The week in social media news hand-curated by your friends at Fandom Marketing. Instagram’s latest standalone app is taking on the photo collage and Facebook may be trying to take over your phone app. Learn about Facebook’s new feature that allows users to look back at old memories and how Starbucks encouraged its baristas to talk about race with its customers.
Facebook Is Reportedly Testing a Standalone App for Phone Calls
March 23, 2015
Facebook may be trying to take over your phone app. The social network is testing a voice-calling app that can screen your calls and show you information about who is calling, according to an image obtained by Android Police.
Full story on Mashable
Starbucks Finds Itself in Hot Water for Talking about Race
March 23, 2015
The web was set ablaze this week when Starbucks encouraged its baristas to talk about race with its customers. As was widely reported, many customers took objection to interactions, offended that the brand and its employees presumed to have the right to talk to them about such a sensitive issue.
Full story on Forbes
Instagram’s Layout App Will Make You Want to Create Photo Collages
March 23, 2015
Instagram’s latest standalone app is taking on the photo collage. With Layout, Instagram has taken a similar approach to collages as Hyperlapse did for time lapse videos: a simple interface with with rich features that will appeal to casual and power users alike.
Full story on Mashable
Meerkat Brings Live Video Streaming to Twitter (and Beyond)
March 23, 2015
Is it just me or is social media getting progressively more, well, social? You’ve got Instagram for sharing pics, Snapchat for pics and vids, and now Meerkat for live video streaming. For those of you scratching your head, Meerkat is a live video streaming app that has made quite a splash on Twitter in recent weeks and, more importantly, may represent the next stage in the evolution of social media.
Full story on Business 2 Community
No One Is Safe from Black Twitter. Not Even Black People.
March 24, 2015
As anyone criticized by Black Twitter can tell you, the cultural phenomenon is one hell of a force to reckon with. Because of it, the Twittersphere sees constant conversation surrounding the Black experience and highlights issues often overlooked, and sometimes created by, mainstream media.
Full story on Huffington Post
Reddit Comments Can Now Be Embedded on Other Websites
March 24, 2015
Reddit comments will no longer be stuck in whatever thread and subreddit that they were first posted in. Reddit now provides the ability to take comments from any public subreddit and embed them elsewhere online, allowing people to highlight specific comments and conversations.
Full story on The Verge
Twitter is Now Testing Autoplay Videos in News Feeds
March 24, 2015
Following in the footsteps of Facebook, Twitter is now testing autoplay videos in user news feeds. Twitter is currently testing a video feature that lets some videos play automatically when it’s visible in someone’s feed, according to an AdAge report.
Full story on Mashable
Introducing On This Day: A New Way to Look Back at Photos and Memories on Facebook
March 24, 2015
People often look back at old photos and other memories they’ve shared on Facebook, and many have told us that they enjoy products and features that make this easier. On Tuesday, Facebook announced On This Day, a new way to look back at things you have shared and posts you’ve been tagged in on Facebook. Only you can see your On This Day page.
Full story on Facebook Newsroom
Embedding Facebook Videos on Websites is Now Possible
March 25, 2015
You can finally force even more people to watch that video of your cute baby or adorable cat. Deborah Liu, Facebook’s manager of product marketing, announced the launch of the Facebook’s embedded video player, a way for users to, well, embed videos uploaded to Facebook across the web.
Full story on Mashable
Periscope, Twitter’s Answer to Meerkat-style Live Streaming, Is Now Available
March 26, 2015
Live-streaming apps are the thirstiest of all media. A Facebook post wants a like, a tweet begs for favs, and a snap means little without a response. But for sheer drop-everything, look-at-me arrogance, nothing beats the push notification that says “LIVE NOW.” I’m doing literally anything, the notification says. Watch now, or you’ll miss out forever.
Full story on The Verge
What We’re Watching
Starbucks decided to have a conversation with customers about race online via #racetogether and offline sparked by your local barista. Can we say #awwwkwarrrrd?! Let the parodies begin.
~Melonie Gallegos
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