Social media is a fluid technology — nearly every day, the major networks are announcing a big change, coming under fire for the latest controversy or moving forward in smaller ways. Social Feed is a collection of those smaller changes that you may have missed with this week’s biggest news — like potential social media regulation in the U.S., Snapchat’s AR games you play with your face, Facebook and Twitter’s growth, Facebook’s release of the Community Guidelines, Snap’s new Spectacles and Instagram’s download tool. Find Social Feed every weekend for the latest social news tidbits.
Facebook users can now challenge friends and match nonprofit donations
Facebook fundraisers just gained a number of new tools — on Friday, April 27, Facebook launched a tool to allow users to match donations, alongside new options for personal fundraisers. The match option allows Facebook users to pledge an amount that they will match for a nonprofit fundraiser. The new option allows users to pledge a match, with the donation only being paid out if friends reach the match goal.
After dropping fees for nonprofit fundraising on the platform, Facebook is now doing the same for personal fundraisers (such as campaigns to pay for medical treatment or rebuilding after a house fire). The platform fee will be eliminated over the next few weeks, Facebook says, though the payment processing fee and any applicable taxes will still apply. Personal fundraisers are also getting a handful of new categories, including family, faith, travel, and volunteering.
Trouble reading that Pin? Pinterest launches new tools for visibility-impaired
Pinterest is working to help the visually impaired easily find ideas on the platform. This week, Pinterest launched enhanced support for screen readers, enhanced contrast and focus indicators, which help the visually impaired better see where the mouse cursor is on the page. The updates are already out on the web and iOS and are coming soon to Android.
YouTube is now 13
Video giant YouTube is entering the awkward years — the first video uploaded to the platform is now 13 years old. The 19-second video was uploaded by one of YouTube’s three founders, Jawed Karim, before the platform left beta testing for a full launch in December. The company has now grown from the space above a pizzeria to a network operating in 76 languages. YouTube now claims more than a billion users and just as many hours watched every day.
Political ads must now be verified in the U.S.
After announcing the change earlier this year, Facebook has now started to verify any advertiser taking out a political ad in the U.S. Beginning this week, Facebook began sending out snail mail ID codes that are designed to help Facebook determine the location of the advertiser. These advertisers also have to provide a form of government-issued ID. The previously announced verification comes along with a new political label and additional options designed for ad transparency.
