media update’s Christine Gerber looks into these new developments and why they’re important.
Snapchat’s new location feature
The news: Currently available for iOS and Android users,
Snapchat’s new location feature allows you to send your real-time location to friends, and even request theirs.
The locations (whether sent or received) will show up on Snap Map and within your message thread.
Here’s how it works: Once you’ve sent your real-time location, your friends will have eight hours to see where you are, and vice versa. At any point, you will be able to disable a friend’s access to your location via Snap Map.
Image sourced from TechCrunch
To use the feature, all you have to do is press your friend’s name on Snapchat or press the options button while in chat and then hit ‘Send My Location’ or ‘Request Location’.
The feature only works with users you’re already friends with and is currently not available in South Africa.
Don’t want your friends to know where you’re located? Not a problem. You also have the option of turning off your requests to avoid those pesky spammers.
Why it matters: Not only does this generate traffic to Snap Map itself, marketers could utilise this feature for location-based marketing campaigns. For example, if you’re hosting an event, you could send consumers updates on Snapchat with your location and let them know what’s going on.
WhatsApp’s group video call feature
The news: WhatsApp is set to launch
a group video call feature, which will allow you to video call with up to four people at a time. The feature was initially announced at the
Facebook F8 developer conference and is only available for selected Android users.
Here’s how it works: While you’re in a video call, you’ll see a contact icon on at the top right-hand side of your mobile screen. Simply click on the icon and select who you’d like to join in on the chat.
Image sourced from The South African
Why it matters: People who want to organise a quick meeting before work can now do so at no additional cost – if they have WhatsApp already, that is.
This cuts out the hassle of having to hook up a webcam to your computer or even paying those long distance fees when discussing strategy with overseas partners.
Facebook’s Instant Articles Builder tool
The news: Facebook has announced that it is testing a new tool that will make the conversion from articles to Instant Articles a lot easier.
Instant Articles Builder is a desktop app that allows you to ‘generate Instant Articles from their existing mobile site without the need to write any code’.
Here’s how it works: The Instant Articles Builder provides you with a template builder where you can select the various elements for your article, such as the Title, Author, Article Content and Article URL.
Why it matters: According to Facebook, this will make it easier for publishers who lack engineering resources or who have limited technical expertise when it comes to Instant Articles.
This will also save you a lot of time and effort when uploading Instant Articles, as anyone in your team can load the content when and where applicable. No more bribing the IT department for help …
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