social media

7 Things You Need To Know About The Digital Services Act (DSA)

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The Digital Services Act will impact every social network, search engine, and online marketplace that does business in the EU. It aims to protect internet users by establishing an “unprecedented new standard” for online platforms that will see companies such as Google, Meta (Facebook), and Twitter held accountable for illegal and harmful content. What’s more, the DSA will force online platforms to share how their algorithms work, put processes in place to remove illegal goods and content quickly, and crack down on users who spread misinformation.

Just what is the Digital Services Act, when does it come into effect, and what does it mean for platforms and the people who use them – including digital marketers? Keep reading to find out:

  1. What Is The Digital Services Act?
  2. When Does The DSA Take Effect?
  3. Which Online Platforms Will Need To Comply?
  4. Okay, But What Does The DSA Actually Do?
  5. What Are Digital Services Companies Required To Do?
  6. So What’s This About Algorithms?

What Are the Security Risks Associated with Face-Altering App Voilà AI Artist?

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Are there data security risks associated with the face-altering app Voilà AI Artist that turns selfies into Pixar-style animated characters? Yes, but they do not appear to be as severe as the last wave of discussions on the internet claims them to be.

Security risks associated with data collection are inherent in many applications. Though the company that operates Voilà AI Artist Cartoon Photo collects data from individual users, it is not yet known to what extent these pose security risks that are unique from other data-collecting applications.

~ Madison Dapcevich

However, it is still important to follow best practices when it comes to online sharing: don’t share personal information that can lead to identity theft, like answers to questions often used to change passwords for bank accounts; always check privacy settings of your social media accounts, keep all your devices secure; and always take half a second to think whether what you are about to share could cause problems in the long run.

Success on Twitter: A How-To for Small Businesses

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Success on Twitter can be measured in a variety of ways, depending on your goals. If your goals are to increase awareness, buzz, and feedback, then you should be paying a lot of attention to your follower and interaction count, as well as what people are saying about you. If your goals are more focused around driving traffic to your website or blog, you should also pay attention to the click-through rates on the links you Tweet. However, in order to start out, your first priority should be polishing your profile, gaining a voice, and building a community.

Álvaro J. Soltero, an inbound marketer and blogger for Leaf, shows how to get started with Twitter, benefit your target market there, and measure your success.

Facebook Timeline: 9 Best Practices for Brands

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Facebook Timeline officially rolled out to Brand Pages on March 30, but many marketers still don’t know how to take the full advantage of it. A recent study found that fan growth after Timeline has “slowed slightly”– is your company experiencing a bit of a slowdown? If so, Lauren Drell has some good tips for you and backs them up with credible data:

1. Embrace Images

2. Make the Most of Your Cover Photo — It’s Prime Real Estate

3. Pay Attention to Insights

4. Highlight or Pin Your Best Posts

5. Get Your Apps in a Row

6. Make Use of Facebook’s New Ad Suite

7. Run Contests to Boost Engagement

8. Drop in Those Milestones

9. Embrace Your Fans

BONUS: 10 Innovative Uses of Facebook Timeline for Brands

8 Creative Ways to Use Embeddable Tweets

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What if your Twitter conversations could expand to include more people from your online community?

Now you can thanks to embedded tweets, a new feature from Twitter.

Embedded tweets allow you to take a tweet or a conversation and post it on your website or in a blog post. You can use this feature to share your Twitter conversation with a larger audience.

But more than that, the embedded tweets have interactive features. Charlene Kingston shows what a visitor to your website or a blog post reader can do from an embedded tweet, walks you through embedding a tweet to the web page, and gives examples of creative use of embedded tweets.