Social Round-Up: 4 Platform Updates to Stay in the Know

2017 has already been a huge year for social media. We've seen platforms start to beef up their video content, Snapchat is getting ready for an IPO, and Google and Facebook are teaming up to fight fake news. This week I'm bringing you 4 social innovations to keep on your radar as we keep moving through the year.

Snap Inc. to Officially go Public

We've been waiting for this since 2016 - Snap Inc. the parent company to Snapchat has officially announced that it is going public. However, facing a stagnating user growth amidst competitive pressure from Instagram, the camera company has its work cut out for it. Snap Inc. will be officially listed as SNAP on the NASDAQ with an initial valuation of $25 billion. Snap is hoping to hit it big with recent acquisitions which it hopes to beef up its analytics and reporting portfolio. With the release of Spectacles the company has also stepped into the hardware game. Will the company's strong grip on millennial segment mixed with new analytic offerings catapult the platform into a social juggernaut? Or will we see the pressure from Instagram and a slowing growth rate bring Snap Inc tumbling down from its recent success into a bust?

Facebook Mid-Roll is Here

Facebook has been testing mid-roll video ads as the next innovation available on the platform. This feature will allow advertisers to bid on Ad Breaks within video content. When placed, Ad Breaks are not able to be skipped by users and will offer full analytical reporting for advertisers.

With the push for video online coming to full-stride, it’s estimated that video content will consume 80% of all internet traffic by the year 2019. As a result, Facebook has rolled out a push for longer videos to create room for mid-roll ad content. Why does this matter? In the past, if a user were to watch 75% of a 2 minute video and 75% of a 10 minute video, the two views both counted equally and both videos would carry the same importance in a user’s feed. However, Facebook adjusted their ranking to prioritize the longer video since a viewer was engaged with the content for a longer time. 

Now, longer videos that engage users may receive a bump in distribution while shorter videos may see a decrease in performance. But hold your horses. This doesn’t mean you should make long content for the sake of placement. Facebook explains, “The best length of video is whatever length is required to tell a compelling story that engages people, which is likely to very depending on your story.” 

The Death of Fake News?

Remember during the elections or even still today when you saw a wildly absurd post come across in your newsfeed? Did you click on it? If so, you were not alone as millions of people experienced fake or faulty news content flowing through their social media channels. Two of tech's A-Listers, Google and Facebook, are putting their differences aside to combat this faulty reporting. CrossCheck, a collaborative effort between the public, tech companies, and journalist alike will be launching shortly in an effort to cross-check French election news. During this time, public viewers will be encouraged to submit links and flags of any articles that they think are a little too far out there. Working with publishers, CrossCheck will evaluate resources from across the web to verify or debunk any reports that seem unlikely.

Fake news has been on the rise since the recent U.S elections. Threatening the credibility of social media and other digital platforms as respectable publishers, technology companies are teaming up to better verify sources to inform the public. Will CrossCheck's initiative prove beneficial? Or will these uncredited articles continue to hassle the likes of Google, Facebook, and digital publishers?

Pinterest Quietly Getting Stronger

Pinterest, the visual based content sharing site, has recently introduced search ads to its platform. This new ad type will allow marketers to run keyword search ads similar to Google Adwords. Since Pinterest relies on visuals imagery as the main functionality of the platform, its search ads will also enable for visual advertising. With a reported 2 billion search queries a month, this new offering may prove beneficial for advertisers looking to show off visual content while still capitalizing on a large audience reach. How have you used Pinterest in the past in your marketing plan? Does this new functionality make advertising on the platform more likely in your upcoming media plans?

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Like what you heard or did I miss something important? Share your social/tech trends in the comments and be sure to share on your own feed as well!