19: Breakin' up is hard to do

Is Facebook too powerful?; Birthday Stories & new small business features; WhatsApp payments; Instagram @shop, fact-checking, and possible music video sticker; MailChimp gets serious about small business tools.

Hot take: I don’t think we should break up Facebook. But plenty of people do. (Facebook itself, unsurprisingly, doesn’t.) Moving on…

Facebook is introducing Birthday Stories, which function like an event story insofar as they compile content from multiple users to tell a singular story, and even feature birthday song stickers. They’ve also got some new tools for small businesses, including automatic ads, appointment functionality, and new video editing tools within the platform (you can do text overlays! Fun!).

Facebook’s been testing a WhatsApp payments tool in India, and is now creating a new team to develop the feature’s international rollout, with primary offices in London and secondary staff in Dublin.

Instagram introduces @shop , an of-course-shoppable account to highlight shops and makers from across the platform. They also might be developing a Stories sticker that plays a music video snippet with some lyrics over it (though this whole story might just be one epic Rick Roll).

Instagram is also introducing some of Facebook’s fact-checker technology (that’s not really where I go for news and information… but people are, I guess?), and is going to be flagging anti-vaccination posts - though exactly what effect that “flagging” will have, I’m not sure.

MailChimp is introducing a bevy of new features, including websites (domains, templates, and hosting), ad retargeting on Google and social media, social posting, smart recommendations, recurring postcards, and a CRM (they already integrated well with several existing CRMs, but now are straight-up introducing their own), in the hopes of becoming a one-stop shop for small businesses’ digital needs. Not exactly social media, but worth having on the radar, as the new platform increases their integration with social media platforms.

FAQ: Which platforms should I be on?

You don’t need to be on ALL THE THINGS.

This is, without a doubt, the question I hear most frequently.

The pressure of being on ALL the platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and whatever else the kids are using these days) is part of what makes social media seem so daunting for many busy small business owners - not to mention casual everyday users!

But don’t worry - you don’t need to be everywhere.

…or, if you’re more of a reader:

Christine Gritmon Inc. 5/9/18 Christine Gritmon Inc. 5/9/18

#MidweekMinute 5/9/18: taking care of business

Facebook explores blockchain, expands reactions with Avatars, won’t advertise on dating service, tests possible subscription model, and develops image AI; Twitter encrypting DMs; Instagram business tools include ecommerce & CTAs; Story Song Stickers; beauty unit; WhatsApp integrates Facebook & Instagram videos; Pinterest on Hootsuite.

Facebook appoints new head of blockchain development, opening the door for potential cryptocurrency integrations or even creation; Avatars, spotted in Android app code, look a lot like Snapchat's Bitmoji, and could allow for a greater range of emotive reactions; dating service won't have ads; a possible ad-free subscription model is being tested; and image and object recognition AI has been using Instagram photos for training.

Twitter is working on secure, encrypted DMs.

Instagram has introduced powerful new business tools including integrated ecommerce and business messaging tools with direct calls to action; Android app may soon allow Song Stickers within Stories; new dedicated beauty partnership unit.

WhatsApp integrates Facebook & Instagram video viewability within the app, including picture-in-picture functionality.

Pinterest announces Hootsuite integration.

View my Flipboard Magazine.

Christine Gritmon Inc. 1/24/18 Christine Gritmon Inc. 1/24/18

#MidweekMinute: Stories about stories

Facebook upgrades security, newsworthiness, Story publishing flexibility, and makes video viewing more social. Instagram Stories adds GIFs, text-only stories, a screenshot notification feature, and activity status. Snapchat Stories are now shareable, and adds valuable advertising features. WhatsApp goes business.

Big news week! Facebook is upgrading security technology, prioritizing more trustworthy news publishers, adding desktop posting to Stories, and encouraging people to watch videos together (virtually), as well as hitting the road to help businesses with the platform in 30 cities. Instagram Stories adds GIFs, tests text-only stories and a screenshot notification feature, and letting friends know when you were last active. Snapchat Stories are now shareable beyond the platform, and app install ads add more valuable features. Finally, WhatsApp rolls out business access.

Christine Gritmon Inc. 1/10/18 Christine Gritmon Inc. 1/10/18

#MidweekMinute: FB devices & integrations

Facebook gets into home devices & ditches its AI/VA hybrid in beta; Instagram Stories expand to WhatsApp; Ripple follows Bumble in taking on LinkedIn.