SOCIAL
Twitter Tests New Layout for Images, Considers Adding Limited Time Tweet Editing
This could be interesting – Twitter is currently experimenting with a new image format, which would take up the whole horizontal space in-stream, eliminating the current, rounded borders on your photos.
As you can see in this example, shared by reverse engineering expert Jane Manchun Wong, the new layout stretches the whole width of the feed, which, really, gives it a bit more of a Facebook vibe, but it does look better than the current tweet image presentation.
And apparently, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey agrees. He posted this response to Wong’s original tweet sharing her discovery.
Which is a tacit confirmation that it is coming, which could be an important change to note for your tweeted images and processes, to ensure that you maximize the extra width, when it becomes available.
On another front, Twitter’s also given users some new hope around tweet editing, with Product Lead Kayvon Beykpour posing this question in a tweet poll.
if @TwitterBlue let you edit tweets within a few minutes of posting them, would you want to subscribe? let me know why yes/no in the replies!
— Kayvon Beykpour (@kayvz) July 16, 2021
Twitter’s been talking about this possible addition for years, with Dorsey himself explaining how it might work in an interview with Joe Rogan in 2019.
“So when you send a tweet it goes to the world instantaneously. You can’t take it back. You could build it as such so maybe we introduce a 5-second to 30-second delay in the sending. And within that window, you can edit. The issue with going longer than that is it takes that real-time nature of the conversational flow out of it”
Beykpour is talking minutes with this new iteration, but the idea is the same, which could become a possible addition for its Twitter Blue subscription offering that’s currently available to users in Canada and Australia.
Twitter Blue already offers an ‘undo send’ option, which enables users to retract their sent tweets within up to 30 seconds of posting. Would editing, within a broader time limit, enhance the option even more?
In some ways, it’s interesting to see Twitter continuing to explore new ideas for its monetization tools, but in others, it does feel like it’s throwing up every idea that it can, in the hope that at least a few things stick. Just last year, Dorsey said that tweet editing wasn’t coming, which seemed to be the end of it – but the fact that it’s now resurrecting that discussion seems like, maybe Twitter’s running out of ideas to entice people to pay for its stuff.
Or maybe, it’s just going to leave no stone left unturned. The platform’s management is under pressure to improve its results, after years of relative stagnation, and it’s set some ambitious growth targets that it likely needs to meet – or it’s quite possible that Dorsey and Co. will be ousted by the company board.
Maybe, then, Twitter needs to throw the kitchen sink at its new subscription tools. And maybe, possibly, tweet editing could be the key lure that gets more people in.
Either way, it likely doesn’t suggest that people are flocking to Twitter Blue just yet.
And finally, Twitter has also added a new auto captions option for voice tweets.
We took your feedback and we’re doing the work. To improve accessibility features, captions for voice Tweets are rolling out today.
Now when you record a voice Tweet, captions will automatically generate and appear. To view the captions on web, click the “CC” button. https://t.co/hrdI19Itu6 pic.twitter.com/pDlpOUgV6l
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) July 15, 2021
Remember those two days when voice tweets were a thing, then everybody forgot that they even existed? Well they still serve elements of Twitter’s user base, and captions will provide another way to facilitate expanded usage.
SOCIAL
Snapchat Explores New Messaging Retention Feature: A Game-Changer or Risky Move?
In a recent announcement, Snapchat revealed a groundbreaking update that challenges its traditional design ethos. The platform is experimenting with an option that allows users to defy the 24-hour auto-delete rule, a feature synonymous with Snapchat’s ephemeral messaging model.
The proposed change aims to introduce a “Never delete” option in messaging retention settings, aligning Snapchat more closely with conventional messaging apps. While this move may blur Snapchat’s distinctive selling point, Snap appears convinced of its necessity.
According to Snap, the decision stems from user feedback and a commitment to innovation based on user needs. The company aims to provide greater flexibility and control over conversations, catering to the preferences of its community.
Currently undergoing trials in select markets, the new feature empowers users to adjust retention settings on a conversation-by-conversation basis. Flexibility remains paramount, with participants able to modify settings within chats and receive in-chat notifications to ensure transparency.
Snapchat underscores that the default auto-delete feature will persist, reinforcing its design philosophy centered on ephemerality. However, with the app gaining traction as a primary messaging platform, the option offers users a means to preserve longer chat histories.
The update marks a pivotal moment for Snapchat, renowned for its disappearing message premise, especially popular among younger demographics. Retaining this focus has been pivotal to Snapchat’s identity, but the shift suggests a broader strategy aimed at diversifying its user base.
This strategy may appeal particularly to older demographics, potentially extending Snapchat’s relevance as users age. By emulating features of conventional messaging platforms, Snapchat seeks to enhance its appeal and broaden its reach.
Yet, the introduction of message retention poses questions about Snapchat’s uniqueness. While addressing user demands, the risk of diluting Snapchat’s distinctiveness looms large.
As Snapchat ventures into uncharted territory, the outcome of this experiment remains uncertain. Will message retention propel Snapchat to new heights, or will it compromise the platform’s uniqueness?
Only time will tell.
SOCIAL
Catering to specific audience boosts your business, says accountant turned coach
While it is tempting to try to appeal to a broad audience, the founder of alcohol-free coaching service Just the Tonic, Sandra Parker, believes the best thing you can do for your business is focus on your niche. Here’s how she did just that.
When running a business, reaching out to as many clients as possible can be tempting. But it also risks making your marketing “too generic,” warns Sandra Parker, the founder of Just The Tonic Coaching.
“From the very start of my business, I knew exactly who I could help and who I couldn’t,” Parker told My Biggest Lessons.
Parker struggled with alcohol dependence as a young professional. Today, her business targets high-achieving individuals who face challenges similar to those she had early in her career.
“I understand their frustrations, I understand their fears, and I understand their coping mechanisms and the stories they’re telling themselves,” Parker said. “Because of that, I’m able to market very effectively, to speak in a language that they understand, and am able to reach them.”Â
“I believe that it’s really important that you know exactly who your customer or your client is, and you target them, and you resist the temptation to make your marketing too generic to try and reach everyone,” she explained.
“If you speak specifically to your target clients, you will reach them, and I believe that’s the way that you’re going to be more successful.
Watch the video for more of Sandra Parker’s biggest lessons.
SOCIAL
Instagram Tests Live-Stream Games to Enhance Engagement
Instagram’s testing out some new options to help spice up your live-streams in the app, with some live broadcasters now able to select a game that they can play with viewers in-stream.
As you can see in these example screens, posted by Ahmed Ghanem, some creators now have the option to play either “This or That”, a question and answer prompt that you can share with your viewers, or “Trivia”, to generate more engagement within your IG live-streams.
That could be a simple way to spark more conversation and interaction, which could then lead into further engagement opportunities from your live audience.
Meta’s been exploring more ways to make live-streaming a bigger consideration for IG creators, with a view to live-streams potentially catching on with more users.
That includes the gradual expansion of its “Stars” live-stream donation program, giving more creators in more regions a means to accept donations from live-stream viewers, while back in December, Instagram also added some new options to make it easier to go live using third-party tools via desktop PCs.
Live streaming has been a major shift in China, where shopping live-streams, in particular, have led to massive opportunities for streaming platforms. They haven’t caught on in the same way in Western regions, but as TikTok and YouTube look to push live-stream adoption, there is still a chance that they will become a much bigger element in future.
Which is why IG is also trying to stay in touch, and add more ways for its creators to engage via streams. Live-stream games is another element within this, which could make this a better community-building, and potentially sales-driving option.
We’ve asked Instagram for more information on this test, and we’ll update this post if/when we hear back.
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