Tag Archive for: algorithm

Facebook Ad Preferences and Algorithm Updates

Facebook Ad Preferences Hone Interests Facebook Ad Preferences

New Facebook ad preferences available to Facebook users may seem detrimental at first – but let us explain. Facebook is using pictures to help users determine the kinds of content they want to see ads from – including travel. This means a more relevant audience for our ads – even if that audience is a bit smaller than what it previously was.

Even better, when a user taps on a particular image they’ll be provided with additional sub-categories to help select the kinds of ads they want to see. This means users will be able to be presented with the kinds of content they want to engage and interact with.

Interestingly, Facebook is also reportedly blocking ad blockers. The preferences are available for many users now, but will be fully available by the end of the month.

Another Facebook Algorithm Update

Another week and another Facebook algorithm update. The social network’s new algorithm aims to make our newsfeeds provide us with more valuable information. Facebook is updating its Feed Quality Program, a database analyzing thousands of surveys with feedback on newsfeeds each day, to create a new ranking system to identify what people find more informative.

Naturally, what may be informative to one person may not be interesting at all to another. Because of that, Facebook is working to tailor each feed to each user to provide a better experience. Facebook predicts some pages may see a “small increase” in referrals and engagement while others may see a small decline. This is likely dependent on the kinds of content published. The new algorithm was announced Thursday and takes effect immediately.

 

Instagram Algorithm Changes Feed as Engagement, Growth Fall

Instagram algorithm to change what is served first

Instagram AlgorithmThe news that sent shockwaves through the Instagram community this week came as the company announced it would change users’ feeds to display content differently than the classic chronological order.

The company announced the change in a blog post earlier this week, noting that because of the old chronological format many users missed out on seeing lots of content – especially if they followed numerous accounts. The Instagram algorithm will work to shore up what the platform most relevant to users (similar to what parent company Facebook does), but that all of the published content would still be in our feeds.

Instagram Exact Times Read more

Longer Video Ads, Algorithm Tweaks and Air Travel Demand

Instagram rolls out 60 second video ads, multiple account switching

Instagram Video AdsWhile there are several reports indicating our attention spans are getting shorter, Instagram is doubling down on video ads by unveiling 60 second ads that will soon be widely available.

A statement from Instagram said the longer video ads would allow advertisers to tell unique stories that better tell their brand message.

Although only a handful of advertisers would have access to these longer video ads (just in time for a certain big game this weekend…) the wider advertiser base would have access at a later date.

Additionally, some iOS users can now switch between multiple Instagram accounts without repeatedly signing out and signing back in. The feature is already available to Android users, but appears to be a slower rollout (for now) on iOS.

Facebook tweaks the news feed algorithm…again

Supposedly Facebook’s new algorithm tweak to newsfeeds may help increase engagement due to qualitative feedback being used to deliver more relevant content to users. To help with this adjustment Facebook is utilizing a team of tens of thousands of users it calls its Feed Quality Panel to rate experiences every day to help improve what kinds of content is served up and cut down posts we don’t care to see.

Two Facebook software engineers explained that this update should not impact reach or referral traffic for most pages. Declines in referral traffic may occur if “the rate at which their stories are clicked on does not match how much people report wanting to see those stories near the top of their News Feed. This update helps rebalance those two factors, so people are seeing relevant stories to them.”

In short, avoid posting and encouraging actions on your posts which may deliver a short term increase in engagement because “temporary spikes in metrics might then be rebalanced by feed’s ranking over time.”

Global demand for air travel surges

Air travel demandThe dark days of the global recession appear to be only memories for the airline industry. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released the 2015 global passenger traffic results and the numbers are good. The numbers show demand rose 6.5% last year compared to 2014. This marked the best year since the supposed Financial Crisis rebound of 2010.

These numbers were aided by an increase in capacity and all regions experiencing positive traffic growth, but carriers in the Asia-Pacific region accounted for one-third of the total increase.