I nstagram Pods, Reddit Profiles and Producer API
Here’s the news we’re talking about around the Zbra Studios water cooler. We’ve provided key bullet points from each article for the speed readers out there. For those looking to dig in, click on the links for the full story.
Can Instagram Pods Change the Game for Users?
By KELSEY MCKINNEY From Racked
- “Every double-tap, every comment, every DM in these first few minutes determines the fate of your post. Or at least that’s what the Instagrammers say.”
- “That’s where Instagram pods come in. An Instagram pod is a group of (hopefully) like-minded creators who agree to comment on and like one another’s work in the hopes of boosting its visibility.”
- “There’s some fear, of course, that any effectiveness a pod might have could be diminished if Instagram decides to crack down, or change its algorithm again. But if an Instagram pod creates a community that’s supportive and engaged, no algorithm change can really take that away.”
Reddit’s new profile pages could fundamentally transform the site
By Nick Statt From The Verge
- “This is exactly what it sounds like: a personal page tied to a username, with a feed of posts and an avatar. The change is just in the testing phase…”
- “The goal is to encourage users to think of Reddit as more than just a destination for discussion as part of a broader community. Ohanian and product manager Lei Gong tell The Verge that it’s about encouraging people to think of Reddit as a place to put their creations, to engage with fans, and to cultivate a dedicated following.”
- “Yet Reddit is a community that has, in the past, been very resistant to change, especially changes viewed to be at ends with the community and geared more toward Reddit’s growth as a business. How the community responds to this change — and not necessarily whether users find the profile page interesting or useful — will dictate how Reddit moves forward.”
In push for more live video, Twitter officially announces the Producer API
By Sarah Perez From TechCrunch
- “Twitter officially announced the launch of a new tool for live video aimed at larger media publishers and broadcasters. “
- “Twitter had previously launched Periscope Producer last fall, which allows creators to live stream video content from devices like professional cameras, satellite trucks, VR headsets, desktop streaming software and elsewhere.”
- “The new API is meant to expand upon that earlier offering, to make the Producer service easier to use for publishers and broadcasters. Instead of having to connect external hardware, software, cameras and web services via the app, the API lets third-party applications authenticate Periscope accounts, configure streams, start and stop broadcasts and publish live video to Twitter.”