Looks like Facebook and Instagram may be welcoming a new member to the Meta family. The social behemoth has just confirmed that they are working on a text-based social network app designed to compete with Twitter and Mastodon.
As a Meta spokesperson confirmed in statements to major news outlets like the BBC, ”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.”
The new app, apparently codenamed P92, will allow users to log in using their existing Instagram accounts.
According to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Meta Verified is launching in Australia and New Zealand this week. The new subscription service will allow Facebook and Instagram users to pay to become verified (a.k.a. Get a blue checkmark on their profile).
A shiny verification badge isn’t the only benefit of the Meta Verified bundle, though. The service will also include the following:
Proactive account monitoring to guard against impersonators,
Increased reach in search, comments and the Explore Page,
Live chat support,
And “exclusive features to express yourself in unique ways.”
Facebook unveiled a slew of new upcoming features at the Facebook Communities Summit held on October 20th, 2022. Highlights include Reels for Groups, expanded Group admin features, and additional Instagram integrations.
Engagement continues to be the theme of Facebook’s feature updates, with the spotlight shining on Groups in particular.
Below is an overview of what was announced at the 6th annual Facebook Communities Summit.
Engagement was the theme of the month for Facebook. September’s major updates and new features focus directly on propping up slumping user activity across the world’s largest social media platform.
A new Community Chats feature has gone into testing for Messenger and Facebook Groups, which should seem very familiar to Slack and Discord users.
Additionally, two official guides were released by Meta: one to help advertisers and the other to help creators.
In an attempt to boost engagement on Facebook, Meta has shared some details about how the platform’s algorithm works — and how creators can play by its rules to grow their Facebook accounts.
So, what’s new? In a nutshell: Distribution.
Facebook has added an extra filter to the algorithm when it comes to how it decides who sees what content:
Meta has released a guide to help brands adjust their advertising strategies in response to Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) update. The update allows iOS users to opt out of data tracking across 3rd-party applications.
Launched on April 26th, 2021, the ATT update has had a direct impact on Meta’s ability to use user data to serve targeted ads on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
In response, Meta commissioned its2022 Signal Resiliency Guide. “Signal resiliency” is Meta’s way of saying “how to target your ads with less data collected from 3rd party apps”. The guide will help social media marketers adjust their strategies for this brave new world of online data privacy.
Previously, Creator Studio only allowed Instagram users to schedule feed posts and videos, not Stories or Reels.
There are a few confusing caveats to this update, though.
You can only use Creator Studio for Instagram if your Instagram account is connected to a Facebook business page.
On the Facebook tab of Creator Studio, the Create reel option is easy to spot under Create post, but on the Instagram tab, you’ll select Instagram Feed or IG Video, depending on the length of your video. (Back in July, Meta announced that all Instagram videos are now Reels)
Two years after introducing Live Shopping, Facebook will be shutting down the live-streaming feature for eCommerce brands on October 1, 2022.
Why? Meta, Facebook’s parent company, is focusing its resources on short-form video content.
In a post from Facebook announcing the feature’s shutdown, Facebook stated that: “As consumers’ viewing behaviors are shifting to short-form video, we are shifting our focus to Reels on Facebook and Instagram.”