Many people today consider sending a text message to be easier and more convenient than making a phone call, but are those digital messages safe from prying eyes? If you use iMessage or have followed the locked iPhone drama in the San Bernardino terrorism case, you may be aware that iMessage uses end-to-end encryption, but this isn’t the norm among messaging apps or other data-heavy apps. Both Snapchat and Skype, for example, don’t offer message encryption and most Android phones don’t have any encryption software.
Due to a lack of encryption regulations, many apps leave your messages unprotected, which can be a serious problem if you’re using them for any professional communication – or just don’t want anyone peeking at your private chats. Luckily, iMessage isn’t your only option for safe communication.
With these apps, you can feel certain that your data is protected.
Many people have a complete set of Google apps on their phones, including Gmail and Google Drive, because they allow you to keep all your important files on hand and share them with colleagues or friends. This is great news for professionals on the go…until you stop to consider that Google Drive doesn’t come with sufficient encryption to keep those files safe.
If you’re worried about files saved through Google falling into the wrong hands, you might want to consider a program that makes Google more secure. Consider this a must if you want to have mobile access to professional files on the go. Check These Rankings
If you really want to know what apps will protect your messages, one thing you can do is check the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s (EFF) rankings. The EFF issues a Secure Messaging Scorecard that ranks apps on a scale of 1 to 7, with 7 being the highest. On this scale, both iMessage and Facetime, the standard Apple programs, rank at a solid 5.
A full 7 on the Secure Messaging Scorecard is fairly rare but attainable; one app that earned this commendation is the little-known app, Telegram. Though the basic form of Telegram comes in at a level 4, it also has secret chat features that earn a 7 because this level uses both server-client and client-client encryption.
The Self Destruct Option
For those seeking a specifically professional secure messaging option, Wickr may be just the thing you’re looking for. Wickr has two tiers, a generic chat option and a professional version for office use.
In addition to enabling encrypted messaging, Wickr allows users to exchange secure voice messages and self-destructing messages, similar to Snapchat. Instead of disappearing immediately after they’re opened, however, Wickr’s messages simply expire after a period of time. A Good Coverall
Finally, it’s important to acknowledge that our phones contain a lot of data beyond our messaging and file storage apps and that data is also at risk when hackers strike. That’s why it’s worth looking into full system encryption with a program like AppDome.
What makes them unique is they place an emphasis on speed – they want users to be able to keep things safe without noticeably slowing down their system. And since the program is premised on abstract data encryption rather than individual file encryption, they deliver what they promise.
In an era in which data breaches and hackers can strike at any time, keeping your data safe should be a top priority – and that’s why you need encrypted messaging and device protection. While it can be an adjustment to stop approaching your mobile life with a “whatever’s easiest” mindset, taking steps to secure your data is necessary and ultimately worth the effort.
Welcome to our weekly edition of what’s hot in social media news.
To help you stay up to date with social media, here are some of the news items that caught our attention.
What’s New This Week
YouTube Rolls Out End Screens Feature for All Creators: YouTube launched End Screens, “a new mobile-friendly tool that lets you engage viewers right as your video finishes and encourages them to watch more on their devices.” End screens make it easier to create and showcase “hard-to-miss thumbnail overlays that prompt viewers to watch your other videos, subscribe to your channel, visit collaborators’ channels and more” in the last 15-20 seconds of your videos and allow you “to reach more viewers on desktop and mobile.” YouTube announced that the End Screens feature is now “available to every creator on YouTube.”
YouTube launched End Screens, “a new mobile-friendly tool that lets you engage viewers right as your video finishes and encourages them to watch more on their devices.”
Facebook Begins to Block Live Broadcasts That Feature Unlicensed Use of Copyrighted Music, Introduces Online Courses for Journalists: Facebook launched its first-ever online training for journalists, “free e-learning courses inspired by conversations with editors and journalists across the globe who asked for a single destination where they can learn about Facebook’s products, tools and services for use in their work.” An interesting note in the Facebook Live training reminds the Live broadcaster to “Please make sure your live video complies with Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, which applies to all content you upload to or through Facebook. This includes only broadcasting content for which you own and/or control all rights (or have obtained all necessary licenses/permissions to such rights), globally, including rights in any sound recordings or musical compositions included in the video and any performers appearing in it. Make sure to keep the camera on you, and never broadcast the unfolding event, including what is on a stage, field, or any screens.”
Facebook launched its first-ever online training for journalists.
Facebook Extends Branded Content Policy to Verified Profiles: In April, Facebook made a change to its branded content policy that allows media companies, publishers, and marketers to share their branded content on the social network. These posts were originally limited to accounts with verified pages, but the policy has been extended to cover verified profiles as well. Facebook recognizes that “public figures with Verified Profiles – including athletes, musicians, bloggers, comedians and more – want ways to monetize their content on Facebook” and hopes that this update provides public figures “an incentive to share more quality content – of all kinds – with their fans” from their individual profiles.
“Verified profiles can now share branded content on Facebook.”
Twitter Shutting Down Vine: Twitter announced that it will discontinue Vine “in the coming months.” This announcement followed Twitter’s Q3 2016 Earnings Report, where the company shared other product updates and plans to lay off roughly 9% of its workforce, “as it looks to restructure itself into a company that can continue to run on its own.” Vine assures its users that “nothing is happening to the apps, website or your Vines today.” Until further notice, users can still access and download vines and the website will remain online. Vine promises to provide “more details on [its] blog and [its] Twitter account” and notify users through the app when they “start to change things.”
Facebook Adds PayPal Payment Option to Messenger: PayPal announced “an extension of [its] relationship with Facebook and Messenger, to help make mobile commerce smarter, simpler and more secure for consumers as well as merchants.” PayPal is rolling out as a payment option within Messenger, among other integrations. According to the PayPal site, this latest integration will provide merchants with “a more direct opportunity to build relationships with the 192 million people around the world with active PayPal accounts” and “help offer a compelling and frictionless commerce experience.” This payment option is only available in the U.S. but is expected to expand globally over time.
PayPal will start to roll out as a payment option across more of Facebook’s commerce experiences, including Messenger commerce.
Our Take on Top News This Week
In this week’s show from Friday, October 28, 2016, Michael Stelzner and guests discuss the top news in social media. Topics include Facebook Live Updates (03:20), upcoming changes to Twitter timeline and character limits (19:20), and the new End Screens feature on YouTube (27:05). Subscribe to future shows here.
More News to Note
Periscope Updates VIP Program Requirements: Periscope updated its requirements to be included in the Periscope VIP Program. Rather than examining “number of followers,” Periscope will instead shift its focus to “average live viewers per broadcast.” According to Periscope, “the live interactions and audiences [broadcasters have] brought together on Periscope are at the heart of what [it does], and [it] will be focusing on those metrics to review applications.” Periscope has updated the requirements on all levels of the VIP Program to reflect this change. However, it continues to maintain that “all levels… still require an average of two broadcasts per week, and all program members’ content and behavior must meet [the site’s] community guidelines and terms of service.”
Facebook Ranks News Feed in Real Time on Client Side: In an effort to “more efficiently rank and render relevant stories” for users on slower Internet connections and “connect people with the stories that matter most to them,” Facebook is launching “an update to News Feed’s client architecture that builds upon that foundation to more efficiently show people stories in feed.” Facebook shared its goals in building this new architecture, how the new ranking system will increase relevance, and its plans to optimize for connectivity on the Facebook code website.
Facebook is launching “an update to News Feed’s client architecture that builds upon that foundation to more efficiently show people stories in the feed.”
Twitter Launches Rewarded Video on MoPub Ad Exchange: Twitter’s MoPub Mobile Ad Exchange announced the general availability of its rewarded video solution, “which now includes over 70+ demand-side platforms (DSPs) from the MoPub Marketplace, and the ability to directly serve rewarded campaigns through the MoPub ad server.” According to MoPub, “rewarded video, also known as user opt-in video, is quickly changing the perception and experience of in-app advertising for consumers.” Support for rewarded video originally launched over a year ago on MoPub. While this type of video ads has been popular among gaming publishers “for years,” MoPub has seen “a broadening of rewarded video to all verticals, as publishers explore using everything from premium features to exclusive content as ways to incorporate rewarded videos seamlessly into their apps incentives for their users to stay engaged in-app longer.”
Twitter Launches New Developer Documentation and News Resource: Twitter launched “an entirely new version of dev.twitter.com – both the infrastructure and design have been rebuilt from the ground up.” New sections like Products, which “offers an entire breakdown of Twitter Developer Platform products” and Build, which “provides development scenarios and suggested products based on those scenarios” have been added. Also, there’s now a Community, where users “can find a local Twitter Developer Community or start your own, keep up to date with our events and visit [Twitter’s] developer forums.” According to Twitter, “these improvements will make it easier to find what you need as a developer, and allow [Twitter] to iterate faster on new content and documentation updates.”
Twitter is launching “an entirely new version of dev.twitter.com – both the infrastructure and design have been rebuilt from the ground up.”
Facebook Lifestage App Rolls Out to Android: Facebook’s new teen-focused app, Lifestage, is now available on Android. Facebook initially launched Lifestage as a stand-alone app on iOS in August and targeted it toward high school students. The app is free to download and access is limited to users 21 and under.
Facebook Launches Halloween-themed Reactions and Facebook Live Masks: Facebook introduced “some fun new ways to help you get into the Halloween spirit” with masks in Facebook Live and Halloween reactions. Facebook is rolling out a number of “festive masks for Halloween” but a selection of masks will continue to be available beyond Halloween and can be used on your Live videos anytime. According to the Facebook Newsroom site, “masks will be rolling out over the next few days for people using Facebook Live on iOS in the US, UK and New Zealand.” They will be available to people sharing live video via Android devices and in more countries “in the coming months.” Facebook is also launching limited-edition Halloween-themed reactions in a select set of countries in the days leading up to and through Halloween.
Facebook introduced “some fun new ways to help you get into the Halloween spirit” with masks in Facebook Live and Halloween reactions.
Upcoming Social Media News Worth Following
Pinterest Tests New Collection of Promoted Pins: Pinterest announced it’s “developing a collection of Promoted Pins designed to bring every kind of idea to life.” The latest updates include promoted app pins, “which help people on Pinterest discover and then download iOS apps directly from the Pin,” and one-tap promoted pins, which “take people straight to the source where the content originated from” with just one tap. Pinterest notes that one-tap promoted pins are still being tested, but are already showing “impressive results” for businesses like Wayfair.com, Fossil, Topshop, Ted Baker, and others who’ve partnered with Pinterest on this new feature.
Pinterest introduced promoted app pins, “which help people on Pinterest discover and then download iOS apps directly from the Pin.”
Facebook Develops Real-time Filters for Live Video: VentureBeat reports that “Facebook is working on new camera technology that overlays famous artists’ styles onto your live videos.” The article explains that Facebook is looking to deploy “live filters for in-the-moment experiences,” rather than those that can be applied after the video has been recorded. The Prisma app, which “transforms your photos and videos into works of art using the styles of famous artists: Van Gogh, Picasso, Levitan, as well as world famous ornaments and patterns,” offers a demonstration of how its art filters would work in real time on Facebook Live video.
“Facebook is working on new camera technology that overlays famous artists’ styles onto your live videos.”
Facebook Tests New Augmented Reality Camera Feature: In addition to reactive camera filters themed around fine art, Facebook is embracing “the next era of augmented reality visual communication pioneered by Snapchat” with new features such as “Snapchat-style animated selfie masks, overlaid graphics and geofilters.” Facebook is currently testing these new camera features in Ireland and plans to “test more variations of these before rolling this out globally.”
Twitter Explores Personalized Timelines Based on Interests or Events: TechCrunch reports that Twitter is “working on ways of making the Timeline, (currently) the heart of Twitter, into a more personal experience” by testing timelines based on users’ unique interests like sports teams or political affiliations or built around a specific moment or occasion.
Twitter Excludes User Names From Character Counts: In May, Twitter announced plans to simplify what counts toward the 140 characters. The platform has already implemented the ability to retweet yourself and stop counting GIFs, photos, videos, and more towards the character limit. A Twitter spokesperson confirms that “a subset of users” is currently testing another proposed change to also exclude user names from character counts. Twitter is expected to roll out this next update to all users, although it hasn’t confirmed when that will be.
Instagram Tests Live Video in Stories: The Next Web reports that “Instagram is testing live video in its ‘Stories’ feature… [that] allows users to post images and video as part of a story, which then disappears after 24 hours.” Instagram is currently testing this new feature among Russian users but has not confirmed any plans to expand it any further.
Facebook Will Add MasterCard Chatbot to Messenger: TechCrunch reports that “MasterCard account holders will soon be able to check on their accounts, track their spending, review past purchases and more right in Facebook Messenger.” This new automated chat feature is currently pilot testing, but the company says it will roll out to all of Facebook Messenger “starting early next year, in the U.S. first.”
Twitter Plans to Integrate Timelines on Apple TV: The Next Web reports that Twitter reactions to live video are coming to Apple TV. Users will be able to “view their Twitter timelines, as well as reactions to live sports and news broadcasts all on one screen” in real time and “send select tweets to [an] iPhone to join the conversation.”
Some Interesting Studies to Note:
How to Build a Better Blog Than Your Competitors: 2017 Blogging Report: TrackMaven analyzed more than 65,000 blog posts published on company websites from September 2015 to August 2016 and identified key trends in blogging output and impact, opportunities for optimizing blog schedules, and best practices to increase blog shareability. According to the findings, the average number of blog posts published per brand per month has increased by 800%. However, the average number of social shares per post (from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest) has decreased by 89% over the same time period. The study suggests that blog post length and readability according to the Flesch score also impact social shares per post.
Facebook Brand Study H1 2016: A new study from Quintly analyzed how 30 big global brands use Facebook to communicate with fans and their development in likes, posts, user interaction, and other key performance indicators. The researchers examined the number of daily posts, interactions with fans, and types of content (photo or video) over the first half of 2016. The results show that Facebook is still a vital platform for brand marketing, and in spite of the saturation of profiles in the space, there’s still room for future fan growth.
The Year of the Supershopper: Using research data from multiple consumer, mobile, and shopping studies conducted over the past year, Google highlights that “shoppers around the world are more informed and more efficient than ever before” and offers key insights for brands that are “trying to win [shoppers] over this holiday season.” Google also offers tips and tactics for reaching shoppers through mobile, search, and digital ads.
Have you tried adding an end screen to your YouTube videos? What do you think of Facebook blocking live video? Please share your comments below.
Eventually, most companies decide to venture into social media. It’s the
new frontier of marketing, and while it does have its downsides, we’ve all seen
the upsides, and they’re undeniable. Possibilities include engaging customers
in a new way, staying top of mind, and even carving out a new niche in the
social media landscape.But, social media needs constant attention,
and many businesses don’t have the bandwidth to do it internally. So we offer a
customized approach that fits each company’s business category, supports its
brand, and aligns with its marketing strategy.
Ranking Channels: What’s right
for your company?
Not all channels are appropriate for all companies. Once we look at who you
want to talk to, what you want to say, where your stakeholders are having those
conversations, and how much effort you want to expend, we can help you make an
informed decision about the channels you should consider. We’re talking about
using a bow and arrow approach versus the shotgun method we see taken so often,
so . . . tragically.
Tailoring Content: What kinds
of posts will work for you?
It’s helpful to think of social media in terms of parties. You have
different conversations at business mixer than you do at a family gathering.
That is due to the familiarity you have with your audience and their
familiarity with you. So consider why an audience is present at any given
channel. Here are our thoughts:
Facebook: Where people go to catch up with friends and family
LinkedIn: Where people go to catch up with colleagues, for career opportunities
and networking
Twitter: Where people go for customized news and thought leadership
YouTube: Where people go for entertainment and education
Instagram: Facebook for generation z
Pinterest: Visual inspiration
Editorial Calendar
Once we determine which channels are appropriate for your company, we’ll
develop an editorial calendar that makes sense for your brand and your
audience.
Response Protocol: Feedback is
good
Once you start having conversations online, customers will respond. This is
a good thing, even though sometimes you won’t like what people have to say.
A lot of our customers are concerned about online feedback, but think of it
this way: Those conversations were probably happening before, you just didn’t
know about it. Our approach to responding to hostile posts was founded by the
US Air Force. Now those guys know how to scramble the jets when there is
trouble!
