Welcome to the 9th edition of the Dreamers Digital Digest. This week it’s mobile, mobile and even more mobile, with a panda thrown in for good measure of course… There’s been a shake up in the international spectrum of mobile algorithms as now it’s not only Google that is focusing on mobile rankings. Apparently we Brits love our smartphones more than laptops. YouTube’s had a makeover with some new updates to match. And Hootsuite has welcomed Instagram with open arms.
Mobile taking the spotlight
With all the talk of mobile in recent months, it may seem that those good old laptops and desktops are feeling a bit unloved. A recent report from Ofcom has confirmed this, finding that (link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-33777168 text: last year mobiles overtook laptops) as the device of preference for the first time:
– 33% of Britons preferred to go online using a smartphone
– Whilst 30% opted for laptops
Bing updates its mobile ranking factors
We all remember the Google ‘Mobilegeddon’ algorithm release earlier this year. Well many international SEOs will be taking a keen interest in Bing, (link: https://econsultancy.com/blog/66734-google-s-not-the-only-search-engine-focusing-on-mobile-friendliness/ text: as the search engine will be updating its mobile ranking factors), but taking a keener interest in countries where Bing has a larger market share.
Not forgetting of course Baidu’s Ice Bucket Algorithm from last year and Yandex’s continued focus on usability, meaning that mobilegeddon is truly being felt the world over.
Hootsuite and Instagram in sync
The popular social media management tool, Hootsuite, (link: http://blog.hootsuite.com/schedule-instagram-posts-in-hootsuite/ text: has announced the integration of Instagram into its programme). Users can now share access to Instagram accounts across a team, as well as being able to monitor activity, respond to comments and engage with users, just like their Twitter and Facebook feeds. This will make the life of a social media manager much easier as they no longer have to switch between mobile and computer when monitoring a campaign. Although Instagram still doesn’t allow for third-party posting, Hootsuite has created a scheduling workaround which reminds people that they have an Instagram post ready to go. Social marketers can upload and schedule their pictures and captions, and when the time comes a push notification will be sent to the user’s mobile device which then sends them to the app where they can click publish.
YouTube’s makeover
YouTube has released its new HTML desktop player to users. The control bar has been replaced by a transparent version and after a few seconds of not moving the mouse cursor it disappears altogether.
(image: https://www.superdream.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/youtube-bar.png alt: youtube bar)
There are also more ways than ever to share a video socially.
(image: https://www.superdream.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/youtube-share.jpg alt: youtube share)
You can even now email a YouTube video instead of having to copy and paste the URL.
(image: https://www.superdream.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/youtube-email.jpg alt: youtube email)
In other YouTube news, Livestream (for YouTube partners only) has now entered a BETA stage where you can set up your own custom thumbnail, view chat when livestreaming, find analytics on how many people are watching and how many people are commenting per minute and share your livestream announcement on social media.