Social Media News Roundup: Texas Mum Breaks Facebook Live Record

Lisa Coghlan runs through this week's latest social media news, including record breaking videos on Facebook Live, Pinterest statistics, and Google's new content sharing app, Google Spaces.

Facebook Live Feed Has New Record

Candace Payne, a 37-year-old mother from Texas, has shot to internet stardom, breaking Facebook Live’s record as the most watched Facebook Live video since its launch.

In the live video, Mrs Payne broadcast her initial reaction to a Chewbacca mask from a car park, and the content has since seen more than 48 million views.

The Facebook Live feature has seen increased engagement since it was rolled out to all users in April 2016.

Co-founder and CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, has previously described the Facebook Live feature as “having a TV camera in your pocket” as it gives all Facebook users the ability to broadcast content globally, connecting to other users in a more instant and intimate way.

Since April 2016, improvements have been made to Facebook Live, which include:

• The addition of the feature to groups and events
• The use of Facebook Reactions during live broadcasts
• Live filters
• An invitation icon so broadcasters can invite other users in real time
• Comments made during live broadcasts will be replayed when users view the video after broadcast
• New metrics have also been added to Facebook Live to help broadcasters monitor viewers more closely

New metrics available on the platform provide clearer insight into how viewers are engaging with content, providing data on minutes viewed, and an average percentage of how many viewers watch the entirety of the broadcast.

Pinterest Reveals Trends in Pinners’ Resolutions

Pinterest has recently revealed trends in pinners’ mid-year resolutions, presenting data on the increases of certain pinning trends from early in the year up till now.

Here are the topics relating to particular transformational trends and their corresponding increases in Pins from Christmas to January:

• 21 Day Fix - 190%
• Hourglass workout - 83%
• Cloud bread - 73%
• Bullet journal - 67%
• Detox tea - 60%
• Meditation space - 49%
• Jiu Jitsu - 39%
• Declutter - 35%

This information may inform the content that users decide to pin, especially for marketers who work in the health and beauty sector. It allows an opportunity to present fresh ideas to Pinterest users looking for new ways to continue with their resolutions.

Is Google Spaces Set to Replace Google+?

Google released new app, Spaces, on 16 May 2016, offering content sharing amongst groups. The app is intended for users to share content, from articles and images to video content, all within one platform.

Google product director, Luke Wroblewski, stated:

Google+ is an open, primarily public place for people to connect around shared interests. We’ve stated this publicly and continue to execute on this vision. Spaces is for small groups, almost ad hoc sharing: buying a car, planning a trip, sharing music recommendations with a few folks. Different needs, different solutions.

Although there is crossover between the two platforms at the moment, it appears that Google’s intention is to keep them separate. Venturebeat has raised suspicions that the launch of the new app is intended to salvage some of the main features of Google+, with the basic functionalities of Google+ Communities and Collections being tested under a new guise with a fresh look for mobile.

More Social Media Marketing News and Advice

Read last week’s social media news roundup: Twitter Edits Character Count Rule

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