WhatsApp is gearing up to finally monetize its messaging app by charging large enterprise businesses for tools to better communicate with customers. WhatsApp will also offer a free app to small-to-medium sized businesses, though it hasn’t outlined the specific functionality of the app. The enterprise solution will allow global companies “to provide customers with useful… Read More
Social media sites have had a pretty interesting year when it comes to approaching filter bubbles and echo chambers and the real world effects that come when they effect something like a national election. Verrit is a fledgling media startup that’s aiming to provide a platform for Hillary supporters to look at infographics with quotes on them about stuff they agree with. Verrit got a… Read More
About a month ago, Twitter rolled out a new feature that would show you a bunch of random shit in your notifications tab. For example, if a couple of people that you follow liked a tweet, it’d show up in your notifications tab. If someone followed someone else, boom! There it was in your notifications tab. If people you follow start tweeting about the same topic or article… well,… Read More
Twitter bots – robots that interact with humans – have a long history. The Twitter API is fairly easy to use (I made a bot that plays Zork with a friend two years ago) and there is little protection against creating new accounts automatically. This ease of use used to be great for programmers but now Twitter has a huge bot problem. Bots have expanded beyond the traditional tactics.… Read More
Tinder has hit number 1 in the App Store’s top grossing category for the very first time.
Claiming top spot in the App Store likely has to do with the global launch of Tinder Gold, which lets users see who has liked them without swiping at all, among other premium features.
Tinder’s initial foray into monetization came in 2015 with the launch of Tinder Plus, which lets users… Read More
Twitch today is introducing a suite of tools called Twitch Extensions that will allow its streamers to customize their channel pages with interactive features, including polls, leaderboards, tickers, schedules, overlays and even virtual pets, among other things. Beyond simply personalizing their channel to make it more engaging to fans, the extensions in some cases will help streamers… Read More
Facebook’s latest push into video is now live. On Thursday, the new Watch tab popped up for U.S. users as the feature begins its proper roll-out. The Watch tab sits in some premium Facebook real estate, just under the News Feed and Messenger buttons on the main desktop navigation menu. On mobile, the feature hangs out at the bottom of the navigation bar where users can launch it with… Read More
Microsoft’s mobile game streaming app Mixer Create is launching out of beta testing today on iOS and Android, allowing gamers to broadcast the games they’re playing right from their phone. This feature works on Android with all games, but is more limited on iOS. On iPhone, select games that have enabled Apple’s ReplayKit functionality will work, the company notes. That… Read More
Instagram Stories, its Snapchat clone now used by daily more people than Snapchat itself, is coming to the web. Initially, the feature will allow desktop and mobile web users to view Stories posted by their friends and others they follow. But it in the months ahead, the web version will allow you to post to Stories, too. Instagram Stories has been only one of an array of attacks on rival… Read More
A bug related to an Instagram API allowed at least one unscrupulous individual to access the email address and phone number of an unspecified number of “high-profile” users of the app. No other personal information, like password or what have you, seems to have been exposed. Read More
Messaging giant WhatsApp is experimenting with giving businesses verified accounts on its platform. In an FAQ on its website the company notes that some business accounts will be displayed with a green tick badge next to them. Read More
As Rafiki once said, “It is time.” Tinder Gold, the dating app’s new premium subscription tier (which includes a feature that lets you see who’s already liked you without any swiping) is finally rolling out to the U.S. Tinder Gold and Likes You were originally tested in Argentina, Australia, Canada and Mexico at the end of June. Today, however, the the feature rolls out… Read More
Facebook says it’s taking another step against Pages that share fabricated news stories. The company has already been working with outside fact-checkers like Snopes and the AP to flag inaccurate news stories. (These aren’t supposed to be stories that are disputed for reasons of opinion or partisanship, but rather outright hoaxes and lies.) It also says that when a story is marked… Read More
Turns out, observing other people’s lives is actually a biological instinct. And in the age of social media, where lives are presented on a platter and require only the slip of a thumb, it’s easy to indulge in those instincts. In fact, sometimes, we let our impulses run wild in the most unproductive ways.
But why the fascination? Whether we social media stalk out of adoration… Read More
Facebook says it’s looking to become more open and transparent about its decisions, and it’s hired Liz Spayd, a former public editor of The New York Times, to consult on the process.
The hire comes as Facebook — or at least, parts of Facebook — seems to be wrestling with its role in the public sphere. There have been specific controversies, like the debate over… Read More
Wattpad, the social publishing platform behind apps for sharing original stories and chat fiction, is today venturing into video with the launch of a new app called Raccoon. Unlike its predecessors, Raccoon will focus on non-fiction video-based storytelling, with the goal of connecting people who want to create and watch stories that either entertain or inspire. While Raccoon still fits… Read More
What if you could see if your Instagrams made people happy, surprised or disgusted? That’s just one of the innovative features of new photo-sharing social network Polygram. Using facial detection, Polygram gives you analytics about the emotional reactions people have to the photos you post. Read More
Facebook today is expanding on the popularity of its two-year old “On This Day” sharing prompt, with the addition of new features that let users revisit their memories, as well as celebrate milestones related to their friendships on the social network. While “On This Day” provides a look back in time, starting with memories from the same day last year, two new options… Read More
Facebook is faced with yet another content-related scandal, after The Times newspaper reported that people traffickers and slave traders are using its platform to broadcast videos of migrants being tortured to try to extort money from their families. Read More
Adding real-world diversity to emoji is a work in progress, but with platforms spanning the entire globe, it’s clearly important to big companies like Facebook. The social network just rolled out a set of new “family” emoji that, while they don’t yet capture the full spectrum, at least let your partner and kids have something other than yellow skin. Read More
