We Are Social Asia Tuesday Tuneup #485
Facebook changes its corporate branding to Meta
There’s big news from the social media giant that is/was Facebook. After 17 years with the name, the social networking parent company behind Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Oculus has a new name; Meta. Announced during an AR/VR-focused Connect event, Mark Zuckerberg explained how the company was evolving to become ‘metaverse-first, not Facebook-first.’ This shouldn’t come as a total shock, as over the past few months, the company has unveiled its plans to build the metaverse, dedicating $50 million toward investment in research.
Instagram’s link stickers roll out to everyone
Popularity is no longer a factor for those who want to share links on their Instagram Stories. The platform has made its link sticker feature available to everyone. Beforehand only accounts with more than 10,000 followers or verification could use the feature, which replaced the ‘swipe up’ tool earlier this year. To add a link, head into the sticker tool from the top navigation bar after uploading content to your story, tap the “Link” sticker and enter the desired URL. Happy linking!
TikTok is testing a new direct tipping feature
There’s good news for TikTok creators, as the platform has begun testing a new direct tipping feature that allows creators to accept money from fans outside of live streams. For now, the feature is only available to a few select creators, most of whom have at least 10,000 followers. TikTok follows in the footsteps of Twitter, who launched its ‘Tip Jar’ feature earlier this year. With more people using social platforms as a way to make money, this will be a welcome addition to TikTok, encouraging more creators to join the app.
Clubhouse launches new pinned links feature
It’s time to link up your Clubhouse conversations. The app has unveiled a new pinned links feature, which allows moderators to place outside links at the top of a room. These links can include anything from a news article to a podcast, but certain inappropriate links will be restricted for security reasons. This allows moderators to add more context to their conversations, whilst also driving traffic to their desired websites. Clubhouse won’t take any cut of revenue from any transactions that occur through the link.
Ones to watch
Twitter is testing a Spaces recording option.