Privacy, Digital Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Portal
In light of… recent… events, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerburg and his team of developer-masterminds have been rebuilding the platform, and its sister channels, from the inside out. What does that mean for your digital strategy? More groups, more privacy, more platform integration, more encryption, more suggestions, more stories, more personalization, and definitely, more updates.
If all of this seems a little dizzying, let’s break it down for you.
PRIVACY IS THE BEST POLICY
The big focus at F8 is this: town squares (public spaces) vs. living rooms (private spaces). Your private spaces will include only those friends, families, groups, and colleagues that you invite over (you know, just a casual online cocktail party… without the mess). On the digital side of things, that means end to end encryption. Across the board, by default, privacy is the name of the game, and no one can access your data but the people you share it with. Your public space, or town square, will be more community, or group focused – kind of like your highschool lunchroom (less mystery meat, and more high school musical we’re all in this together).
For your viewing pleasure, we’re breaking down all of the F8 updates by platform.
FACE(BOOK) OF THE FUTURE: FB5
Unless you’re like us, and F8 is like your coachella, you probably didn’t realize that there was such thing as FB3 or 4, much less how FB5 is going to rock your world. Don’t worry, we gotchu.
FB5 means a new, lighter app – a lighter footprint using less storage, with a faster cold start speed, and lighter, brighter visuals. This is available on mobile as of yesterday, for both Android and iOS, and will roll out for full desktop integration sometime in the Fall.
Of course, no Facebook update would be complete without some shiny new features to make you wonder how “going to bed” at 10pm turned into falling asleep after 2am. Let’s check them out.
Save your spot in your newsfeed
Ever get all the way through your best friend’s latest update, a few cute puppy videos, a recipe you want to try, and realize if you wait any longer you’ll definitely be late for work? #beenthere. Well, Facebook is letting you save your place so you’re not stuck scrolling down to find that recipe (and maybe look at your ex’s latest political rant – we won’t judge) only to find that it’s lost forever.
Groups
Fun fact: there are over 400 million active participants in one or more Facebook Groups. Who knew humans are social beings? Anyway, Facebook has taken that fun fact and used it to create social spaces that are just that: social.
Here are a few of the new features for Facebook Groups:
Redesigned Groups Tab
Featuring a newsfeed all its own – an aggregate of activity across all of the groups you belong to, with suggestions for new groups you may be interested to join (just between us… be on the lookout for an LMS curated group – or two – in the not-so-distant future). Also included in this is the ability to share content and compose messages with groups the same way you already do with friends and family in your newsfeed.
Group-Specific Features
Health Support Groups
Users can ask the administrator to post an anonymous question on their behalf – ensuring anonymity and security of any personal information
Professional
Looking to hire someone? Looking for a job? If you belong to job-related groups, you’ll be able to do both in-app, making your average of 53min/day on a social platform a little more productive!
Gaming
Groups who game together stay together… is that a thing? If it isn’t, it should be. Anyway, Facebook is making it easier for gamers to create subthreads to argue about who botched their most recent raid, or tips on where to find certain items, or how to win at the game of Life. (okay, that last one was a joke… but, if you know how, we wouldn’t say no to a detailed dm…)
Shopping
Native support for shipping, listings for sale across the US, direct checkout, and maybe even the ability to ask questions and place orders within livestreams – a new dawn is upon us.
Shipping on Marketplace
You’ll be able to ship Marketplace items anywhere in the US and pay for purchases directly on Facebook. Which means more secure payment for more people.
A New Events Tab
As soon as this summer, you’ll be able to see what local events are happening, get recommendations, discover local businesses, and coordinate with friends.
Making Connections
Dating, Secret Crush, and Meet New Friends may sound like options from the cootie catcher your best friend made on the playground in 3rd grade, but they’re actually 3 of the new connection-making features being rolled out by Facebook.
Dating
With an opt-in only profile separate from your regular FB account, your matches come from people in shared groups, who have attended similar events, have FB friends in common etc.
Secret Crush
Remember that girl you met at your brother’s best friend’s BBQ last summer? You kind of hit it off, and she let you borrow an extra shirt she had in her car when your idiot brother spilled beer on that cute crop top you had just bought. Anyway, not to bring up old memories, but, what if you could throw it out into the universe that you kinda liked her, with the possibility of her asking you out, without having to actually tell anyone? Welcome to Secret Crush. This, like the Dating Profile, is an opt-in feature where users can make a list of secret crushes. No one is notified, unless someone on your list has put you on their list… and then? Well, that part is up to the two of you 😉
Secret Crush has already launched in Canada, and over 20 other countries, and should be catching some screen time in the US by the end of 2019.
Meet New Friends
#Adulting is hard. And making friends after graduating, or moving is harder. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a work crew, so, what do you do? Facebook’s Meet New Friends feature is in beta testing, and would allow people who have opted-in to connect with others in shared communities, who are nearby, and open to meeting new people.
INSTAGRAM: MAKE IT COUNT
Brands, Influencers, Marketers, and Avocado-enthusiasts alike (we see you, @wherearetheavocados) will be reaping the benny-fits of Instagram’s new roll outs!
Influencer Content: Shop Direct
Now brand partnerships will allow influential content creators engaged in affiliate programs to tag products for direct, in-app purchasing. Whaaaat?!
Okay, so, there are a select number of brands participating in the checkout beta, and there are a select number of creators participating in this joint shopping beta. But, Instagram expects this to roll out for more and more businesses and Influencers in the not-so-distant-future. What does that mean? We’ll let Instagram tell you, “Both creators and the brands they tag will receive shared insights within Instagram so they can better understand performance of shopping posts.”
Shared. Insights. Data nerds, rejoice! (we’re kinda freaking out over here)
Camera Updates
Now, there is Create Mode, which means we can all share content without having to upload blank slides! This new camera will make it easier to use effects, interactive stickers, and just generally share your thoughts and ideas without having to snap a shot of the inside of your purse when you want advice on where to grab dinner.
Donate Sticker
Raise money for nonprofits in Stories, by creating a fundraiser with 100% of the money raised on Instagram directly to your cause. This will be rolling out in the US now, and will eventually be available internationally.
Wouldn’t You “Like” to Know?
If you want a full deep dive into a world without likes, check out: Instagram – Where everything’s made up and the Likes don’t matter.
MORE THAN JUST MESSAGING: MESSENGER
Gone are the days of FB Messenger being a simple extension for text-only convos and ridiculous article and video shares from your mom.
App: Updated
Just like the facelift to Facebook, Messenger will be getting lighter, brighter, faster, and whiter (bye bye blue!)
Watch Together
Furthering the “living room” analogy, Messenger will be your virtual living room TV, where you can watch videos from Facebook and invite others to watch together while messaging or on a video chat (sort of like a private Twitch stream). This feature is still in testing and will begin roll out globally later this year.
Desktop App
Phone, tablet, and desktop – now you can download the app for both Windows and MacOS on any device to have group video calls, collaborate on projects, multi-task while chatting, and communicate with your friends no matter where you are.
Closer Connections
A dedicated space where you can discover Stories and messages with your closest friends and family, share snippets from your own day, and can choose exactly who sees what you post.
This will roll out later this year.
B2C Additions
Appointment Booking
Now consumers and businesses will be able to manage appointment bookings in Messenger – complete with instant confirmation and appointment reminders.
Customer Acquisition
Ad tools are having a moment, hunny. There will be new lead generation templates available in FB ads for easy integration of simple in-app Q&A’s. This will allow brands to gather more information about the demographics, wants, and concerns of their consumers. (Mmmm, more sweet data.)
But wait, there’s more! AI and VR and Whatsapp and all sorts of cross-platform integrations! But… we’ll save that for another day. The computer in your head needs time to process all of this new info, and, if your head is reeling, you’re in good company. But, don’t worry. Our team of experts is here to demystify any of these new features and updates, to help you navigate the ever-changing digital landscape.
We’re all ready to lead you into the light… er version of the Facebook suite, and help integrate all of these changes into your brand’s overall digital strategy.
Questions? Comments? Concerns?
We’d love to know how you’re feeling about the F8 of Social Media!
Drop us a line at imgame@wearelms.com.
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