tools, and more, while also still maintaining separation between user profiles and the business.
X Shares 2024 Marketing Calendar
Looking to map out your content plan for the year ahead? X has shared the latest version of its marketing calendar, which provides an interactive overview of all the key dates and events coming up in 2024.The downloadable calendar allows users to either tap on a specific date or scroll through a full list of events.The calendar also includes filters to look at country or category-specific results.
In other news
TikTok is now allowing people to change their background during lives. TikTok is testing a ‘live photo’ feature. Instagram now lets you opt-out of read receipts for DMs. Threads is working on draft-saving for posts. X is testing a dedicated video tab. TikTok is testing 30-minute uploads. Facebook is launching a “related video” feature. And, TikTok is rolling out new text size options to improve accessibility.