GU Live Lunch – Ep 143

Welcome to Live Lunch!

This week, the team talked about the latest updates to Twitter, Tiktok collaborating with Mercedes, changes to Instagram and Meta’s version of the blue tick verification.

Here are the snippets:

1:20 – Instagram has launched a new feature – ‘Instagram Channels’. This is geared towards private messaging within the app. It’s a group messaging function that enables users to stay up to date with people, communities, brands, and lots more.

3:01 – Instagram’s testing a new way to provide more transparency on Reels content by listing the location of the profile that created the clip on the video itself. This is to stop people from misleading others as to what their location is.

3:40 – TikTok has announced a new partnership with Mercedes Benz which will see TikTok content directly into your car via their “superscreen” of the new E-Class. You’ll be pleased to know that the car must be stationary! Not only that, passengers can join in, too, with two independent screens.

6:31 – YouTube is adding new metrics to shorts, one of which being the ability to see who has not only viewed your content, but also those who have swiped past. The new metric, ‘Shown in feed’ and ‘Viewed vs swiped away’ will take data from within the YouTube Studio Display.

7:56 – Meta are launching Meta verified, a paid service to get increased visibility and extra support. Starting at $11.99 on a desktop to $14.99 for iOS and Android.

10:16 – The BBC was left embarrassed when one of its journalists wrote an article about a tweet ‘Will Ferrell’ sent out. The piece’s headline came from a tweet posted by the Twitter account @OfficialWilllF with the display name “Will Ferrell.” The Twitter avatar also features a photo of Ferrell. The problem is – this was a parody account.

13:25 – Twitter is set to restrict SMS two-factor authentication to paid accounts. Separately, Twitter announced on Friday it would provide SMS-based two-factor authentication only to users who are subscribed to the $8 Twitter Blue service from late March.

Join us for our live lunch break on Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn every Thursday at 12:00 pm for a few laughs and some useful tips thrown in too! Feel free to ask us any questions that you may have, or if you would like to join us, then please get in touch!