In the news this week – Facebook announces new features for group admins and Instagram wants to buddy up with Hollywood movie stars…
Facebook is adding new features for group admins
On Thursday 22nd of June Facebook held their first Communities Summit in Chicago. Attended by hundreds of group admins, at it Facebook announced several new features to help users grow and manage their groups. According to a post on the Newsroom, more than 1 billion people around the world use Groups, with over 100 million being members of “meaningful groups” – those that quickly become a central part of their experience on the social network.
Among the features announced were Group Insights, offering admins real-time growth, engagement and membership metrics, membership request filtering, post scheduling and group-to-group linking. Full details of all of the updates can be found on this post.
Facebook trialling new tools to deter profile picture misuse in India
Facebook have added an optional ‘Picture Guard’ tool for users in India in a bid to deter profile picture misuse on the network. According to a post on Facebook’s Newsroom, when an extra design layer is added to a picture other people are 75% less likely to copy it.
The guard tool effectively renders pictures less accessible. Those with the tool added cannot be downloaded and people you aren’t friends with cannot tag people in it. Alongside that, on Android devices Facebook prevents the use of screenshots. Facebook have said that they will use their experience with the tool in India to consider expansion to other countries.
Facebook offering free advertising to anti-terror groups
Facebook will give free advertising credit to anti-terror groups in a bid to crack down on radical propaganda and terror across the network. The social network has previously been criticised for not doing enough to counter extremism. The new initiative is being referred to as a “counter speech” campaign and will be focussed in the UK. Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, announced that they will give advertising credit to groups such as the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. Announcing the initiative, she said:
“No one should have to live in fear of terrorism, and we all have a part to play in stopping violent extremism from spreading… There is no place for hate or violence on Facebook. Partnerships with others – including tech companies, civil society, researchers and governments – are a crucial piece of the puzzle.”
Instagram looks set to bolster ties with Hollywood influencers
Facebook is currently looking to engage with Hollywood celebrities and direct them to its Instagram unit, in a bid to keep pace with YouTube video content and fend off Snap. Celebrities and high-profile users play a crucial role in encouraging audience growth.
Looking at a job ad on LinkedIn, Instagram are hiring for a new executive in Los Angeles to help “drive high impact and authentic use of Instagram for public figures” leading “outreach efforts with entertainment industry influencers”.
Instagram expands options for live videos with Stories
Instagram now offer users the option to share a replay of their live videos to Instagram Stories. According to a post on their press site, millions of people have used live since it’s introduction in November. Once a live broadcast has ended, users will be able to tap “Share” at the bottom of the screen and a replay will be available on Stories for 24 hours.
