Will Microsoft Buy TikTok before Trump Bans It?
Are overseas governments going to control new social media companies in the future?
The trouble with TikTok isn’t going away. This week Microsoft revealed it was interested in buying the tool and the American President says he will ban it if not purchased by an American company.
In fact, today he signed an executive order to close it down.
It could be a good buy for Microsoft that could be viewed as a stuffy brand. Could TikTok make it cool again?
But the announcement from Trump is kinda of extreme. The American company parameter just sounds so wrong, what you might expect from countries like China.
Snapchat adds music
Snapchat is back. They are adding lots of new features. The first one many people are saying is TikToky but really it’s closer to Instagram music.
You’ll now be able to add music to your snaps. Other users will be able to swipe up on your snap to see the artist and track and choose a streaming service to listen on.
It’s already live in Australia & New Zealand and being rolled out in all English speaking countries in the autumn.
They’ve done deals with Warner Brothers, Universal and others to licence music for the tool.
https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/3/21352680/snapchat-music-embed-tiktok-competitor
Make Snapchat Stickers With Your Face
Adding animate gifs to your stories, wherever you create them is old news. But what if you could personalise those stickers to feature… you.
Snapchat just rolled out it’s ‘Cameo’ selfie sticker feature to work in stories.
To use it, snap a photo of your face and it will add it to a selection of stickers.
This could be huge for businesses that work with ambassadors, it will give them an opportunity to associate their ambassadors more strongly with the content they put out.
Previously you could make selfie stickers and use them in chat but now you can add them to stories.
https://www.engadget.com/snapchat-cameos-stickers-130031301.html
Instagram Launches Reels To All
Could someone come and steal your business?
Like Instagram have done first with Snapchat and now with TikTok.
This week Reels was launched internationally and it’s almost exactly the same as TikTok
You can create multi clip, looping videos with effects and music clips. When you start watching Reels from the explore feed you swipe up to navigate through them. It’s full of tips, dancing and fashion.
To start a reel swipe right on the Instagram camera.
Will it work? With TikTok’s current problems and with the demise of Snapchat as an example I think it will.
TikTok users will say it’s not as feature rich but I can see the filters and tools appearing fast.
Snapchat helps you identify dog breeds
Have you been out and about and seen a flower and wondered what it is? Have you ever seen a dog you think is cute and wanted to know what type it is so you can get one yourself?
Identifying these things has an unusual new home. Snapchat.
In the AR menu swipe right and click ‘scan’ to access flower identifying and dog breed identifying tools. Not available to all users yet.
The big question is why?
Could they be trying to attract new, older users?
Could they be developing tools to sell on to other apps?
It seems off brand for Snapchat but could it signal a move in a new direction?
New Messenger Plugin For Websites Doesn’t Require Facebook Login
The Facebook chat plugin is a handy tool that allows people on your website live chat with you using Facebook messenger.
According to Facebook, businesses using the Chat Plugin saw a 45% increase in customers inquiring about their products and services.
The problem up until now was that it was very Faceboooky. It could jar with your web design. It also meant that people who don’t use Facebook couldn’t chat with you.
The new update gives users the chance to ‘continue in messenger’ or ‘continue as guest’ meaning no Facebook sign in.
Having a instant messaging tool like this on your website can increase conversions as people can ask questions that may be stopping them purchasing from you.
Twitter wants to know what service you’d pay for
Asking your customers what they want is a powerful way to make more sales. And that’s exactly what Twitter is doing. We knowTwitter has been considering a paid service and they are surveying users to see what they’d be willing to pay for.
Options include:
- Recall a tweet within 30 seconds (gives you a time to think)
- Better stats
- Better business admin tools
- Better video uploading
Would you pay for any of these?
I feel they’ll have a good chance of grabbing business customers with better management and stats. I know that’s something I’d pay for (but not a lot). What about you?
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