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Hi there!

We are back with the third edition of the DrumUp monthly social media digest. Twitter ruffled quite a few feathers this month announcing the opening up of DMs to all, and Facebook updated its Newsfeed algorithm again! That’s not all – a lot many other new features and updates from the two social giants hogged the limelight this April – a low down on the happenings below. At DrumUp too, we have been hard at work launching the specific date-time scheduling feature and working on the DrumUp mobile app. Do let us know how has your April been and your suggestions for DrumUp.

1. Twitter will now let you send DMs to anyone and everyone!

On April 20, Twitter announced a change to how Direct Messages would work that has the Twitterati a buzz. According to the bird, you will now be able to receive messages from anybody on Twitter, irrespective of whether they are following you or not. As part of the same change, you will also be able to reply to such DMs. Twitter has added a new Direct Message button on user profiles, allowing users to connect with each other more easily. Here's what Twitter said about the new development.

2. Retweeting with a comment is a Twitter feature you’ll love

Retweeting with a comment is just like quoting a tweet, but instead of having to copy-paste the URL of the tweet you want to quote, all you have to do now is click on a button. The new feature, which Twitter had been testing for nearly a year, is currently available on web browser and iOS. Android users will have to wait a while longer before they can use the feature. Unlike earlier, Twitter users no longer have to worry about shortening the original tweet, as it will be embedded within the comment. Techcrunch piece has summed it up here nicely.

3. Twitter gets a new homepage

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Twitter has revamped its home page to give non-users and logged-out users a taste of everything that's brewing on the inside. Instead of the regular Log In or Sign Up page, you will now see a series of populated tweets categorized by subject on the homepage. You can click on a subject of your choice to see related real-time tweets. The feature is currently available only to desktop users in the US. Although the change has no direct implication for marketers, Twitter is hoping to get more people to sign up with the new homepage. If it succeeds in doing so, marketers will have a much larger audience on Twitter (which is awesome!). Twitter’s official announcement on their new homepage.

4. Facebook Messenger adds video chat

On April 27, Facebook introduced video-calling in Messenger. Mark Zuckerberg said that the video calling in Messenger has an edge over competitors such as Skype, FaceTime and Hangouts as users can switch from text to video with more ease. The company claims that its video calling service delivers the best video and audio across different data networks and internet connections. The video calling feature, which has been launched in 18 countries, including the US, works just as well on both iOS and Android. You can find out here if the feature is available in your country yet.

5. Facebook to migrate apps to Graph API v2.0 from coming month

The last week of April has been a critical one for developers of third-party apps on Facebook. On its official blog, Facebook reminded developers of the approaching deadline for the migration to Graph API v2.0. It said that all apps created before April 30th, 2015 are required to fulfill the Login Review Process, failing which the app may break. Facebook also shared tips on how developers can improve the onboarding experience of their users. Although all apps will be updated to API v2.0 by default after April 30th, Facebook recommended that developers upgrade all the API calls for their apps before the said date. If you haven't already submitted your app for review, here's what you need to do.

6. Facebook updates Newsfeed algorithm yet again!

In an attempt to ensure that the content you discover through your Newsfeed is more relevant, Facebook is making three major changes to how Newsfeed works. First, Facebook is relaxing its restriction on showing notifications for multiple posts from the same person. Users who have fewer Friends can now explore more content, even if it is from the same sources. Second, Facebook aims to strike the right content balance by showing notifications for the people and pages you care most about higher up on your Newsfeed. Third, your Friends' activities (such as their comments on other posts) will be ranked lower on your Newsfeed. As far as the impact of these changes on pages is considered, Facebook says that some pages may suffer a decline in reach and referral traffic. However, it urges page administrators to continue sharing high quality content with their audience. More on the Newsfeed update.

7. Facebook adds subscribe button for events

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Facebook has made it easier for users to be notified when a page they've Liked is hosting an event, with the new events subscribe button. It is expected to particularly help musicians, who have long been complaining about the drop in organic reach on Facebook. The button will appear on all pages, below the like button. Event notifications will also appear on your events dashboard, just as they would if you had been invited. All your event subscriptions will be visible to your friends, and Facebook will also throw up suggestions to subscribe based on the pages you've liked. Facebook's appeal to musicians.