Just in time for the upcoming holidays some of our favorite social media platforms are offering up some reasons to cheer in the form of updates and improvements. If you’re looking to connect live with friends and family in the coming weeks there is no shortage of platforms by which live video is readily available to you. And, if you’re hopeful to connect with a large group at once there are now multiple ways to group chat!
Speaking of connecting with groups, check out this Forbes article about Houseparty – a new app that allows group video chats of up to eight people. The app is apparently blowing past Snapchat in terms of popularity with Generation Z (under the age of 24) and is one to keep an eye on in the New Year! In the meantime, enjoy this generous helping of social media goodness.
Thrillist: Everything You Can Do With Snapchat’s Huge New Update
From group chat to Shazam to paintbrushes to scissors – Snapchat has bundled quite the package of cheer just in time for the holidays! While the paintbrush and scissor options are on “slow roll” (aka – you may not have access just yet), group chat and the ability to Shazam a song via Snapchat are available today.
Fortune: Snapchat is Making Its Geofilters Simpler for Businesses to Buy
Snapchat is making a handful of design templates available to businesses interested in buying geofilter sponsorships on an on-demand, self-serve basis. Geofilters can cover as little as 20,000 square feet or encompass several city blocks and start as low as $5. Previously only individuals could access templates when purchasing geofilters, so this is great news for brands and organizations!
TechCrunch: Instagram Now Lets You Bookmark Posts for Later Viewing
In a move that positions Instagram against Pinterest, Instagram is now allowing users to save favorite posts via a new bookmarking button that appears below the post in a user’s feed. Useful to Instagram fans, the data collected on the backend will also benefit advertisers as more data becomes available about users’ favorite content.
Mashable: Get Ready to See a Lot of Live Video on Instagram
This week, Instagram began rolling its live-steaming features to users across the U.S. while other countries will gain access in the coming weeks. To check whether you have access to live video, swipe into the “Stories” camera in the app and look for “live,” and get more details from this helpful article.
The Verge: You Can Now Broadcast Live From the Twitter App
If live video options on Facebook and Instagram aren’t enough, now you can broadcast live video from Twitter, too, “powered by” Periscope. To broadcast live from Twitter, tap the button to compose a new tweet and then tap “live.” Those who have used Periscope before have a slight advantage, but newbies will find it pretty intuitive, too.
Entrepreneur: 6 Holiday Marketing Tips From Twitter’s Head of Content Planning
Inspired by brands as diverse as Snickers, REI and Lowe’s, Twitter’s head of content planning provides a few smart suggestions for how to harness information gained through analytics and turn it into marketing opportunities for your brand this holiday season.
