blogger better: 2017-11-05

Saturday, November 11, 2017

Imagining Instagram: Stories-first

Time spent by people watching Instagram Stories — which is temporary sharing with private replies — could someday significantly surpass time spent in the Instagram Feed, which is the permanent stream of photos and videos with comments. Although numbers comparing sharing and time spent between Stories and Feed are not available, there’s more to be done. Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2ayc1r8 Imagining Instagram: Stories-first D.J. Sherrets http://ift.tt/2zQ90lN
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A taxi-hailing app. A transplant device developer. An online mortgage provider. Those businesses may have little in common, but one shared thread is that U.S. startups in these sectors have all secured large funding rounds led by Russia-based investors. They’re not alone. Over the past seven years, Russia-based e investors have participated in more than 300 funding rounds for… Read More

http://ift.tt/2ySSJws These are the US startups that Russian investors are backing http://ift.tt/2mh9ZoV

Bike-share platform Spin poaches Seattle transit regulator and launches in a dozen new cities

{rss:content:encoded} Bike-share platform Spin poaches Seattle transit regulator and launches in a dozen new cities http://ift.tt/2mgziI2 http://ift.tt/2kufevL November 10, 2017 at 08:55PM

Spin, one of several bike-sharing companies now vying for dominance in a number of U.S. cities, has a new weapon to wield against its competitors: Kyle Rowe, the architect of Seattle’s permissive and apparently successful bike-share permit system, who is joining the company to work on government partnerships. In addition, Spin is gearing up to launch in a dozen or so new cities. Read More

Uber “Express Pool” offers the cheapest fare if you’ll walk a little

{rss:content:encoded} Uber “Express Pool” offers the cheapest fare if you’ll walk a little http://ift.tt/2Ar9fQw http://ift.tt/2Av2Pjf November 10, 2017 at 08:16PM

Uber’s found a way to shave another 25% or so off the price of a ride. Uber Express Pool asks you to walk up to a few blocks to your pickup and destination before and after the ride in exchange for the cheapest fare out of all of Uber’s options. The feature dynamically generates “smart spots” that are easy to drive to and close to the origin or destination of… Read More

Instagram is testing a new feature with a small fraction of its user base. As spotted by Pippa Akram and The Next Web, some users can now search for a hashtag and follow this tag in particular. Ok this is new. What does this do @SimonSocialMM @BizPaul @NatalieTFG any ideas? I've followed 2 but can't find what that means!! http://pic.twitter.com/LlCBk4Wmfv — Pippa Akram… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2xf3mrD Instagram could let you follow hashtags soon Romain Dillet http://ift.tt/2ArnXqM
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Mysterious ‘green line of death’ appears on some iPhone X displays

{rss:content:encoded} Mysterious ‘green line of death’ appears on some iPhone X displays http://ift.tt/2jh9tpZ http://ift.tt/2jhc43g November 10, 2017 at 06:49PM

It wouldn’t be the launch of a first-generation Apple product without a few hiccups — who can forget Antennagate and Bendgate? — and the iPhone X is no different. A handful of users report that a mysterious and inextinguishable green line has appeared on their device’s display. Read More

Apple’s iOS App Store adds weekend deals to boost app downloads

{rss:content:encoded} Apple’s iOS App Store adds weekend deals to boost app downloads http://ift.tt/2zrnzM5 http://ift.tt/1UOEcDb November 10, 2017 at 04:54PM

With the introduction of iOS 11, Apple redesigned the App Store with a heavier focus on editorial content, including articles, interviews, how-to’s, lists and other round-ups with app recommendations. Now, it’s adding another feature, as well, called “This Weekend Only.” The new section lists deals that can be found inside apps, as opposed to discounts on downloads of… Read More

Amazon expands its Influencer Program to include Twitter and Instagram, in addition to YouTube

Amazon is expanding its Influencer Program beyond YouTube to also include Twitter and Instagram, the company announced on Thursday. First launched into beta earlier this spring, the program initially targeted YouTube stars by offering them a way to make money from the products they promoted in their videos through an affiliate-like relationship with Amazon. Many of today’s influencers… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/eA8V8J Amazon expands its Influencer Program to include Twitter and Instagram, in addition to YouTube Sarah Perez http://ift.tt/2i1TIjs
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Bad news for Yelp and good news for nightlife lovers. When you want to go out, it doesn’t necessarily have to be to an event. So to help you discover bars, restaurants, and nearby attractions too, Facebook is rebranding its standalone Events app as “Facebook Local”. Launching in the U.S. today on iOS and Android, Facebook Local combines events and permanent places to a… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2hoCC1Y Facebook relaunches Events app as Facebook Local, adds bars and food Josh Constine http://ift.tt/2yOPUfS
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Facebook relaunches Events app as Facebook Local, adds bars and food

{rss:content:encoded} Facebook relaunches Events app as Facebook Local, adds bars and food http://ift.tt/2yOPUfS http://ift.tt/2hoCC1Y November 10, 2017 at 03:00PM

Facebook defends revenge porn pilot that has people upload nude images of themselves

Facebook Global Head of Safety Antigone Davis has clarified some things about how Facebook’s test pilot to combat revenge porn in Australia works. The strategy entails uploading your nude photos or videos to Messenger in order to help Facebook tag it as non-consensual explicit media. Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2mne4Dl Facebook defends revenge porn pilot that has people upload nude images of themselves Megan Rose Dickey http://ift.tt/2yNelKg
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Justin.tv, the life-streaming service that eventually grew into Twitch, was shut down back in 2014. Since then, many Twitch users have asked when the company would release the old Justin.tv usernames – requests that escalated after Twitch introduced the ability to change usernames earlier this year. As it turns out, Twitch is now doing just that. In an email sent confidentially to… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2whfvw1 Twitch is finally releasing the nearly 30 million usernames associated with Justin.tv Sarah Perez http://ift.tt/2maAKLJ
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Our spidey senses are burning over here. According to an SEC filing, TechCrunch has learned Bolt Threads, the biotech company spinning microbes into spider silk, is raising a whopping $106 million in Series D financing. Bolt Threads has been on a meteoric rise since it first told TC about its ambitious endeavor to make spider silk, a material stronger than teflon but softer than a cloud,… Read More

http://ift.tt/2zJ0PYp Bolt Threads is raising $106 million from Foundation Capital and Formation 8 http://ift.tt/2ymoRE1

The Essential Phone just got a camera software update that will allow owners of the device to broadcast live, 360-degree video right from the native camera app, provided they have the Essential 360 Camera, too. The update requires no extra software, and live streaming becomes available soon as you snap the 360 camera onto the magnetic accessory port on the back of the Essential Phone. Snapping… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2eIds9Q Essential Phone can now stream live to Facebook from the 360 camera add-on Darrell Etherington http://ift.tt/2yKtCvv
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Apple updates its Clips video app with fancy selfie backgrounds and iCloud support

{rss:content:encoded} Apple updates its Clips video app with fancy selfie backgrounds and iCloud support http://ift.tt/2m9CzJ5 http://ift.tt/2Ao1CKp November 09, 2017 at 07:00PM clips

Apple is releasing version 2.0 of Clips, its free application for easily editing mobile videos. When the app first launched earlier this year, it was clear that Apple wasn’t trying to replace more sophisticated editing software like FinalCut or iMovie. Instead, it’s trying to offer an easy way to stitch together video segments shot on your phone (you can shoot video directly in… Read More

Whether it’s to “bring the world closer together” or improve its public image, Facebook today announced Community Boost. It’s a program travelling to 30 cities around the U.S. in 2018 that will teach digital job skills to the unemployed, Internet literacy to those just getting online, startup methodology to entrepreneurs, and customer growth to small business… Read More

from Social – TechCrunch http://ift.tt/2zrKJSe Facebook will teach the unemployed digital/social media skills in 30 cities Josh Constine http://ift.tt/2zvWff6
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Facebook will teach the unemployed digital/social media skills in 30 cities

{rss:content:encoded} Facebook will teach the unemployed digital/social media skills in 30 cities http://ift.tt/2zvWff6 http://ift.tt/2zrKJSe November 09, 2017 at 06:30PM

Pinterest now lets you create sections within your boards to further tidy up ideas

{rss:content:encoded} Pinterest now lets you create sections within your boards to further tidy up ideas http://ift.tt/2ztyS62 http://ift.tt/2ykwPh7 November 09, 2017 at 06:00PM

Pinterest serves as a pretty good place for users that are looking to plan large-scale projects, like outfits for big events, home design, or even life moments like a wedding or a 50th birthday party — and now the company is looking to make that even easier by introducing a more powerful way to keep those batches of ideas, well, tidy. The company today said it is introducing what… Read More