Facebook this week rolled out the Explore Feed on desktop, which suggests ‘public’ content, based on content you have already engaged with. The aim is to help users discover more content beyond posts from friends and Pages they already follow, and in turn increase their time-on-site.
Facebook and WhatsApp are in hot water over user data sharing. A group of watchdogs and regulators from EU nations said users were not properly informed that their data would be used, and were not given an option to opt-out.
It looks as though Twitter is on track to record its first ever profitable financial quarter. The micro-blogging platform has reduced net losses to $21 million, meaning it could be making money in under 4 months. Shares soared 18% on Thursday as a result.
Twitter has admitted that it may has mistakenly overestimated its user numbers by as much as two million – but that is not a huge change considering Twitter has a userbase of 300 million people. The error happened as a result of Twitter counting users of the app Digits, which its transferred to Google in January.
Visual
Hundreds of thousands of Snapchat Spectacles are sitting unused in a warehouse in China. With pairs retailed at $129.99 these specs must be burning a hole in Snapchat’s pocket. Looks like poor Snap may have gotten a little ahead itself.
LinkedIn’s new Smart Replies predict your response, making it easier to clear your inbox. The feature will become smarter over time to personalise interactions. Let’s hope it doesn’t generate a “Get lost!” option…
Winner
A while ago, KFC followed the Spice Girls and 6 men called Herb on Twitter. Get it? When user @edgette22 noticed, his tweet was liked over 700,000 times. The stunt has been called ‘internet gold’. It’s a perfect example of clever yet subtle social media management to generate buzz.
Loser
Geordie Shore star Marnie Simpson has broken advertising rules on Snapchat after failing to tag her snaps with #ad, despite potentially making thousands of pounds from the post. This is the Advertising Standards Authority’s first ruling on Snapchat advertising, but since the post self-deleted after 24 hours the ruling has no practical application.
Creative
In the lead up to the release of Stranger Things season two, Spotify has embedded a hidden gem in its web player. Users who visit the Stranger Things playlist will ‘magically’ have their player turned into ‘The Upside Down’ – the creepy alternative dimension that features in the TV series. Eerie…
