Failing ESPN Continues to Tank

url.pngFailing ESPN continues to tank as anchor, Jemele Hill, keeps her job in the midst of a Twitter scandal. Why is Hill’s job in question? The tweet, which has since been removed, claimed that President Donald Trump was a, “white supremacist,” and that his cabinet (which features a black man, an Indian woman, an Asian woman, and multiple Jewish people) was, “largely…white supremacists.” Continue reading

Why Snap Map is Beneficial in the World of Social

Snap Map is beneficial to you in more ways than one.

As if the world of social media could not get any more intrusive. Now, cue Snap Map, the latest (and creepiest) feature of Snapchat. The possibilities that social media offers its users are endless. 

Snap Map is the feature that users want to hate, yet, can’t help but to love. What is it, exactly? And more importantly, what are the reasons why Snap Map is beneficial to you?

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Trending topics and tweets on twitter

Trending topics and tweets on twitter

Ever wondered what are trending topics and tweets on Twitter and who decides what is a trending topic? Many of us wake up, turn off our alarms, pick up the phone and check social media.Trending topics are a quick way to see what’s happening around the world and can be a great source for breaking news. Click on search or swipe to your left and you can see trending topic and tweets on twitter.

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Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat Push Each Other Toward Innovation to Improve the User Experience

 

Now more than ever the overlapping functions within Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat are a gray area. The nature of social media platforms lends itself to constant evolution. While social media powerhouses like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat are not becoming obsolete anytime soon, the purpose these platforms serve for users may be shifting. Remember when posting on your best friends Facebook wall was the first thing you did on their birthday? With similar nostalgia, you can remember a time when the function of posting “stories” belonged exclusively to Snapchat. Now that different platforms serve the same capacity, the user must align their social media priorities accordingly to adapt.

How do you choose between Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat?

This environment leaves these platforms questioning what exactly affects the decision-making process for users. Why would a user post a story to Instagram over Snapchat? Functionality and credibility. Users find themselves concerned with these two factors when deciding whether or not to engage new features. While functionality becomes apparent to users immediately, a platform’s credibility must build over time. As a result, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat must use different tactics to monopolize their shared user base.

Navigating the road to market domination makes taking concepts from the competition necessary. However, platforms then face the challenge of doing what their competitors do better. When Instagram gave users the ability to stream live video directly to their followers, Facebook’s identical feature suddenly seemed outdated. While competition characterizes much of the ingenuity social media platforms display, it can also set these platforms below their competitors.

Similarly to Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat’s service to you, the user experience always changes. Users become smarter and more observant with every post or like they give. Continuous growth and learning from users push platforms toward innovation. In turn, unceasing change keeps users using. This cycle, while never-ending, propels the user experience forward.

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Snapchat’s Snap Map Feature

Snapchat’s Snap Map not only changes the way we consume news but adds an extra dimension. The function allows users to watch videos from snapchat hot spots. These show anything from a popular sporting event, a tourist location, and most interestingly places where events unfold, all in real time. Hurricane Harvey serves as a great example to how we can use snapchat to gain further insights into the news we receive from television, newspapers, blogs, and other forms of social media. Similar to Twitter, Snapchat’s Snap Map feature gives real time updates of the people living through the events. It also gives the added value of a visual in the form of a video.

Hurricane Harvey Shows us how Useful Snapchat’s Snap Map can be

During Hurricane Harvey Snapchat’s Snap Map marked the location with a “Houston Strong” tab for those who wanted to watch the devastation and the aftermath through the eyes of those living through it. Those who watched during that week saw the evolution of Houston from the hurricane to the beginning of recovery. In the first days users saw strong winds blowing down trees and tearing down anything not firmly planted in the ground. As the first wave of snapchats disappeared, new ones took their place. Not only did we see the flooding take its tolls on peoples homes and belongings but we saw their genuine reactions and emotions. While the news gives facts, shots, and interviews, snapchat takes an unfiltered an unedited collection of stories. This gives a true human perspective unlike any other kind of media. Each story gives a different point of view but also adds to a singular narrative. So many stories showed heartbreak, fear, and uncertainty, but also so many more showed collective hope, community, and strength. Together thousands of individual snapshots created one cohesive and all encompassing story of a city going through devastation and rebuilding.

Snapchat's Snap Map showing the Houston Strong tab

 

 

Through Snapchat’s Snap Map we saw a more authentic view of Hurricane Harvey’s effect on Houston. This feature lends itself to being a valuable tool while learning about events, and allows for current updates from the center of the action. As communicators staying up to date and current on events goes hand in hand with the job. Snapchat’s Snap Map feature allows extra depth to the news we consume in other ways and will in time prove to be an essential piece of any developing story.

Partnership Between Hootsuite and ReviewTrackers

A major improvement was made to the social media managing site Hootsuite this week in the form of a partnership with the online reputation site ReviewTrackers. Earlier this week the partnership was announced and so far has been met with positive feedback. This partnership provides its users with the opportunity to monitor their online reputation from numerous review sites, while still managing their social media platforms. 

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Rethinking Emergency Response: The Use of Social Media During Natural Disasters

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Social Media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and newer social media startups are now arguably essential during natural disasters due to the fact that social media spreads information faster than older emergency response methods.

The U.S. has been hit hard over the past few weeks in terms of natural disasters. Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma were life threatening super storms that caused over $200 million in damages. Something of critical importance during this time was the use of social media as opposed to other emergency response methods. This showed the significance of social media’s importance in emergencies. Continue reading

Snap Map’s usefulness during Hurricanes

 

There are now new ways for people to see hurricane coverage other than the news. Snapchat provides a tool, called Snap Map, for people to post Snaps that people around the world can search and see. When Snap Maps was initially invented, most people thought it was a little creepy because anyone allowed could see people’s location. Over time the social media tool became utilized in a way that people did not see coming. People around the world can search an event, topic or city to see the related Snaps. After Hurricane Harvey and Irma, it proved Snap Map’s usefulness during hurricanes.

Snap Map’s usefulness during hurricanes was proven successful during Hurricane Harvey and Irma

Snap Map's usefulness during HurricanesCoverage of storms is difficult to catch during the heat of it, but Snap Map’s usefulness during hurricanes is the next new way to see storm coverage. Texas and Florida experienced these record breaking hurricanes, which resulted in power outages and dangerous flooding. The people who did not evacuate the affected areas went to Snapchat to show the world the prep before the storm, conditions during the storm and the aftermath.

Since Snap Map was invented to show Snaps from all across the world, it was heavily used during Hurricane Harvey and Irma. Snap Map’s usefulness during hurricanes was an added value for a variety of different reasons.

People in America, as well as, around the world were able to see the impact of Hurricane Harvey and Irma. The residents who evacuated, before the storms made landfall, were able to look at Snap Map in their neighborhood to judge whether or not their house was damaged. Not only is Snap Map’s usefulness during hurricanes interesting for people around the world, but it also helped the government and aid organizations know where to send first responders and supplies.

Instagram Stories Help Retail Marketing

Almost everyone has an Instagram account these days. Whether it is a personal account or for a business, Instagram is used across the board to share videos and images with both friends and the public. While most organizations have accounts, not everyone uses them to their full potential. Retail businesses, in particular, have a huge opportunity with this social media platform. One of Instagram’s latest updates, Instagram stories help retail marketing in a new way. 

Instagram stories help retail marketing for small businesses. Continue reading

This or That: Snapchat and Instagram Stories

Whether we like it or not, we live in a world where it is more common to take a picture of our lunch than a picture of our family. It is almost expected of us to post on social media about whatever cool event we attended so that all of our followers can see how fun our Friday night was. Snapchat and Instagram Stories give users the unique ability to basically live stream every moment of their day. The two features seem identical, but there are a few small differences that set the two apart from each other.

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Instagram Video Engagement is Rising Rapidly

When the social media platform launched the new video feature in June of 2013, Instagram-ers everywhere went nuts. Instagram video engagement began rising immediately with the ability to share ten second micro-videos. This innovative feature, and quickly became fully  integrated into the Instagram culture of not only regular users, but also to huge publishers.

Publishers take note as Instagram Video engagement rises and their businesses benefit.

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A Way For Fashion Influencers to Make Money

Influencers To Make Money Using Instagram

Instagram provides a platform for fashion influencers to monetize their fame by earning commission. Using Instagram, fashion influencers can expand their audience. Users can follow the fashionistas to get quick access to fashion ideas and trends, without the hassle of following their blog. It eliminates reading long posts, when users just want to see a photograph of an outfit. RewardStyle has given a way for top tier influencers to make money.

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Free Red Swimsuit Floods Instagram Feed

Reposted Image of Free Red Swimsuit Goes Viral

Swimwear company Sunny Co. posted a promotional offer last Wednesday that turned Instagram feeds into a repeating feed. The offer was one millennials could not turn down. The task was simple.  Repost the photo on Instagram and tag Sunny Co. within the first 24 hours of the original post, and get a free red swimsuit.

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The Benefits Live Streaming on Instagram

As we know by now Snapchat has developed into much more than just a photo-sharing application. Now, users can upload stories (similar to Snapchat stories) and live streaming which has become a pretty big deal, especially for famous musicians, actors, and bloggers. People tend to forget that live streaming can be tactically used by companies looking as a new way to brand their products. Using Instagram’s live stream allows companies to connect with their target market by making a more personable experience. Ultimately, once the importance of live streaming is understood, brands can effectively use this new feature as a great marketing tool.

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