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In less than a year of debuting its disappearing tweets feature, Twitter will be shutting down “fleets” after reporting low usage among its online users. According to a blog post from the platform, Ilya Brown — Head of Product, Brand & Video Ads at Twitter — reports that Twitter has not seen growth among users making good use of the Fleets feature — which allows users to share thoughts, photos and tweets for up to 24 hours — since launching last November. As a result, the feature will be discontinued on Aug. 3. “We built Fleets as a lower-pressure, ephemeral way for people to share their fleeting thoughts,” Brown wrote. “We hoped Fleets would help more people feel comfortable joining the conversation on Twitter. But, in the time since we introduced Fleets to everyone, we haven’t seen an increase in the number of new people joining the conversation with Fleets like we hoped. Because of this, on August 3, Fleets will no longer be available on Twitter.” The blog post also states that...
Twitter is joining the wave of social media platforms with new and exciting updates. https://twitter.com/Phil_Lewis_/status/1328684345691922435?s=20 Today, the platform launched Fleets, a new way for people to share thoughts that stick around for only 24 hours. “To help people feel more comfortable, we’ve been working on a lower pressure way for people to talk about what’s happening,” said the company in a written statement. “Today we’re launching Fleets so everyone can easily join the conversation in a new way – with their fleeting thoughts.” According to Twitter , tests were conducted in Italy, India, South Korea, and Brazil and they learned that the new feature helped people to feel more comfortable to join conversations. “We saw people with Fleets talk more on Twitter,” they continued in a blog post. “Those new to Twitter found Fleets to be an easier way to share what’s on their mind. Because they disappear from view after a day, Fleets helped people feel more comfortable...
Twitter has officially entered the chat. On Wednesday, Twitter announced that it will begin testing “Fleets,” a stories features that will allow users to share fleeting thoughts (get it?) by posting “photos, videos, and text that disappear after a short period of time,” says Buzzfeed . Similar to the popular Snapchat-created feature that Facebook, Instagram, and even Netflix have adopted, Fleets will be accessed through tapping a user’s avatar on their Twitter profile. These privately-shared mental musings cannot be retweeted or liked in the hopes that “those people who are not usually comfortable with Tweeting use Fleets to talk about the reflections that come to their head,” the company said in a blog post . Fleets are a way to share fleeting thoughts. Unlike Tweets, Fleets disappear after 24 hours and don’t get Retweets, Likes, or public replies– people can only react to your Fleets with DMs. Instead of showing up in people’s timelines, Fleets are viewed by tapping on your...
Derek W. Bailey is a trailblazer in the automotive industry. He was inspired by C.R. Patterson, born into slavery in 1833. The National Museum of African American History and Culture reports little recollection of Patterson’s life on the plantation, and it is unclear whether his freedom was purchased or if he escaped. Nonetheless, he became a free man and learned the blacksmith trade, which opened doors to carriage-making. He later made history by founding C.R. Patterson & Sons after becoming the sole proprietor of a business venture he had initially started in partnership with J.P. Lowe. Patterson became the first Black automaker in the United States, and now Bailey is carrying the baton. “He was actually born before the Emancipation Proclamation. He built a car company in that period and time,” Bailey told WSB-TV. “Black men have been doing great things throughout history.” Bailey is making his mark as the owner of Atlanta, GA-based Derek Automotive, which has various electric...
New platform, same feature seems to be the motto for a lot of social media apps lately. While TikTok’s impact and popularity have inspired other platforms to copy its style, the short-form video sharing app is paying the compliment back by testing a new feature from some of its many competitors. According to a report from Variety, TikTok is launching a vanishing-post feature called “TikTok Stories” where posts, like on other apps, will disappear after 24 hours. Though the feature isn’t set to permanently go live on the platform just yet, TikTok seems to be running a trial and error test on ways that users and creators can take advantage of additional avenues to share their creativity on the app. “We’re always thinking about new ways to bring value to our community and enrich the TikTok experience,” a TikTok spokesperson told Variety in a statement. “Currently we’re experimenting with ways to give creators additional formats to bring their creative ideas to life for the TikTok...
Twitter Spaces is giving beleaguered users a break. According to TechCrunch, the social media giant is now allowing users to invite co-hosts to help moderate the madness and mayhem that tends to break out every now and again. The outlet reports that users are allowed to have one main host, up to two co-hosts, and up to ten speakers in each creative space. The company made an official announcement about this new option on its dedicated Twitter account, which you can see below. making it easier to manage your Space…introducing co-hosting! – hosts have two co-host invites they can send – the table just got bigger: 1 host, 2 co-hosts, and 10 speakers – co-hosts can help invite speakers, manage requests, remove participants, pin Tweets and more! pic.twitter.com/s76JFbhTL2 — Spaces (@TwitterSpaces) August 5, 2021 Twitter, itself, is undergoing a bit of an overhaul. According to The Verge, the goal of Twitter Spaces is to occupy the space at the top of the screen where the now-defunct...
WhatsApp is introducing a new feature that may look awfully familiar to Snapchat users. The Verge reports that the Facebook-owned messaging app has launched a brand new “View Once” feature on the platform that will allow users to view photos and videos once before they’re deleted. According to WhatsApp, the feature was designed to give users “more control over their privacy” with end-to-end encryption that protects their personal messages. The way the feature works is when sending a photo or video to someone on the app, you can view the media once by tapping the “1” symbol next to the send button. After the recipient opens the message, it will then disappear forever. Now for WhatsApp users this may be a new phenomenon that could potentially grow to be popular on the app. However, for social media users who already subscribe to other popular messaging platforms like Snapchat, this feature is nothing new. WhatsApp’s “View Once” feature is expected to rival that of Snapchat’s stories...
Twitter is about to get messy! According to Complex, the social media platform has announced that it will test a “dislike” button in order to improve conversations held on the platform. Chatter about the new feature began on July 21 after select users began to receive messages from Twitter that confirmed that they could now dislike or “downvote” tweet replies. The company also reassured users that their downvotes would be totally anonymous and not visible to the public. On the other hand, Twitter says that this feature will help them to “understand what people think is valuable to the conversations.” More details were provided by the Twitter Support account which said that only select iOS users would be able to view the option for “upvotes” and “downvotes” which currently are displayed as “likes.” “Some of you on iOS may see different options to up or down vote on replies,” read the tweet. “We’re testing this to understand the types of replies you find relevant in a convo, so we can...
Manifestation is powerful. Just ask business owners Tai Applewhite and Paul Owusu. The two founded plant-based adult beverage company Phreshly after Applewhite’s belief in a distant dream and Owusu mixed Prosecco and vodka per advice from “Insecure’s” Issa Dee . “I had been making cocktails at home to pass time after my wife and I were both laid off due to COVID-19,” he explained to AfroTech about his viral tweet . “Two days after the tweet garnered some traction, I developed the idea for Phreshly.” Similarly, Applewhite was doubling as a makeshift mixologist in her Atlanta home when she saw Owusu’s fleeting thoughts , but it stuck with her. She instantly messaged him to discuss a possible collaboration. “Our shared goal is to create tastier and healthier drink options,” she said. Phreshly’s lineup of forthcoming cocktails are made with honest ingredients: seven times distilled sugar cane vodka, sparkling water, agave from minority-owned farms, and considered blends of fruits, teas,...
Ever wrote a tweet you needed your followers to hear ? Well, Twitter just made it possible to turn your thoughts into audio snippets. In a blog published Wednesday (June 17), the social media giant announced that users can now record voice tweets to capture the nuance of a conversation. Each audio records for up to 140 seconds. If you need more time, just keep talking. A new voice tweet is automatically added to the thread once your recorded message runs over the time limit. “There’s a lot that can be left unsaid or uninterpreted using text, so we hope voice Tweeting will create a more human experience for listeners and storytellers alike,” the post read. For now, creating voice tweets is only available for a limited group of people on Twitter for iOS. In the coming weeks, more people will be able to access the feature, but there’s no word on when Android users will receive the update. In addition, these new tweets lack accessibility for deaf or hard-of-hearing persons....
Scooter sharing giant Bird is laying off about 5 percent of its workforce, according to the Information. About 40 employees in the 900-person company were let go for cost reasons. Bird quickly expanded throughout 2018 and has raised almost $400 million so far. Now the company is scaling back scooter fleets in Los Angeles and other cities. Bird CEO Travis VanderZanden told the Information that the company is now focused more on being fiscally responsible. According to TechCrunch, the layoffs were part of the company’s annual performance review and those impacted will be offered severance and other benefits. “As we establish local service centers and deeper roots in cities where we provide service, we have shifting geographic workforce needs,” a Bird spokeswoman said to the Information. Ride-sharing companies have had scooter and bike companies under their watchful eyes as they look to expand to other transportation divisions. Back in December, Uber was in talks to acquire the company...
WiseSystems, a route optimization software for delivery fleets, recently announced that it raised $7 million in series A funding led by Gradient Ventures—Google’s AI-focused early stage venture fund. The round brings the startup’s total funding to $8.5 million. “Wise will accelerate development of its autonomous dispatch and routing platform with industry-specific features for new markets,” a company spokesperson wrote in a statement to BostInno . “We will also be investing in additional integration capabilities.” Wise Systems uses cloud-based machine learning to automate logistics and improve the challenges drivers face when making deliveries. The products are designed to help operations teams automatically schedule and monitor deliveries that are in progress. “Autonomous dispatch and routing is the next-generation technology that logistics professionals need to meet the increasingly complex requirements of the rapidly evolving economy,” said CEO Chazz Sims in a press release ....