Social Media Weekly News Roundup 18.09.20

Facebook launches new certified Digital Marketing course

Facebook has partnered with online learning platform Coursera to launch a certified course in Digital Marketing. The course will allow people to improve their digital skills, gain knowledge and understanding of social media marketing, and receive industry-recognised credentials. Unlike Facebook’s advanced Blueprint courses which are free, the new Digital Marketing course will only offer basic training at no cost; accessing the full benefits of the course will set users back $49 per month.

Tech giants including Apple and Google announce new products 

In their September hardware event, Apple has announced that they’ll be releasing a range of new products, including a new Apple Watch Series 6, the 4th Generation iPad Air, and its new subscription plan Apple One. Apple One offers 3 plans which allow users to pay for multiple Apple services, including Music, TV, Games, and iCloud storage.

On September 30th, Google is also set to announce the release of a new Pixel phone, a new version of its TV-streaming device Chromecast, and a new smart speaker.

Twitter launches its US election hub and tightens its security

This week, Twitter launched its new US election hub which will allow users in the US to prepare for the upcoming presidential election. The hub, which will appear under the new ‘US Elections’ tab, will contain hand-picked election news in English and Spanish, live streams of election debates, state-specific resources, and information about political candidates.

The company is also working to tighten the security of some high-profile users’ accounts in the run up to the US election. It follows Twitter’s ongoing pledge to prevent election interference and fight the spread of misinformation on the platform.

Facebook launches new Facebook Business Suite

Facebook has announced that it’s launching a new interface called Facebook Business Suite which will help businesses manage their Pages and profiles across multiple apps, including Facebook, Instagram and Messenger. The unified interface will also allow managers to post content and schedule ads to appear on multiple platforms, as well as view analytics on their content’s views and engagement.

Spotify finally ends speculation and embraces virtual events

On Tuesday, streaming platform Spotify announced that it will be adding virtual event listings to its app. The demand for online music events has skyrocketed as many music fans have been forced to lock down and pre-scheduled concerts and gigs cancelled worldwide. Spotify users will be able to access the virtual event links through the ‘On Tour’ section of an artist’s page as well as in Spotify’s dedicated ‘Concerts hub’.

Facebook allows Gaming Partners to stream copyrighted music during live streams

Facebook has announced that it is working to change the restrictions on copyrighted music placed on its Gaming Partners by partnering with various music publishers. As long as the copyrighted music remains background noise and a streamer’s voice can be heard over the top as the primary focus of the stream, Facebook’s Gaming Partners will now be able to stream with music playing worry-free.

YouTube introduces new Shorts feature

In the footsteps of TikTok and now Instagram Reels, YouTube is introducing a new short-form video feature called YouTube Shorts. The feature is currently only available in India, where TikTok is already banned, and there are no confirmed dates on when it will be available elsewhere. YouTube Shorts will contain similar creator tools and the ability to set videos to music from YouTube’s growing music library.

Instagram adds automatic AI-powered subtitles to IGTV videos

From next week, Instagram will be launching its new AI-powered automatic captions (aka subtitles) for IGTV videos. The subtitles will automatically appear when users watch IGTV videos with the sound off and will start off operating in 16 languages worldwide.

Amazon Music embraces podcasts and announces new Amazon Originals

Amazon’s music streaming service Amazon Music has announced that it will be launching podcasts on the site for its users in the US, UK, Germany and Japan. To mark the introduction of podcasts to the site, the company will also be launching a new series of Amazon Original podcasts, hosted by some hugely influential creators in the music industry, including DJ Khaled, Will Smith, and Becky G.