Social media is a fluid technology — nearly every day, the major social media networks are announcing a big change, coming under fire for the latest controversy or moving forward in smaller ways. Social Feed is a collection of those smaller changes that you may have missed with this week’s biggest news — like Facebook’s privacy fiasco, Instagram’s news feed updates, and YouTube’s desktop live-streaming update. Find Social Feed every weekend for the latest social news tidbits.
Ready to shop? Pinterest expands shopping tools and ads
Pinterest is expanding shoppable pins that actually let you buy that idea you spot in your feed. A new partnership with Home Depot adds over 100,000 shoppable pins. The pins from the home improvement store will allow Pinterest users to buy items like vanities, faucets, lighting, textiles and other interior decor items. Like earlier Shop the Look pins, Pinterest users can tap the white circle on a pin to see similar options, including those new shoppable pins from Home Depot.
The new integration comes just a few days after Pinterest expanded its shopping ads to more businesses after successful testing with a small group of early partners. Shopping ads are automatically generated from product pins. According to Pinterest, 90 percent of users said in a recent survey that they used the platform to decide on a purchase, and 70 percent to actually find a new product.
Using Snap Map no longer means browsing the entire globe to find something interesting
In an update to the Snap Map, Snapchat is adding alerts to make the maps easier to explore. The new feature, dubbed the Map Explore, creates a scroll bar of geotagged posts, so users can tap on the post to see the information, rather than scrolling through the map to find a specific location. Those notifications are created from friends that have the location sharing on as well as current events shared publicly on the platform. Snap Inc. says the change is designed to make it easier to see the events that are happening outside your location.
YouTube is testing desktop tools to keep browsing while you watch
YouTube is reportedly testing a handful of tools that will allow you to both watch a video and continue browsing the site at the same time. The first is a feature that brings the picture-in-picture available on the mobile apps to desktop users. The option minimizes the video to a small corner of the screen, continuing to play while you explore the rest of the site.
A second test, called a mini scroll bar, keeps the video visible even if you scroll down the page to read the video’s description or comments, or to look for other videos on the same page. Like the picture-in-picture, the tool appears to be inspired by the mobile apps but adapted for desktop viewing.
A take on the Regram may be coming to Stories
Instagram’s test of the regram button may not yet have entered a wide roll-out, but the company is also testing an option to share a regular Instagram post inside of a Story. The tool allows users to embed an Instagram post — theirs or someone else’s — into a Story, with a link to navigate to that original post. Instagram confirmed that the tool is in testing and says users who don’t want their posts to be embedded will have the option to turn that feature off.
YouTube bans (more) guns
YouTube has recently updated the platform’s policy on guns. While the platform already had gun policies in place, including banning gun sales and links to gun sales, the update expands the restrictions to a number of accessories, including gatling triggers and drop-in auto sears. The change is similar to a move that followed the Las Vegas shootings last year that banned how-to videos on bump stocks, according to Motherboard.
Facebook wants to help creators earn cash
This week, Facebook announced that the platform is testing several new tools for influencers and creators on the platform. Among those options are two tools to potentially help that subset of users earn money from the platform. One option opens up exclusive content to fans that pay for a subscription. The second allows for creating a portfolio on Facebook, designed to help creatives and advertisers connect.
The other creator tool tests include a tool that shows who the top fans are and expanded content rights management tools. Facebook will also be creating a small group of creators to test new pilot features.
YouTube is heading to the big screen
YouTube Red is about to move to a new screen — the movie theatre. The platform’s original film, Vulture Club, is also slated for release in the theaters, the company says. The thriller stars Susan Sarandon and is currently in post-production stages.
Live broadcasting games on Facebook will soon be much easier
This week, Facebook announced the release of code that will allow video game designers to build a Facebook live-streaming tool directly into the game. For gamers, that means games that choose to build the tool in will be easy to live-stream. Developers will gain access to the code in a few weeks.
