January 2020 Social Media Updates You Need to Know
Happy new year! In this month’s social media roundup, we’re covering:
…and more!
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Introducing Bitmoji TV on Snapchat
Coming in February: Snapchat’s newest ploy is putting users front-and-center with Bitmoji TV. This new addition to the Discover section of the Snapchat app will feature an original full-motion cartoon series with “your” customized avatar as the star of the show.
It might sound jouvenile at first glance, but Techcrunch explains why this could be a great move for the struggling (is “struggling” the right word?) social platform:
“As with the recent launch of Snapchat Cameos, the company has realized that the most addictive experiences center on its users’ own faces. Snapchat turned the selfie into the future of communication. Bitmoji TV could make an animated recreation of your selfie into the future of content.”
You can subscribe to the Bitmoji TV channel for updates by visiting the show directly or scanning the Snap code with your app:
How to use the Assisted Trim feature in YouTube Studio
YouTube Copyright claims have long plagued creators on YouTube. If some part of your clip has copyrighted materials, your video—and all the views, likes, and comments it has already racked up—could be permanently banned, or at least sent to a purgatory where remedying the problem will take countless hours of complicated effort.
In other cases, the video continues playing but advertising revenue goes to the claimant. This can be particularly frustrating if you never wanted your video to play ads in the first place.
Now, the Google-owned platform has given YouTubers a way to basically censor copyright-infringing pieces of content so you can “automatically release the claim.” The feature is called Assisted Trim and it’s particularly useful if a claim has been made on a small section of audio/music content. In this case, the Assisted Trim feature will automatically edit out the problem area of the video. (If you need more control over exactly what is removed, the YouTube Editor will give you more flexibility.)
As pointed out by Social Media Today, this isn’t a perfect solution, but it could be really helpful for YouTube admins in a pinch.
Brand Collabs Manager tool rolling out for Instagram influencers
Continuing on their quest to make Facebook and Instagram the internet’s hub of influencer marketing, Facebook recently rolled out a tool called Brand Collabs Manager. It had been available exclusively to “Facebook creators” and is still only available to “a select group of Instagram creators”, but the dashboard offers interesting tool meant to help brands find and partner with relevant influencers.
AdWeek explained that this expansion of the tool will help brands see potential partners’ Like counts. This makes sense, considering that Instagram has been planning to remove public Like counts for months.
See also:
Apply for access (either as a brand, sponsor, advertiser or marketer)
New Layout mode on Instagram Stories
Strike a pose. And another pose. And then another. 📸
— Instagram (@instagram) December 17, 2019
With Layout, you can now capture and share multiple photos in your story — a new, creative way to express yourself. Check it out! pic.twitter.com/j02aYOjsoO
If you’ve ever been frustrated by the inability to place multiple photos in one frame on Insta Stories—this one’s for you! The new Layout mode currently provides six different grid display options. This is a cool new opportunity for creative storytelling!
Automatic Membership Approvals for Facebook Groups
Users are increasingly finding private or semi-private channels in which to participate. Because of this, the social media companies want to provide the best group experiences possible.
The most recent update is another meant to help admins manage their groups more effectively. Automatic membership approvals will be particularly helpful for managers of popular groups who are able to create rules-based criteria for group membership. For instance, if your group is about Cincinnati, creating a rule that auto-accepts users who live in Cincy could save you countless hours in the long run.
Bonus! Here’s another interesting update: Keyword alerts lets admins get notified when specified terms are used in posts or comments. This feature can help you ensure you’re present for important conversations.
More Links to Check Out
Highest Paid YouTube Stars of 2019 (Forbes) – “The kids are killing it”
Pinterest 100: The top trends to inspire and try in 2020 (and here’s the PDF)
TikTok Top 100 – the top trends from 2019 (TikTok Newsroom)
How to Fundraise on Facebook (FB Social Good)
Instagram Updates 2019 (Infographic via Vamp Brands)
A Crash Course in Custom Audiences for Your Social Media Ads (Buffer)
How to set (and achieve) meaningful social media goals (Sprout Social)
Jack Dorsey Wants to Help You Create Your Own Twitter (Wired)
10 Brands That Make People Happier on Twitter (Twitter blog)
☄️ . * . *
— NASA (@NASA) July 17, 2019
* 👨🚀 🌒👨🚀👨🚀
* . 🛰️ . *
⭐️ * .
. 🚀 * .
. . .
. * 🌎 * #Apollo50th #WorldEmojiDay
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Catch up on last month's social media updates (December 2019) →