The Facebook algorithm: It happened to me and yes, it happened to you too!
The conversation surrounding Facebook in 2018 has been centered on the new algorithm changes. Designed to encourage more meaningful interactions between people, you’ve likely noticed how these changes apply to your newsfeed.
Facebook has rolled out a new feature called Replies. It allows page admins to reply directly to a comment instead of posting a comment.
How did it work before
When you had a super busy thread you had to reply to a comment with a comment. This would be further down the thread and it was never readily apparent whom you were responding to.
How it works now
Now you have the ability to reply directly to the comment similar to what you see on blogs. We like to call them “conversation threads”. The most active comments will rise to the top of the discussion and comments marked as spam are moved to the bottom.
According to Facebook replies will make it easier to respond to people who have commented on your page. You can reply to a specific comment by clicking Reply under someone else’s comment. The replies are shown blew the comment, so it’s clear who’s responding to which comment.
When will you have it?
Currently you have the option to turn this feature on, you should see a notification when you visit your Facebook page. It will be turned out automatically for pages and profiles with more than 10,000 followers on Monday. It will be turned on for all pages by July 10.
What do you think of the new feature?
Foursquare continues to roll out the updates. First they updated the mobile app, now they’ve added Foursquare City Pages. Using data from the 3 billion check ins Foursquare has created “city pages” for hundreds of cities worldwide. Locally they’ve created city pages for:
The pages are well put together, listing the top rated places broken down by categories of Food, Nightlife, Things to Do, and Top Sights and Landmarks. Each section is then broken down further into types of restaurants (American, Breweries) or bar (lounges, dive).
Another added feature is a list of places with Foursquare specials. At a glance you see what business are offering specials in your area. Events are nicely listed underneath and it looks as if there is some integration with 3rd party software here as well.
It looks as if Foursquare is building off it’s Best of Guide from 2012. You may remember seeing the page for the Metro Detroit Area.
Not sure what the plans are for mobile as the page doesn’t seem to be optimized (responsive) for different screen sizes. In the meantime it’s perfect for travelers and first time visitors to the cities listed.
What do you think of the new pages?
With Facebook’s announcement of changes to the New Feed, the first question we heard in meetings was “how will this affect our page?”
Our response? Great question.
As of right now, thanks to the infograph from ShortStack, here are a few changes you can expect for your business page.
1. Sharing will be important. A feature called spotlight will showcase your Page’s most shared posts.
2. Profile and Cover photos. Whenever someone new likes your Page, your profile image and cover photo will show in the new feed. Good opportunities here. But don’t over do it with the text in your cover “photo”. Please.
3. You’re kind of hidden.There will be a “following” feed for fans to access news from Pages they like. FYI average Facebook users will rarely use this feature which already exists now. Expect engagement to drop a bit.
4. App integration will show larger complete images of what your fans like.
While this is a pretty short list, we’ll be sure to keep you updated as we get our hands on the updated News Feed.
You can download the PDF here at Short Stack.
With it’s latest update Foursquare has added tap and hold check-ins to allow users to quickly check-in. With each update Foursquare looks to be working towards simplifying the check in process so you can get back to your date or night out with friends.
How it works
When you tap the check in button and see a list of places, just press and hold the place you’re at. You’ll see a green bar glide across the top of the screen and that’s it, you’re checked in. How cool is that? The instant check in.
TIP: You can also long press the blue button at the top of the screen when the app opens.
What about Photos?
For those who are a bit old-fashioned you still have the ability to check in the old way. Nothing changes here, add a photo, some text, tag your friends.
I like how Foursquare is making it easier to check in. The new feature is a great example of increasing the quality of user experience by reducing the number of steps the user is required to complete a goal.
Source: Foursquare
