In the news this week – Facebook tests new loyalty rewards scheme, Twitter’s TV app made available on Roku and Pinterest releases top 10 travel destinations…
Facebook rolls out emoji reactions for comments
Facebook users are now able to react to comments on posts with an emoji. Reaction emojis were first released a year ago, offering users the ability to respond to posts with the expressions ‘Love, ‘Haha’, ‘Wow’, ‘Sad’ and ‘Angry’, however they have only recently began offering this feature for comments too.
The feature has only just introduced the functionality. For that reason, not every user will be able to make use of it just yet. A spokesperson for the company said:
“We’ve heard from people they’d like more ways to show their reaction in conversations on Facebook, so we’re rolling out the ability to react to comments.”
Facebook tests new loyalty rewards scheme
Facebook is trialling a new rewards scheme that allows users access to a personalised QR code that can be scanned at certain shops to give them access to discounts and loyalty rewards. The feature was spotted by Techcrunch and can be found under the More section on the mobile app. However it is currently only appearing for a small subset of users.
As yet, it isn’t clear what kind of discounts will be available through the scheme. The new feature could be evidence of Facebook trying to encourage more advertisers onto the network by providing them with the ability to track advertising to the point of sale. This is an area that Snapchat has recently invested in with the release of ‘Snap to Store’. When approached about the feature, Facebook said:
“To help businesses continue to connect with customers where they are, we’re running a small test that enables people to use the Facebook app to collect and redeem rewards when they make a purchase at a participating store.”
Security warning issued over “10 concerts” Facebook meme
Security experts are warning Facebook users against engaging with the popular ‘10 concerts’ post meme, which could be a clever phishing attempt. The viral posts encourages users to share a list of nine concerts that they have been to alongside one they have. However, it could be a hackers attempt to discover a crucial piece of important information from users – the first concert they went to – which just so happens to be one of Facebook’s security questions.
Google and Facebook now control one-fifth of global ad-spend
Research shows that last year Google and Facebook accounted for one-fifth of global advertising spend – almost double the figure of five years ago. According to data and analysis agency Zenith, Google attracted $79.4bn in ad revenues last year, while Facebook pulled in $26.9bn. Internet-only media companies are currently dominating the market, forcing traditional publishers far behind.
Twitter’s TV video app now available on Roku
Twitter has taken yet another step forward in positioning itself as a video platform by releasing an app on supported devices that allows users to access live video streams – even without an account. Already available on Apple TV, Xbox One and Amazon Fire TV devices, the latest device to receive the app is streaming TV and media player Roku.
Pinterest and Airbnb release the top 10 trending travel destinations
Pinterest has teamed up with Airbnb to bring users a list of the top trending travel destinations on the network right now, alongside some awesome places to stay in those locations. Some might come as something of a surprise to users. In reverse order, they are…
10. Barcelona, Spain
9. Santorini, Greece
8. New York City, USA
7. Bora Bora, French Polynesia
6. Kyoto, Japan
5. Reykjavic, Iceland
4. Highlands, Scotland
3. Courchevel, France
2. Tenerife, Canary Islands
1. Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
