Facebook moves forward with 3D posts
So many acronyms, so little time! Facebook has made it so users can now drag and drop 3D objects into the newsfeed. It is also now possible to bring them into Facebook Spaces – the VR social hangout room. Next step? Developing the objects to be taken into AR.
Instagram outplays Snapchat with new replay options
Instagram has made a move to encourage even more ‘intimate’ sharing on its platform by giving users some new options to choose from when private messaging. You’ll now be able to choose when sending an ephemeral video or image using the Instagram Direct camera, whether recipients can view it once, replay it temporarily or see a permanent thumbnail of it in the chat log. On Snapchat you can always temporarily replay with users having no way to deactivate that.
Kylie Jenner, and so it seems, Wall Street “sooo over” Snapchat
A bad week for Snapchat, as allegedly £1 billion was knocked off its share price after a tweet from Kylie Jenner saying: “sooo does anyone else not open Snapchat anymore? Or is it just me… ugh this is so sad.” The company responded to criticism from users by saying: “We hear you, and appreciate that you took the time to let us know how you feel. We completely understand the new Snapchat has felt uncomfortable for many … The new Friends page will adapt to you and get smarter over time, reflecting who you’re most likely to be Snapping with at that moment. This same personalisation is also true of the new Discover, which will adapt to you the more that you use it.”
Snapchat integrates Giphy and introduces a Tabs function
It’s the social media platform equivalent of turning up to an event wearing the same outfit: Snapchat has now integrated GIFs onto the platform, just like Instagram did. It’s also rolling out a new Tabs feature which will help users organise and see the Stories they want. Tabs, which is rolling out on the Friends and Discover pages, will allow users to sort through friends with active Stories, Group Chats, and Discover subscriptions.
New Anti-Facebook social platform, Vero, has users flocking A new app called Vero is on the scene and people have been quick to sign-up with the first million sign-ups being given the subscription for free. What’s different about Vero is that it claims to not target users using algorithms for advertising and charges merchants when they sell products using a “buy now” feature. Vero says it only uses personal data for registration, which could attract those more privacy conscious among us.
Snapchat collaborates with Shopify and Jordan Brand to sell in-app Snapchat has launched its first brand collaboration with Jordan Brand which lets people buy fully in-app, with the help of Shopify (who’ve also partnered with Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest previously). The shoes – the new Air Jordan IIIs – sold out within 23 minutes and users needed to scan in a Snapcode, which linked them to the above purchase process.
The 13-year wait for Manchester United on YouTube is over Manchester United is to kick-off its official YouTube channel 13 years after the platform was originally launched. Despite its noted absence (it’s the only Premier League team not to have a channel), it is the most viewed club in the world on YouTube and Tomos Grace, YouTube’s head of sport for Europe, Middle East and Africa says: “The plans they have are very exciting. They want to go big.”
