Twitter's new reporting tool ahead of elections, LinkedIn's new 'services' feature, Facebook suing a company for selling fake 'likes', Instagram replacing travel brochures, Sri Lankan blocks social media following terrorist attacks, Snapchat seeing user recovery and Google adds fun Avengers-themed feature

This week has seen another update to Twitter, this time to help stop the spread of misinformation ahead of elections. A new reporting feature will allow users to flag incorrect information that could influence people's election decisions. LinkedIn is helping freelancers and business-owners showcase their services on their profile with a new trial feature. Facebook has launched a lawsuit against a company and individuals who have been selling fake engagement on Instagram. New research has found that more people turn to Instagram to find holiday locations than travel agents, with many people choosing destinations based on how photogenic they are. The Sri Lankan government has blocked social media while investigations into the terrorist attacks…

Instagram trailling new video trackbar, Facebook banning white nationalism on its platforms, LinkedIn's new partnership with Adobe, Twitter highlighting politician's tweets that break community standards, Facebook's clamp down on political advertisers and online video subscriptions outstripping cable customers

This week has seen most of the big social media platforms release new features or make policy changes. Facebook has banned content, searches and groups related to white nationalism and is also launching new requirements for political advertisers in a bid to make political ads more transparent. Twitter is looking into ways of flagging tweets from politicians and public figures - including President Trump - that break community standards but shouldn't be deleted as they are in the public interest. LinkedIn announced its new partnership with Adobe, which is aimed at offering better ad targeting on the platform. In simpler news, Instagram seems to be trialling a new trackbar so users can skip through videos. Other news this…

Millions are 5G-ready, Facebook disagrees with ACCC recommendations, YouTube will never be "100% safe" for brands, Facebook to improve messaging privacy and new interracial couple emojis announced

This week's news roundup sees concerns raised about privacy when 5G is rolled out, with the Information Commissioner's Office raising concerns about personal data on a faster network. Facebook has also responded to the ACCC's initial recommendations, disagreeing with the suggested extra regulations. Google has admitted that there is very little chance YouTube will ever be totally brand-safe, although it is making changes to its advertising program to try and protect brands' reputations. Mark Zuckerberg has announced controversial changes to messanger apps, with auto-encryption set to be rolled out. Finally, it has been announced that interracial couple emojis will be available this year following a petition by Tinder. Find out more about each of these stories below.  

Millions ready for 5G but is privacy an issue?

Up to 15 million UK…

Twitter has made some small tweaks to its platform, The CAP has announced new gambling ad rules, Google showcases plans for US location expansion and Instagram investigates bug that caused follower counts to fall

There are no big platform changes to unpick this week, although Twitter has announced three tiny changes to its platform, one to create clarity, another to make it easier to view profiles and the third is especially for Valentine's Day. New gambling advertisement rules will come into play in April that are aimed at reducing the effect that such ads have on those under the age of 18. As well as affecting where and when bookmakers can advertise, the rules will also impact who can feature in their ads. Google has announced its latest $13 billion expansion plans that will see it set up locations in a range of new states, helping to create thousands of construction jobs. Finally, Instagram…

Learn how to find relevant content for sharing as an education provider

Many educational providers have decided to host a blog and become more involved in social media in order to enhance their online presence. Needs are somewhat similar whether they're involved in higher education like Universities and colleges or other levels. With this comes the realization that blogs require close monitoring, constant up-keep, and interesting content. People often ask us about the ways education bloggers (be it a student, alumnus, or faculty member) can feed their blog and social media profiles on a regular basis. Admittedly, this can be difficult at the beginning, but with the right tools and practices, the entire blog experience can be easy and really enjoyable.

Six tips to find and create relevant content for your education blog

Tip 1. Curate content that interests you

Identify blogs or sites that explore topics that matter to your students and affiliate organizations. As…

It’s official - too much time spent on social media is bad for your mental health

Following a blog post in December 2017, in which Facebook acknowledged spending too much time on the platform could lead to negative effects on health, it has now gone one step further to demonstrate its commitment to halt the spread of neurotic D-FOMO (Digital Fear of Missing Out). In conjunction with mental health experts and organizations, Facebook and Instagram have introduced tools that restrict the amount of time people spend on apps. Users can monitor just how long they've spent scrolling and swiping away the hours, set a reminder for when they've reached their allocated time, and limit notifications. The tools can be accessed via the settings page on either app by tapping "Your Activity" on Instagram or "Your Time on Facebook" on Facebook. However, some say the gesture simply doesn't go far enough. "It’s not going to really…

Techniques and examples of using Pinterest to build a brand and connect with the student community

It’s no surprise - Pinterest drives an impressive amount of traffic. In fact, Pinterest is now 21% more popular than Twitter for US Internet users according to this Pew compilation of online US adults. This image discovery tool lets fans and influencers find and follow their favorite brands, whether it’s through products pinned from the website, or business pages created by brands. Many brands, like Whole Foods, Etsy, and Kate Spade effectively use Pinterest to share information. The possibilities (and marketability) are truly endless. Until recently, many universities did not have, or effectively use, Pinterest pages. The University of Michigan, often a risk-taker and thought leader among the Higher Ed social media community, saw…

Chart of the day: 92% of NGO's have a Facebook page with only 39% have an Instagram profile.

According to new research recently published by Tech Report - Facebook is the most popular social media channel for global NGOs with 92% having a facebook page. Instagram, which was taken over by Facebook in 2012, only has 39% of NGOs creating a profile account.

How global NGOs use Social Media

Considering the nature of charities, it is important that their message is clearly portrayed, with many using visual content to provoke emotions and persuade their audience to donate, volunteer or spread awareness of global issues. This is why it is surprising that NGOs favour Twitter (72%) over Instagram (39%). Other social platforms that aren't utilized by many NGOs include Google+ (28%) and Whatsapp (16%).

NGOs Social Media usage continent breakdown

A more in-depth look at…

Social Media Essentials: Facebook hit a new milestone, Instagram lets you reply live streams and Messenger just got more fun

Firstly, Happy Social Media Day! This day, launched by Mashable eight years ago to recognize and celebrate social media’s impact on global communication. The way social networks impact our personal and professional lives is far greater than many would have anticipated. Each week there are new updates and developments in social media, opening up new opportunities for businesses. To celebrate all things social, here are 6 updates we saw happen this week that could help inform your social media strategy and help keep you up-to-date with what's happened in the world of social media.

1. Facebook community-building tools

Facebook has rolled out some great new tools for group admins that will help them manage their groups more effectively. The aim of rolling out theses changes are to help group admins…

Social Media Essentials

Welcome to our weekly summary of what's happened in social media this week. We highlight the top stories to help you stay up to date with social media, here is what caught our attention this week.

Spotlight story: Twitter has a new look

The most talked about change in social media this week has been Twitter's new look. As many have already seen Twitter has redesigned their layout, introduced some new features and updated old ones. You will now see a rounded profile photo, more intuitive icons, a new side navigation menu and articles and websites opening in Safari’s viewer. So make sure you adapt your profile photo to fit in the new circle shape. It is clear Twitter have listened to their user's feedback and made changes according to this. Even though Twitter received some backlash from this update its good to see a social media platform adapting to their user's needs. Read our full…