SOCIAL
TikTok’s AR Effect House Comes Out of Beta Mode, Expanding Creator Opportunities

TikTok has marked its latest milestone in AR development, with its Effect House AR studio for creators now coming out of beta mode after more than a year of development.
Much like Snapchat’s ‘Lens Studio’ and Meta’s ‘Spark AR’ platform, TikTok’s Effect House enables creators to build their own AR effects for the app, with a range of templates and tools available to facilitate the process.

And the advanced AR platform has already sparked significant interest and usage.
As per TikTok:
“Since launching version 1.0 in 2022, effects made by Effect House’s community of creators have inspired more than 21 billion videos, garnering more than 8.6 trillion views globally and bringing together more than 400,000 members on the Effect House Discord.”
TikTok actually launched the initial version of Effect House with selected developers back in 2021, as an in-app tool, which was eventually expanded into the separate Effect House platform that’s now being used by creators.
Which is a great way for TikTok to maximize its potential to tap into the latest trends. By expanding its creative insight beyond its in-house team, that then enables TikTok to get a broader range of effects into the app, which increases its chances of tapping into the next viral hit.
Snapchat has long been the leader in this respect, with virtually every AR trend of the past decade stemming from Snap. But TikTok’s popularity also sees it well-placed to become the originator of similar hits, which is no doubt a key lure of its Effect House offering.
And based on these numbers, there’s a lot to like, and a lot of opportunity to reach users via AR effects in the app.
Marking its latest development, TikTok has also provided an overview of the more than 20 new elements that it’s added to the platform, including generative effects, media texture tools, an expanded asset library, and more.
TikTok’s also provided new pathways for creators to make money from their AR creations, including its New Creator Bonus, its $6 million Effect Creator Rewards program, and its Branded Effect Closed Beta.
AR is a key area of focus, especially as we move towards the next stage of AR-enabled glasses, and digital overlays that will eventually change the way we interact with the world.
We’re still a way off from that next-level vision, but by facilitating the creation of immersive, three-dimensional digital elements, that will ensure that social platforms are well-placed, either for the eventual AR shift, or the VR metaverse push.
Both technologies are complementary, which is why it’s important for all platforms to keep pace with the latest developments.
And by facilitating AR creation, TikTok’s taking the next steps, which could see it strengthen its foundations for enduring success.
You can learn more about TikTok’s Effect House here.
SOCIAL
YouTube Adds New Analytics Cards, Simplifies its ‘Product Drops’ Feature

YouTube’s making some updates to its Product Drops feature within live streams, while it’s also adding some new analytics cards, and testing a new format for its TV app.
First off, on Product Drops. YouTube’s changing the requirements for Product Drops in live streams so that more creators will be able to include drops to highlight their items.
Up till now, Product Drops have only been available to creators who’ve connected their Shopify stores, or have access to Google Merchant Center, while creators have also had to plan Product Drops in advance, and schedule them via Live Control Room. But now, YouTube’s giving more creators more ways to access the feature.
As per YouTube:
“Any creators who have connected to their first party stores, or are participating in the YouTube Affiliate Program can set up Product Drops in the live control room on YouTube. This means that more creators will be able to use Product Drops to boost sales and engagement on their live streams.”
YouTube will also now enable creators to implement Product Drops at any time during a live stream, eliminating the pre-planned requirement.
“This will give creators more flexibility to react to the moment, and drive excitement in real time.”
YouTube says that many creators have seen good response to their Product Drops, with the interactive, engaging process helping to drive hype, and spark more response from viewers.
Product Drops are available via the Live Control Room in YouTube Studio. You can read more about how they work here.
YouTube’s also updating its Community Posts creation flow, in order to simplify the process, and ideally get more channels posting text-based updated in the app.
Community Posts remain a lesser element, though YouTube’s been working to make them a bigger focus throughout the year, by adding additional engagement elements like polls, quizzes, disappearing updates, and more.
Simplifying the creation process is another step in boosting awareness, and potentially driving more interaction with you YouTube audience.
YouTube’s also adding some new revenue analytics cards, including “Total Members” insights (which includes subscriber data) and “Where Members Joined From”, which will provide more insight into what’s driving channel growth.
YouTube’s also adding new data on why users have canceled their membership within the insights tab in YouTube Analytics.

As you can see in this example, the new card will show the reasons why people have opted to stop their subscription to your channel, based on responses provided in the cancellation flow.
Finally, YouTube’s also experimenting with a new format for its TV app, which will make it easier to access different elements.

As you can see in this example, shared by 9t05Google, the new format will include bigger buttons to access different elements, and further customize your YouTube experience on the bigger screen.
Connected TV is the fastest growing viewer segment for YouTube, with more and more people now looking to consume YouTube content on their home TV set. As such, it makes sense for YouTube to roll out more updates aligned with big screen viewing in order to feed into this usage.
Some handy updates, across various elements, which are worth noting as you go about managing your YouTube presence.
SOCIAL
Musk regrets controversial post but won’t bow to advertiser ‘blackmail’

Elon Musk’s comments at the New York Times’ Dealbook conference drew a shocked silence – Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP Slaven Vlasic
Elon Musk apologized Wednesday for endorsing a social media post widely seen as anti-Semitic, but accused advertisers who are turning away from his social media platform X of “blackmail” and said anyone who does so can “go fuck yourself.”
The remark before corporate executives at the New York Times’ Dealbook conference drew a shocked silence.
Earlier, Musk had apologized for what he called “literally the worst and dumbest post that I’ve ever done.”
In a comment on X, formerly Twitter, Musk on November 15 called a post “the actual truth” that said Jewish communities advocated a “dialectical hatred against whites,” which was criticized as echoing longtime conspiracy theory among White supremacists.
The statement prompted a flood of departures from X of major advertisers, including Apple, Disney, Comcast and IBM who criticized Musk for anti-semitism.
“I’m sorry for that tweet or post,” Musk said Wednesday. “It was foolish of me.”
He told interviewer Andrew Ross Sorkin that his post had been misinterpreted and that he had sought to clarify the remark in subsequent posts to the thread.
But Musk also said he wouldn’t be beholden to pressure from advertisers.
“If somebody’s gonna try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money?” Musk said. “Go fuck yourself.”
But the billionaire acknowledged that there were business implications to the advertiser actions.
“If the company fails… it will fail because of an advertiser boycott” Musk said. “And that will be what will bankrupt the company.”
Musk, who met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a visit to Israel earlier this week, insisted in the interview that he holds no discrimination against Jews, calling himself “philo-Semitic,” or an admirer of Judaism.
During the interview, Musk wore a necklace given to him by a parent of an Israeli hostage taken in the Hamas attack on October 7. The necklace reads, “Bring Them Home.”
Musk told Sorkin that the Israel trip had been planned earlier and was not an “apology tour” related to the controversial tweet.
SOCIAL
TikTok Encourages Creators To Make Longer Videos, With Focus On Ad Revenue 11/30/2023

A new report by The Information shows the company’s recent efforts to convince
creators to put out longer videos in order to provide more room for ad placements.
According to the …
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