Geekout Newsletter #5 - Hot Zuckerberg Action 😲🔥

July 24, 2020

Hey, geeks!

What did I learn this week...? Zuck doesn't f**k about when it comes to sunscreen? 👈🔥😮

In more serious news, the usual suspects have dominated the social media news headlines:

  • Twitter is still scrabbling to provide answers about its embarrassing hack incident

  • TikTok has been lobbying hard in the U.S to prevent yet another ban

  • Facebook was accused of "hurting people at scale" among other things by a departing employee who wants the leadership to be more open to change

We'll dig into these stories and all the rest of the week's news in a moment.

First, a quick bit of news about me:

You can now book 30 or 60 minute online consultation appointments with me via SuperPeer.

If you want to get social media support and guidance, or career coaching and mentoring from me, you can head over to SuperPeer and pick a time slot. Simples!

Right, let's dig into the news and see what went down this week. There are also lots of shiny new features and tools to talk about!

And if you like this newsletter, please share it! View it in your browser and share the link on social media. 🙏

— Matt

🚨 Everyone's talking about...

The big unanswered question after last week's big Twitter hack was 'were any DMs accessed?' The answer, Twitter has now revealed, was yes. According to the company, 36 users had their DMs breached. That's a small number, but they were high-profile users so they could potentially have had valuable information among their messages.

It's a reminder that using Twitter DMs for sensitive private chats isn't the wisest of ideas. They're not encrypted, and there's a chance a determined hacker could get their hands on them.

Reuters reports that 1,000 people inside Twitter had access to the tools the hackers breached. And the New York Times says access details were even pinned in an internal Slack channel! Whatever happens with the criminal investigation into the hack, Twitter has some serious questions to answer about its internal security.

How can TikTok be saved from a US ban that would ruin the app's community and valuation overnight?

Bloomberg [$$$] this week reported the latest detail on what might be the best option: selling most of TikTok to its US investors. "The idea is that TikTok could become a U.S. company, while ByteDance retains a minority stake. This scenario has been discussed for months with various iterations, including a group of venture firms or strategic partners buying the additional equity, according to one person involved in the talks."

Other options include just selling the US part of TikTok, splitting the company into completely separate Chinese and international companies, or making ByteDance an entirely American company. There are no easy answers, but Donald Trump clearly sees a win against China in banning TikTok, or at least getting tough on it, so the stakes are high and ByteDance will likely have to do something soon.

Just this week, the Trump campaign urged supporters to back a TikTok ban [$$$] and American lawmakers moved to ban the app from all government issued devices over security concerns.

A passionate video from a departing Facebook employee cuts straight to the heart of what employees have been saying about the company. You can listen to the audio at the link above, where Max Wang accuses Facebook leadership of a gaslighting bait-and-switch that allows them to ignore employees concerns that free expression isn't always an entirely good thing.

The more we hear, the clearer it is that Facebook's leadership culture is too rigid in its views in the face of a rapidly changing world.

And it's still too reactive. It was interesting to see Facebook this week announce that it will investigate whether its algorithms are racially biased. This is a good move, but it follows a recent scathing civil rights audit, and came just a day before NBC News reported that Facebook management had shut down similar internal investigations at Instagram last year. Whether or not the announcement was timed to 'spoil' the NBC News story, it's not a good look to appear so off the ball on issues people have raised for years.

In this comprehensive Social Media Pocket Guide, we’ve looked at research-backed social media strategies and current best practices, with examples from major brands, to help drive audience engagement while delivering your business results.

👀 ICYMI...

Stories you need to know about:

Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp:

  • Facebook has outlined changes to its content monetization policies and brand safety controls to make sure they're inclusive, following the recent civil rights audit. [Social Media Today]

  • Facebook's Oversight Board shouldn't launch too quickly, one of its members — former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger — has warned. [BBC News]

  • And Oversight Board members should resign if they don't get more power, campaign group Accountable Tech says. [TechCrunch]

  • Facebook isn't happy with tweets that list the most popular stories on its platform, because they rely on engagement stats, not reach. [The Verge]

  • Facebook is using bots to help it better tackle harassment. [Engadget]

  • Disney has reportedly "dramatically slashed" its ad spend on Facebook. [Wall Street Journal $$$]

  • Mark Zuckerberg denies Facebook has a deal with Trump to treat the US president leniently than other users. [Axios]

Twitter:

  • Twitter's daily active users leapt up 34% year-on-year in the past quarter, but profits took a serious hit. [Engadget]

  • Twitter will test new revenue sources this year including subscription options, Jack Dorsey says. [CNN]

  • Twitter has taken action against QAnon supporters. It has removed 7,000 accounts linked to the conspiracy theory movement, and limited the reach of tweets from up to 150,000 more. [CNN]

  • Twitter removed a video from a Trump tweet after Linkin Park complained their music had been used without permission. [BBC News]

TikTok:

  • TikTok has launched a $200m 'creators fund' to help good US-based creators on the platform turn pro. [The Verge]

  • TikTok has reportedly cancelled talks to move its HQ to the UK, because of the UK's stance on China. [The Guardian]

  • Pakistan has issued a 'final warning' against TikTok over "immoral" content on the platform. [Reuters]

  • Three of TikTok’s biggest stars have signed big off-platform deals, showing how the app can be a springboard to opportunities elsewhere. [The Verge]

And the rest:

  • More than half the world now uses social media, according to a new report. [DataReportal]

  • Snapchat added an extra 9m daily active users in Q2, taking the total to 238m. [Social Media Today]

  • Snap is investigating allegations of sexism and racism within the company. [Business Insider $$$]

  • YouTube creators may make shorter videos due to new requirements for mid-roll ads. [Digiday]

🌟Tip of the week

🔨 Tool of the week

If you've not got Photoshop, or even if you have and you want to save time, this tool is very useful when you're creating social graphics.

📲 Quick hits

Updates, experiments, and useful info snippets:

  • Facebook Messenger is rolling out Face ID and Touch ID login support on iOS. [Messenger News]

  • Messenger Rooms will soon let you broadcast live video. [Engadget]

  • Facebook has added a 'Send on Messenger' button to the Facebook in-app browser on iOS. [@MattNavarra]

  • Facebook is testing a Pages redesign that removes the 'Like' button from the top. [TechCrunch]

  • Facebook Workplace has launched new features including Dark mode, a new Chat iOS app, and performance improvements on the web. [@alexvoica]

  • Some Instagram users with fewer than 10,000 followers can now add web links to Stories. [@MattNavarra]

  • Instagram is testing the ability to run personal fundraisers. At first it will just be "a small test" in the US, UK, and Ireland. [Facebook Newsroom]

  • Instagram is working on new Messaging Controls options for when the integration with Facebook Messenger launches. [@alex193a]

  • Instagram is building a US election information section of its main app. [@alex193a]

  • Instagram is working on animated text for Stories, with a different animation for each font. [@alex193a]

  • WhatsApp plans to offer credit, insurance and pension products in India. [TechCrunch]

  • A revamped Oculus Quest headset appears to have been leaked on Twitter. [The Verge]

  • Twitter is testing customisable app icons and a new app splash screen on iOS. [MacRumors]

  • Twitter is working to add a 'request verification' option in-app. [@alex193a]

  • TikTok has launched a 'Gamified Branded Effect' that brands can customise across 20 different formats. [AdWeek]

  • Apple Music has added Snapchat Stories integration in the latest iOS 14 beta. [9to5Mac]

  • Snapchat's first 'Snap Minis' have launched in a partnership with mental health startup Headspace. [AdWeek]

  • Snap Spectacles now let you record longer clips and edit them in Snapchat. [Engadget]

  • LinkedIn has released a guidebook containing tips for running virtual events. [Social Media Today]

  • YouTube is testing a ‘Descriptions’ sheet UI on Android that can go full-screen. [9to5Google]

  • Pinterest has launched a new campaign to encourage mask use. [Social Media Today]

  • Twitch has launched a Sports category as it increasingly becomes home to streams of live sporting events. [The Verge]

  • Spotify has launched support for video podcasts, with a small selection that will grow over time. [Spotify Newsroom]

📖 Weekend reading

Are platforms like Cameo the future of influencer marketing?

😳 And finally....

📅 Back next week...

...And that's a wrap for this week.

Consider yourself fully updated!

If you want more social media manager geekiness, head to my Geekout Group on Facebook.

Got a question or feedback about this newsletter? Reply to this email or hit me up in a DM on Twitter.

Somewhere in the world it's 5pm on a Friday, so I'm off to pour myself a drink.

Have a great weekend!

Goodbye Geeks! ❤️

— Matt

This newsletter is edited by Martin SFP Bryant.

Copyright 2020: Matt Navarra Media Ltd

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