Mad Digest Weekly Updates 11th June -17th June

Snapchat’s Developing a New ‘Snapchat+’ Subscription Service, Offering Exclusive Access to New Features

Snapchat is exploring a new potential monetization pathway, via a?new subscription service called ‘Snapchat+’?which would give users access to new a range of exclusive and experimental app features and tools.

As you can see in this example, shared by app researcher?Alessandro Paluzzi , Snapchat+ would come with variable payment tiers, with a free, one-week trial option as well, enabling you to test out what’s on offer via the service.

At present, in this early iteration, that offering includes:

• Access to exclusive Snapchat icons
• A new profile badge to show that you’re a Snapchat+ user
• New data insights, including the capacity to see your friends’ location history (over the last 24 hours) and info on who’s re watched your Story
• The capacity to pin a user in the app as ‘your #1 best friend’

None of those are exactly mind-blowing additions – but again, this is early days, and it could change a lot between now and an official release, if it actually gets to that stage.

Instagram Tests Updated, TikTok-Like Full-Screen Format for its Main Feed.

It’s been?in testing for a while, but today, Instagram has launched an?updated version?of its new full-screen main feed test, which expands Instagram posts – be it static images, video or Reels – into a full-height, Tik Tok swipe able flow of all different types of IG content.

As you can see in this example, in the new format, Instagram Reels and video clips are expanded to?full-screen style, with the navigation bar, description and Instagram logo overlaid on the content.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg?shared a Story?about the updated presentation style, along with a note that ‘photos are still an important part of Instagram’.

Pinterest Launches New Ad Tools to Help Brands and Creators Tap into Product Discovery

First off, on new ad tools - Pinterest is adding a new ‘Idea Ads’ offering which, like Idea Pins, are full-screen, multi-page presentations, which include custom links.

As explained by?Pinterest:

“Audiences can view a brand’s inspiring content, visit their site and follow step-by-step DIYs or demos, all within the ad.”

As you can see in these examples, Idea Ads will appear in user feeds, using Pinterest’s interest targeting tools to maximize response.

It’s essentially an Idea Pin that you can amplify with paid promotion, which will get your content in front of more users in the app.

Idea ads with paid partnership, meanwhile, provides a way for brands to promote Idea Pin content created by users.

As you can see in these examples, the option will enable businesses to boost the reach of collaborative Pin projects, which will get your promotions in front of the creators’ audience, your audience and those you additionally pay to reach.

Meta Adds More Reels Creation Options in Instagram and Facebook.

As Instagram explains, Remix for Photos enables users to create Reels based on your feed post content, which they can then download themselves, within their own clips. Which means that people can re-use your content however they like – but you can switch off the option in your settings if you’d prefer that not to happen.

Here’s how it looks in practice:

YouTube Adds New ‘Corrections’ Feature to Add Relevant Update Notes to Your Clips

YouTube has?added a new element?that will give users a way to add update notes to their YouTube clips - which could save you from having to re-upload an entire video for the sake of a smaller change or correction.

Called, incidentally, ‘Corrections’, the new process will display an info card teaser in the video playback, to signal when and where a correction note has been added to a clip.

As explained by?YouTube:

“Up until now, if a creator wanted to correct an error in an existing upload or provide an update to information that was no longer accurate, short of editing and re-uploading the video, resulting in loss of engagement metrics and comments, the options were limited to adding a note in the description, responding to comments calling out the error, pinning a comment or doing nothing. With the launch of Corrections, creators will be able to call attention to corrections and clarifications in the descriptions of their already published videos.”

WhatsApp Adds Support for Secure Migration of Chat History from Android to iOS

As noted by Zuckerberg, this has been a highly requested feature, providing more flexibility and security for the many WhatsApp users looking to switch to a new device.

WhatsApp added the ability to?transfer your data from iPhone to Android?last year, which had been a key pain point for many WhatsApp users.

Before?last year’s update , transferring your info meant losing your chat history, as there was no way to maintain security in the transition. Because WhatsApp chats are?end-to-end encrypted, and stored on-device,?Meta says that it had to work collaboratively with OS developers to come up with a solution that facilitated data sharing in this way.

And now, those switching between Android and iPhone will have the same capacity, which will give users more choice in their device selection and management.

The updated process is being rolled out to all WhatsApp users from today.

How to improve E-A-T with semantic search

Using semantic search and knowledge retrieval to improve E-A-T

Semantic search’s knowledge retrieval capabilities can help marketers improve the E-A-T of their content. According to Haynes, this is due to?Google’s Knowledge Graph .

“Knowledge search gathers information from a richly structured database,” she said. “The best example we have of this is Google’s Knowledge Graph.”

The Knowledge Graph helps marketers understand the relationship between entities. By optimizing sites according to entities and their relationships (rather than focusing solely on one keyword and its variants) SEOs can make it easier for Google to relate your content to established entities in its Knowledge Graph.

“I’ve been fascinated by the way Google can use entities in its Knowledge Graph,” Haynes said. “We’ve been making recommendations based on what’s written in the QRG – trusting that somehow Google could algorithmically accomplish these things. What we were really doing was improving E-A-T based on a knowledge of semantic search.”

“When you’re improving Google’s understanding of the entities associated with your business, that’s improving your E-A-T.”

Trending

Centre Brings New Advertising Rules, Bans All Surrogate Ads Across Media

The new guidelines on "Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022" also seeks to regulate advertisements targeting children.

The guidelines, notified by the consumer affairs ministry and that have come into force with immediate effect, also specify due diligence to be carried out while endorsing in advertisements.

Action against violation of the new guidelines will be taken as per the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA), which provides for a penalty of???10 lakh for first offence and???50 lakh for subsequent contravention.

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Bad Dating Habits to Break | Right About Now

When you are showing on several dates-gone-nowhere, think about evaluating your own dating habits.

Listed below are seven common?internet dating behaviors you should think of breaking (right-about today! LINK