Instagram Turns Photo Replies into Stickers: Building on a recent update, Instagram just released another new feature that makes photo replies more customizable, using the content being replied to from either a story or DM. The photo you’re replying to essentially becomes a sticker that you can superimpose over your own photo, adjust its size, doodle on, or add other stickers. Reply on, sticker junkies. (LINK)
Facebook Newsfeed Tweaks: Facebook has made it easier to view and read the content in the newsfeed. In addition to cracking down on video clickbait, the platform has become more user-friendly with welcome tweaks to the UI. The adjustments make conversations about a given piece of content stand out and Facebook hopes it will entice users to add their own thoughts to the discussion. Hashtag engagement, amirite? (LINK)
Crowd Surf on Snapchat: A new feature called Crowd Surf turned heads this week, as Snapchat tested out a feature that uses AI to stitch snaps together at events like concerts to create a unique video experience. While not widely available at this time, it was introduced at Lorde’s recent concert in San Francisco. The finished product is a seamless video from various phones and angles of those in attendance. Snapchat continues to drive innovations other socnets quickly steal, so we’re paying close attention to this one. (LINK)
Confessions from Wendy’s Former Social Media Manager: The community manager behind the success and controversy of Wendy’s Twitter account shares how she changed the brand voice in a single tweet. Earlier this year, Wendy’s responded to a troll who was calling out the line “Fresh, never frozen” and it garnered a lot of attention. The rollercoaster that Brown has been on over the past six months has brought some unwelcomed personal attention, and there are some takeaways here for any brand looking to use voice to drive cultural relevance with its followers. (LINK)
Silence Never Sounded So Good: There is a completely silent song making waves in the music world this week. Ever get into your car, plug in your phone to listen to that latest and greatest playlist you’ve been building, only to have that one song that always autoplays come on? This annoyance was used as inspiration for a 10-minute track that’s completely silent and has an alphabetic advantage in your music library. Who would have thought a music-less song would be topping the charts in 2017? Put that hit on repeat. (LINK)
GREG SWAN 