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clubhouse

Facebook testing prompt asking you to read before re-sharing

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Facebook wants to make sure you’ve actually clicked on that news link before re-sharing it on the social media platform, with the company testing a new prompt on the platform.

On 10 May, the company announced it was working on a new prompt for sharing news articles.

If users click the share option on a link without having read it, Facebook will notify them and say that sharing articles without reading may result in them missing key information.

Facebook made the announcement on its official Twitter profile.

Starting today, we’re testing a way to promote more informed sharing of news articles. If you go to share a news article link you haven’t opened, we’ll show a prompt encouraging you to open it and read it, before sharing it with others. pic.twitter.com/brlMnlg6Qg

— Facebook Newsroom (@fbnewsroom) May 10, 2021

“Starting today, we’re testing a way to promote more informed sharing of news articles,” the company said.

“If you go to share a news article link you haven’t opened, we’ll show a prompt encouraging you to open it and read it, before sharing it with others.”

A Facebook spokesperson told Recode that the company will test the link-sharing prompt with around 6% of its global users.

Facebook is not the first social media platform to introduce this kind of prompt. In July 2020, Twitter tested a prompt that asked if users wanted to open a link before retweeting it. The company rolled the prompt out further in September. It also later introduced disclaimers on tweets that it identified as containing misinformation.

Following its introduction, Twitter reported that users opening articles after seeing the prompt had increased by 40%. It also reported people opening articles before retweeting had increased by 33%.

In addition, Twitter rolled out a prompt last week to combat offensive tweets. The prompt will appear before a tweet is posted if it’s identified as containing potentially harmful or offensive language.

Feature image: Facebook

Read more: Clubhouse rolls out beta app on Android

Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: SOCIAL MEDIA, YouTube Tagged With: clubhouse, Facebook, Twitter, youtube

Facebook Launches Initial Test of its Clubhouse-Like Audio Rooms in Taiwan

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With Clubhouse downloads slowing, and Twitter broadening access to its audio ‘Spaces’ tool, Facebook’s new audio social options look set to shake-up the trend even further, with the company now launching the first public test of its recently announced audio tools with users in Taiwan.

As reported by Bloomberg:

“Facebook is starting the first test of its Live Audio Rooms product with public figures and creators in Taiwan, part of an expansion of the company’s audio services.”

Facebook announced its coming audio social tools last month, which will eventually include audio-only Rooms, podcast listening and discovery tools, and a new ‘Soundbites’ functionality that will enable users to create short-form audio clips using a range of effects and tools.

But audio rooms, which is now getting a first public test, is the most direct assault on the Clubhouse-inspired trend.

As you can see here, Facebook’s audio rooms will look very much like Clubhouse’s own rooms UI, while Facebook is also adding its creator payment ‘Stars’ process into the new function, to ensure audio creators can monetize their efforts from the get-go.

Given that Facebook already supports video Rooms, scaling that back to audio shouldn’t be a huge leap, technically, but even so, Facebook is taking a measured approach to the roll-out.

As Bloomberg notes: 

“For the initial rollout [in Taiwan], Facebook is limiting the test to what it says is a handful of public figures while planning to bring Live Audio Rooms to Facebook Groups as well.”

Providing audio social tools within groups could ultimately be the key to Facebook’s success with audio rooms – because while giving everyone access to audio rooms is great, the problem then becomes discovery, and finding the right audio rooms that are relevant to each users’ individual interests.

Clubhouse is already having issues with this element, with users complaining about too many notifications and too many rooms happening at once, diluting overall quality, from a personal engagement standpoint. Twitter’s Spaces are the same – while Twitter hasn’t worked out its Spaces discovery process as yet, it is possible to search for in-progress rooms if you have a moment and you’re looking to tune in.

The problem then, however, is similar to the problem with live-streaming – with so many people now able to stream, the sheer volume of options available makes it increasingly hard to sift through the content, and find anything relevant.

But by making groups a focus, Facebook eliminates this element – because the audio rooms that you see, and which are highlighted to you in-app, will be based on your noted interests. The in-progress streams displayed in your feed will stem from the groups that you’ve chosen to join, so it automatically addresses the discovery problem, without any algorithm intervention.

Which is why this is such a clever move from Zuck and Co. – and when you also consider that over 1.8 billion people are active in Facebook groups every month, it really could prove to be the killer element within Facebook’s broader audio social roll-out.

It’s a simple, but effective way to address what will become the next big problem with audio rooms, as usage expands. And while it may be annoying to see Facebook steal another app’s idea and dominate it once again, unless the other apps can improve discovery, that is, most likely, what’s going to happen – which is also why Reddit’s audio ‘Reddit Talk’ option will also likely prove to be another winner in the audio social race in the longer term.

Which could also, eventually, leave Clubhouse on the outer.

It’s too early to write off any idea as yet, and I do think that both Twitter and Instagram, with its audio-only live-streams, will see success among those looking to broadcast to larger audiences in-app.

But in terms of repeat usage, and maximizing engagement, it will come down to discovery, and Facebook, with groups, along with its other user data insights, is already in the lead in this respect. 

If you were betting on the long-term, I’d be tipping Facebook to become the audio social leader in this respect.

Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: SOCIAL MEDIA, YouTube Tagged With: clubhouse, Facebook, instagram, Twitter, youtube

Clubhouse Finally Launches Android Version – But is it Already Too Late?

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It’s taken some time – and no doubt some scrambling at Clubhouse HQ – but finally, an Android version of the audio social platform is now available, in limited beta for now, with a wider launch coming soon.

As explained by Clubhouse:

“Today, we are thrilled to share that Clubhouse for Android will start rolling out in beta immediately. We will begin gradually, with the U.S. today, followed by other English-speaking countries and then the rest of the world. Our plan over the next few weeks is to collect feedback from the community, fix any issues we see and work to add a few final features like payments and club creation before rolling it out more broadly.”

Clubhouse’s Android app does have some significant limitation at launch, including the lack of options to follow topics, inability to create or manage clubs, and no capacity to update your name or update username in-app, among others. But it is finally here, which has been a long time coming, and is a critical step for the next stage of the app’s development.

Clubhouse’s lack of an Android app has become a significant growth impediment of late, with Twitter, Facebook and Instagram all adding Clubhouse-like audio social options that could end up slowing the Clubhouse’s potential Android user take-up. If you can tune in to all the audio social rooms you want, in the apps that you’re already familiar with – which are available on your device right now – do you really need Clubhouse in your life?

The growing variety of audio social tools has now made this a real question, and while Clubhouse may have originated the audio social trend, these newer offerings are refining it, in various ways, which poses a major challenge for Clubhouse as it looks to capitalize on its early momentum, and maximize its audience growth.

Which is already slowing – according to data from Sensor Tower, Clubhouse’s total download numbers fell 72% in March, after peaking at 9.6 million in February.

You can see that same downward trend in the app’s daily download rankings: 

Clubhouse download rankings

As you can see, while Clubhouse is still seeing small boosts in download numbers, the downward trend here is clear.

This can largely be attributed to its lack of an Android app (though these, of course, are only iOS numbers), the rising competition within the audio social space, as noted, and Clubhouse’s invite-only approach, which is designed to both enhance the FOMO factor and fuel more interest in the app, while also alleviating stress on Clubhouse’s servers. 

Which will still be in place for the new Android version:   

“As a part of the effort to keep the growth measured, we will be continuing the waitlist and invite system, ensuring that each new community member can bring along a few close friends. As we head into the summer and continue to scale out the backend, we plan to begin opening up even further, welcoming millions more people in from the iOS waitlist, expanding language support, and adding more accessibility features, so that people worldwide can experience Clubhouse in a way that feels native to them.”

This was once one of Clubhouse’s key growth features, with its invite-only approach making Clubhouse invites a desired digital item, with many even being auctioned off on eBay for ridiculous prices. But with more audio social options arriving on the scene, it’s now become a limitation – though it does also serve a practical purpose, which Clubhouse further explains:  

“Earlier this year, Clubhouse started growing very quickly, as people all over the world began inviting their friends faster than we had ever expected. This had its downsides, as the load stressed our systems- causing widespread server outages and notification failures, and surpassing the limits of our early discovery algorithms. It made us shift our focus to hiring, fixing, and company building, rather than the community meetups and product features that we normally like to focus on. It was an important time of investment, which we think will help us serve the community much better in the long run.”

This is a problem that its competitors don’t have, because most have already built the infrastructure to host multi-participant video streams, meaning that, if anything, downgrading their video tools to audio only is a step back from a data load perspective, while Clubhouse is working to keep up. That puts more pressure on the Clubhouse team to invest heavily in infrastructure to accelerate growth, which it can still do, but as Clubhouse itself notes, its sudden growth has put its systems under significant strain.

And if it can’t open up more widely, and maximize its recommendation algorithms, it’s at huge risk of being superseded by the bigger platforms, which are already starting from a stronger position, with broader reach, better, more personally attuned algorithms, and improved audio features. And those tools are being updated and refined every single day.

Can Clubhouse stay up with the bigger players, even with the arrival of its Android app?

The key likely comes down to two things: creator incentives and algorithm refinement.

On the first, Clubhouse has already announced the first round of finalists for its Creator Accelerator program, which will eventually see 20 Clubhouse-based projects receive training, funding and support to help develop their concepts. That will, ideally, help the platform keep more of its top broadcasters aligned with the app, while Clubhouse is also working on creator payments as another means to build incentive systems to keep broadcasters, and their audiences, coming back again and again.

On the second, many users have already noted that, even at this stage, its become more and more difficult to find Clubhouse rooms that are aligned with their interests. That will only get worse as the app opens up to more people, so Clubhouse needs to work on its algorithm tools to ensure that each user is being alerted to the most relevant content to them, in order to keep them active – and again, returning to the app.

As Clubhouse notes, it is working on this, while it’s also recently added scheduled room listings on user profiles and RSVP tools to help improve its systems. This will become an increasingly complex technological process as more users get access, but if Clubhouse wants to keep competing with its better-resourced competitors, it will need to invest heavily in this element, in order to maximize audience engagement.

That’s how TikTok has been able to stick around, and become a significant competitor in the social space. Because every TikTok clip is full-screen, TikTok is better able to determine user interests based on each and every clip, and the TikTok team has worked to build in a range of measurement factors based on the content of each clip, which has helped it build a highly responsive, and heavily refined, personalization algorithm that’s able to suck users in, and keep them coming back and scrolling through its video clips for hours on end.

Clubhouse doesn’t have the same advantages that TikTok does in this respect, but it can work to establish connections between the rooms each person visits, how long they spend in each, the people they regularly listen to, etc. Using these factors, Clubhouse can create an effective personal recommendation algorithm, which could still see it become a more significant audio social option over time.

But the path ahead is not easy, and Clubhouse seems like it’s already stretched as it works to keep pace.

It can still win out, with a dedicated audience, and expanding reach, along with engaged creators and a ‘cool factor’ that the other, legacy social apps simply don’t have at this stage.

But the challenge is significant, and rising.

Hopefully, the arrival of an Android app, slightly ahead of schedule, is a sign of more good things to come for the Clubhouse team. 

Android users can download Clubhouse for Android and sign up now to be alerted once it’s available to you, while you can read more about the app’s Android release here.

Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: SOCIAL MEDIA, YouTube Tagged With: clubhouse, Facebook, instagram, tiktok, Twitter, youtube

Clubhouse Android app announced to have started beta testing: Here are the details

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Clubhouse is a brand new invitation-only social media app banking on audio-based messaging. This social media platform came into existence in March 2020 and has already gained a marginal amount of iOS users around the world. The significant growth in popularity in less than a year prompted the company to take the next big step to success by introducing its platform to Android users. The Clubhouse Android plan was first announced in January 2021; here’s the latest update.

Clubhouse Android app beta testing begins

Earlier in January, Clubhouse had informed netizens via its official blog post that they’re all set to welcome more voices to the platform as it is actively working on an Android app version. No news regarding the Clubhouse Android plans came up until now. In their release notes, Clubhouse ran over some of the new changes that are going to be introduced on the iOS app. And while highlighting them, the app also gave a quick update on what direction the Android version lays in the pipeline.

The update read, “Android BETA testing beginning. Android is not yet live, but we started rolling a rough beta version out to a handful of friendly testers. If you hear someone saying they are using Clubhouse on the official Android app, please give them a warm welcome! We cannot wait to welcome more Android users to Clubhouse over the coming weeks.”

Hopefully, Clubhouse Android download will be up and ready later this year. While this is exciting news, spectators are concerned whether it’s too late for Clubhouse to initiate the new development. The incredible growth of the platform caught the attention of the likes of social media giants like Facebook, Twitter and Telegram. As a result, many companies have entertained the idea of audio-based messaging and have mapped out several plans to get this idea under their already established wings. 

These social networking apps are heavyweights in the industry and have already established a solid ground with billions of users around the world. Twitter was the first to hop on board as it has already started beta testing for its new feature called ‘Spaces’ that lets its users speak with each other in an audio format. As of now, the Spaces feature is only available for a handful of Twitter users around the world and the company is yet to give updates about its wider rollout.

Image Source: Shutterstock

Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: SOCIAL MEDIA, YouTube Tagged With: clubhouse, Facebook, Twitter, youtube

Twitter Opens Spaces to All Users with Over 600 Followers, Announces New Spaces Features

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The next phase of the audio social push is here, with Twitter announcing that its Clubhouse-like Spaces feature is now being made available to all users, on both iOS and Android, with over 600 followers.

mic on ????️ tap in

Twitter Spaces is rolling out to more people! now everyone can tap in to join a Space and more of you can host pic.twitter.com/ReSbKTlDCY

— Twitter (@Twitter) May 3, 2021

That is a big expansion of Spaces, which, up till now, has been in limited test mode, especially on Android, which it started experimenting with back in March. The push to open up Spaces to Android users has been inspired, in part, by Clubhouse’s lack of Android option, and this new shift will heap a lot more pressure onto the Clubhouse team.

And the 600 follower limit is also a clever, Clubhouse-inspired move.

As explained by Twitter:

“We’re bringing the ability to host a Space to all accounts with 600 or more followers on Twitter. Based on what we’ve learned so far, these accounts are likely to have a good experience hosting live conversations because of their existing audience. Before bringing the ability to create a Space to everyone, we’re focused on learning more, making it easier to discover Spaces, and helping people enjoy them with a great audience.”

Opening up the option to millions of new users who have 600 or more followers essentially suggests that Twitter could open it up to everybody straight away, as it’s not technical limitations that are restricting its expansion, as is the case with Clubhouse.

Which makes sense – Spaces is built on the existing Periscope infrastructure, so it’s not incredibly difficult for Twitter to provide support for audio rooms quickly, and for all users – but by limiting it to certain accounts, it adds a level of FOMO and exclusivity, which will likely make those who do have access more likely to host their own Spaces and test it out, while it builds excitement among those without access before they too are able to create their own.

Which has been a key element in the Clubhouse hype machine. Clubhouse gained significant traction, early on at least, by being the place to be, an invite-only exclusive for the coolest of people who were able to secure a much-coveted app invite.

That approach helped boost the aura of Clubhouse beyond the functionality alone, and although Clubhouse has lost some momentum of late, that early hype helped boost the app, and its functionality, which has played a key role in making audio social the next big thing.

But now, that approach also become a crutch. With Clubhouse downloads slowing, and Twitter now getting to Android before it, the app is now at significant risk of losing its grip on the trend that it began.

Will potential Clubhouse users who can now start their own Spaces on Twitter even bother downloading the app? Will big broadcasters who’ve already build large audiences on Twitter be as keen to broadcast in Clubhouse, to much smaller crowds, when Spaces is available instead?

There are definitely some signs that the Clubhouse hype train is slowing down. Over the weekend, I noted that several big name audio broadcasts were held on Spaces instead of Clubhouse, which seems significant.

The expansion of Spaces to all users only looks set to exacerbate that trend.

And that’s not all that Twitter is adding.

In addition to making Spaces available to many more users, Twitter has also announced a new ticketed Spaces option, which is currently being tested with selected users.

Twitter Spaces tickets

As per Twitter:

“Hosts put time and effort into creating space for conversation, connection and fun. Now, we’re working on a way for hosts to be rewarded for the experiences they create by getting monetary support, while providing listeners with exclusive access to the conversations they care about most.”

Twitter says that Spaces hosts will eventually be able to set ticket prices, and how many are available to sell.

“A limited group will be able to host Ticketed Spaces in the coming months. Hosts earn the majority of the revenue from ticket sales and Twitter will keep a small amount as well.”

That aligns with Twitter’s broader shift towards providing more ways for users to monetize their Twitter presence, which also includes its new ‘Super Follow’ experiment and paid newsletter subscriptions (via its Revue acquisition).

These elements are still in development, but it could eventually provide more incentive for people to maintain their on-platform activity – while it also, again, is likely to put more pressure on Clubhouse as users will be able to generate a lot more income via the much broader audience reach of Twitter, even as Clubhouse looks to add its own room monetization tools. 

Twitter’s also rolling out Spaces scheduling, and reminders for Spaces in the coming weeks, helping to keep more of your audience connected.

Twitter Spaces scheduling

While it’s also working on accessibility improvements, including improved captions and labels, as well as improved Spaces discovery options – like the capacity to tap into an in-progress Space by highlighting when any user is hosting an audio discussion with a purple bubble around their avatar in-stream.

Twitter Spaces discovery

Twitter has a way to go in maximizing Spaces discovery, which will be key to tapping into the full, serendipitous nature of Clubhouse, which facilitates improved discovery by enabling users to move through its various in-progress audio rooms. If Twitter can add a better overview of in-progress Spaces, so people can tune in at any time, that will be another big step in further advancing the option, and making Spaces the place to be.

Which it will need to work on, because while this new update gives Twitter more room to take on Clubhouse, and likely puts it ahead of Clubhouse in many ways, Facebook is also investing big in audio social, and its new tools also look set to take a large chunk of listeners away from competing apps.

But then again, where Facebook’s audio tools appear likely to win out is in Groups and more specific, niche discussion, because as we’ve seen with Facebook Stories, users are not overly interested in broader scale engagement tools in the app, at least not in the same way they are on other platforms. That could mean that Instagram’s new audio IG Live option also becomes a strong contender, but right now, I would bet on Twitter Spaces becoming the most important tool of the new audio social race, given its reach and presence, and the app’s overall alignment with real-time discussion and engagement.

The real question is whether Twitter can successfully monetize the option, because while Twitter has become synonymous with real-time events, it’s yet to show that it can effectively monetize that positioning, and make it into a business element. 

It has a real chance with Spaces, and by incorporating paid events from the start, it could also mark a new approach for Twitter as it looks to merge into more revenue-based tools and options.

Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: SOCIAL MEDIA, YouTube Tagged With: clubhouse, Facebook, instagram, Twitter, youtube

Clubhouse Moves to Next Stage of Testing for Android App, Continues to Develop Payment Tools

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No matter how you look at it, the going is certainly getting tougher for audio social pioneer Clubhouse.

Over the last week and a bit, Facebook announced a slate of new audio social products across its various surfaces, Reddit added ‘Reddit Talk’, its own take on the format, and Instagram launched audio-only IG Live streams, providing more alternative options for Clubhouse’s key functionality.

And then today, Twitter delivered another full-handed slap to Clubhouse’s face, with the expanded launch of its audio Spaces offering to all Twitter users, on iOS and Android, who have more than 600 followers.

Clubhouse, as a reminder, doesn’t yet have an Android app.

You would imagine that the mood around Clubhouse HQ is pretty tense, but for now, the app continues on its own path, moving forward with its own development plans, and into the next stage of its expansion. Or ‘renovation’, I guess, because it’s a Clubhou… never mind.

That expansion, of course, will primarily focus on a full roll-out, which will involve opening up the app to all users and releasing an Android version.

There’s nothing new to report on the former as yet, but on the latter, Clubhouse is progressing to the next stage of its Android app development. 

As reported by TechCrunch:

“The company announced during its weekly town hall event that its Android version has entered beta testing with a handful of non-employees who will provide the company with early feedback ahead of a public launch.”

Clubhouse confirmed the test in its weekly Town Hall notes:

Town Hall Highlights

???? Continued work on Android, payments, & lots of plumbing

???? Fixed bugs in a second release after last Sunday’s update

???? Watch Clubhouse HQ for an update on the Creator First Program Weds @ 9am PST

???? @anuatluru confirms she is still watching Survivor

— Clubhouse (@joinClubhouse) May 2, 2021

The fact that Clubhouse doesn’t haven’t an Android app has now become a much bigger impediment, with competitors launching their audio tools across all versions of their apps. That could make it a much harder sell for Clubhouse to eventually get Android users across – why would people switch to a new app for audio social meetings when they can get the same functionality in the tools they already know and trust, and within which they already have their established connection networks?

This could become the defining question in the lifecycle of the Clubhouse hype machine, which has used its invite-only FOMO factor to build a significant presence, but may end up losing out entirely due the very same restriction. 

Given this, Clubhouse needs to work fast to expand quickly, while also improving its discovery algorithms in-step, and maximizing creator incentives to avoid losing its top broadcasters to these alternative tools.

Which is another element of focus. As you can see in the above tweet summary, Clubhouse is also still working on payments, another means to incentivize its top broadcasters to remain active in the app, in addition to its Creator Accelerator Program, which provides participants with support and $5k in monthly payment for the period that they’re a part of the scheme.

These are key elements that Clubhouse needs to get right, which will dictate where it goes next.

Will it be able to stand up in the face of rapidly rising competition, or will the challenge prove too great, and leave Clubhouse as the next Meerkat, an app that rose fast, then declined just as rapidly, before shutting down completely at just 17 months of age?

It’s still too early to call, but Clubhouse’s window does appear to be closing. It needs to prop it open with some big moves soon.

In addition to this, Clubhouse is also looking to add:

  • New prompts for listeners to follow a club after they’ve joined a room and tuned in for “a few minutes”
  • An improved RSVP flow for individual events, separate from following a Club or speaker
  • A new addition for profiles which will list upcoming events to better promote participation

​These are obviously smaller, but still helpful tweaks – and it’s worth also noting that Clubhouse has a dedicated, passionate user base, who have formed strong communities within the app.

Given this, Clubhouse may still be able to hold its own, and carve out its own niche.

Again, its next moves will be critical in this respect.

Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: SOCIAL MEDIA, YouTube Tagged With: clubhouse, Facebook, instagram, Twitter, youtube

Twitter Opens Audio Spaces to All Users with Over 600 Followers, Announces New Spaces Features

by

The next phase of the audio social push is here, with Twitter announcing that its Clubhouse-like Spaces feature is now being made available to all users, on both iOS and Android, with over 600 followers.

mic on ????️ tap in

Twitter Spaces is rolling out to more people! now everyone can tap in to join a Space and more of you can host pic.twitter.com/ReSbKTlDCY

— Twitter (@Twitter) May 3, 2021

That is a big expansion of Spaces, which, up till now, has been in limited test mode, especially on Android, which it started experimenting with back in March. The push to open up Spaces to Android users has been inspired, in part, by Clubhouse’s lack of Android option, and this new shift will heap a lot more pressure onto the Clubhouse team.

And the 600 follower limit is also a clever, Clubhouse-inspired move.

As explained by Twitter:

“We’re bringing the ability to host a Space to all accounts with 600 or more followers on Twitter. Based on what we’ve learned so far, these accounts are likely to have a good experience hosting live conversations because of their existing audience. Before bringing the ability to create a Space to everyone, we’re focused on learning more, making it easier to discover Spaces, and helping people enjoy them with a great audience.”

Opening up the option to millions of new users who have 600 or more followers essentially suggests that Twitter could open it up to everybody straight away, as it’s not technical limitations that are restricting its expansion, as is the case with Clubhouse.

Which makes sense – Spaces is built on the existing Periscope infrastructure, so it’s not incredibly difficult for Twitter to provide support for audio rooms quickly, and for all users – but by limiting it to certain accounts, it adds a level of FOMO and exclusivity, which will likely make those who do have access more likely to host their own Spaces and test it out, while it builds excitement among those without access before they too are able to create their own.

Which has been a key element in the Clubhouse hype machine. Clubhouse gained significant traction, early on at least, by being the place to be, an invite-only exclusive for the coolest of people who were able to secure a much-coveted app invite.

That approach helped boost the aura of Clubhouse beyond the functionality alone, and although Clubhouse has lost some momentum of late, that early hype helped boost the app, and its functionality, which has played a key role in making audio social the next big thing.

But now, that approach also become a crutch. With Clubhouse downloads slowing, and Twitter now getting to Android before it, the app is now at significant risk of losing its grip on the trend that it began.

Will potential Clubhouse users who can now start their own Spaces on Twitter even bother downloading the app? Will big broadcasters who’ve already build large audiences on Twitter be as keen to broadcast in Clubhouse, to much smaller crowds, when Spaces is available instead?

There are definitely some signs that the Clubhouse hype train is slowing down. Over the weekend, I noted that several big name audio broadcasts were held on Spaces instead of Clubhouse, which seems significant.

The expansion of Spaces to all users only looks set to exacerbate that trend.

And that’s not all that Twitter is adding.

In addition to making Spaces available to many more users, Twitter has also announced a new ticketed Spaces option, which is currently being tested with selected users.

Twitter Spaces tickets

As per Twitter:

“Hosts put time and effort into creating space for conversation, connection and fun. Now, we’re working on a way for hosts to be rewarded for the experiences they create by getting monetary support, while providing listeners with exclusive access to the conversations they care about most.”

Twitter says that Spaces hosts will eventually be able to set ticket prices, and how many are available to sell.

“A limited group will be able to host Ticketed Spaces in the coming months. Hosts earn the majority of the revenue from ticket sales and Twitter will keep a small amount as well.”

That aligns with Twitter’s broader shift towards providing more ways for users to monetize their Twitter presence, which also includes its new ‘Super Follow’ experiment and paid newsletter subscriptions (via its Revue acquisition).

These elements are still in development, but it could eventually provide more incentive for people to maintain their on-platform activity – while it also, again, is likely to put more pressure on Clubhouse as users will be able to generate a lot more income via the much broader audience reach of Twitter, even as Clubhouse looks to add its own room monetization tools. 

Twitter’s also rolling out Spaces scheduling, and reminders for Spaces in the coming weeks, helping to keep more of your audience connected.

Twitter Spaces scheduling

While it’s also working on accessibility improvements, including improved captions and labels, as well as improved Spaces discovery options – like the capacity to tap into an in-progress Space by highlighting when any user is hosting an audio discussion with a purple bubble around their avatar in-stream.

Twitter Spaces discovery

Twitter has a way to go in maximizing Spaces discovery, which will be key to tapping into the full, serendipitous nature of Clubhouse, which facilitates improved discovery by enabling users to move through its various in-progress audio rooms. If Twitter can add a better overview of in-progress Spaces, so people can tune in at any time, that will be another big step in further advancing the option, and making Spaces the place to be.

Which it will need to work on, because while this new update gives Twitter more room to take on Clubhouse, and likely puts it ahead of Clubhouse in many ways, Facebook is also investing big in audio social, and its new tools also look set to take a large chunk of listeners away from competing apps.

But then again, where Facebook’s audio tools appear likely to win out is in Groups and more specific, niche discussion, because as we’ve seen with Facebook Stories, users are not overly interested in broader scale engagement tools in the app, at least not in the same way they are on other platforms. That could mean that Instagram’s new audio IG Live option also becomes a strong contender, but right now, I would bet on Twitter Spaces becoming the most important tool of the new audio social race, given its reach and presence, and the app’s overall alignment with real-time discussion and engagement.

The real question is whether Twitter can successfully monetize the option, because while Twitter has become synonymous with real-time events, it’s yet to show that it can effectively monetize that positioning, and make it into a business element. 

It has a real chance with Spaces, and by incorporating paid events from the start, it could also mark a new approach for Twitter as it looks to merge into more revenue-based tools and options.

Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: SOCIAL MEDIA, YouTube Tagged With: clubhouse, Facebook, instagram, Twitter, youtube

LinkedIn Continues to See ‘Record Engagement’ According to Latest Performance Update

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LinkedIn continues to see ‘record engagement’, with overall sessions up 29%, according to the latest performance update from parent company Microsoft. LinkedIn’s also seeing steady growth in ad sales, in line with usage trends.

With Microsoft taking over LinkedIn back in 2016, we lost the more in-depth usage and performance data on LinkedIn specifically, including charts on user growth, engagement, etc.

Instead, now we only get a small summary within Microsoft’s broader results listings, which provides a basic overview of the platform’s numbers.

That’s all we get, but as you can see, LinkedIn’s performance remains steady, with Microsoft once again reporting ‘record engagement’. Though what, exactly, that means is impossible to say.

LinkedIn has often been criticized for failing to disclose actual usage, preferring instead to focus on its overall member count, which currently stands at 740 million. Which is interesting, but that doesn’t provide much insight into how many people are actually logging onto LinkedIn every day, or every month, nor how much time they might be spending in the app.

Some estimates have projected that LinkedIn’s actual usage at 25% of its total user base, while others suggest it’s around 40%. Either way, the projected monthly active user count is around 300 million or so, while time spent estimates sit at around 10 mins per session. 

In this sense, ‘record engagement’ may not be as impressive when reflected in actual time spent, but still, Microsoft says that LinkedIn is continually seeing steady growth, and with more people set to return to work in the wake of the pandemic, it’s likely to see even more attention moving forward, which will further boost advertiser interest.

Within the most recent period, LinkedIn has launched a range of new features, including the ‘My Company’ tab on LinkedIn company pages, which enables businesses to facilitate direct sharing of business-relevant posts, and new profile features, including video cover stories and ‘Creator Mode’.

LinkedIn Creator Mode

LinkedIn is also, reportedly, developing its own Clubhouse-like audio tools to enhance user connection, and a new incentive program to keep its top creators posting. 

LinkedIn also continues to develop new ways to utilize its unmatched professional dataset, with tools that help connect users to their ideal jobs and/or educational opportunities. 

Based on these results, LinkedIn is clearly on the right path, and as noted, with economic activity set to ramp-up in the second half of the year, you can expect the platform to become a bigger focus moving forward.

There’s a lot to like about LinkedIn’s progress, and while we don’t get much specific insight, the overall data underlines the growing opportunities on the platform. 

Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: SOCIAL MEDIA, YouTube Tagged With: clubhouse, youtube

Pinterest Says Searches For Outfits, Travel And Socializing Skyrocketed In Q1

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This week in social media news, Pinterest shares data on search trends from Q1, Instagram Live gives hosts more flexibility with new features, Twitter is up 7 million daily active users and Facebook reports a 48 percent increase in revenue.

Pinterest Searches Containing “Outfit” and “Dream Vacation Destinations” Surge 

Pinterest shared new data showing that Q1 searches around post-pandemic plans to socialize and vacation are skyrocketing. According to the platform’s findings, Gen Z is leading the trends, with searches from the cohort up 96 percent year-over-year (YoY).

Why it matters: Two major events marketers should keep in mind in light of Pinterest’s research include milestone vacations for Gen Z, who missed out on in-person graduations. The other big one is weddings, searches for which have resumed pre-pandemic levels after seeing a dip last summer, says Pinterest.

The details: Historically, Pinterest searches that include the word “vacation” spiked in March (an average of 24 percent), but this year the same searches surged 75 percent.

Gen Z searches for “dream vacation destinations” increased 13 times while “luxury vacation” grew 6 times. The group is also ready to spend on travel apparel, as searches for “vacation fashion” are 3 times greater.

With some heading back to the office and getting together post-vaccination, there’s been a 26 percent increase in searches containing the word “outfit” in Q1 2021 compared to last year and an 85 percent increase in searches containing “outfit” in April to date.

In addition, searches related to “party” have increased 64 percent from November of last year to March 2021. For Gen Z specifically, searches for “party life” are three times greater and “Euphoria party ideas” are 43 times greater.

New Instagram Live Features Let Hosts Mute Their Microphone, Turn Video Off

In yet another attempt to compete against Clubhouse, Facebook is launching new features for Instagram Live that will enable hosts to mute their microphones and turn off their video during a livestream, confirms TechCrunch.

Why it matters: The new features are part of Instagram’s larger efforts to mimic a Clubhouse experience. In March, the platform launched a Live Rooms feature enabling creators to broadcast with up to four people at the same time. To help creators monetize their content, Instagram also debuted badges that fans can buy to support the hosts.

The details: Instagram says that for now, hosts can’t turn off the video or mute other users in the livestream but that it’s working on expanding these features soon.

Instagram’s new Live features are rolling out globally on iOS and Android starting today.

Twitter Posts 28 Percent Revenue Increase To $1.04 Billion In Q1

In its Q1 letter to shareholders, Twitter reported reaching 199 million monetizable daily active users (mDAU)—7 million more since Q4 2020—and a 28 percent increase YoY in revenue to $1.04 billion.

Why it matters: Comparatively, in Q4 2020 Twitter added 5 million DAUs and reported $1.29 billion in revenue.

The details: Twitter’s revenue YoY shows steady growth as it reached $808 million in Q1 2020 versus $1.04 billion in Q1 this year. Total US revenue was $556 million, a 19 percent increase, while total international revenue reached $480 million, a 41 percent increase.

Following new ad offerings, including its new Curated Categories, Twitter brought in $899 million in ad revenue in Q1, a 32 percent increase. That growth was also driven by “strength in brand advertising in March as well as accelerating year-over-year growth in Mobile App Promotion revenue.”

The platform grew its US mDAU by 13 percent to 38 million and international mDAU by 22 percent to 162 million.

In Q1, Twitter introduced a new feature that enables users to choose from more than 7,000 Topics and Interests to follow; this improvement led to 33 percent of new customers following Topics during sign-up in Q1. Twitter says it’s building on this feature with a personalized Topic picker and updates to its Topic landing pages.

Facebook Reports Revenue Of $26.17 Billion For Q1

According to Facebook’s Q1 earnings report, the platform grew to 2.85 billion monthly active users (MAU) and brought in $26.17 billion for the quarter, up 48 percent from a year prior.

Why it matters: As per Facebook, its big jump in revenue can be attributed to a 30 percent YoY increase in the average price per ad and a 12 percent increase in the number of ads.

The details: In addition to growing its MAU and revenue, Facebook also saw an eight percent YoY increase in DAU, with the figure reaching 1.88 billion. Still, Facebook’s US and Canada DAU stayed flat at 195 million for the second quarter in a row. Meanwhile, Europe DAU grew to 309 million, up from 308 million in Q4.

Across its family of apps, Facebook counts 3.45 billion monthly users, compared with 3.30 billion in Q4.

Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: SOCIAL MEDIA, YouTube Tagged With: clubhouse, Facebook, instagram, Pinterest, Twitter

Why You Should Hire a Smaller Digital Marketing Agency

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May
4, 2021

3 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

In the last two years, major companies are beginning to work closely with smaller digital marketing brands in the evolving areas of influencer marketing.

The growing demand for user-generated content has served smaller agencies well. Larger brands are realizing that, with the massive rise of newer platforms, they need smaller, more flexible agencies to maintain their influence. 

Related: From Email to TikTok, This Digital Marketing Training Covers It All

Start scouting the smaller (and usually better) options

Rapid consolidation of digital marketing as the major visibility medium, have also helped solidify this rule. Last year’s major trend was the acquisition of more diminutive digital marketing agencies by big corporations who then utilize them to develop an in-house selling structure. 

In 2020, of the two companies Sir Martin Sorrell’s snagged via his S4 brand of US-based agencies was Imagency which, before their acquisition, had staked a claim as one of the leading independent digital marketing agencies in the country. 

Related: Supercharge Your Digital Marketing with Augmented Reality Campaigns

Reasons behind this route

Whenever a big brand decides to get their digital marketing strategy going, one thing is clear: Smaller agencies are benefiting in droves and the reasons are not far-fetched.

The last two years have seen a huge increase in the demands on digital marketing, and over the past year in particular it has become the only viable way to build visibility. 

Smaller agencies are being favored to land clients because they would make up a critical percentage of revenue and further incentivize marketers to work doubly hard. The success of these agencies is inextricably tied to the success of their clients. 

Jess Philips, CEO of The Social Standard, had to entertain offers for acquisition in 2020 and recently explained why smaller agencies seem to be having a field day to the detriment of the more established: “The best ideas always emanate from small teams who don’t just study social media trends, they live & breathe them.”

 Agencies with a bloated overhead rarely possess this flexibility, nor as dedicated to projects, as smaller teams. A smaller team would readily take responsibility for a campaign’s direction and make changes when needed. 

Jess attributes some of last year’s success to their ability to keep track of new platforms like TikTok, Triller and Clubhouse while studying their demographic so as to offer clients the ability to develop very targeted campaigns. 

Get in with outsourcing

Outside suppliers are the prudent path for businesses smaller than Martin Sorrell’s S4. Two of the obvious benefits of outsourcing during this era, per Bacancy CEO Chandresh Patel, is their guarantee of cost-effectiveness and access to a dedicated talent pool. 

This unique period, and the immense need for powerful digital marketing that has followed, has caused an upheaval that presented brands with an opportunity to rethink their strategies and find the perfect fit that suits their brand vision whether it is as simple as ranking on Google or hitting record sales.  

Related: Adapt or Die: How to Thrive Amid Digital-Marketing Chaos

 

Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: SOCIAL MEDIA, YouTube Tagged With: clubhouse, tiktok

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