Trends Today: the social media world of #hashtags (App Review)
In today’s world of technology, we are able to communicate faster than ever. A simple #hashtag, like, or comment can help keep us informed of all that is happening around us. Unfortunately, it can also mean we may miss something important we want to know. With the Trends Today app, you can now keep up with all the top stories in one spot.
Overview
Trends Today is an app that opens you up to a world of #hashtags. It allows you to see top trending stories on five of the most popular social sites: Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Instagram, and Vine, all in one location. Other social sites are planned to be added with future app updates.
You can also receive notifications of new trends, though I didn’t seem to have that happen too often. You can turn off notifications in the Settings menu if you prefer not to receive them. This is also the only settings option you will find. It would be nice to have different theme options and the ability to select what social sites you want to see in the app.
Features
Each site will have its own tab. I found this made it very easy to navigate between the different social sites. For Twitter and Facebook, lists are generated by trending topics. Once a topic has been selected, you will see the different tweets and posts on that topic, from which you can click on to read, comment, or share. You can also view posts by most recent or most popular. The Reddit tab will be organized by trending posts, instead of by topic,and Instagram and Vine will show thumbnails of the trending photos and videos.
Other features include a built-in web browser, so there is no jumping out of the app to view a post, and the ability to see what is popular worldwide, or by selecting a specific country. The current list of countries is USA, UK, Australia, Canada, and India.
Setup
When you first open the app, you will be asked to select which country you want to view posts from. You can change this, later, by clicking the menu button, at the top left of the screen, and selecting whichever location you prefer.
From the same menu, you can choose to create a profile as well. This is not required, nor is it clear as to what it’s for. Skipping the registration will not hinder your viewing experience, so I would just skip it.
When you select a post, you will be taken to the social media’s mobile site. To like, share, or comment, you will have to sign into your respective accounts. However, with Vine and Instagram, these will not open in the browser, instead, you’ll be taken to your default browser, or the app. You can view the pictures and videos, but there is no sign in option, so you cannot like or share within the Trends Today app. Hopefully, the developer will change this in future updates.
What we liked
- One app to view trending posts from multiple social sites
- Easy navigation
- Built-in browser
What could be better
- Needs more social sites, like Google+
- Sign in options for Instagram and Vine
- Options to select which sites you want to be displayed
Summary
For any of you who have multiple social media accounts, Trends Today is a great way to keep you up-to-date with the trends of each one. So, browse, comment, and #hashtag away with Trends Today.
The post Trends Today: the social media world of #hashtags (App Review) appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Recommended Reading: Rick Moranis on the ‘Ghostbusters’ reboot and more
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you’ll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read.
Rick Moranis Isn’t Retired (He Just Doesn’t Know How to Change His Wikipedia Page)
by Ryan Parker
The Hollywood Reporter
When the new version of Ghostbusters arrives in theaters next year, a lot of the stars from the 1980s movies will make appearances in the film. Rick Moranis isn’t one of them. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Moranis explains that “it just makes no sense” to him and dishes on what he’s been doing for the last two decades, including his iOS 9.1 woes.
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This Is What the Future of Instagram Looks Like Five years in, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom discusses the future of the photo-driven social app. |
Scandal Erupts in Unregulated World of Fantasy Sports The New York Times offers a good look at the wild west of daily fantasy sports. |
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China’s Self-Driving Bus Shows Autonomous Tech’s Real Potential Autonomous buses could do wonders for public transportation, and a Chinese company is hard at work developing the tech to make that happen. |
KFC: The Colonel of Two Worlds (2015) #1 Yes, seriously. And The Flash makes an appearance, too. |
[Image credit: Columbia Pictures/Getty Images]
Busbud dives into Instagram data to find most popular spots
Busbud, an online service that helps users book bus tickets, decided to perform some data analysis on Instagram in an effort to help users find the most popular places that generate Instagram photos. By doing this, they hope it might give travelers and tourists some ideas for places to visit when they decide to get out of town.
Busbud looked at data for both the U.S. and Canada to develop lists of the top locations for each U.S. state and Canadian province as well as by type of location. On the latter measure, Busbud found that when people hit the great outdoors in the U.S. via parks, they are apt to post a picture to Instagram to share the fun they are having. Following parks was an unexpected type of destination – wineries & vineyards. Meanwhile, in Canada users are more apt to post pics of points of interest or landmarks followed by historic sites.
In addition to looking at Instagram posts that included location information, Busbud also relied on hashtags to help identify activities and locations. For example, using tags like #beach, #beachlife or #beachday can help fellow Instagram users find great places to visit.
If you check out Busbud’s maps of the top places by state or province, how many can you claim to have visited and did you Instagram any of them?
Come comment on this article: Busbud dives into Instagram data to find most popular spots
Here’s where you’re most likely to take an Instagram photo
Certain locations are obviously Instagram photo magnets, like the Golden Gate Bridge or Times Square. Have you wondered which locations are actually the most popular, though? Busbud has done some legwork to find out. The tourism site recently published an interactive map that shows the most popular locations on Instagram in each US state and Canadian province… and they’re not necessarily the ones you’re expecting. It makes sense that Disneyland would be a hotspot for Californians, for example, but you might not know that Dollywood gets the most attention in Tennessee — sorry, Elvis.
The data also reveals which location types lure the most shutterbugs. It won’t shock you to hear that parks top the list in the US, but you probably didn’t expect wineries and vineyards to be close behind. Also, North Americans don’t share the same tastes — Canadians are fonder of landmarks and historic sites. Yes, this info is a not-so-subtle plug for Busbud’s ticket-finding service, but it might prove helpful if you’re wondering what to visit when you’re in unfamiliar territory.
Source: Busbud
Instagram blames Apple for strict anti-nudity stance
There’s a reason why the #freethenipple campaign blew up on Instagram: the photo-sharing website is typically quick to pull down posts showing women’s nipples, even if there’s nothing pornographic about the photos. Why? Well, according to Business Insider, the app’s cofounder puts the blame on Apple. Instagram CEO Kevyn Systrom explained his Facebook-owned company’s side during a talk in London, claiming that its guidelines can’t be changed due to Apple’s age rating. Since IG wants to retain its current 12+ rating in order to have a wider audience — only rated 17+ apps are allowed to feature explicit content — it has to continue taking down posts that showcase nudity.
It’s worth noting, however, that photos showing men’s nipples don’t get deleted, and a quick search on the app using the right keywords will surface truly pornographic posts. Mic also pointed out that Twitter’s full of porn accounts and posts despite its 4+-year-old rating, but Apple hasn’t kicked it off the App Store yet. A number of celebrities helped the #freethenipple campaign take off on Instagram, some even posting topless photos of themselves. They include comedian/host Chelsea Handler, pop star Miley Cyrus and models Chrissy Teigen and Naomi Campbell, whose magazine photo with fully visible nipples stayed up for 20 hours before the app pulled it down.
[Image credit: PhotoObjects.net/Getty]
Shot wants to be the Instagram of virtual reality
Whether it’s a technology giant like Google or a small startup, nowadays everyone wants a piece of the VR pie. Shot, for instance, was created by a group of friends from Spain who wanted to bring a social aspect to virtual reality. Through a Kickstarter campaign launching today, Shot promises to make it easy for people to create VR content on an iPhone — which can then be shared with friends via an app. In order to do so, the firm designed a camera adapter for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, one that will allow users to capture 235-degree videos and 360-degree pictures. Shot says it’s able to accomplish this effect by having two fisheye lenses in its adapter, giving it the ultra-wide field of view necessary for VR.Slideshow-315066
Hardware-wise, think of it as similar to the Olloclip lens add-ons. But once people actually start taking pictures and videos, Shot is looking to have a platform for them to share these on. Simply put, it aims to be the Instagram of VR. Shot’s mobile application will let users not only shoot what’s around them, but also share those recordings with friends as well as browse, watch and like what others are making. Basically, you build out your own profile and network, like you’re already doing on Facebook’s popular image-sharing app. Of course, since this is supposed to be snackable VR, whatever you make with Shot’s adapter will be viewable on Google’s Cardboard headset, too.
The Kickstarter is going to include a lens kit (iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus) and Cardboard for $56, with the goal being to crowdsource $100,000. If funded, Shot says both the accessory and app should be available in April of 2016. That’s still a long way from now, but in the meantime, you can get a quick glimpse of the project in the video below.
As great as Shot sounds, it is a Kickstarter campaign after all, and thus keep in mind that it may be delayed at some point — or not ship at all, as has been the case with some projects in the past.
Source: Kickstarter (Shot)
Instagram hits 400 million users strong
Instagram today took to a blog post to unveil that it has 400 million users strong. The company says the last 100 million to join come primarily by way of Europe and Asia, but that’s not the most impressive aspect.
75% of Instagram’s users come from outside of the United States, with Brazil, Japan, and Indonesia being the countries to add the most users as of late. It’s certainly hard to believe that Instagram launched five years ago, and in that time, it’s gone through quite a few crazy transitions, such as being bought by Facebook for $1 billion.
One thing’s for certain: Instagram is becoming a new medium for sharing news across the globe, especially as Instagram’s community grows larger. If you haven’t tried Instagram before, it’s a free download–just hit the download link below.
source: Instagram
Come comment on this article: Instagram hits 400 million users strong
Instagram isn’t slowing down as it tops 400 million users
If you thought that Instagram couldn’t keep the momentum up after it hit 300 million users late last year… well, you’re in for a surprise. The photo-focused social network reports that it just reached 400 million users, or a full 100 million more than it had 9 months ago. Given that it also took roughly 9 months to get the 100 million before that, this suggests that there are still plenty of shutterbugs willing to sign up despite all the ads. It’s not certain how many of these are truly active users, but more than 75 percent of them come from outside the US. The question isn’t so much whether or not Instagram is popular, then, but when it’ll run out of budding photographers.
[Image credit: AP Photo/Danny Moloshok]
Source: Instagram Blog
30-second video advertisements are making their way to Instagram
Instagram has been going through a ton of major changes as of late, some positive, some negative. Most recently, the popular photo sharing application gained support for landscape and portrait photo sharing, which was a stark departure from Instagram’s square-only mindset ever since the service launched. Before this update, though, the Instagram team brought 1080 x 1080 photo sharing to the app, making everyone’s feeds look much more crisp and clear.
Today Instagram is getting yet another major update, this time pertaining to advertising. Ads in the app are now available in more than 30 countries – including Italy, Spain, Mexico, India and South Korea – and will launch in markets around the world on Wednesday, September 30th. Video ads have already been available in the app for some time, but with a limit of only 15 seconds. Now advertisements can be up to 30 seconds in length, allowing more businesses to deliver more content to users in a single ad.
There’s also a new premium product for advertisers called Marquee, which Instagram says will help “drive mass awareness and expanded reach in a short time-frame.” This feature will be mostly geared towards movie premieres and new product launches.
These new changes should be rolling out to both Android and iOS applications as we speak.
Instagram to sprinkle 30-second ads in feeds
Get ready for a few more advertisements in your Instagram feeds. According to an announcement on the official Instagram blog, businesses will soon be able to run campaigns on the social networking service.
Taking advantage of the technology behind Facebook’s ad infrastructure, the Instagram ads will let advertisers target messages and hit the right people, regardless of topic. There will be new ad formats rolling out however it is unclear just what that really means.
Instagram says they’ve been working with various ad partners this summer and have the results thus far seem quite positive. Whether it’s higher engagement, acquiring new customers, or pushing app installs, the new ads have worked well for Kabam, The North Face, Made.com, and Gilt Groupe.
Instagram is also announcing a number of other tools and capabilities:
- Landscape photo and video to unlock new creative opportunities and give ads a more cinematic feel
- Video ads of up to 30 seconds in length, so brands can engage in richer storytelling
- Marquee, a new premium product that helps drive mass awareness and expanded reach in a short time-frame—perfect for events like movie premieres and new product launches
- Delivery and optimization tools to manage and drive the best performance of campaigns across Facebook and Instagram
How do you feel about seeing occasional advertisements inside your timelines and social network feeds? Do you stop to watch or check them out or have you learned to tune them out?
The post Instagram to sprinkle 30-second ads in feeds appeared first on AndroidGuys.
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