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Hello there!

Get your fix of all the latest happenings in the world of social media in the eighth edition of our monthly digest. Facebook and LinkedIn are both introducing several major changes and updates that are set to have a huge impact on the way people use social media. Twitter has been getting into a bit of trouble, but has also made some minor changes to improve user experience. Here at DrumUp we’ve been hard at work to introduce new features just for you, so keep your eyes peeled. Also, tell us what you think about DrumUp because we love hearing from you!

1. Facebook plans to introduce alternative options to the “Like” button

At a recent Q&A at the Facebook headquarters, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Faceook is working on introducing a Dislike button, but it’s not what you think. He reiterated that it isn’t exactly a Dislike button to downvote other users’ posts (like in other forums) but just a better way for users to express themselves. Considering that Facebook is the largest driver of traffic to news publications, this change will have a huge impact on them – whether the impact will be positive or negative is yet to be seen. You can watch the highlights from the Q&A here.

2. Facebook introduces 360 Video support

Since September 23rd, 360-degree videos are being supported on Facebook. The immersive video format will allow you to decide on the angle from which you watch the video. You can change the angle by dragging the cursor on your computer screen or dragging your finger across your mobile screen. Mobile/Tablet users can also change the angle of the video by turning their device. Since support for 360 Video was added, a number of high profile publishers posted 360 degree videos including Discovery, Vice, Saturday Night Live and Star Wars. You can read the full announcement here.

3. Facebook releases Signal, a great tool for journalists

Facebook has rolled out a new tool called Signal that makes life easier for journalists. This tool lets journalists find and curate content from Facebook as well as Instagram. Journalists can find trending topics on Facebook and discover related content, that is unranked and in chronological order. Signal also lets users access a real-time list of public figures, ranked by who is being talked about the most. This list includes actors, politicians, musicians, sports teams and so on. Journalists can also save and curate content that they find interesting. Learn more about Signal and all its features here.

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4. Facebook makes it easier for business owners to sell their products and services

Facebook has now made it easier for businesses to showcase their products and services thanks to two new sections – Shopping and Services. The Shopping section lets retailers market their products directly on their pages, while the Services section lets businesses like salons, mechanics etc. feature their services. The new sections are still in the testing phase, but are set to be released over the coming weeks. Get more details about the new sections here.

5. Twitter’s “Buy” button now open to all users

Twitter has announced that any user can now buy/sell products directly from the app itself thanks to a “Buy” button within the tweet. Although, this feature was introduced a while ago, it was limited to only a few companies – a restriction that has now been removed. The buttons are made in partnership with Stripe, a start-up that lets users buy directly on third party apps. This means that Twitter isn’t the only app where you can buy products directly. Recently, apps like Lyft and Postmates have used Stripe to improve their services. The testing for this update started earlier this year and you can read more about it here.

6. Lawsuit alleges that Twitter spies on Direct Messages

Twitter is in a bit of a mess after a new class action suit was filed against the company. As per the allegations Twitter uses algorithms to eavesdrop on users’ Direct Messages. The class action suit claims that the undisclosed surveillance takes place when a user writes a Direct Message containing a hyperlink. Twitter benefits through this practice as it replaces the actual link with a link that takes users to their website “t.co” first and then re-directs them to the original link, this helps Twitter negotiate for better advertising rates. In it’s Privacy Policy, Twitter discloses that it may keep track of how users interact with links, but that may not be enough to dodge the lawsuit. You can follow the story here.

7. Twitter redesigns buttons and removes share counts

Twitter has changed the look of it’s Tweet and Follow buttons that appear all over the web. This is the first time the buttons have been changed since 2011. The current buttons that have a 3D effect, blue Twitter bird and black text are being replaced with simpler and more minimalistic buttons that have a white bird and white text on a simple blue background. They are also silently removing share counts that let users track how many times their tweets have been shared. This is likely to affect smaller businesses as they’ll have to find other resources to analyze this data. There is no clear reason behind this move,which is puzzling as it used to be one of Twitter’s main metrics. Get more on this story here.

8. LinkedIn updates messages to include GIFs and Emojis

LinkedIn has finally updated it’s chat interface on iOS, Android and web. They began rolling out these updates in September. The updates come with a few additional features that are already present on Facebook Messenger like chat threads, emojis and GIFs. Mark Hull, LinkedIn’s director of product management, made the announcement on his blog stating that after years of requests for updates, they are finally being rolled out. The new design remains clean and minimalistic and resembles Messenger in its functionality. He also stated that they will be experimenting with a digital assistant for messaging, similar to “M” for Messenger. Read more about the update on Hull’s blogpost.

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9. LinkedIn’s Elevate now available to large organizations

LinkedIn’s social media management tool, Elevate, is now available for large organizations that have over 2000 employees. It is a paid product, which lets enterprises share curated and original content, as well as articles through their employees. This helps them improve their audience engagement and social media presence. Employees can now share content within their LinkedIn networks as well as through Twitter and Facebook. Read more about Elevate and it’s features here.