New Digital Marketing Updates /Last Week

Last week was full of amazing updates like Instagram testing their new 'Comment limits' option and Facebook's new Threads feature. This week is no different. Here are #NewThingsInDigital for the week.

1. Instagram adds new Safety check-up alert within the app to tackle security concerns

Instagram has been working on tweaks and features within the app to tackle security concerns. In a step inching closer towards being a safer platform, Instagram is rolling out a new Security Safety check-up alert in the app. This helps users keep their profile safe and secure by asking them to keep their profile info and settings updated.

According to Instagram, "Security Check-up will guide people, whose accounts may have been hacked, through the steps needed to secure them. This includes checking login activity, reviewing profile information, confirming the accounts that share login information, and updating account recovery contact information such as phone number or e-mail."

The check-up will be shown to profiles with any level of suspicious activity. Apart from this, Instagram also pushes users to enable two-factor authentication for their profiles to be more secure and ensure that their phone numbers and e-mails are up-to-date.

2. Instagram to roll out auto-captions for feed posts soon

Instagram rolled out the auto caption feature for IGTV and expanded the same to Stories earlier this May, helping users quickly add subtitled text to their video frames. In a Tweet exchange last week, someone had tweeted out to Adam Mosseri and Vishal Shah, asking for auto-captions for posts in the feed. To this, Vishal, who is VP of product at Instagram, responded asking the Tweeter to 'stay tuned, coming soon!', thereby hinting at a possibility of auto-captions coming soon for feed posts. This feature will add more accessibility to your content, improve reach, and maximize viewership.

3. Twitter tests new layout for images and might add limited-time Tweet editing option

Twitter is currently testing a new image presentation format - it has taken off the round bordered format and is looking to switch to a full horizontal view. With the new format, the image will take up the full horizontal space in the Twitter feed. Apart from this, the micro-blogging site is also looking to provide time to go back and edit your Tweets. Twitter has been talking about this possible addition for years now and is looking to make it available for the Twitter Blue subscription. Twitter's Product Lead, Kavyon Beykpour, tweeted a poll tagging Twitter Blue and asked people if they would subscribe if they could edit their tweets on Twitter Blue within a few minutes of Tweeting.

4. Instagram tests' Re-share' sticker for Stories

Instagram is launching a new test of the 'Re-share' sticker for its Stories. This will enable people to re-share posts they have recently come across on their Instagram feed via a new dedicated sharing format. On clicking the sticker on Stories, you will be able to view the whole set of posts you have recently viewed on Instagram. You can then choose the post you want to share on your Story. Your Story will then see that post appear in a dedicated, smaller sticker, which you can append to your larger Story image or video. This option is being tested with the aim to induce more creativity in the sharing of posts on Stories, as opposed to just directly sharing them on your Stories.

5. Twitter is removing Fleets!

Twitter has announced that it is doing away with its Story-like feature Fleets. A tweet posted by Twitter's official Twitter handle stated that the disappearing Story-like feature would be discontinued starting from August 3rd. It also said that the platform is "working on some new stuff." The reason behind this is the lack of users. Twitter Support clarified in reply to one of the users questioning the move, saying that the platform hoped Fleets would encourage people to join the conversation, but that wasn't the case. So, Twitter is focusing on improving other parts of the platform and is removing Fleets.

6. Stories drafts now available to all Instagram users

Instagram announced the drafts option for Stories back in March, but now, all users have the option to save the Stories they have created on Instagram as drafts. These Story drafts have an expiration period of seven days, after which Instagram will remove them from the drafts section. When you exit the Stories composer mid-way, there's a pop-up that will give you options to either 'discard,' 'Save Draft,' or 'Cancel.' Once you save your Story as drafts, you can go back, edit them and post them to your Stories within 7 days. You could save your stories to your device until now, but this option saves your Stories for a short span of time within the app itself.

7. Messenger launches 'Soundmojis' as another way to reply to messages

Messenger has launched a cool, new way to reply to messages called Soundmojis. Soundmojis are nothing but emojis with sounds or audio clips playing in the background when they are sent. This provides another interactive element to Facebook's messaging feature. The launch of Soundmojis coincides with World Emojis Day.

According to Facebook, "[Soundmojis are] a next-level emoji that lets you send short sound clips in a Messenger chat, ranging from clapping, crickets, drumroll, and evil laughter, to audio clips from your favorite artists like Rebecca Black and your favorite TV shows and movies like Universal Pictures' F9, NBC and Universal Television's Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Netflix and Shondaland's Bridgerton. "Ah, the drama of it all."

This could be an interesting addition, making the platform and your message threads more interactive.

8. Google tests big carousel for 'More Specific Searches'

Google has presented the 'More Specific Searches' section in two main formats till now - one, as a list, second, in a more expandable format. Currently, Google is testing this section as a set of buttons in a huge, slideable, multi-lined carousel. This can be added to one of Google's many tests to its formats and algorithms.

9. Google once again tests round corner design for Mobile Search results

Google is back again, with the test of round corner design for Search results on the mobile version of Google Search. Google is a platform that constantly runs tests on various features. In addition to this, the platform is testing rounded borders for the mobile version of its Search Results.