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Musk’s Twitter Plans Remain Vague After First Q and A with Company Staff

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Musk Discusses His Views on Content Moderation as Twitter Deal Inches Closer to Completion

Okay, look, I have no doubt that Elon Musk is a genius on some level, a visionary who has been able to tap into key investment and development opportunities, and make things happen where others could not.

I’m not debating this – but his views on social media, and how social platforms work, increasingly seem outdated, misguided, and outright wrong in many respects.

Today, Musk held his first meeting with Twitter staff since launching a hostile takeover offer for the platform back in April.

And as you can imagine, staff had many questions – and Musk’s answers didn’t exactly provide much assurance of future direction for the company.

First off, on censorship, which has been a key element of Musk’s Twitter takeover push. Musk has long criticized Twitter’s restrictions on certain speech, and has advocated for more open communication, within the boundaries of local laws, as opposed to taking on more officiating on such at a platform level.

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In today’s meeting, Musk reiterated this stance, saying that people should be allowed to ‘say pretty outrageous things’ – though Musk also says that such comments ‘shouldn’t be amplified’ by Twitter itself.

What exactly that means is unclear – though interestingly, Musk has often criticized Twitter’s alleged ‘shadow bans’ which restrict the reach of some tweets. It seems like he’s kind of now advocating for this – but how exactly he would envision such process, in a functional sense, is unclear.

Musk also discussed his plan to combat bots, which has been another key pillar of his Twitter takeover push.

Last month, Musk said that his Twitter takeover had been effectively put ‘on hold’ due to him essentially not believing Twitter’s data that only 5% of its active users were fake/bots. Twitter has since provided Musk with its ‘full firehose’ of tweets to make an independent assessment.

So how does Musk plan to tackle bots?

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His solution would be that users need to pay a certain amount to get their account verified, which would make it too expensive to run massive bot networks.

“It needs to be much more expensive to have a troll army.”

That makes some sense, but it could also be more challenging in practice, while additionally limiting the app’s growth prospects, if every user has to pay to sign-up. Musk has previously also noted that Twitter ‘will always be free for casual users’, but how these two stances would align is another hazy element.

Which leads into Musk’s growth plans for the app. As per Musk’s leaked strategy deck, which had been shared with potential investors Musk plans to increase Twitter’s user base from the 229 million daily actives it has right now, to 600 million by 2025, then to 931 million by 2028.

In fact, Musk has told Twitter staff that his plans are even bigger than this, with a target of a billion users in the app.

Though again, the detail is pretty light on here, with Musk only providing a vague reference to Chinese messaging apps as a template of sorts for Twitter growth.

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Wow, what a stroke of genius this is. This approach totally hasn’t been attempted by almost every other messaging app, in every other region.

Indeed, Meta has been working on this template for years, first trying to get Western users more hooked on Messenger, via the addition of a range of expanded functions and tools, then pushing to do the same with WhatsApp in India and other Asian markets.

It’s never worked. For whatever reason, Chinese users have adopted messaging apps in a much bigger way than those in other markets, and while Meta is still hopeful that it can make WhatsApp the key connective tool on India and Indonesia specifically, the chances of US users increasing their reliance on a messaging platform – and definitely on Twitter – are not very high.

But Elon seems to believe that he’s the first to notice this, and that this is some hidden gem that no one has stumbled upon as yet, which again underlines the concern that he’s a little naïve in his approach to managing, and maximizing, the platform.

That’s been the same in his statements about fake accounts and free speech, Elon has a personal stance on each of these elements, but it’s not like the questions that he’s raising haven’t been raised and assessed by every other social app at some stage.

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For example:

It still amazes me that a person looking to buy a social media platform doesn’t understand the impact that algorithmic sorting has on engagement, a key measure of success. Yes, some people get annoyed by an algorithm showing them what it thinks they like, but the fact is that all platforms that have implemented algorithmic systems have seen engagement increase as a result, including Twitter itself.

Which leads into the next point raised by Musk:

Right, so algorithms are bad, but people can’t be shown ‘boring content’ – and TikTok, which has seen massive success on the back of its highly attuned personalization algorithm, which fuels its ‘For You’ feed, is a great example of what to aim for.

I look forward to seeing how Musk and Co. solve for this.  

Other staff questions related to diversity in the workforce, allowing people to continue working from home (something Musk is against) and, of course, potential lay-offs.

Musk has previously stated that he plans to cut Twitter’s staff base by around 1,000 roles – a seventh of Twitter’s overall workforce – over the next two years.  

Musk didn’t offer any additional assurance on this front:

“Right now costs exceed revenue. That’s not a great situation.”

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Musk also – probably jokingly – suggested that Twitter could add an ‘irony’ label to add context to tweets.

Which is pretty stupid – but again, it seemed like a joke. Probably.

Again, overall, Musk’s responses show a lack of awareness in many respects, and a lack of a clear plan as to how Musk expects to make Twitter a success, outside of just getting people to tweet more often.

Functionally, that’s not something you can just do, and getting more people to tweet has been the full focus of the app’s staff for the entire 16 years of its existence.

Still, Musk seems confident that he has the answers. Like $44 billion confident.

How that translates into action, we’ll have to wait and see.

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Snapchat Explores New Messaging Retention Feature: A Game-Changer or Risky Move?

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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.

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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.

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Catering to specific audience boosts your business, says accountant turned coach

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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.” 

“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.

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“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.

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Instagram Tests Live-Stream Games to Enhance Engagement

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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.

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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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