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Facebook Page Posting Updates and Fake News

The most interesting feature change we saw on Facebook pages was the addition of Call to Action buttons for non-paid page posts. The buttons below appeared briefly on business pages over the past few weeks in what appears to have been a strategy for calling page managers’ attention to these new post options. Each offers a different CTA button on your post – call, sign up, email, contact, etc.

You might also see an expanded list under the “Offer, Event +” post menu with these same options available:

This isn’t Earth-shattering, but what's interesting is that Facebook now offers these options for organic posts in addition to paid. (Audience optimization is another example of a paid feature that became a non-paid option.)

But let’s get down to it: The “fake news” controversy was easily the most intriguing development in the social world last month, and Facebook was at the heart of it all. If you’ve missed out on all this, read through the ‘Facebook's fake news problem, explained’ Vox article to get up to speed.

There is and will continue to be a fierce debate about how Facebook ought to handle links to news stories with made-up content (e.g. Pope Francis endorsing Donald Trump for President). It’s a dark cloud over Mark Zuckerberg’s head, with numerous potential pitfalls no matter what solution he chooses. So far his responses have been soft, if not slightly dismissive, but other “renegade” Facebook employees are incensed.

Pro-tip for Facebook sharing: Check stories on Snopes for accuracy before sharing!

LinkedIn taking aiming at their job site competitors with new salary comparison tool

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Building on their already dominant online resume and job search tools, LinkedIn Salary is a new compensation comparison tool that crowd-sources salary data from users based on location and job title. Its “biggest product update of the year,” LinkedIn appears to be using this feature as a way to crush job site competition such as Glassdoor, Indeed, and others by helping users understand how location, industry, skills, and education factor into their earning potential.

Try it out for yourself at linkedin.com/salary. Part of the game is that you have to submit your own data to get access to all the information (free for one year) but LinkedIn promises that your information will remain private.

Snapchat World Lenses and the Spectacles spectacle

Spotted: @afreedma surrounded by rainbow clouds. Snapchat's world lenses tho pic.twitter.com/etJM1ElXTg

— Kerry Flynn 🐶 (@kerrymflynn) November 8, 2016

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Snapchat users are frequently gifted with new features, and November did not disappoint. World Lenses were released November 8 and allow you to add animations to forward-facing (non-selfie) snap videos. Originally there were only a handful of options, like the trippy rainbow clouds above, but new lens options pop up every few days – and it’s seriously addicting to try them out.

Many online commentators have pointed out that these forward-facing lenses will probably work really well with Snap’s only-kind-of-already-available Spectacles product (which allows you to take first-person video and post directly to your Snapchat account). So far if you want to get your hands on your own pair of these camera-infused shades, you’ll have to find a flying robot vending machine, go to the pop-up shop in NYC, or just wait and see what happens in 2017. If the World Lenses are any indication, it will be a big year for Snapchat overall.

One more thing: If you’re in the Snapchat geofilter market, read AdWeek’s article about the Foursquare + Snapchat partnership, which aims to provide Snapchat advertisers with enhanced geotargeting capabilities. The improved targeting could be especially useful to SMBs looking to engage customers while they’re onsite.

The first ever #TwitterAwards

Do you even Twitter? These guys do.

The first annual Twitter Awards were announced in November, honoring achievements in creativity (@airbnb), live streaming (@nascar), customer service (@applesupport) and more. If you’re looking for some inspiration on how to up your Tweet game, check out the full list of winners for examples on how to Tweet your way to greatness.

Will Instagram Live Stories spell the death of Snapchat?

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Instagram is at it again. Live Stories is the platform’s newest play to keep younger users on Instagram instead of defecting to Snapchat for their photo-sharing needs. Similar to the daily, disappearing Snapchat Story, Live Stories allows Instagrammers the ability to post photos and videos to a disappearing feed. You can also send it to friends who will only be able to view it twice (which they’re calling “Instagram Direct”). This feels like a great way to combine the polished feeling of the Instagram Feed with the care-free nature offered by disappearing stories and messages. TBD if people will buy into it or not.

YouTube VR app on Daydream

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All signs indicate that Virtual Reality technology will continue to be more ingrained in modern life as time goes on, whether it’s through standalone products, headsets for smartphones, Snapchat products, or something else.

So it’s no surprise that the biggest name in online videos is interested in providing interested users with great VR content. There are already VR-compatible videos on YouTube – like the crazy roller coaster video optimized for Google Cardboard, or the 360° Space Walk Training video from NASA – but now there’s a dedicated YouTube VR app for providing optimized content when and where you want it.

For brands who want to stay ahead of the game, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to start thinking about how virtual reality might help you build your business in the coming years.

Bonus Emoji Update!

Peach butt is back. (Who knew it had even been gone?!)