Twitter recently announced a partnership with Foursquare that will let users tag specific locations in their tweets. As Foursquare continues its quest to be the “location layer of the internet,” location-based tweets could also allow Twitter to offer more advertising options.
Google is developing a new Gmail feature that will allow users to receive and pay bills directly from their email inbox. The service – currently being called ‘Pony Express’ – could roll out later this year.
Instagram announced a new app called Layout, a creation tool that lets users build photo collages. With collage content growing in popularity, Layout could pose a competitive threat to third-party apps like Pic Stitch, Pic Collage and InstaCollage. It also allows marketers to further experiment with brand storytelling to engage new audiences with dynamic visual content.
Facebook is opening up Messenger to more than 40 new third-party apps that let people add GIFs, videos and audio clips to conversations. By giving people rich new ways to have conversations, Facebook is hoping to keep their attention from wandering to rival mobile services.
As the need for constant connectivity continues to impact the travel experience, conservationists are concerned that bringing nature and technology together could negatively impact the environment. Travel Alberta is integrating the digital experience by visually connecting with its hiker community on Instagram without interfering with the authentic, holistic nature of the great outdoors. The tourism brand’s new Instahikes account indexes the top five most popular hiking trails and provides first-person perspective of the terrain through the eyes of local photographers.