So far in 2015, some of the top social media and blogger platform companies have made changes to their content policies. While Facebook clarified its approach to complaints about supposedly offensive posts, Google went back-and-forth on its content policy regarding sexually explicit or graphic nudity on its Blogger platform. Now, Instagram is getting in on the action by adding details to rules governing user conduct and what is deemed appropriate content on the photo sharing site. [More]
Domino’s Promotion Guilts Stores That Haven’t Dropped “Pizza” From Restaurant Signage
By 2.19.15
You may have heard that Domino’s Pizza changed its name recently, simply dropping the Pizza, because, you know, it sells more than just circles of sauce and cheese now. To make sure the new name is being used, the company started an initiative asking customers to embarrass stores using the old name and logo by shaming them on social media. [More]
Facebook Says Hour-Long Global Outage Was Its Own Fault, Not The Work Of Hackers
By 1.27.15
After Facebook and Instagram went down around the world for about an hour earlier today, the social media giant announced that despite the claims of hackers on Twitter, it’s placing the blame squarely on itself, saying it was a self-inflicted outage. [More]
Instagram Fixes A Loophole That Allowed Public To See Private Pics
By 1.12.15
Some 300 million people have accounts on Facebook-owned photo-sharing service Instagram, and while many of those users are fine with letting the world see every image they post, some Instagrammers prefer to keep their pics private. However, until this weekend there was a loophole that could give people unauthorized access to private images on Instagram. [More]
Polaroid Tries To Take Back Photography, Sells Instagram Camera
By 12.4.14
The name of Instagram sort of derives from the name Instamatic, but the social media app’s logo evokes the Polaroid One Step, a useful and beautiful photography icon with a distinctive rainbow stripe. Now the reborn Polaroid company has created a device that’s a combination digital camera and mini-printer, which uses wi-fi or a nearby mobile phone to post pictures to social media. Mostly Instagram. [More]
Swedish Hotel Offering Free 7-Night Stays For People With More Than 2,000 Facebook Friends
By 11.24.14
We already know the value companies place on attracting new fans on social media, which is part of the reason using sites like Facebook and Instagram is free: Advertisers want your attention and they want the attention of your friends. So in order to harness the power of social media, one Swedish hotel is offering up a tasty bit of bait in the form of free stays for the big hitters on Facebook and Instagram. [More]
Reminder: Don’t Post Photos Of Your Paycheck On Social Media If You’d Like To Avoid ID Theft
By 10.29.14
One way to be sure you aren’t sharing your financial information with the entire Internet? Don’t post it on social media by way of a paycheck made out to you. Yes, you should be proud that you’re raking in the dough. But if you want to keep your identity safe, plastering it on the web is not the way to go. [More]
No, Virgin Atlantic Is Not Going To Give You A Free Plane Ticket
By 10.9.14
When you’re about to follow a company on your social media site of choice or share an image or status in the hopes of receiving free stuff, stop. Apply critical thinking. Is it likely that an airline will give free flight passes to twenty thousand of its Instagram followers? Twenty, maybe, but not twenty thousand. [More]
Spammy Creeps Mimicking Real Instagram Users’ Accounts Using Their Own Photos
By 9.3.14
How many online versions of you are there out there? While it might be relatively easy to crack down on a spammer trying to use your email address or hack into your social media accounts, there could be multiple versions of you on Instagram without any hint that they exist — until they start tagging your friends. [More]
Instagram’s New Hyperlapse App Turns Anyone Into A Professional Videographer
By 8.26.14
There’s something new lurking over at Instagram. The social site unveiled its latest project app that allows consumers to take professional-quality video with their smartphones: Hyperlapse. [More]
Caramel Apple Oreos Arrive In Target Stores Today
By 8.20.14
Is caramel apple the new pumpkin spice? It could be: when Americans reach the level of pumpkin spice fatigue, they’ll be looking for new, non-orange but still fall-themed snacks. Starting today, you can pick up Caramel Apple flavored Oreos…only at Target. [More]
McDonald’s Mistakenly Thinks It Is Loved By Internet, Will Not Be Mercilessly Mocked On Instagram
By 8.5.14
In spite of Instagram’s warm-and-fuzzy, heavily filtered appearance, its users are no less likely to rip others to shreds for their own amusement than anyone else on the Internet. This fact was lost on McDonald’s, which inexplicably thought it could unleash ads on Instagram without being subject to an acid-tongued backlash from users. [More]
A Restaurant Photo Booth Station Takes Food Oversharing To A Whole New, Scary Level
By 4.29.14
Currently in my phone I have at least six photos of meals I’ve prepared and/or consumed. And yes, three of those have been posted to social media because I, like many other humans who eat food, sometimes find myself so full of admiration for the stuff, I feel the need to share it. But the idea of a veritable photo booth at a restaurant existing solely for food photos (phodos? phoodos?), well, that’s a bit intense. [More]
Instagram Direct Means Not Everyone Has To See That Late-Night Selfie You Can’t Help But Share
By 12.12.13
One more step up on the ladder to becoming more like its parent company Facebook, Instagram announced a new feature today that could change how you share your life by allowing you to choose who you’re sharing certain photos with. [More]
If A Stranger Asks For Your Debit Card And PIN Over Instagram, Don’t Mail It To Them
By 11.22.13
Most of our readers are probably savvy enough to know this, but we were all young and innocent once. Like many classic scams, the “crackin’ cards” fraud depends on the victim’s own greed. The pitch? They’ll deposit a check in your account, make a withdrawal, and leave some of the proceeds behind for you. [More]
Instagram Ads Start Next Week And This Is What They’ll Look Like In Your Feed
By 10.25.13
Because no social media service can ever stay ad-free forever, the inevitable is upon us: Instagram will start rolling out ads next week in paid posts. But Instagram is trying to be gentle, well, at least at first. [More]
Does Looking At Photos Of Food On Instagram Make You Less Hungry?
By 10.8.13
Scrolling through your friends’ Instagram photos can prompt eye rolls (More feet? Really? No one wants to see you standing, we all have that ability) sighs of jealousy at far-flung locations and perhaps a vicarious rumble in the stomach at the sight of yet another picture of a friend’s food. But all those foodie photos could actually be doing the opposite in the long run, essentially spoiling your appetite. [More]
The TSA’s Instagram Of Confiscated Items Exhibits Quite An Enthusiasm For Hashtags
By 7.3.13
If you have had it up to here — and I mean, all the way up here — with baby and food and baby food photos on Instagram, we’re here to let you know there are other options. The Transportation Security Administration’s new Instagram of confiscated items will likely not have any of the aforementioned pictures, unless your baby is actually a grenade. [More]
