Getting Social in July
The ups and downs in the world of social this July.
They say time flies when you’re having fun, and if we’re being honest that’s exactly what happened to us in the month of July. At the risk of making things too thrilling too quickly, shall we just launch right into it with the most important news of the month then? Well, Snapchat have updated their interface so you can now watch snaps with a single tap.
We know what you’re thinking.
“What’s the point in reading on after that kind of bombshell?”
“If a fork were made of gold, would it still be considered silverware?”
“How do they expect to top news like that in the rest of this piece?”
Truth is, maybe we can’t. But there’s really only one way to find out for sure, isn’t there…
After 11 years in business and with 1.49 billion monthly active users, one would assume that Facebook is doing pretty well for itself. And if their latest Q2 results are anything to go by, that’s exactly the case. This quarter saw the network well and truly make up for any losses they reported on in Q1, all of which is outlined in this great article from TechCrunch (should you desire details.)
Surprisingly*, Facebook also made changes to their News Feed algorithm. The latest instalment of changes is to do with video content, and takes into account a wider range of users interactions with videos to determine what sits where within the feed.
(*Not actually a surprise.)
Speaking of Q2, Twitter also released their results last month. The network saw ad revenue jump 63% year-on-year, with revenue reaching $502 million. Despite this they expressed “deep dissatisfaction with the pace of [their] growth”, and are consequently planning user experience improvements and marketing blitz’s in the months to come. There’s more to be said about that, and you can find it in this part of the internet.
For a long time now, Instagram’s web interface has lacked the technical capabilities of its flagship app. Last month saw the platform introduce long awaited updates that allow users to search for hashtags, locations, and profiles from the peace and quiet of your desktop.
In lesser Snapchat news, last month saw the network’s Discover feature move to a place on the app where users can actually see it. The update makes the content far more conspicuous — word on the street says the redesign had lead to significantly more traffic, with one anonymous advertiser stating that their views have doubled.
And last but not least, Google officially ended the forced Google+ and YouTube integration. In the coming weeks, YouTube comments will no longer require Google+ and as of last week comments made on YouTube won’t appear on Google+ profiles .
On one hand, if any of the above hasn’t made sense (or you just don’t feel like thinking about it,) then feel free to get in touch with us. On the other hand, if you totally understand everything we just said it would mean a lot if you hit the ‘recommend’ button below! And on the other hand, WHERE DID THIS HAND COME FROM?! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!
