Whoa, slow down
Welcome back! Or should I say, "Hey guys!" At least, that's what I would probably say if this was a vlog, according to trends research by YouTube. "Good Morning" is also a popular intro used by creators. But it looks like "Hi everyone" is on its way out. Learn more.
In today's news:
Twitter introduces a Tip Jar, Ticketed Spaces — & much more
You can now add auto captions to Instagram Stories
And this is the safest way to travel to Florence right now
Read on ⬇️
Money on the mind
Twitter was pretty quiet in April, but made up for it by unleashing multiple updates last week — and many of them are focused on helping users (and Twitter) make money. Let's see how...
Can I give you a tip?
Twitter is testing a Tip Jar, which would allow users to send and leave tips for their favourite creators. Accounts enabled with this feature have a Tip Jar icon beside the Follow button. When you click on it, you'll see a list of payments apps to choose from. Supported payment apps include Bandcamp, Cash App, Patreon, PayPal and Venmo. Tips can also be sent through Spaces on Android. A select group of accounts currently have access to this feature, but Twitter says it will start rolling out more broadly soon.
Potential use: In addition to boosting individual creators, I could see this being something that non-profits may want to test out.
A hot ticket
Tip Jars aren't the only way to make $$ on Twitter. The platform is working on Ticketed Spaces. Spaces is Twitter's audio-feature (and Clubhouse competitor), which all users now have access to. You can find them in the top of the app, where Fleets live. Accounts with 600 or more followers can now host a chat on Spaces, and soon, hosts will be able to sell tickets in order to earn revenue. Twitter says it will keep a small amount of revenue for itself. This feature is still in test mode. Meanwhile, Twitter announced a number of other updates to Spaces, including improved accessibility, a co-host option, and safety controls for hosts and speakers. Learn more.
Potential use: If there is a thought leader in your organization, this might be a chance for them to add a bit of revenue to the books.
In other Twitter news...
Images are no longer being cropped on the app. When you upload a single image to your timeline, what you see is what your community will see.
Twitter is testing prompts that ask users to basically count to 10 before posting a potentially harmful reply.
The company also acquired Scroll, a publishing platform that allows you to read articles without ads or pop ups getting in the way.
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ICYMI
Instagram introduces auto captions
Adding captions to Instagram Stories just got a lot easier. The platform announced last week that it's rolling out a "Captions" Sticker.
How it works: Upload a video from your camera roll (or record a Story), click on the Stickers icon, and select "Captions." Instagram will automatically create animated text to match the audio (FYI: the Instagram Threads app also does this). There are four different caption styles, and you can resize the words and move them around on the screen.
And in case you're wondering about swear words, they'll automatically get blanked out and bleeped, according to Mashable. But you can manually edit them back in if you feel they are absolutely necessary.
NEWS-LIKE
🔴 Facebook & Instagram updated with new messaging features [Search Engine Journal]
🔴 Instagram apology for MMIWG posts that disappeared is inadequate, says advocate [CBC News]
🔴 Facebook's 'Supreme Court' tells Zuckerberg he's the decider [NY Times]
🔴 Snapchat announces new Snap Originals, plus a Creator Marketplace is on the way [Snapchat]
🔴 Five tips for more YouTube sales without ads [Social Media Examiner]
APP-LIKE
TikTok Takes Top Spot
If you're feeling a sense of déjà vu, you're right. In April 2021, TikTok once again took the top spot as the non-gaming app with the most downloads, according to mobile app analytics firm Sensor Tower. Also on repeat: Facebook and its family of apps rounded out the top five. Zoom and Telegram both moved up one spot from March 2021, as did the app CapCut.
Fun fact: CapCut, which helps you edit videos, is owned by the same company as TikTok (ByteDance).
TRAVEL-LIKE
Ciao, Florence
You might not be able to catch a flight to Florence tonight, but you can live vicariously through creators who are already living the dream. That's the case with American Kacie Burns, who has been sharing the adventures of her new life in Italy. Expect videos featuring travel tips, cultural shock, and my personal favourite — convincing Italians to dip their pizza in ranch dressing. 🍕
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