37th Week Roundup: Pinterest Ad Tools, Whatsapp Topic-Based Channels, and much more!

At this Tech Roundup, we collect all the latest developments from digital technologies. Ranging from Pinterest’s innovative ad tools and Meta’s ambitious AI intend to WhatsApp expanding topic-based channels and TikTok to improve in-stream shopping capabilities for U.S. businesses;

YouTube witnessing a retro gaming content surge; Microsoft unveiled an efficient question-answering model; Snapchat added screen sharing feature while Amazon streamlining product listings via AI are just some examples of developments we uncovered this month! Stay updated for tech’s future developments!

 

Pinterest Unveils Innovative Ad Tools and Engagement Options at Pinterest Presents Event

At its recent Pinterest Presents event, this social media platform unveiled an array of innovative advertising tools and creative options, such as expanded Premiere Spotlight units first unveiled in March, which now appear within users’ home feeds for maximum impactful placement within its app.

Additionally, Pinterest introduced Showcase and Quiz ads to expand user engagement opportunities. Showcase ads allow for deeper product understanding, while Quiz ads engage them through relevant questions that provide personalized ideas and inform purchase decisions. The experts from the leading social media agency will tell you that direct links are implemented to increase website traffic and integrations with Salesforce Commerce Cloud and Adobe Commerce applications to manage shoppable Pins effectively.

Read more: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/pinterest-unveils-new-ad-tools-creative-options-pinterest-presents/693635/

 

WhatsApp Expands Topic-Based Channels to 150 Regions, Offering Real-Time News and Information

WhatsApp recently expanded its WhatsApp Channels feature from Colombia and Singapore to 150 markets globally, giving users access to one-way broadcast services within WhatsApp that allow them to stay up-to-date on topics of interest in real-time as real news or information sources. Channels reside within their tab to maintain privacy; no users see which topics you follow within them; updates remain fresh for 30 days to keep relevance at a premium.

WhatsApp also recently unveiled an enhanced Channels directory featuring thousands of organizations, sports teams, artists and thought leaders to follow. As more users transition away from direct messages (D.M.s) towards WhatsApp D.M.s for communication purposes, Channels could become valuable options, allowing Meta to explore further WhatsApp’s business potential and shopping tools – not to mention increasing value while creating potential future opportunities in WhatsApp! As one of the world’s most-used messaging applications, Channels could add significant value while opening doors for further expansion if used wisely by expanding WhatsApp options available within DMs alone!

Read more: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/whatsapp-launches-topic-based-channels-more-regions/693626/

 

Meta’s Threads Introduces New Features for Enhanced Conversation Tracking and Desktop Experience

The best social media agency will tell you that Meta is continually adding features and functionalities to Threads, including following specific conversations, an improved post activity display, and quote posts on desktop versions. Users now receive updates regarding specific conversations by tapping a bell icon – providing key conversations a great place for updates! Thanks to this capability, threads have quickly become one of the best sources for breaking news coverage.

Threads’ web version enables users to quote other posts, expanding its functionality and user experience. Though Threads continues its journey of evolution, content moderation issues and search functionality restrictions still present challenges in terms of free speech limitations as the app temporarily restricts some keyword search results – sparking concerns over free speech limitations in discussion threads. Regardless of updates and improvements being implemented by Elon Musk’s involvement and controversial statements have contributed greatly to its initial interest, but long-term viability still needs to be discovered.

Read more: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/threads-adds-new-desktop-functionality-ability-follow-specific-conversations/693645/

 

TikTok Expands In-Stream Shopping with TikTok Shops for All U.S. Businesses

TikTok has expanded its in-stream shopping initiative in the U.S. by opening up activation of TikTok Shops across all businesses – first launched with select retailers back in February – on their profiles, first introduced as Storefront Shopify connection feature but now supporting native product listings instead. TikTok aims to bring shoppable videos and live streams directly into users’ For You feeds while giving brands, merchants and creators tools for in-app product sales.

TikTok has updated its shop process with product showcases, shop ads and secure checkout options, and offering creators access to an affiliate program called Creative Challenge that pays commission on product sales. Furthermore, retailers may utilize TikTok’s “Fulfilled by TikTok” program to streamline order management. However, its success in Western markets remains uncertain relative to China, where in-stream shopping has experienced rapid expansion.

Read more: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-launches-in-stream-shops-all-us-retailers-latest-ecommerce-push/693459/

 

YouTube Reports Surge in Retro Gaming Content: Nostalgia Fuels Resurgence

YouTube’s Culture and Trends team recently reported an astounding spike in retro gaming-focused uploads since 2007, over 1000x higher compared to 2007. As nostalgia-inducing games return with renewed appeal, older titles from the 80s and 90s receive particular focus from content creators – even consoles from recent decades are considered part of retro gaming now!

This trend gives marketers ample opportunities for themed promotions or tie-ins related to nostalgic gaming moments and AI image generation tools evoking the nostalgia of retro games as an effective strategy depending on their target audience. The experts from the leading social media marketing agency will tell you that Retro gaming content’s revival shows its continued appeal across generations of gamers and highlights classic video games’ ability to capture imaginations across both old and new gaming generations alike.

Read more: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/youtube-shares-new-stats-growth-retro-gaming-themed-content/693472/

 

Meta Aims to Challenge OpenAI with Its Own Advanced Generative AI System

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has initiated work on its large language model (LLM) AI system to match OpenAI’s GPT models in terms of computational power and complexity. Their new LLM AI builds upon their existing Llama models as part of an expansion effort designed to accelerate the development of human-like text generation tools for text analysis by augmenting human efforts with machine intelligence. This project marks Mark Zuckerberg as Meta’s CEO, forming an AI development group that will work exclusively on such endeavors earlier this year!

Meta stands out in the AI race thanks to its vast data resources and systematic infrastructure and reportedly plans to purchase additional Nvidia H100 chips. While their exact deployment remains unknown, Meta’s AI and LLM tools could enhance in-app experiences, enhance targeting ads more precisely, or contribute towards existing AI features already built by its AI specialists. Training of its new system should start in early 2024.

Read more: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/metas-developing-own-llm-compete-openai/693328/

 

Microsoft Research Develops GCoQA: A More Efficient Conversational Question Answering Model

Microsoft Research recently unveiled Generative Retrieval For Conversational Question Answering (GCoQA), an improved conversational question-answering model that outshines existing methods regarding speed, accuracy and resource consumption. GCoQA uses autoregressive language models with “identifier strings” as its basis to assign representations for document passages more quickly while understanding content topics better than ever before.

GCoQA employs a hierarchical approach that orders results by page topic and section heading before using beam search to rank passages using language model scores to retrieve relevant passages for answering questions. The leading SEO company in Mumbai say that while GCoQA shows promise in improving conversational question answering, its limitations exist, especially in scenarios with poorly organized or unclear text; researchers believe further examination is required in real-world situations to ascertain its efficacy.

Read more: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/generative-retrieval-for-conversational-question-answering/496373/

 

Snapchat Introduces Screen Sharing Feature for Web, Expanding Its Digital Collaboration Capabilities

Snapchat recently unveiled a screen-sharing feature on its web version, expanding beyond image, short-form video communication, and short-form video uploads. The experts from the leading social media marketing agency say that now, users can initiate screen sharing during calls on Snapchat’s web platform – marking its move into territory currently dominated by Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

Users who take advantage of this feature need only log into their Snapchat accounts via mobile or web portal and start calling friends or groups, initiating screen sharing by pressing the share button next to video and microphone controls. Although it may not compete directly with professional communication tools like Slack or Skype for Business Server, its digital collaboration features can aid students working on group projects or families participating in online events.

Read more: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/screen-sharing-comes-to-snapchat-for-web-and-iphone-app/496142/

 

Google’s John Mueller Debunks Myth: Meta Description Length Has No Impact on Rankings

John Mueller from Google recently clarified that meta descriptions don’t impact search ranking algorithms in any way. Responding to a discussion regarding specific character counts for meta descriptions, Mueller explained these were all made-up numbers fabricated for marketing purposes and not true reflections of reality.

Clients had raised concerns with SEO professional Mueller that meta description length could impact rankings, with shorter being better. His response outlined how click-through rates do have some bearing on rankings but should have no effect. His explanation provided professionals and website owners valuable insight regarding meta description optimization.

Read more: https://www.seroundtable.com/google-meta-description-length-seo-36031.html

 

Advertiser Incurs Significant Losses as Google Ads Experimental Test Goes Awry

An angry PPC advertiser recently shared her exasperating experience with Google Ads experiments on an influential online platform. Melissa Mackey of PPC Advertising Solutions reported her client suffering significant losses ranging into the thousands of dollars due to an experimental test conducted by Google Ads without opt-in or opt-out options available, where her client unexpectedly became included in “expanded targeting”, even after having opted out from this setting.

The leading SEO company in Mumbai reports that Melissa immediately suspended Google Ads campaigns after reaching out for support, who initially blamed it as being due to a “bug,” offering a refund; however, when resumed, they recurred, and this time, as soon as paused, resumed campaigns continued she reported the problem had returned when resumed with the same issue recurring again!

Melissa received an unexpected reply when contacting support again, informing her that Google Ads sometimes conducts tests of proposed changes, with no credit or refund offered in such instances – leaving Melissa and her client to suffer considerable losses as a result of Google’s experiments.

Read more: https://www.seroundtable.com/advertiser-money-lost-google-ads-experiment-36030.html

 

Bing Chat Developing User-Friendly ‘Memory’ Feature for Custom Instructions

Microsoft’s CEO of Bing, Mikhail Parakhin, recently disclosed that Bing Chat is actively creating custom instructions that incorporate a “memory” feature for users who interact with it more directly and less technically than before. This new addition provides users with an easier, less technical way of using Bing Chat.

While its precise workings remain unknown, Bing Chat’s “memory” feature appears to work by remembering users’ previous queries and continuing the dialogue seamlessly, even with new questions. Responding to user concerns regarding custom instructions for Bing, Parakhin confirmed they’re being developed – yet with an emphasis on making the experience user-friendly through “memory”, suggesting this might provide a more intuitive way of engaging with Bing Chat.

Read more: https://www.seroundtable.com/bing-chat-working-on-custom-instructions-36035.html

 

Google Affirms: No Returning to Previous Search Rankings After Website Overhaul

Google’s John Mueller recently reiterated that there is no return to exactly the same search rankings a website enjoyed before under a revamp. When websites undergo substantial modifications or complete makeovers, search engines adapt by making adjustments that could positively or negatively influence their rankings; there’s no “back to normal” in search rankings after such modifications take effect, according to Mueller.

Website modifications, particularly extensive revamp, will inevitably cause changes to search rankings. Although temporary decreases in traffic may occur during any transitional phase, long-term gains should follow suit over time. It’s vitally important that search engine rankings will adapt in response to website modifications.

Read more: https://www.seroundtable.com/google-no-back-to-the-same-for-search-rankings-36034.html

 

Meta Expands Access to Horizon Worlds on Mobile Devices and Desktop PCs

Meta is expanding access to its Horizon Worlds social VR experience by making it more widely accessible through mobile phones and desktop PCs. They were first introduced as a beta test with select users on mobile devices, now made accessible for more people through all devices, including desktop PCs, as a public beta release. Users can first experience “Super Rumble,” accessible through Android, with iOS coming later. However, both mobile versions won’t give full immersion VR experiences, yet they still allow access to various activities and games in various worlds within Horizon Worlds.

Meta’s decision to expand access beyond VR seeks to reach a wider audience, particularly younger users accustomed to engaging via digital avatars in platforms like Roblox, Minecraft and Fortnite. By permitting user interaction via avatars and broadening metaverse access further, Meta hopes that more users will embrace its experience, encouraging developers to develop more accessible VR worlds for consumers to enjoy.

Read more: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/meta-expands-horizon-worlds-access-to-mobile-devices-and-home-pcs/693734/

 

Conclusion of the Roundup

In this news roundup, recent tech updates span from advertising innovations on Pinterest to expanded WhatsApp channels and TikTok in-stream shopping; YouTube sees an upsurge in retro gaming content; Meta is looking to rival OpenAI when it comes to generative AI; Google clarified meta description myths while Bing Chat prioritized user-friendliness features; Microsoft Research implemented an efficient question answering model while Snapchat added screen sharing, Amazon optimized listing content with AI technology; all these developments reflect an ever-evolving tech landscape. If you like this blog check out our previous blog Mastering Google’s August 2023 Core Update: A Comprehensive Guide for Website Owners.