Welcome to this week's episode of Social Chatter where we cover the latest social media news from this past week.
Each episode of Social Chatter is available as a blog post or video.
Let's see what's new in social media this week with your hosts, Christian Karasiewicz and Nick Rishwain.
We're also joined by special guest, Chris Baier, the maker of Hashtag Spy.
Watch This Week's Social Media Updates
The Facebook Journalism Project
In Facebook news, they are rolling out a journalism project.
According to Facebook, "Facebook is a new kind of platform and we want to do our part to enable people to have meaningful conversations, to be informed and to be connected to each other. We know that our community values sharing and discussing ideas and news, and as a part of our service, we care a great deal about making sure that a healthy news ecosystem and journalism can thrive. "
In a nutshell, Facebook is launching the journalism project to help combat fake news that seems to be plaguing most social media channels.
Why the Facebook Journalism Project Matters
The Facebook journalism project is going to be a great step in the right direction for educating and improving on news.
Here are some ways that Facebook is planning on helping with the Facebook journalism project.
Collaborative development of news products
Facebook is planning on building deeper collaboration with news organizations.
For example, they're going to explore new storytelling formats such as using Facebook Live and 360 to help with presenting the material - either individually or as a package or different types of content.
Facebook is also looking to help partners grow their subscription funnel - something many partners are looking to do with more and more users deciding to get their news on Facebook rather than through a separate subscription.
Training for Journalists
Facebook already offers training for the newsroom.
Journalists now have a training too.
They also plan to "launch a certificate curriculum for journalists in the months ahead."
One other addition is that Facebook is making the recently acquired CrowdTangle tool available for free.
Training and Tools for Everyone
Facebook is "working on new ways to help give people information so they can make smart choices about the news they read."
To help, they are focusing on news literacy as well as on curbing news hoaxes - such as the one that says Facebook wants to charge you money to use it.
Overall, this is a good step in the right direction to help reduce the amount of fake news that is being erroneously shared by local news staff or Facebook users who don't know any better.
You can read more about the Facebook journalism project here.
Twitter Phasing Out "Buy" Button
In Twitter news, they are phasing out the Twitter buy button.
Why Removing the Twitter Buy Button Matters
When Twitter launched the "buy" button, they were trying to break into wider opportunities with commerce.
Unfortunately, consumers and brands didn't seem interested with using Twitter as a tool for closing transactions.
For those of you who used the Twitter donate button, that is sticking around for now.
With the Twitter buy button going bye-bye and Vine being relaunched as Vine Camera, Twitter is currently in a state of flux.
As a business owner, with Twitter phasing out the "buy" button, this means you'll have to explore new avenues if you want to sell on Twitter.
For example, you may want to use Hashtag Spy to analyze other Twitter channels who are selling through Twitter to see which hashtags they are using in their tweets to help broaden exposure for your services and products.
You can read more about this change from Twitter here.
Pinterest Adds Ad Groups to Campaigns
In Pinterest news, they are rolling out ad groups for paid campaigns.
Why Pinterest Ad Groups Matter
Previously, Pinterest only allowed ad campaigns to include a campaign and promoted pins.
With Pinterest ad groups, this adds structure you Pinterest campaigns that you are running.
As an advertiser, you will be able to set targeting, budget, the start and end dates, along with the bid for each Pinterest ad group.
The new ad groups will give you more flexibility when running Pinterest ads.
One other major improvement is that you will be able to test the performance of different targeting options and objectives without needing to create multiple campaigns.
This new feature will appear in your Pinterest business account over the next few weeks.
To read more about ad groups from Pinterest, go here.
Snapchat Pitching Sequential Video Ads
In Snapchat news, they are working with brands on a new type of ad called Snapchat sequential video ads.
This is what Snapchat sequential video ads look like.
Why Snapchat Sequential Video Ads Matter
This new type of Snapchat ad, also known as Snapchat sequential video ads or sequenced messaging, let's brands purchase ads in bundles.
This way brands can run back-to-back video ads using different types of creative.
These ads will then show up in the Discovery section on Snapchat.
What makes this type of ad unique is that instead of buying a 30-second ad, you can buy three 10-second ads and run then back-to-back.
As a business owner, this will allow you to tell your story over time instead of trying to get a new customer off of your first ad.
Snapchat sequential video ads will also help encourage businesses to think more long-term on the messaging they are putting out.
To read more about sequential video ads, take a look at this article.
Tools
In addition to sharing the latest in social media news from this past week, we also highlighted some great tools and apps to check out.
Grammarly
The first tool we have for you this week is called Grammarly (download).
Do you find you make a lot of mistakes when typing with your grammar, spelling or punctuation?
With Grammarly, you get a tool you can use to help correct these areas when you are writing social media posts, descriptions for YouTube videos, blog posts or other writing tasks.
Grammarly runs in the background so as you're typing, it can help you eliminate errors and make you a better writer.
You can download Grammarly for free from the link below.
Download GrammarlySnapdex
The next tool we wanted to share with you is called Snapdex (web).
Snapdex is the largest searchable database of Snapchat usernames.
The Snapdex also includes snap codes along with some of the snaps from users.
On the Snapdex, you will also find featured users on Snapchat along with top-rated Snapchat users you can connect with.
Snapdex is free to use. You can access it from the link below.
Try SnapdexCloudApp
The last tool we wanted to share this week is called CloudApp.
If you are looking for a quick way to take and share screenshots, created beautiful animated GIFs, video screen recordings and more then you need CloudApp.
CloudApp can do all of this with ease.
Not only are your screenshots and recordings stored in the cloud, but you can also download hi-resolution versions at anytime.
Another thing we really like about CloudApp is that you can easily share your recordings with customers.
For example, instead of recording a video and trying to email it to a customer, you can use CloudApp to record your video and share a special link with them.
They will be able to see what you recorded.
You will be able to track your recordings to see which ones are getting viewed.
CloudApp is available as a free download with other tiered plans based on the options that you need in your business.
Download CloudAppWrap-up
That's it for this week's episode of Social Chatter.
Be sure to tune-in to our next episode of Social Chatter to learn about the latest social media news, trends and tools to help your business.
If you have any questions about of the social media news or tools that were mentioned this week, please share them with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or in the comments below.
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