• Facebook Layout
• Facebook Groups
• Facebook Dating
• Secret Crush

THE NEW FACEBOOK LAYOUT

The new Facebook Layout started rolling out to mobile devices today and is expected to hit all desktop users in the next coming months.  You will see a major shift in the layout to be more focused on Groups, Stories and private communications.

Some of the new features include:

• Facebook Groups & Stories will have a top placement and more prominent visibility in the layout.
• Users can now save their spot in the Newsfeed as they are scrolling so they can come back to that exact spot later.
• Dark Mode can be activated at night or when watching videos to not strain your eyes.
• And of course, you can't forget... Facebook has a new logo.

FACEBOOK GROUPS

Facebook is really beginning to hold Facebook Groups on a pedestal.  If you are not already currently utilizing Facebook Groups for your business, I highly recommend you get on board.

• New tools will roll out that will quickly be able to match you to Groups based on your likes, interests and other Groups you currently belong to.
• Users will be able to share directly to Groups from their timelines; similar to how users currently share posts with their family and friends in the Newsfeed.
• Group Admins will be able to start posting anonymously on behalf of other users.
• A new chat feature will be available that users can use to create separate subjects in the chatbox that will work similar to threads on a forum.

FACEBOOK DATING

Yes, we are not joking.  Facebook will now have a portion of the platform dedicated to dating and being matched to your crushes... anonymously.

• Users will now be able to opt into Facebook Dating.
• Your personal Facebook Profile will be different than your Facebook Dating Profile.
• Facebook will match you to potential partners based on your likes, activity and interests.

SECRET CRUSH

Secret Crush will be a private list that users can opt into and list people they have a crush on.  If that same person lists you on their list as a crush, then Facebook will alert you both that you are a match.  If you never match, Facebook will never alert anyone.

... Ashley Madison anyone?  Geesh...

On Saturday, April 6th at 3:30pm, Jeanette DesJardins will provide insight on major changes coming to Facebook and Instagram in 2019, how you can stay relevant in this forever changing arena and tips on how to grow your following, engagement and conversions.

During the Sunday Session at 9:30 am, Jeanette DesJardins will break down what makes a great website, how to combine your website and social media efforts to grow your presence and tools and tricks to help you be successful.

This will be two days you won't want to miss!  Both of these educational motorsports marketing sessions are FREE to all Hot Rod & Racing Expo attendees!

For more information on Hot Rod & Racing Expo and to purchase discounted tickets in advance, visit the Hot Rod & Racing Expo website.

"In December 2018, we announced our decision to shut down Google+ for consumers in April 2019 due to low usage and challenges involved in maintaining a successful product that meets consumers' expectations. We want to thank you for being part of Google+ and provide next steps, including how to download your photos and other content.

On April 2nd, your Google+ account and any Google+ pages you created will be shut down and we will begin deleting content from consumer Google+ accounts. Photos and videos from Google+ in your Album Archive and your Google+ pages will also be deleted. You can download and save your content, just make sure to do so before April. Note that photos and videos backed up in Google Photos will not be deleted.

The process of deleting content from consumer Google+ accounts, Google+ Pages, and Album Archive will take a few months, and content may remain through this time. For example, users may still see parts of their Google+ account via activity log and some consumer Google+ content may remain visible to G Suite users until consumer Google+ is deleted.

As early as February 4th, you will no longer be able to create new Google+ profiles, pages, communities or events.

See the full FAQ for more details and updates leading up to the shutdown.

If you're a Google+ Community owner or moderator, you may download and save your data for your Google+ Community. Starting early March 2019, additional data will be available for download, including author, body, and photos for every community post in a public community. Learn more

If you sign in to sites and apps using the Google+ Sign-in button, these buttons will stop working in the coming weeks but in some cases may be replaced by a Google Sign-in button. You'll still be able to sign in with your Google Account wherever you see Google Sign-in buttons. Learn more

If you've used Google+ for comments on your own or other sites, this feature will be removed from Blogger by February 4th and other sites by March 7th. All your Google+ comments on all sites will be deleted starting April 2, 2019. Learn more

If you're a G Suite customer, Google+ for your G Suite account should remain active. Contact your G Suite administratorfor more details. You can also expect a new look and new features soon. Learn more

If you're a developer using Google+ APIs or Google+ Sign-in, click here to see how this will impact you.

From all of us on the Google+ team, thank you for making Google+ such a special place. We are grateful for the talented group of artists, community builders, and thought leaders who made Google+ their home. It would not have been the same without your passion and dedication."

If you are like some, one of your New Year Resolutions may be to take a break from Social Media.  Although, maybe some of us are not committed to permanently deleting our accounts, from time to time we may just need a break to stop back from the computer and take in life off the device.

Here is how you deactivate your accounts for Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook.

Snapchat: First log into your account online at Snapchat.com.  After logging in with your user name and password, you deactivate the account by selecting “Delete an account.” This will begin the process to deactivate your account -- but be warned, after 30 days, Snapchat will permanently delete your account.

Instagram: First log into your account on Instagram.com and go to your profile.  Select “Edit Profile” and then “Temporarily disable my account”.  You will be prompted to answer why you are disabling your account before confirming, “Temporarily Disable Account.”

Facebook:  When logged into Facebook, select the down arrow on the right corner of the page.   In your settings, select "general" and then select “Manage your account."  From here you can then select “Deactivate your account.”

”The recent news about Facebook’s alleged mismanagement of users’ data has solidified our decision to suspend our activity on the platform at this time,” reads the statement. “There are more than 25 million fans who engage with Playboy via our various Facebook pages, and we do not want to be complicit in exposing them to the reported practices.”

However, even though Playboy pulled their brand from Facebook, they are still activive on Instagram.  Which is worth noting that Facebook actually owns Instagram.

WHAT?  YES -- FACEBOOK IS RECORDING PHONE CALLS AND TEXTS.

As of right now, it seems to only be happening with Andriod users.  Google has yet to comment.

So what is in your Facebook Data File?  And how do you download it?

1. Log into Facebook

2. Click on the arrow on the top right of your screen

3. Click on 'Settings'

4. Click 'Download a Copy of your Facebook data'

5. On the next screen, click 'Start My Archive'

6. A new window will open for you to confirm your password.  After you confirm your password, you will be prompted a second time to being the process.  Click 'Start My Archive'.

7. Finally a confirmation window will pop up alerting you that the data file will be sent to your email address.  Click Okay.

Presto!  Now we wait.  Something tells me this may take a little longer than normal as I would suspect Facebook has a number of people doing this suddenly.

8. About 10 minutes later, you will get an alert on Facebook stating that your data is ready to be downloaded.  Click the notification and a new window will pop up. 

9. Click 'Download Archive'

10.  Facebook will prompt you again for your password.  After entering your password, a .zip file will begin downloading to your computer. 

Enjoy!

"Aligned with Facebook's goal to be transparent about the ads that are published on the platform, you can now view the ads a Page on Facebook has running. By looking into the active ads of a Page, you'll have insight into all ads the Page may have running regardless if you are in the intended target audience," says Facebook.

Don't worry too much yet.  This is just a test that is currently being implemented in Canada.   According to Facebook, these extras views will not be marked against your impressions, budgets or ad spending.  However, Facebook states that they have also put into place an algorithm that specifically blocks these views from counting.

"In addition, we've put controls in place to help avoid views through the feature counting towards your impressions or click-through results maintaining your insight into how your ads are run across Facebook's platforms. Our goal is to make visible all of the ads connected to a specific Page regardless of who you choose to target. We'll be excluding offer ads you're running from this Page. For dynamic ads, we'll only surface a subset of dynamic ads and they won't be searchable or indexed."

This is somewhat concerning --- hopefully it is being calculated correctly.  I guess we will find out in our ad campaign's data and analytics.

Facebook has joined forces with Australian's Government Office of Safety to launch this program.

"These tools, developed in partnership with global safety experts, are one example of how we’re using new technology to keep people safe and prevent harm," said Antigone Davis, Facebook's head of global safety, in a statement.

If users are concerned about someone sending out nude photos of them, all the user needs to do is fill out a form and then send the nude photos to themselves via Facebook Messenger. Facebook will then review and analyze the photos to see if they can find a match in their current Facebook and Instagram database. Interesting...

"This pilot has the potential to disable the control and power perpetrators hold over victims, particularly in cases of ex-partner retribution and sextortion, and the subsequent harm that could come to them," said Inman Grant.

Well, now comes the question.... what could possibly go wrong? *sarcasm*

Why?  ...Well, because it's about time, but Twitter released a statement saying that they were accommodating the platform users' requests.

"We are making this change after listening and observing a problem our global community was having (it wasn't easy enough to Tweet!), studying data to understand how we could improve, trying it out, and listening to your feedback," Twitter product manager Aliza Rosen wrote in a blog post.

Here at Crank It Media -- we are already seeing this change in our Tweets.  Are you?  What do you think about this new change?

While writing this post, I can't help but hear faintly in the background the sounds of old school dial up and the greeting 'You've Got Mail'.  How quickly and dramatically things have changed from the old dial up days of AOL until today.

After 20 years, AOL announced today that it will be ending AOL Instant Messenger (AIM).  The service is scheduled to be shut off and discontinued on December 15th.

“AIM tapped into new digital technologies and ignited a cultural shift, but the way in which we communicate with each other has profoundly changed,” Michael Albers, vice president of communications product at Oath, the parent company of AOL, said in a statement on Friday.

Aside from this shocking announcement by AOL's parent company today.  I was more shocked to learn the service was even still active.  When was the last time you used AIM?