A few items of interest in the news from #MentorSFCA for this week’s learning nuggets

One of the e-lists I am on, share these weekly and when I find a few worth sharing I will post them as well.

Now You Can Create Twitter Moments via Mobile Devices – Back in September, Twitter (finally) announced that all users would be able to create their own Moments, Twitter’s narrative-style ‘storytelling by tweet’ device which they introduced just over a year ago. And while Moments has failed to gain the traction that Twitter had hoped it would, opening up the option to all users presented a whole new option, a whole new canvas for people to work with, and there’s been some great examples of brands who’ve used the option to create interesting, compelling new campaigns.

Keys to conquering social media in 2017 – Social media—as many digital marketers know it—refuses to slow down. To keep up with trends, consumer inquiries and engagement efforts, it’s imperative that PR pros and social media managers learn new skills and apply them to their current strategies. To more effectively engage with audiences, automation marketing outfit TapInfluence foresees an increased dependence on the relationship between brand managers and influential social media users. Here’s more, from its 2017 predictions guide: Influencer marketing has emerged as a real line item in the modern marketer’s toolkit. The question is no longer whether or not it works; rather, it’s how to best integrate influencer marketing in a scalable way. What else should social media marketing teams have on their radar for the coming year?

While We Weren’t Looking, Snapchat Revolutionized Social Networks – Snap Inc., the parent company of the popular photo-messaging and storytelling app Snapchat, is having a productive autumn. A couple of weeks ago, Snap filed confidential documents for a coming stock offering that could value the firm at $30 billion, which would make it one of the largest initial public offerings in recent years. Around the same time, it began selling Spectacles, sunglasses that can record video clips, which have become one of the most sought-after gadgets of the season. And yet, even when it’s grabbing headlines, it often seems as if Snap gets little respect.

Confessions of an Instagram Influencer – Because of this—and because advertising budgets will inevitably flow to any medium where large numbers of people are spending large amounts of time—Instagram has attracted a sort of professional class. These “influencers,” as they’re known, are media properties unto themselves, turning good looks and taste into an income stream: Brands pay them to feature their wares. Look a little more closely at your Instagram feed, and you’ll probably notice that attached to the post of the gleaming hotel lobby, the strappy heels, the exquisitely berried breakfast is a sea of hashtags—among them, #ad or #sp, which discreetly disclose that these are in fact sponsored posts. There are thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of influencers making a living this way. Some make a lot more than a living. The most successful demand $10,000 and up for a single Instagram shot.