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midweekminute Christine Gritmon Inc. midweekminute Christine Gritmon Inc.

#MidweekMinute: Instagram Scheduling is here!!!

Instagram Scheduling... and maybe video chat (maybe); Twitter Sponsored Moments and video sharing; Snapchat's Bitmoji expands; Facebook prioritizes local stories, ups the ante on privacy, tests tipping for gamers, and bans cryptocurrency advertising.

Instagram Scheduling is finally here (for select third-party apps only), and is maybe testing video chat (maybe). Twitter introduces Sponsored Moments and improves video sharing. Snapchat greatly expands Bitmoji options, so your mini-me can truly be a mini-you. Finally, Facebook prioritizes local stories (even as it deprioritizes stories in general), ups the ante on privacy, tests tipping for gamers, and bans cryptocurrency advertising.

Instagram Scheduling

Now You Can Schedule Posts with the Instagram Graph API (Instagram)

Instagram is finally adding a scheduling feature, sort of (The Verge)

Instagram now allows businesses to schedule their posts (TechCrunch)

Instagram Video Call Rumor

Instagram is going to implement video calls (WABetaInfo)

Instagram Video Calling Feature Leaks, Said to Be in Internal Testing (Gadgets360)

Instagram won’t comment on rumored video calling feature (TechCrunch)

Twitter Sponsored Moments

How sponsored Moments connect publishers and brands (Twitter)

Twitter is selling a new kind of ad: Sponsored Moments (Recode)

Twitter starts selling sponsorships of individual publishers’ Moments (Marketing Land)

Twitter Video-Sharing Tool

Twitter Is Working on a Snapchat-Style Video Sharing Tool (Bloomberg Technology)

Twitter Is Said to Work on Snapchat-Style Tool for Video Sharing (AdAge)

Twitter aims to boost video sharing (Business Insider)

Snapchat Bitmoji Deluxe

Snapchat enhances Bitmoji with 1.9 septillion avatar options (TechCrunch)

Snapchat takes Bitmoji deluxe with hundreds of new customization options (The Verge)

Bitmoji Deluxe Has More Options That'll Make Your Snapchat Mini-Me Identical To You (Elite Daily)

Facebook Prioritizing Local Stories

News Feed FYI: More Local News on Facebook (Facebook)

Facebook will prioritize local stories in your News Feed (Engadget)

Facebook will start prioritizing local news in user feeds (TechCrunch)

Facebook Creates Privacy Center to Comply with EU GDPR Regulations

Facebook to launch privacy center ahead of GDPR deadline (Martech)

Facebook to roll out new privacy tools ahead of EU law (CNet)

Facebook to hand privacy controls to users ahead of EU law (Reuters)

Facebook to roll out global privacy settings hub — thanks to GDPR (TechCrunch)

Facebook Testing Tipping for Live Game Streamers

Facebook lets you tip game live streamers $3+ (TechCrunch)

Facebook Tests Tip Jar for Video Game Streamers, Launches Gaming Creator Program (Variety)

Facebook launches new program to lure Twitch-style game streamers (The Verge)

Facebook Bans Cryptocurrency Ads

New Ads Policy: Improving Integrity and Security of Financial Product and Services Ads (Facebook)

Facebook Is Banning All Ads Promoting Cryptocurrencies (Fortune)

Facebook bans ads for bitcoin, other cryptocurrencies (CNet)

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#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.

Facebook Acquires Confirm

Facebook buys Boston software company that authenticates IDs (Reuters)

Facebook Just Acquired This Company Focused on Authenticating ID Cards (Fortune)

Facebook bought a startup that specializes in verifying government IDs (Recode)

Facebook to Prioritize Trustworthy Publishers

Facebook Asks Users to Judge Trustworthiness of News Sources (Bloomberg)

Facebook To Prioritize 'Trustworthy' Publishers In News Feed (Forbes)

Facebook’s latest News Feed update will prioritize trustworthy publishers (TechCrunch)

Facebook Adds Desktop Posting to Stories

Facebook is testing the ability to create Stories on PC (Engadget)

Facebook won’t retreat from Stories as it adds desktop posting (TechCrunch)

Facebook is testing desktop uploads for Stories to make the feature stick (The Verge)

Facebook Testing Watch Party Feature

Grab the popcorn: Facebook tests Watch Party for sharing videos in Groups (Digital Trends)

Your Facebook Group May Soon Be Able to Host a Watch Part (Ad Week)

Facebook Unveils 'Watch Party', Making Watching Videos a Social Experience (Gadgets NDTV)

Facebook's Community Boost Program

Facebook launches 30-city Community Boost program (CNBC)

The Facebook Community Boost Show Is Set to Hit the Road (AdWeek)

Instagram Story GIFs

Instagram Adds GIFs to Stories and, Yes, It's a Direct Shot at Snapchat (AdAge)

Instagram now supports GIFs in Stories (The Verge)

Giphy builds transparent GIF library for Instagram Stories (TechCrunch)

Instagram Adding Activity Status

Instagram Added Activity Status to Instagram Direct (Ad Week)

Instagram has a shady new feature, but you can disable it (Hello Giggles)

Instagram Text-Only Stories

Instagram tests new ‘Type’ feature for Stories and screenshot alerts (The Next Web)

Instagram Stories is secretly testing a new text feature with fun font options (Mashable)

Instagram's New 'Type' Text Stories Feature Has Snapchat Really Worried (Here's How It Affects You) (Inc.)

Instagram Story Screenshots

Instagram to support text stories and new stories screenshot notification! (WABetaInfo)

Instagram Is Testing a Creep Alert That Will Tell You if Someone Took a Screenshot of Your Story (Slate)

Snapchat Stories Shareable

Snapchat stories can now live outside the app (Wired)

Snapchat’s New Feature Means You Can No Longer Avoid Snapchat (Slate)

Snapchat is going to let you share Stories on Twitter and Facebook, in hopes of sparking new growth (CNBC)

Snapchat Update Features Ads with Deep Links

Snapchat Is Making App Install Ads More Targeted With Deep Links (Ad Week)

Snapchat updates app install ads with quicker deep links, deeper analytics (Marketing Land)

Snapchat 'doubling down' on app install tech to drive ad sales (The Drum)

WhatsApp Launches App for Business

WhatsApp officially launches its app for businesses in select markets (TechCrunch)

WhatsApp officially launches app, profiles for businesses (Marketing Land)

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#MidweekMinute: Don't freak out about Facebook

Facebook's infamous algorithm reprioritizes people over brands; simplifying Messenger; Facebook "Today In" app; Snapchat's unpopular redesign.

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midweekminute Christine Gritmon Inc. midweekminute Christine Gritmon Inc.

#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.

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midweekminute Christine Gritmon Inc. midweekminute Christine Gritmon Inc.

#MidweekMinute: Suggested stories, business DMs, more Snap

Instagram now recommends stories; Twitter empowers businesses with stronger direct messaging tools; Snapchat expands shareability beyond the app and increases ad strength by disabling immediate skips for some clips.

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midweekminute Christine Gritmon Inc. midweekminute Christine Gritmon Inc.

#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.

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)

 

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#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.

Facebook Sound Collection

Facebook Sound Collection lets you add no-name music to videos(TechCrunch)

Facebook adds a sound and music library you can use for video (Engadget)

Facebook offers free music and sound effects for video makers (The Next Web)

Facebook AR in Messenger

Sorry, Snapchat: Facebook just unleashed its own 'dancing hot dog' studio (Mashable)

Facebook Messenger adds Snapchat-style AR objects (Engadget)

Facebook Removes Ticker

Facebook Removes Ticker News Feed For Monitoring Friends’ Activity (Search Engine Journal)

Facebook's Ticker that showed your friends' activities has been removed (Tech Spot)

Facebook's 'ticker,' aka creeper feed, is no more (Engadget)

Facebook Resurrecting the Poke

Facebook is trying to make the Poke happen again (TechCrunch)

Is Facebook bringing the poke back? One-click greetings are in testing (Digital Trends)

Instagram Direct

Instagram is testing Direct, a standalone messaging app that replaces the current inbox (The Verge)

Instagram Tests Standalone Direct Message App (Geek.com)

Instagram is reportedly separating Direct messages into its own separate, Snapchat-like app (Business Insider)

Instagram letting you follow hashtags

Radical New Instagram Hashtag Update Is a Real Game Changer (Forbes)

Instagram becomes an interest network with hashtag following (TechCrunch)

Tinder showing your online activity to matches

Tinder is testing a feed of real-time updates from your matches, including posts from Instagram and Spotify (TechCrunch)

Tinder is testing a chronological feed of your matches’ profile updates and Instagram posts (The Verge)

Twitter Threads kills Storify

Twitter will now let you publish an entire tweetstorm all at once (Recode)

Twitter adds thread tools to help you craft epic tweetstorms (Engadget)

Twitter Makes It Easier to Compose and Read Threads (Variety)

Twitter Just Made the Tweetstorm a Real Thing (Slate)

Twitter Will Show View Counts on Public Videos

Twitter Starts Showing How Many Views Videos Get On Its Platform (AdAge)

Twitter Will Finally Display View Counts On Video Tweets(Tubefilter)

Twitter Makes View Count on Videos Public (TheVideoInk)

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#MidweekMinute: Messenger's where it's at

Facebook closes an API, opens a new app, & expands ads; Instagram adds story archives, stands up for animals, & integrates with Messenger (as does Pinterest).

Facebook creates a new messaging app for younger audiences, adds video ads, clamps down on audience insights. Instagram integrates contacts with Messenger, adds story archives & highlights, and takes a stand against animal abuse. Pinterest creates a two-way relationship with FB Messenger with a pin-finding bot and easy pin sharing.

Facebook Debuts "Messenger Kids"

“Messenger Kids” Gives Children Under 13 Their First Taste Of Facebook (Fast Company)

Facebook's new chat app for kids makes parents approve conversations (Business Insider)

Facebook Messenger Kids Debuts as a Texting App for Children Ages 12 and Under (Fortune)

Facebook Considering "Pre-roll" Video Ads

Facebook could start putting ads at the beginning of some videos, report says (CNBC)

Facebook videos may start with ads, just like on YouTube (Mashable)

Facebook to Test Pre-Roll Video Ads Ahead of Watch Shows (AdAge)

Facebook Dropping "Audience Insight" API

Facebook Is Shutting Down Its API That Marketers Lean on for Research (AdWeek)

Importing Instagram Contacts into Facebook Messenger

You can now import your Instagram contacts into Messenger (TechCrunch)

Instagram contacts can now be imported into Messenger (Social Barrel)

Instagram Stories Can be Archived in Your Profile

Your favorite Instagram stories can now live on in your profile (Fast Company)

Instagram lets you Archive expired Stories and Highlight favorites on your profile (TechCrunch)

Instagram Just Introduced Two Ways to Keep Stories Around for More Than 24 Hours (Adweek)

Instagram now lets brands feature Stories Highlights on their profile pages (Marketing Land)

Instagram Fights Against Potential Abuse of Animals or Nature in Photos

Instagram warns you if posts show harm to animals or nature (Engadget)

Taking a #koalaselfie or #dolphinkiss photo? Instagram has something to say about it.(The Washington Post)

Think before posting #lionselfies, Instagram implores users (USA Today)

Pinterest & FB Messenger

Pinterest rolls out chatbot, native features for Facebook’s Messenger (Marketing Land)

Pinterest integrates deeper with Facebook with a new bot and messenger extension (TechCrunch)

Pinterest makes it easy to share pins on Facebook Messenger (Engadget)

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midweekminute Christine Gritmon Inc. midweekminute Christine Gritmon Inc.

#MidweekMinute: Major Facebook & Snapchat developments

Facebook and Snapchat are on a streak of new feature rollouts & tests.

Facebook is testing and introducing tools for Messenger, Donations, and even facial recognition technology; Snapchat has, of course, redesigned itself, but has also introduced object recognition and new AR ad formats.

Facebook Broadcast

Facebook tests tool to make it easier for businesses to send message blasts on Messenger (Marketing Land)

Facebook prototypes Messenger Broadcast for businesses (TechCrunch)

Facebook Donations

Facebook drops fee on donations, will match $50M/year, adds Mentor feature (TechCrunch)

Facebook is dropping its fundraising fees for nonprofits, but not for personal causes (Quartz)

Facebook Selfie Logins

Facebook may ask you to prove you’re not a bot with a selfie (Digital Trends)

Facebook uses selfies as login authentication for suspicious activity (The Verge)

Facebook’s new security measure asks users to upload a photo of their face (BGR)

Facebook Testing Streaks Feature

Facebook is testing a Snapchat ‘streaks’ clone for Messenger (The Daily Dot)

Facebook's latest feature test looks like Snapchat's streaks (Engadget)

Facebook maintains streak of copying Snapchat with new Messenger test (Business Insider)

Snapchat Redesign

Snapchat Remakes Itself, Splitting the Social From the Media (The New York Times)

What Snapchat’s major redesign and algorithmic feed means for marketers (Marketing Land)

Snapchat Redesigns Mobile App to Split Friends From Media (Bloomberg)

Snapchat Photo Recognition Filters

Snapchat now recognizes food, pets, and more when suggesting filters (The Verge)

Snapchat’s newest filters can recognize what’s in your photos (TechCrunch)

Snapchat's latest filters recognize pets and food (Engadget)

Snapchat applies for patent to serve ads by recognizing objects in your snaps (The Verge)

Snapchat's New Advertising Tools

Asos, HBO and BMW pilot Snapchat's new ad formats (Marketing Drive)

Snapchat Brings New Advertising Tools to Aid Revenue Growth (Nasdaq)

Snapchat seeks salvation in long-form and “hands-on” AR ads (TechCrunch)


 

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#MidweekMinute: slow news week

No video this week, but it was a slow news week anyway - here's the few announcements from Facebook & Twitter. See you on the other side of Thanksgiving...

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midweekminute Christine Gritmon Inc. midweekminute Christine Gritmon Inc.

#MidweekMinute: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

Facebook condenses some features, expands others, and generally continues to crush other apps; Twitter continues their expansion kick; Instagram is taking a cue from bots; LinkedIn is taking a cue from that annoying paper clip.

Facebook tries to replace Yelp, Foursquare, and - as always - Snapchat. High on the 280-character-limit raise, Twitter's also raising another limit, and hoping you'll trust them to allocate your money. Instagram is testing out a feature that bots have been using for years, and LinkedIn wants the final WORD on your resume.

Facebook Local

Facebook relaunches Events app as Facebook Local, adds bars and food (TechCrunch)

Facebook Local is the social network’s stab at Yelp, Foursquare (Marketing Land)

Facebook Local Relaunches, Makes It Easier To Browse Events, Listings (MediaPost

Facebook Collaborative Stories

Facebook Stories replaces Messenger Day with synced cross-posting (TechCrunch)

Facebook launches collaborative Stories for Groups and Events (TechCrunch)

Facebook is killing Messenger Day and consolidating it with Facebook Stories (The Verge)

Twitter Name Length Now 50 Characters

Twitter bumps display name length up to 50 characters (The Verge)

Twitter expands display name length to 50 character (Engadget)

Twitter, high on 280 characters, more than doubles the length of display names (Mashable)

Twitter $99 Ad Subscriptions Service

Twitter Tempts Small Marketers With a $99-per-Month Ad Subscription (Ad Age)

Twitter’s $99 monthly subscription ad program launches into public beta (TechCrunch)

Twitter launches $99 subscription tool to promote tweets (Engadget)

Instagram Will Let Users Follow Hashtags

Instagram could let you follow hashtags soon (TechCrunch)

Instagram may soon let you follow hashtags (Express Newsline)

Instagram will soon let users follow hashtags in addition to accounts (Digital Trends)

Microsoft and LinkedIn Resume Assistant

Microsoft adds AI-powered LinkedIn resume assistant to Word (Engadget)

Microsoft integrates LinkedIn with Word to help you write a resume (The Verge)

Microsoft and LinkedIn Team Up to Make Writing Your Resume a Lot Easier (and Your Results a Lot Better) (Inc)

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#MidweekMinute: chattin' up a storm

A whole lot of chatter on Workplace, websites, Twitter, Snapchat & Instagram

Facebook Messenger has rolled out to websites (yes, non-Facebook websites) and Facebook's Slack-competitor, Workplace, now has a chat function. On Twitter, you can now use twice as many characters for your chatter. Snapchat needs a redesign because us olds can't figure it out. Instagram Stories no longer have to be in-the-moment...and you can now properly use Hebrew, Arabic & Farsi on the platform.

Facebook Messenger for Websites:

Facebook introduces a Messenger plugin for business websites (TechCrunch)

Facebook Messenger plugin enables cross-platform customer service (Engadget)

Facebook Will Let Brands Integrate Messenger With Their Websites (Adweek)

Facebook Workplace Chat:

Workplace: One Year Later (Workplaceblog)

Facebook's Workplace, now at 30,000 orgs, adds Chat desktop apps and group video chat (TechCrunch)

Twitter Character Limit:

Twitter Doubles Tweet Limit to 280 Characters (Bloomberg Technology)

Tweeting in 280 Characters? Now You Can Do It, Too (NY Times)

Twitter officially enables 280-character limit for all accounts, including brands (Marketing Land)

Snapchat redesign:

Snap Will Overhaul Its App Just Nine Months After Its IPO (Bloomberg Technology)

Snapchat will overhaul its app to bolster user numbers, as it endures the growing pains of shift to programmatic (The Drum)

A huge redesign is coming to Snapchat (The Verge)

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel is redesigning Snapchat because it’s too hard to use (Recode)

Instagram Stories:

You can now upload content older than 24 hours to Instagram Stories (The Verge)

Instagram continues Snapchat assault, lifts 24 hour limit on Stories clone (9 to 5 Mac)

Instagram now lets you add any photos or videos to your Stories (TechCrunch)

Instagram and Left-to-Right Languages:

Instagram now supports right-to-left languages like Hebrew and Arabic (TechCrunch)

Instagram adds right-to-left language support starting with Arabic, Farsi, and Hebrew (the Verge)

Instagram now supports three right-to-left languages (Engadget)

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#MidweekMinute: Trolls, exploration, pins, journalism, bots, and camaraderie

Twitter calendarizes their stand against hate; Facebook will let you browse brands & your friend's babies on separate feeds, "pin" together like posts, and subscribe to real news; LinkedIn will let a bot interact on your behalf, and possibly start original programming; you can bring a friend onto your next Instagram Live broadcast.

"When will Twitter take action against the hate being spewed on their platform - and what will they do?" They've detailed exactly what they're doing about it, and when.

"I wish my Facebook feed were more about my friends, and the brands could go somewhere else." Like a new Explore Feed, perhaps?

"I also wish I could 'pin together' pictures, videos & posts that are part of the same basic story." Facebook Sets is in testing.

"I like real journalism and I'm willing to pay for it." So subscribe to Facebook Instant Articles!

"I tend to have the same predictable responses to most of my LinkedIn messages." Let LinkedIn Smart Replies handle it for you!

"LinkedIn is such a great place for networking and thought leadership, and video is great for both - they should have video shows on LinkedIn!" That may be happening soon...

"When I'm on Instagram Live, I wish I could pull a viewer out from the crowd to share the screen with me - I'd feel like Oprah, or Bruce Springsteen." Well, you can do that now, though I doubt Oprah or Bruce will be utilizing this new feature.

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midweekminute Christine Gritmon Inc. midweekminute Christine Gritmon Inc.

#MidweekMinute: TWO MINUTES of news this week!

Facebook makes news with VR, food delivery, away messages, a resume feature, branded stories, tbh... yikes, chill with the innovations, FB! LinkedIn and Twitter up their video ad game, and Snapchat is getting scripted programming.

Facebook, as usual, dominates this week's news, as they attempt to bring corded-quality VR to the wireless masses, pizza to the starving gamers playing it, AIM-style away messages to us nostalgic folk, and JOBS to all. LinkedIn continues their "new features every damn week of 2017" streak with sponsored auto-play video ads. Twitter is changing its video ad game with Video Cards that launch a playing video over a clicked link. Back to Facebook, who's finally letting brands create Facebook Stories. But if they don't succeed in stealing the Snap demographic there, it's all good: Facebook has also acquired tbh (don't worry if you don't know what that is), which is the rare anonymous platform that's all about positivity. Snapchat's still very much in the "constantly developing new stuff" game, though: they just announced a partnership with NBCUniversal (& Donut Studios) for new, scripted programming.

Facebook Announces Inexpensive Oculus VR Headset:


Facebook Announces $199 Oculus Go Standalone VR Headset (Variety)

Facebook announces a wireless $200 virtual reality headset (Chicago Tribune)

Facebook unveils "portable" Oculus VR headset (Axios)

How Oculus and Facebook Are Attempting to Make VR Social (DesignNews)

Facebook food ordering:


Facebook's Newest Feature Lets Users Order Food (Refinery 29)

Facebook launches new food-ordering feature (Philly Voice)

Facebook Adds Options For Ordering Food (Forbes)

Facebook's "Order Food" feature officially launches across the US (TechCrunch)

Facebook Status Messages:


Facebook Tests A Return Of The Status Message (BuzzFeed News)

Facebook Goes Retro With Its Test of Text-Only Temporary Profile Status Updates (Adweek)

Facebook Testing Resume Feature, challenging LinkedIn:
 

Facebook is testing a Resume/CV feature--watch your back LinkedIn! (Social Barrel)

Facebook is testing a LinkedIn-like resume feature (Engadget)

Facebook is reportedly testing a new resume / CV feature (Mashable)

LinkedIn autoplay video ads:
 

LinkedIn launches autoplay mobile video ads (Marketing Land)

Video Ads Are Finally Coming to LinkedIn (Adweek)

LinkedIn would like to add autoplay ads to your professional network (Engadget)

LinkedIn is testing autoplaying video ads (betanews)

Twitter Video WEbsite Cards:


Twitter introduces a new video-centric ad format (TechCrunch)

Twitter’s New Ad Unit Pulls a Video Above a Website to Make Click-Throughs More Interactive (Adweek)

Twitter’s new Video Website Card ad format uses video to push link clicks (Marketing Land)

Facebook launches branded Stories:
 

No one uses Facebook Stories, so now they're available for #brands (Engadget)

Facebook Stories open to Pages, bringing brands to the ghost town (TechCrunch)

Facebook acquires tbh:
 

Facebook Acquires Teen App (Reuters)

Facebook acquires anonymous teen compliment app tbh, will let it run (TechCrunch)

How tbh hit #1 by turning anonymity positive (TechCrunch)

Facebook Acquires 'tbh,' an Anonymous App for Teens (Fortune)

Snapchat and NBCUniversal scripted programming:
 

Snapchat and NBCUniversal Are Creating a Digital Content Studio for Scripted Shows (Adweek)

Snapchat & NBC Are Teaming Up For Scripted Shows (Refinery 29)

Snap teams with NBCUniversal in drive for TV shows on Snapchat (CNBC)

Snap and NBCUniversal team up on Snapchat scripted shows (TechCrunch)

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midweekminute Christine Gritmon Inc. midweekminute Christine Gritmon Inc.

#MidweekMinute 10/4/17

#MidweekMinute (and a half; whoops!): Facebook facial recognition, Russian ads, and a "lite" version of Messenger; Snapchat artist collab; swipe right on Bizz; LinkedIn geofilters

Facebook gets creepy with facial recognition - especially worrisome given the whole Russian ads debacle, which just brought them in front of Congress. They're also expanding their data-saving Messenger Lite to the US. Snapchat will now enable you to place a Jeff Koons sculpture wherever you go. Dating app Bumble introduces Bumble Bizz, where you can swipe right on prospective professional contacts. LinkedIn announces geofilters for conferences and events, which I cannot freaking wait to try.

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midweekminute Christine Gritmon Inc. midweekminute Christine Gritmon Inc.

MidweekMinute: now expanding to 2:80 (just kidding)

Twitter doubles character limit from 140 to 280; Target teams up with Pinterest for visual search; Instagram enhances its privacy settings to limit who can comment on your posts; Microsoft Office 365 incorporates LinkedIn profiles into its products.

After a bit of a break, I'm back to a weekly #MidweekMinute! Did you miss me? This week's is coming at you LIVE from the #INBOUND17 conference in Boston! (To catch up with my conference learnings, check out my Twitter feed or stay tuned next week for blog posts of my Storify threads).

This week's top stories that fit into a minute:

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midweekminute Christine Gritmon Inc. midweekminute Christine Gritmon Inc.

#MidweekMinute: New YouTube & LinkedIn developments; new follows on FB & Insta

New YouTube & LinkedIn developments; new follows on FB & Insta

YouTube introduces video sharing & messaging for app, and new ad formats for TV. LinkedIn continues to aggressively develop its capacity as a business tool, providing services beyond interpersonal connections. Facebook hasn't let you go live via Camera for some reason, but it will now... oh, and Donald Trump is also releasing his "Real News" show on that platform, too (I've got your FB news right here...). Finally, Apple is finally using Instagram to showcase photos taken on iPhones (which sounds an awful lot like my account, but I digress).

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#MidweekMinute

A new $99 Twitter ad subscription plan, Facebook's mysterious touch screen speaker device, LinkedIn website demographics, and your very own Snapchat drone.

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midweekminute Christine Gritmon Inc. midweekminute Christine Gritmon Inc.

#MidweekMinute: Spark, more Groups, REAL NEWS, and a not-phone

Are you using Amazon Spark? Have you joined a "group" for a page yet? Will you pay Facebook for news? And, last but not least: is Facebook developing a modular smartphone?

Last week, I caught the news about Amazon developing Anytime, but somehow missed the big Spark announcement...
Facebook, in the meantime, has a few updates: groups for pages, development of a subscription option for news, and a mysterious patent application for a modular device that may or may not be a smartphone (my money's on "not").

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midweekminute Christine Gritmon Inc. midweekminute Christine Gritmon Inc.

#MidweekMinute 7/19/17: Alexa, let's chat

Three major players are dipping their toes into new formats.

In this week's social media headlines, three major players are dipping their toes into new formats:
Amazon is entering the messaging arena with development of a new app called Anytime.
Facebook takes the popularity of its new GIF feature to the natural next step: enabling users to create their own looping videos.
And LinkedIn is releasing auto-play video posts (FINALLY!).

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