#MidweekMinute: Snap, Pinterest & Google expand interactivity

Facebook tests downvotes, and gets animated, communal, and protective; Instagram story sharing; Snapchat opens marketing API, Maps feature, creator tools, and free ads; Pinterest rearrangements & visual/text search; Google AMPs up Gmail & search.

Facebook tests downvote button, develops animation tools for Quill VR app, adds a $10 million community grants program, and extends intellectual property searches and reporting to Instagram content; Instagram adds ability to share Stories, the first native in-app sharing it's introduced yet; Snapchat opens its marketing API to developers, brings its Maps feature off-app to the web, opens custom filter & lens creator tools to the general public (SpaceX even has an AR lens that takes you to the Tesla that's currently in space!), and lures advertisers from other social media platforms (most notably, Instagram) with free ad offers; Pinterest is FINALLY letting you rearrange pins, and has strengthened its visual search capabilities by allowing them to bolster text searches; Google AMPs up the Gmail experience - as well as Google search results - with new integration of Accelerated Mobile Pages and search "stories".

Christine Gritmon Inc. 12/20/17 Christine Gritmon Inc. 12/20/17

#MidweekMinute: Troll Patrol

Facebook introduces new measures to curb unpleasant experiences on the platform, and expands ad capabilities to include WhatsApp integration and greater video options; Twitter flags hate; Snapchat lets you develop your own AR.

New Facebook Snooze Feature

Facebook adds a Snooze button for muting people, groups and Pages for 30 days (TechCrunch)

Facebook Is Making it Way Easier to Ignore Your Annoying Friends (Thrillist)

Facebook's Snooze Button Is a Perfect Addition (Slate)

Facebook Moves to Curb Harassment

Facebook is introducing new tools to help curb harassment (The Verge)

Facebook has new tools to prevent unwanted friend requests and messages (Tech Crunch)

Facebook changes messaging rules to help curtail harassment (CNBC)

Facebook Using Facial Recognition to Alert Users to Posts of Their Photos

Facebook's New Facial Recognition Switch Can Find Photos Of You Across The Social Network(Forbes)

Facebook to notify users when photos of them are uploaded (Reuters)

Facebook to Send an Alert When Someone Uploads a Photo of You (Fortune)

Facebook Discouraging Engagement Bait Posts

Facebook is clamping down on posts that shamelessly beg for your engagement (TechCrunch)

Facebook To Punish 'Engagement Bait' Posts (Media Post)

Facebook said it will demote posts that beg for likes or comments (CNBC)

Facebook and WhatsApp-linked Ads

Click-to-WhatsApp messaging buttons are now rolling out in Facebook ads (TechCrunch)

Facebook introduces WhatsApp-linked ads (SmartBrief)

Facebook Pushing Longer Ads using NewsFeed and Pre-Roll Ads

Facebook Pushing Videos through its NewsFeed (Reuters)

Facebook tests pre-roll ads, shifts Ad Breaks to longer content (Marketing Dive)

Facebook announces 6-second pre-roll ad test, new mid-roll ad restrictions(MarketingLand)

Twitter Enforcing Anti-Hate Rules

Twitter starts enforcing tougher anti-hate rules (Engadget)

Twitter to put warnings before swastikas, other hate images (Reuters)

Snapchat Launches AR platform Lens Studio

Snapchat launches augmented reality developer platform Lens Studio (TechCrunch)

How To Use Snapchat's Lens Studio To Make Your Own Hilarious 3-D Character(Elite Daily)

Snap releases Lens Studio, a tool for creating your own AR effects (TheVerge)

Christine Gritmon Inc. 12/13/17 Christine Gritmon Inc. 12/13/17

#MidweekMinute: Fighting Snapchat & killing Storify

Facebook adds new features, kills an old one, and resurrects yet another oldie-but-goodie; Instagram introduces a new app and a new function; Tinder gets personal; Tweetstorms & Twitter videos get a boost.

Facebook adds video music library, AR for Messenger, and tries to resurrect the Poke, while quietly removing the ticker feed (who knew that was still even a thing?); Instagram takes messaging out of the app with Direct, and also now lets you follow hashtags; Tinder will be showing your matches your Insta & Spotify activity (if you let it); Twitter Threads kills Storify, while the platform will also now let you view counts on public videos.