Social media is forever changing which makes it easy to miss an update from time to time. Twice a month, we look into three of the latest key updates from the past few weeks from the various social media giants. Here’s what’s been happening recently…

LinkedIn Adds New Profile Features, Including Video Cover Stories and ‘Creator Mode’

LinkedIn’s looking to help users share more of their personal story, and maximise their on-platform presence, with the addition of a range of new features for individual member profiles in the app.

Firstly, LinkedIn’s adding a new video cover story option, which will enable users to add an introductory video that people can view when they visit their LinkedIn listing.

As explained by LinkedIn: “Once you add your Cover Story, an orange ring will appear around your Profile photo, and a preview of your video will auto-play silently within your photo frame (we like to think of it as the “Harry Potter” effect). And, stay tuned for captioning capabilities coming soon. “

Secondly, in what may be the most significant of the new additions overall, LinkedIn’s also launching a new ‘Creator Mode’ for profiles, which will enable users to showcase their on-platform activity and engagement in a whole new way.

As explained by LinkedIn: “At the heart of our ecosystem is our creator community. People love to see creators give their take on what’s happening in the news or share insights into a specific industry — whether that’s a post, a video, an article, or even a comment. If this is you, check out the new creator mode in your Profile dashboard.”

When the new ‘Creator Mode’ option is switched on, users will be able to add a selection of hashtags to indicate what topics they post about most on the platform, which will help LinkedIn showcase them to interested audiences. Creator Mode will also move your ‘Featured’ and ‘Activity’ sections to the top of your Profile to more prominently display the content you post, while your ‘Connect’ button will update to ‘Follow’ instead, in order to help users build an audience in the app.

This is a significant update in presentation for LinkedIn creators, which shifts the focus onto the content you’re posting to the platform, with a view to building audience in the app.

Facebook Tests New Page Labels to Help Provide More Context on Posts

Facebook is looking to help provide more context on posts, particularly those related to political issues, with a test of new labels which delineate whether the Page is a ‘public official’, a ‘fan page’ or a ‘satire page’.

As you can see above, the new labels will appear below the Page title on posts, which will provide immediate context as to why the Page might be posting what it is, which could help to reduce confusion.

Definitely, Facebook posts can prompt a lot of heated debate, with misinterpretation playing a big role. Indeed, Facebook’s own research has shown that basic misunderstandings can often be a key element in sparking online angst, so any additional context or explanatory information can only help in reducing confusion and easing tensions.

Facebook Adds New Photo ‘Layouts’ Feature to Put a Different Spin on Your Posted Images

Facebook is rolling out a new ‘Layouts’ option within its post composer tools, which provides a range of frames and formats to add a fresh take to your visuals posted to the app.

As you can see above, posted by user Jacki Pitkow (and shared by Matt Navarra), the new Layouts option can be found in your post composer tools within the Facebook app. Not all users have access to the option at the moment but watch this space for more info on the rollout and where and when it will be available.

Certainly, these new options look interesting – and while they’re not designed for brand use, as such, they could also provide a means to spice up promotional posts on Pages, with colourful frames and alternate framing. Either way, it’s another thing to experiment with.

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