Christmas and New Years are swiftly approaching, and we all know the stories that this season brings: year-end recaps, big 2017 announcements and stories that make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. We just so happen to enjoy all of those types of stories, so this week’s edition of Weekly Reads features some of our favorites.
Social Year-in-Review
Forbes: The Top 7 Social Media Trends That Dominated 2016
As this Forbes contributor aptly writes, “the social media world changes so fast it’s hard to tell which trends are temporary fads and which ones are going to stick.” This recap does a good job of encapsulating seven trends that rose above “fad” status.
CNET: Adele’s ‘Carpool Karaoke’ is top viral video of 2016
That a video involving Adele would top the charts in 2016 doesn’t tell us all that much. It’s what she’s doing in that video that does. This isn’t a music video from her newest, multi-platinum album or a live performance showcasing the full extent of her incomparable ability as a musician. It’s not even her singing. It’s her doing something we all do: crushing every lyric of a rap song in her car — once again underscoring the power and importance of stripped-down, easily-relatable authenticity on social media.
Digital Spy: Instagram Just Changed its Comments Section in a Big Way
In an effort to curb the vitriol so often found in the comment sections of social media posts, Instagram is now allowing users the option to like comments, turn of comments on certain posts and remove followers without employing the block button.
DigiDay: Facebook poised to enter TV market with video hub
Ever wish you could find something on TV that was more in line with your interests? Facebook wants to provide that to you via a dedicated video tab inside its mobile app. Media analysts and buyers suggest this new video vertical firmly equips Facebook to grab more ad dollars from TV.
Colorado Gives Day
Longmont Times-Call: Longmont charity raises over $20,000 on Colorado Gives Day
Colorado Gives Day was Dec. 6, and it once again surpassed expectations, with Coloradans donating over $33.8 million to 2,111 nonprofits across the state in just 24 hours. Homeless Outreach Providing Encouragement, or HOPE for Longmont, also exceeding its goal of raising $22,000 over the course of the day. How did they do it? In part, by using social media to state their goal, leverage their community partners and celebrate individual donors.
Just Because
Denverite: Colorado now has more marijuana dispensaries than Starbucks — a lot more
Maybe you felt like this trend was inevitable, but did you think it was this inevitable? There are now more than twice as many pot shops as Starbucks in Denver, perhaps a sign of a shifting set of interests among Colorado city dwellers. The story does a great job of breaking down the ratio of dispensaries vs. coffee shops on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis.
