We Are Social Asia Tuesday Tuneup #161

Tuneup
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Facebook brings Internet.org to India
Facebook’s Internet.org is a project that aims to provide basic mobile Internet services for free to the masses in emerging markets such as several African countries and Colombia. It is now extending that initiative to another market, India. Run in partnership with Indian operator Reliance, the initiative has been launched in six initial states: Tamil Nadu, Mahararashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, and Telangana, in its bid to “provide Internet access to more than a billion people in India who aren’t yet connected”.

WeChat adds a fitness tracking feature
Popular messaging app WeChat has released a new feature that allows users to track their fitness activities using motion tracking features on their phone. Besides being able to share their activities with friends, the leaderboard feature also allow users to compare their activities with friends and compete for the top spot daily.

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Figure 1 launches in India
Likened to an Instagram for doctors, Figure 1 is a photo-sharing platform for doctors, students, and other health care professionals. Based on the understanding that the medical field is very visual-centric, the platform allows health care professionals to view, share, and discuss medical findings through photos. Its launch in India marks the app’s first entry into Asia.

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Twitter engagement for big brands is up
Big brands are receiving more engagement Twitter, according to Simply Measured’s research into Interbrand’s 100 Best Global Brands and their Q4 2014 performance. On average, Twitter engagement increased by 105% year-on-year, while per-tweet interactions jumped from 91 to 168 in the same period.

Facebooks ads will be scored on relevance
Facebook is going to start scoring ads based on how relevant the platform thinks they are. It has devised a scale that gives each ad a figure from 1-10, based on a set of positive measurements (views, shares, clicks) and negative ones (hides, the number of times a piece is reported as spam). Facebook’s algorithm chooses which adverts to show to people based on a number of factors, including the amount bid and its relevance. High relevance could therefore compensate for a low bid, potentially making ads cheaper.

Facebook wants cinemagraphs
Cinemagraphs are a type of GIF that keeps the moving element to a minimum and look REAL pretty, as you can see below. Now, Facebook is encouraging brands to use the format, in keeping with its and Instagram’s autoplay feature.

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Facebook ‘legacy contacts’ can manage accounts after your death
Facebook is allowing US users to designate a ‘legacy contact’ to manage their account once they have died. The contact has various permissions, including the ability to send a final post on the behalf of their deceased friend/family member, manage friend requests, update cover/profile pictures, archive content and download old posts and photos. They will not have access to private messages or the ability to amend old content.

Twitter is buying Niche
Twitter is looking to make money using the people who have become famous on Vine.The company is purchasing Niche, a talent agency that acts as a middleman between said celebrities and brand advertisers. The deal is said to be worth between $30m and $60m.

Twitter adds Cricket World Cup feature for India
Twitter has added a new feature for the Cricket World Cup, especially for India. Anyone with a smartphone or feature phone can opt in to receive tweets related to popular games, whether or not they have an account. Users can phone a number, hang up, then receive a set of tweets as text messages, from both the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Pinterest shuts down affiliate e-commerce, preparing for a buy button?
Pinterest is planning on launching a buy button, according to Recode. The tech publication’s sources claim that the feature will arrive within three to six months, although it admits that a Pinterest spokeswoman declined to comment. Nevertheless, this news comes in the same week that the platform has decided to shut down any unauthorised e-commerce by affiliate networks, potentially in preparation for the move.

Download apps from Pinterest on iPhone and iPad
Pinterest has announced a partnership with Apple that will allow iPhone/iPad users to download other apps from within the Pinterest iOS app.

adidas sets up private Twitter conversation with Karim Benzema
adidas has become the first major brand to use Twitter’s group direct messages in its marketing. The sportswear giant chose three fans, who had been the most engaged with its #ThereWillBeHaters campaign, to take part in a private conversation with Real Madrid star, Karim Benzema.

Topman and Ghostpoet launching new YouTube video 
Topman has set up a new music project on YouTube, called #Openshoot. Topman fans will have the opportunity to submit creative ideas (videos, illustrations, photos) for a new single by British singer Ghostpoet, submitting them via the Topman website or by using the hashtag on Instagram or Twitter. Topman will then create a YouTube video incorporating the best ideas and publish it on its YouTube channel.

Oreo tells Valentine’s Day stories 
Oreo created a set of short YouTube videos that told awkward love stories in the build up to Valentine’s Day, in order to promote the new Red Velvet product. These were then supported with GIFs and other content across Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr.

Brands and Valentine’s Day 
As with any holiday, brands were keen to get involved with online chatter around Valentine’s Day. You can see some of the better (and worse) examples below.

Brands jump on #WhatIsLoveIn4Words  The hashtag #WhatIsLoveIn4Words was all over Twitter last week. What do brands love? Well, usually themselves, if these tweets are anything to go by. As always, the content came in varying degrees of quality.