Social Media Digest: Vine Fights Back, Instagram Grenades and Social Prism
- Social Media
1. Following Instagram’s addition of video last month, Vine has just made a few updates to its iOS app (with Android updates to follow 
immediately). Steering away from any Instagram-esque features, Vine has added video-improving features such as grid tools, the ability to set focus and exposure and a ghost feature, and now allows you to ‘revine’ posts – similar to a retweet on Twitter.
Users can also now create protected accounts, and Vine is introducing topic-specific channels such as ‘music’ and ‘comedy’, and an On The Rise feature will show up-and-coming Viners. Is it enough to compete with #catsofinstagram?
2. As of 1st July, Facebook has quietly changed its rules regarding page cover photos. The rules still state that cover images can’t be ‘deceptive, misleading or infringe on anyone else’s copyright’, however any mention of the previous rule that ‘covers may not include images with more than 20% text’ has disappeared. Facebook has confirmed to Sprout Social that the rule will no longer be enforced, but that the company is encouraging admins to use it as a best practice to maintain higher quality. However, the 20 percent rule will still apply to images used for advertising.
3. Anyone who has travelled via the US of A will have come across the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) at some point. Usually the focus of the jetlagged traveller’s wrath, the TSA is trying a new tactic to appeal to the people – Instagram. The TSA has been Instagramming a few of the stranger things that it has confiscated at airports, including fireworks, a stun gun disguised as a packet of cigarettes and a loaded pistol in a carry-on bag. With only 11 uploads so far, the account already has over 27,000 followers – a unique way to raise awareness of what NOT to carry on-board.
4. We all know that the web is constantly evolving, but how often do you really think about the way the social landscape has changed since 2008? Brian Solis’ Conversation Prism might help –
Comparing the 2008 and the 2013 versions of the graphic, the difference is clear – most categories have expanded greatly. Twitter has jumped categories from ‘micromedia’ to ‘social streams’, and as many platforms have emerged over the past five years, a similar number have disappeared.
5. A great proportion of Twitter was actively following the ongoings in Egypt yesterday as Mohammed Morsi was removed from power. Quick to unveil a new tool utilising Bing’s language translator, Twitter began auto-translating tweets by Morsi – another step by Twitter in making the world seem like a much smaller place.