Amazon launch Spark, YouTube combat terrorism, and Twitter shares Q2 earnings

Social Media Essentials: 6 key updates in social media this week

Spotlight story: Amazon launches Spark

Amazon has launched Amazon Spark, a new feature aimed at improving product discovery. The idea behind the platform is to bring some of the social buzz that goes on beyond the website into the Amazon app. But here's the catch - it's only available to Amazon Prime members.

Many have said the platform was inspired by Instagram and its use of shoppable photos. Users are able to post stories, ideas, and images of products they like, which others can react to with comments and like.

To access Amazon Spark, you have to use the Amazon mobile app. When you join spark you tell it your 5 top interests so Amazon can create a customized feed for you. There are also a number of niche categories you can select to further define your personal interests. Read more about how the app works and how marketers can take advantage of these new features.

Facebook Shares Q2 2017

Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook now has more than 2 billion people in its community. This includes more than 1.3 billion people who use Facebook every day and 100 million users who are part of “meaningful groups” on Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder, and CEO said:

I'm proud of the progress our community is making, and it comes with a responsibility to make sure we have the most positive impact on the world that we can. That's why, last month, we updated Facebook's mission to focus not just on connecting the world, but also bringing the world closer together.

YouTube announce their plans to combat terrorism

Over one month ago YouTube announced their plans to overcome terrorist content. Thye proposed four steps to over come the issues they were facing including better detection and faster removal driven by machine learning, more experts to alert content that needs review, tougher standards for videos that are controversial and more work in the counter-terrorism space. This week they released a statement of their progress and how they have implemented these steps:

Altogether, we have taken significant steps over the last month in our fight against online terrorism. But this is not the end. We know there is always more work to be done. With the help of new machine learning technology, deep partnerships, ongoing collaborations with other companies through the Global Internet Forum, and our vigilant community we are confident we can continue to make progress against this ever-changing threat. We look forward to sharing more with you in the months ahead.

Instagram introduce new feature to platform API

Instagram has introduced new features to the Instagram Platform API to support the needs of businesses and help them manage their organic presence by upgrading to Facebook's Graph API. Businesses will be able to see how well their content is performing and overall presence on Instagram. They have also introduced comment moderation tools such as the ability to hide comments. This update will be rolled out in the next few weeks.

Twitter released Q2 earnings report

Twitter released its Q2 2017 Earnings Report, the report revealed some key improvements for Twitter such as:

Monthly active usage increased 5% year-over-year
Daily active usage increased 12% year-over-year
Reported a second quarter revenue of $574 million, a decrease of 5% year-over-year
328 million total users at the end of Q2 2017
Advertising revenue totaled $489 million, a decrease of 8% year-over-year.
Total ad engagements increased 95% year-over-year. • Cost per engagement (CPE) decreased 53% year-over-year

You can read the full reports here.

LinkedIn launch multiple photos

LinkedIn announced that members can now select multiple photos into a single post. The ability to add multiple photos is available now on iOS, and is coming soon to Android and desktop.

Let us know what you think of these updates by connecting with us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. Don't forget to join us next week for another weekly round up.

By Jessica Wade

I was previously the Social Media Executive for Smart Insights and managed all of Smart Insights social media channels and social strategy. I love all things social, most of the time you will find me endlessly scrolling through Instagram. You can follow me on Twitter or connect on LinkedIn.