Friday Social: Save InstaStories, V2, and Messenger for Kids

Our #FridaySocial is a weekly round-up of the key social media news stories from the previous seven days.  Let us know your thoughts in the comments or via Twitter – @Umpf / @GrittAlessandra

Save your InstaStories Forever

Looking for a new way to spruce up your Instagram?

This week the social media platform announced two new features – Story Archive and Story Highlights.

‘Archive’ does what it says on the tin, saving your ‘stories’ beyond their usual 24-hour expiration date.

Only you can see your Instagram archive, and if you’re not a fan, you can turn off the feature if you want it to disappear as usual.

To access the archive function, click on the clock icon in the top right-hand corner of the app.

Story Highlights, on the other hand, lets users display their favourite archived ‘stories’ on their profile for all to see.

If you want to share a series of ‘stories,’ i.e. from a recent event or holiday, you can save them to your profile and give them their own title or name.

Both updates have been rolled out on the iOS and Android apps. Go and check them out!

Vine co-founder announces plans for V2

Like Icarus and his poorly-made wings, the social platform Vine was a cultural icon that burned too brightly and died too soon. After creating thousands of iconic clips and a new breed of viral star, the six-second social platform was shut down in early 2017 and left many fans and creators reeling for their favourite, yet quite bizarre, channel.

But, good news. Vine creator Dom Hofmann has revealed this week that developments are being made for a rebirth: V2.

https://twitter.com/dhof/status/938469576052011008

At the moment there’s very little known that, but it’s caused internet-folk everywhere to debate how the new platform might change, and whether it will realistically happen any time soon.

At this stage, we can only hope.

Facebook Builds Messenger for Kids

Facebook has recently announced the launch of Messenger Kids, a free video calling and messaging app designed for children aged 6-12 years old to connect with close friends and family from their devices.

Parents, and approved adults, can video chat and message with their children through their existing Messenger app. Messenger Kids allows kids to message and video call using Wi-Fi, removing the need for a phone number.

According to Facebook, to make sure the app is safe for children to use, parents are in control of the contact list and decide who can connect with their children. Facebook has also promised that Messenger Kids will not display ads or collect data from the app for advertising purposes.

Although it only launched in the US on Monday, we’re sure it will be making its way across the world soon.

Pinterest launches Facebook updates

Everyone’s favourite online pinboard, Pinterest, has this week launched two updates to target a wider audience via Facebook.

First up is a Facebook Messenger bot, which allows users to type in their ideas – grilled chicken, or slow cooker dinners – and the bot will begin recommending ideas from Pinterest, which link back to the site.

Next, Pinterest is introducing a chat extension allowing users to drop in links to pins, which will expend into further content within the message – much like Pinterest itself.

Instagram to launch standalone messaging app

Instagram is launching a dedicated messaging app called Direct, which may replace the current built-in direct messaging feature – much like Facebook and Messenger.

Direct is currently available in Israel, Portugal, Turkey, Italy, Chile, and Uruguay for both Android and iOS, and downloading it removes the inbox completely from the existing Instagram app.

The app positions Instagram as more than just a photo-sharing platform – we’re keeping our eyes peeled for the UK release.