In the present digital world, instant messaging is a cornerstone of our daily interactions. To atone for errors or change a little bit in the tone of our WhatsApp messages, the platform has rolled out the message editing feature for up to 15 minutes.
Feature Overview
The feature will allow users to rectify a simple misspelling or add extra context to their sent messages. The functionality is straightforward; by long-pressing on a sent message and choosing ‘Edit’ from the menu, you will be able to amend statements within a generous fifteen-minute window.
“From correcting a simple misspelling to adding extra context to a message, we’re excited to bring you more control over your chats. All you need to do is long-press on a sent message and choose ‘Edit’ from the menu for up to fifteen minutes after,” announced Whatsapp in a blogpost
Instead of sending numerous clarifying messages following an autocorrected typo or a hastily sent message, users will seamlessly edit their original text, ensuring clarity and accuracy in their communication.
Transparency and Privacy
To balance the need for accuracy and openness, the system will mark edited messages with an ‘edited’ label, informing recipients of any modifications. However, to maintain user privacy, the specific edit history will not be displayed. The new feature also respects user security and all personal messages, media, and calls will be protected with end-to-end encryption.
The new update has commenced its global rollout and will reach all users in the forthcoming weeks.
Meta is on the brink of launching its Twitter competitor, an Instagram-based, text-oriented app referred to as ‘Barcelona’ or ‘Project 92’. This app has stirred interest among creators as the Meta team disclosed its features and potential advantages.
Challenging Twitter’s Dominance
Some Twitter users who quit the app after new measures brought by the CEO Elon Musk have been looking for a new home and Meta is keen to take advantage fast. Talks of the new app ‘Barcelona’ have been on the rise with increasing comparison to Twitter.
According to Instagram, the new app will focus on facilitating conversations like Twitter’s chat-based feed. However, the comparative simplicity of Barcelona might be its key differentiator, aligning it closer to an uncluttered chat platform.
Instagram’s user base tends to shift towards Direct Messages (DMs), with the main feed transforming into a discovery platform. Users are progressively distancing themselves from public posting activities, and Meta’s move to release ‘Barcelona’ shows its intent to capitalize on this trend. To warm users to the coming app, Meta recently launched the Broadcast Channels, a feature for one-to-many messaging, and ‘Notes’, allowing users to share conversation prompts in a Stories-like bubble above their Direct inbox.
Pioneering Decentralization
Barcelona Codenamed ‘P92’ signifies Meta’s ambitious foray into building a decentralized network. This feature implies that users on other decentralized apps, such as Mastodon, can search for, follow, and interact with the profiles and content of Barcelona app users.
“Users on apps [like Mastodon] will be able to search for, follow and interact with your profile and your content if you’re public, or if you’re private and approve them as followers. This allows you to reach new audiences with no added work. In addition, creators may be eligible to be recommended to people who don’t yet follow them.” confirmed Meta
This network will enable users to sign in using their Instagram credentials, including their username, effectively syncing their Instagram followers onto the new platform. It will allow text updates of up to 500 characters and the ability to add links, photos, and videos up to 5 minutes in length, providing an Instagram-specific tilt to the app, and distinguishing it from Twitter.
The new app will encourage interaction in a decentralized environment with in-stream replies, likes, and re-posts (analogous to Twitter’s retweets).
In a statement to Platformer earlier, a Meta spokesperson said,
“We’re exploring a standalone decentralized social network for sharing text updates. We believe there’s an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests.”
Building on Existing User Base
Instagram’s daily active users are more than a billion compared to twitters 253 million. To maximize this, Meta aims to make it effortless for these users to transition to the new app. This could lead to a swift migration, creating a Twitter-like stream at an accelerated pace.
However, the success of this new venture might not solely depend on its usability and features. If Barcelona allows users to transfer their Instagram audience seamlessly, it could gain a considerable advantage, creating a viable alternative for those seeking another similar platform.
As Elon Musk, who recently took over Twitter, advised disgruntled users to switch to other platforms, Barcelona could present itself as an appealing choice potentially drawing in advertisers’ attention.
The Future of Social Media Engagement
In social media, adapting to evolving usage trends is crucial for survival and growth. Meta’s new venture reflects its drive to experiment with decentralization, and a more open system to serve users across various fronts.
Meta has reportedly been briefing creators about the app, offering early access to celebrities and high-profile sports figures. As we await the public release of this app, the question remains: Will Barcelona disrupt the status quo, or will it blend into the digital landscape as just another social media platform?
Meta has been constantly coming up with ways to enhance users’ experiences on both Facebook and Instagram. Recently, it announced a set of new features aimed at making promotions more accessible and lead generation more effective.
Meta’s Promotional Ads
Statistics collected by Meta suggest that 85% of shoppers actively seek out promotions before making a purchase. They have therefore released a new format called promotional ads to help people find brand deals and businesses to complete sales.
“Promotional ads can help people find opportunities to save on products and offers from brands they love. Starting in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and India, select advertisers on Facebook will be able to better engage people through various features that make it easier to find, apply, and manage deals that are relevant to them such as seasonal sales, first-time purchase discounts, and holiday promotions, ”announced Meta in a blog post
With promotional ads, Facebook users will be able to click and claim an offer which will automatically apply discounted codes. In cases where they don’t complete the purchase, Users will receive reminders of deals before they end
Enhanced Lead Ads Features
Lead generation is the lifeblood of many businesses, and the platform has a variety of lead generation products. But, Meta has decided to take them up a notch.
Soon, advertisers will have the capability to make their question-and-answer forms dynamic. Based on users’ responses, the subsequent questions will automatically update, providing a more tailored experience.
Moreover, advertisers will be able to overlay Instant Forms on their web pages within Meta’s in-app browser. This enhancement will provide richer context about the business and simplify the submission of user information.
To connect brands and customers, Meta has added a feature for new businesses with pages to add a contact form to their “Contact Us” button. The button will open a seamless conversation with potential customers via Messenger, providing an excellent option for businesses to connect with interested customers before setting up a lead ad campaign.
Apart from the new updates, Meta recently updated its Professional dashboard to include over 20 topics on Creator education, offering insights into essential aspects of content creation, distribution, and monetization on Facebook.
More than 35 videos from seasoned creators have been featured. The educational content is designed to offer advice on various aspects such as making captivating Reels, growing your audience on Live, finding trends, and earning money on Facebook.
Meta’s commitment to staying at the cutting edge of the digital marketing world is evident with its consistent updates. These updates will come in handy for businesses to generate lead information from user interactions. It will interesting to see how much of a change this new feature brings.
TikTok has been revolutionizing the platform and developing strategies to ensure creators’ efforts are rewarded and businesses get a medium to connect with their audiences.
TikTok recently launched the Effect Creator Rewards, an initiative designed to recognize and reward effect house creators. According to TikTok, these creators have been instrumental in sparking trends and shaping culture on the platform. Their innovative effects have garnered widespread engagement and inspired users worldwide to create joyous and engaging content.
Therefore the platform is rewarding their efforts by introducing an initiative that will compensate them for high-performing effects.
“The $6 million dollar fund, available to creators in select regions, will offer payments to creators based on the community’s engagement with their effects. At launch, for every effect that’s used in 500K unique videos within 90 days of being published, a creator will collect $700 USD. For every 100K videos published thereafter within the same 90 days, creators will collect an additional $140, “ said Tiktok in their blog post.
The Effect House beta was introduced to provide designers, developers, and creators with comprehensive tools and resources to construct dynamic Community Effects for the global TikTok community. The subsequent introduction of the Effect Creator Rewards continues the initiative. For creators to confirm their qualifications and more about the program they can check the Effect House website.
Updates to the Creativity Program Beta
In response to feedback from its creative community, TikTok developed the Creativity Program Beta to encourage creators to unleash their creativity further while generating higher revenue potential. The eligibility criteria for this program require creators to be based in Brazil, France, or the US, maintain an account in good standing, and have at least 10,000 followers with a minimum of 100,000 views in the last 30 days.
The Creativity Program Beta now has an updated dashboard with a new formula that provides a higher average gross revenue for qualified video views, giving creators the potential to earn higher rewards. The updated dashboard also offers more insights, including estimated rewards, video performance metrics, and analytics, alongside details on video eligibility.
Artist Impact Program: Nurturing artist brand synergy
As an integral part of the TikTok experience, music and sound have a profound impact on the platform’s community creativity and the ability to spark cultural moments. To help businesses harness the power of sound, TikTok introduced the Commercial Music Library (CML), a global library of over one million pre-cleared songs connecting brands with both emerging and established artists.
Now it has launched the Artist Impact Program, an initiative that will allow artists to monetize their music by enabling businesses to use their sounds in TikTok content. This not only opens up new revenue streams for artists but also provides businesses with fresh avenues for engaging with their audiences.
Partnerships with global music distributors like Believe, DistroKid, and Vydia will fuel the Artist Impact Program, providing artists with the opportunity to tap into advertising budgets from brands featuring them in their TikTok campaigns. These partnerships are helping to drive content creation with trending music, thereby fueling the entire music ecosystem.
Although the trend-setting platform is not in the clear yet with threats to ban in the US, TikTok continues to redefine its platform and discover new ways for creators to monetize, businesses to sell, and users to enjoy good content. It is not clear yet whether its initiatives will push it further into the social media future or the platform will get banned no matter what, but time will tell.
In an unprecedented move, Governor Greg Gianforte has signed into law, legislation prohibiting the operation of the Chinese-owned TikTok app in the state of Montana. The law will be effective from January 1, 2024. Google and Apple’s app stores will be barred from offering the app within the state.
However, no penalties will be imposed on individuals using the app. This is the first instance of a U.S. state implementing a full ban on the popular short video app. In a tweet, Governor Greg Gianforte announced
“To protect Montanan’s personal and private data from the Chinese communist party, I have banned TikTok in Montana”
The objective of this law, according to the governor, is to protect the people of Montana from potential intelligence gathering by China, and violators may face a potential fine of $10000 per day
TikTok CEO’s Congressional Testimony
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew faced a grueling five-hour congressional hearing with Lawmakers questioning him over alleged Chinese influence on the platform, the purported harmful effect on children’s mental health, and the app’s influence on Americans.
Chew continuously denied the claims that the app shares data with the Chinese Communist Party, stating,
“American data is stored on American soil, by an American company, overseen by American personnel,”
When the legislation was passed in the state of Montana, TikTok issued a statement via TikTokComms stating
“Governor Gianforte has signed a bill that infringes on the First Amendment rights of the people of Montana by unlawfully banning TikTok, a platform that empowers hundreds of thousands of people across the state. We want to reassure Montanans that they can continue using TikTok to express themselves, earn a living, and find a community as we continue working to defend the rights of users inside of Montana,”
National Concerns About TikTok
The TikTok ban in the state of Montana reflects national concerns about the short-video platform, which lawmakers from both parties believe holds considerable power over American users, especially children. There were lingering accusations of the app promoting content that encourages eating disorders, illegal drug sales, and sexual exploitation during the hearing.
“We must save our children from big tech companies like yours, who continue to abuse and manipulate them for your own gain,” said Representative Gus Bilirakis, reflecting the sentiments of many lawmakers.
Despite TikTok’s claims of spending over $1.5 billion on data security efforts under “Project Texas”, legislators remain skeptical about its measures to ensure user safety. These ongoing concerns have added a new element to the tensions between Washington and Beijing.
Implications and Reactions
The legislation has brought about varying responses, both domestically and internationally. It is expected to face legal challenges, as many critics, including the ACLU, have deemed it unconstitutional.
“With this ban, Governor Gianforte and the Montana legislature have trampled on the free speech of hundreds of thousands of Montanans who use the app to express themselves, gather information, and run their small businesses in the name of anti-Chinese sentiment,” said Keegan Medrano, policy director at the ACLU of Montana.
Industry group NetChoice’s general counsel, Carl Szabo, also criticized the law, saying,
“The government may not block our ability to access constitutionally protected speech – whether it is in a newspaper, on a website, or via an app.”
On the international front, China’s commerce ministry warned that
“Forcing TikTok’s sale will seriously damage the confidence of investors from all over the world, including China, to invest in the United States.”
While the ban sets a precedent, it remains unclear how other states will respond or whether this action will strengthen the Biden administration’s legal powers to ban TikTok nationwide. Many states have already banned the usage of the app on government devices but will they be willing to take a step further?
As the legal and political battle over TikTok’s operations in the U.S. unfolds, users and observers will be keenly watching. What will happen to individuals whose entire livelihood depends on TikTok? Is there a future for the app in the united states? Will Chinese investors pay any more attention to the US market? It will be interesting to see how this story evolves, and what it might mean for the wider social media landscape.
YouTube has announced its latest updates which include a new analytics card in YouTube Studio, that will provide insights into which content formats are resonating most with viewers. It has also announced a scrubber feature on its short clip formats and more details into the content remixes.
Enhanced ‘Shorts’ Viewing Experience
Adding to the Shorts experience, the platform has introduced a new feature called scrubber on Shorts clips, that will allow viewers to skim through them more quickly. This feature is designed for the modern viewer’s short attention span. The scrubber bar will appear on all Shorts clips lasting 30 seconds or longer and will also automatically appear when shorter clips are paused.
To help creators understand better how audiences are interacting with their Shorts clips, YouTube is also offering more detailed insights into content remixes and remixes of remixes. This data will show how the reach of Shorts content is expanding and provide specific insights into how viewers discover specific creators of Shorts content. This will be available on the web and mobile where traffic source report is found.
The feature offers valuable data that will inform content creators on what types of videos to prioritize to maximize engagement. The hope is that, by demonstrating high engagement with Shorts, creators will be encouraged to experiment with this format, thereby increasing YouTube’s Shorts content volume.
A new Super Thanks decoration has been added to the latest comment card and channel feed in-studio mobile on Android and ios. This will enable creators to distinguish between supper comments and other comments when they view their most recent comments and in the comments tab.
According to Youtube, “Super thanks buyers that received a heart and comment reply were observed to have a higher repurchase rate within three months than those that did not. The goal is to help creators identify and interact with those who have gifted super thanks”
Analytics card and revenue Breakdown
The platform is rolling out a new analytics feature in Youtube studio, that will help creators know which content their audience engages with most in the App. The innovative tool breaks down viewer engagement by duration across traditional videos, Shorts, and Live, offering guidance on the most effective content strategy to boost viewer interaction.
Lastly, YouTube is enhancing its insight into the revenue breakdown screen in YouTube Studio, to give creators a clearer picture of their channel income sources. Previously, YouTube Analytics offered only a single view for all revenue analytics.
However, the platform has restructured the revenue page to include detailed pages with important metrics, allowing creators to delve deeper into each revenue source. Creators will now have access to summaries of all revenue data and select pages for each monetization method.
These updates offer more ways for creators to manage and maximize their content. With the ongoing emphasis on Short form videos on most social media platforms, creators should take note and consider incorporating this format more into their posting strategy and see if it is more palatable to their audience.
Logie is the best e-commerce system that links creators with brands. The platform works out the formalities with brands so all creators have to do is promote products and get paid.
Why was Logie created?
The name “Logie” is derived from John Logie Baird, a Scottish engineer, and inventor who played a crucial role in the development of television. John Logie Baird demonstrated the first working television system in 1926, which laid the foundation for the modern television industry.
So Logie pays homage to his pioneering work and highlights the connection between television history and the company’s vision for the future of live streaming and influencer technology.
The platform’s aim is to connect brands with creators and help users monetize their content.
“Most creators face a lot of micromanagement, they sometimes have to redo videos over and over and in the worst-case scenario end up without pay, so we decided to offload that burden and act as an in-between. From now on all our creators will have to worry about now is how to make their content great” Tanya, business development excecutive at Logie
Logie has demonstrated its increasing popularity as a valuable tool for influencers and content creators in the Amazon Live streaming ecosystem. Since its inception, it has experienced significant growth with a 1000% increase in Amazon commissions. It has been gaining momentum and recognition as a powerful platform to support content creators and brands in their monetization efforts.
How do you make money on LOGIE?
First, you have to be signed up on Logie.ai, initially, you may be placed on a waitlist but Joining the Logie Creators Facebook group may help expedite the process. Once you sign up and Log in, you will need to set up your profile and Install the Logie extension.
Logie has an AI-designed interface that users can leverage to promote products and earn a commission from the sales generated. The highest-paying opportunities can be accessed by clicking manage > products > opportunities.
When creators have a good sales history from the platform, they may start receiving product samples to promote. The beauty of Logie is that you do not have to deal directly with brands, as the platform streamlines the process.
To promote products, creators do not have to buy any products but may choose to buy products at discounted rates through the platform if they want to test and review them personally.
How is it different?
The content creation landscape is very dynamic and creators interact with different products every day, sometimes it may be challenging to track all the content you create or even come up with ideal content for products.
Most products on the platform also come with commissions of up to 50% that users can take advantage of. Although AI eases the burden, creators still need to set their personal schedules and select descriptions that are fitting to their specific products and backgrounds to work with their chosen products.
Data Management and Reporting
Most creators on the platform are not only Logie sellers but also Amazon sellers and sellers from other social media platforms. The platform has automated buttons that allow users to share on social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, linked in, Amazon, and Youtube with the rest still in the works.
Content from all these sites can be managed in the dashboard by clicking manage>reports. Logie reports gives users a view of clicks, items added to the cart, shipped items, earnings, and conversions. Users also have access to their highest-earning products, best-performing products, the content generated vs units sold as well as a view of filtered product reports.
In the Logie reports section users can paste other social post links on the link icon in the report section to track all their content from different social media platforms and easily manage them.
Logie is still in the beta stage and users may encounter issues from time to time, but with every passing week, there will be more additions to the platform to make it flawless and make the user journey as seamless as possible.
If you need support or get stuck while using the platform, feel free to reach out to the Logie support team or post your questions to the Facebook group (Logie Creators), we have a supportive community that wants to see us grow together. Have you registered? You can sign up here
Meta has announced new advancements in using its artificial intelligence (AI) to improve ad performance. The improvements will give advertisers access to new tools and features tested in the company’s AI Sandbox. The company has also introduced an improved Meta Advantage ad automation tool that will provide more flexibility for creative content and help advertisers measure successful campaigns.
AI Sandbox for Advertisers
This feature introduced by Meta will serve as a testing ground for early versions of new tools and features. The goal according to Meta is to develop tools that are easy to use and effective in improving ad performance.
‘’Our goal is to learn what works for advertisers and make these features easy to use in our ads tools. To start, we are building tools like text variation, background generation, and image outcropping to do things like to make an ad’s text more engaging or improve parts of its creative,” announced Meta in a blog post.
Meta has come up with AI features including; Text Variation which users will use to generate multiple versions of ad text to allow advertisers to test different messages for specific audiences, Background Generation to create a variety of background images from text inputs, and Image Outcropping to adjust creative assets to fit different aspect ratios across various platforms.
Improvements to Meta Advantage
Some of the features that Meta has improved include; One-click conversion of manual campaigns to Advantage+ shopping, Support for video creative in catalog ads, Performance Comparisons, and Improved performance with Advantage+ audience which uses audience suggestions and offers updated audience targeting methods to drive conversions.
“Meta Advantage is our portfolio of automation products that use AI and machine learning to help optimize campaign results, personalize ads by matching them to the right people at the right time, and ultimately help advertisers save time and money. Last year we consolidated our automated products under this new portfolio in order to help businesses more easily identify and benefit from them. Since then, we have seen adoption grow. For example, there are 3x as many advertisers using Advantage+ shopping campaigns weekly as there were 6 months ago,” said Meta in the blog post.
To finetune these products, a select group of advertisers are working with Meta to provide feedback. More advertisers will gradually be included starting July, with plans to integrate some features into Meta’s product offerings later in the year.
Meta continues to invest heavily in AI infrastructure in ways that they hope will be benefiting to both advertisers and users. By using more prominent, and complex models in their ads system, the platform aims to improve ad experiences and optimize results for businesses using the platform.
For instance, advanced AI modeling now enables optimization across multiple objectives simultaneously on Instagram, such as clicks on Story ads and conversions or sales on Reels.
Several companies have adopted the use of AI to ease the load of content creation. Logie.ai is a good example, for a platform designed with creators in mind, most of its processes are automated to allow creators to click and generate content seamlessly, all they have to do is share and get returns. It is very impressive, and if it means more money for creators, then we need to keep going.
Influencers have become an essential part of social commerce and even in the AI generation, there is still a need to integrate them. Also, users, consume a lot of information online and to get the search engine to where it once was google has added “Google Perspectives,” to its engine to help users verify information
‘With Google perspectives’, users will be shown videos from Youtube and other social platforms for topics like travel, shopping, and tutorials.
Understanding the source
The tech giant has introduced a feature called ‘about this author’ that Google users can use to get a quick background check of the creators behind the content they are reading.
With this feature, users can easily access information on websites or content sources by simply typing the URL to gain more context and credibility of the page they are viewing.
This feature eliminates the need to include platform names within search queries, streamlining the process of finding relevant content. Moreover, when using the Perspectives filter, users will be presented with detailed information about content creators, including their names, profile pictures, and popularity. This creates a richer, and more engaging search experience for users.
User-Generated Content
Google recognizes the power social media holds in this era, therefore the new feature will highlight personal stories, discussions, and creator content from various platforms such as Reddit, YouTube, and TikTok. By doing so it will provide users with a more diverse range of results, showcasing the experiences and expertise of individuals alongside established websites.
The tech giant aims to differentiate between expert opinions and personal perspectives, therefore, each piece of content will be ranked appropriately. This innovation holds immense potential for delivering relevant results in an era where individuals publish information on social platforms rather than traditional websites.
Also, more weight will be given to higher-quality sites that offer original information when ranking review content on Search to ensure that creators maintain originality.
Most users had started wondering how Google would react to social media platforms overtaking it. Seems like the search engine has found a way to adapt to the environment by introducing search algorithms that will change the landscape of online content consumption. It will be fascinating to witness the influence this new feature has on the way we find and share information online.
Previously, some features were exclusive to specific pin formats or users with business accounts. Now, all content creators will have access to these tools across image and video Pins.
“Pinterest users will now be able to access features that were previously only available to certain Pin formats or users with a business account, including links, post-publish editing, and flexible aspect ratios. All content creators will also be able to include expressive features like music, text overlay, and stickers to their Pins, “ explained Pinterest in its news post
Creators will have access to features including; links, post-publish editing, flexible aspect ratios, and expressive elements like music, text overlay, and stickers.
Tools for Creation and Monetization
Using Pinterest, you will be able to add links to images, videos, and even Pinterest TV live streams, unlocking another potential revenue stream. Every creator in the US and UK now has access to paid partnership and product tagging using affiliate links.
Pinterest has made editing of pins after publishing possible and made aspect ratio more flexible, with the new updates creators will be able to modify Pin components- details, titles and links after publishing.
Advertisers still have access to the formats and features that will allow them to create idea ads, video ads, collection ads and carousel ads.
Improved Performance Metrics
To help you track and optimise the performance of your content, Pinterest has updated the metrics available for video Pins. You will be able to access crucial data such as views and watch time, giving you consistent analytics across all Pin types.
This information will be invaluable when determining which content resonates most with your audience and it will come in handy for guiding future creative endeavors.
Fostering a Positive and Supportive Community
Content creators thrive in engaging communities, and to foster this environment, Users will be allowed to set filters to auto-hide comments containing specific keywords, ensuring a safer space for everyone. Also, the platform is expanding reactions like hearts and other emojis to all pins, to offer more ways for audiences to connect with and respond to your content.
These additions will for sure improve Pinterest functionality and increase more potential for creators to monetise, with 460 million users a month visiting the platform why wait?
Logie streamlines influencer discovery, product distribution, and content performance to drive measurable sales for eCommerce brands. We also equip content creators with the smart tools, brand partnerships, and commission opportunities they need to turn content into income.
