Instagram’s Newest: Thank You.
Instagram has launched a new feature to honor the people and things that people are appreciative of in this critical time: a ‘Thank You Hour’ sticker.
Users can add this sticker to the images on their Instagram stories, and every night at 7 pm they will be added to a collective story created by Instagram.
It honors users’ privacy settings, meaning story content won’t be visible to all Instagram users but will be visible to each user’s individual connections.
This new sticker follows the ‘Stay Home’ sticker and ‘Thank Health Heroes’ stickers, which were previously created to help promote and spread key messages.
It is thought that socially reinforced messaging, like implementing these stickers, can actually make an impact and increase action in helping to prevent the spread.
Instagram Users Can Now “Slide” Into DMs from Desktops
Instagram has now added the ever-popular ‘DM’ feature to its desktop version.
They have been testing desktop access to direct messaging since last February, with select users being able to test starting in January. It is now available to all users.
Integrating this feature to desktop would allow users who can’t access the app to still utilize the DM feature, as well as allow social media managers to conduct all of their work from desktop, rather than switching over to the app for certain tasks.
This feature also makes day-to-day Instagram usage much more convenient for most users.
Shutterstock Is Helping Everyone Up Their Social Media Game
In an attempt to help out small and midsize businesses during this difficult time, Shutterstock has introduced a new resource hub that offers free visuals for use by SMBs.
Free images, videos, music, and infographics are limited, but high quality. These resources are available to help businesses increase content presentation for social media, as well as free backgrounds for virtual meetings.
Alongside the free assets, Shutterstock is also offering helpful tools like free guide posts, and an editor that includes social media templates.
Sounds like the perfect time to get your social channels in tip-top shape!
Stuck At Home? Time To Get Fit.
With towns and cities worldwide facing “stay at home” orders, people have been forced to find new means of exercise and entertainment. Where did they turn? Social media, of course.
Thanks to the generosity of dedicated fitness instructors, many trainers have gotten inventive in finding ways to conduct their classes online. Instagram and Facebook’s live streaming features allow people to tune in real-time, and other services like Nike Train Club have made their premium content free for a limited time.
Instructors have thought of everything to make their workout circuits as universal as possible. From bodyweight exercises to recommended equipment substitutions (wine bottles as weights? 😏), there’s no excuse not to participate.
Though this is convenient for everyone at home, it has caused some financial difficulties for instructors who are now technically unemployed. With most of them offering workouts free of charge, this leaves no source of income for fitness trainers.
Some classes have now started implementing small fees or optional donations, which is encouraged to help fitness companies and studios with their business.
In case you missed our previous #SocialShort, click here.
