Welcome to the Connected Church News!
Top 5 latest Digital, Social Media, AI & Web3 News in 5 minutes, to help your ministry stay on top of industry trends.
This week, we have news about Reddit, Twitch, Google, Meta, LinkedIn.
🗞️ News 1: Google Adds New AI-Powered Features for Chrome & Google Classroom
Google has announced the release of new AI-powered features for two products that are widely used by faith-based organizations: Google Chrome and Google Classroom.
Google Chrome’s New AI Features
Google Chrome is getting three new experimental AI features that will enhance your browsing experience:
- Tab Groups: This feature lets you smartly organize your tabs on Chrome, making it easier to manage multiple tabs at once.
- AI-Powered Wallpapers: Customize your Chrome settings and the look and feel of your browser with the help of AI.
- Help Me Write: This feature helps you create content for the web with the help of AI, making it easier to write and publish online.
Google Classroom’s Duet AI Feature
Google Classroom’s Duet AI feature is also getting new tools to help you analyze your insights, create lessons, and boost your productivity as a teacher or educator.
- Analyze Insights: Use Duet AI to analyze your Google Classroom insights and gain a better understanding of your students’ progress.
- Create Lessons: Duet AI can help you create engaging and effective lessons for your students.
- Boost Productivity: With Duet AI, you can streamline your workflow and boost your productivity in multiple ways.
If you’re a leader or media team member of a nonprofit, church, or faith-based organization, be sure to check out these new features and see how they can benefit your work.
🗞️ News 2: Meta Restricts Direct Messaging for Teens on Instagram & Facebook
Meta has recently announced the steps they are taking to protect teenagers from unwanted contacts on Instagram and Facebook by implementing restricted direct messaging (DM) settings.
Concerns About Teenagers’ Safety on Social Media
Regulators and parents have had concerns about two areas when it comes to Meta. One is the content that teenagers are exposed to on Instagram and Facebook. The other is the ability for anyone to contact a younger audience through direct messaging.
Meta’s Response to These Concerns
In response to these concerns, Meta has taken steps to restrict content and has now released details about how they are helping parents control the direct messaging feature. By default, Meta will now turn off the ability for teenagers to receive messages from anyone that they don’t follow or aren’t connected to.
Share with Your Media Team and Young Adult Ministry Group
These new features seem useful for protecting teenagers on social media. If you’re a leader or media team member of a nonprofit, church, or faith-based organization, be sure to share this information with your media team and young adult ministry group or parents in your ministry.
🗞️ News 3: Reddit Launches Advertising Mini-Site with Examples, Tips & Resources
Are you a leader or media team member of a nonprofit, church, or faith-based organization looking to expand your reach through Reddit advertising? If so, Reddit’s new mini site is the perfect resource for you.
What is Reddit’s New Mini Site?
Reddit has released a new mini site that offers multiple resources for advertisers looking to get started with Reddit advertising. This site provides valuable information on how to start a campaign, set up pixels, create effective ads, and establish a budget that suits Reddit’s platform.
Why Advertise on Reddit?
Reddit is a topic-based platform, where users join communities based on their interests. These communities are known for their strong interactions and conversations, making Reddit an ideal platform for reaching a highly engaged audience.
What Does Reddit’s Mini Site Offer?
Reddit’s mini site offers a wealth of information for advertisers, including:
- Campaign Setup: Learn how to start a campaign on Reddit and reach your target audience.
- Pixel Setup: Set up pixels to track the success of your ads and optimize your campaigns.
- Effective Ads: Discover what types of ads work best on Reddit and how to create ads that resonate with your audience.
- Budgeting: Learn how to create a budget that suits Reddit’s platform and maximizes your ad spend.
- Examples: See examples of what works and what doesn’t work when advertising on Reddit.
- Expert Advice: Talk to an expert about how to run successful ads on Reddit.
Share with Your Media Team
If you’ve been considering using Reddit advertising to reach new audiences, this mini site is an invaluable resource. Be sure to share this information with your media team and explore the possibilities of advertising on Reddit.
We will link to the new mini site URL in the show notes, so be sure to check it out and pass it on to your media team.
🗞️ News 4: LinkedIn Ads ‘Lookalike Audiences’ to be Discontinued from March 2024
If you’ve been using LinkedIn ads for your ministry, nonprofit, church, or faith-based organization, then this is an important announcement for you. LinkedIn has announced that its lookalike audience feature will be discontinued on February 29th, 2024.
What is LinkedIn’s Lookalike Audience?
LinkedIn’s lookalike audience feature allows advertisers to target users who are similar to their existing customers or followers. This feature uses data from your existing audience to find new users who share similar characteristics and interests.
What Does This Mean for Advertisers?
After February 29th, 2024, new lookalike audiences cannot be created and existing lookalike audiences cannot be edited. Additionally, existing lookalike audience data will no longer refresh, meaning that lookalike audiences will become static and will not populate further.
What Are the Alternatives?
If you rely on lookalike audiences for your LinkedIn ads, don’t worry – there are two other options available to you:
- Predictive Audiences: LinkedIn will predict the type of audience that is similar to your uploaded list, allowing you to target users who share similar characteristics and interests.
- Audience Expansion: LinkedIn will expand your audience based on certain attributes, such as skills, allowing you to reach a wider audience.
Share with Your Media Team
If you’ve been using LinkedIn’s lookalike audience feature, be sure to share this information with your media team and explore the alternatives available to you. You can find more details from the link in the show notes or description.
🗞️ News 5: Twitch Launches New 60/40 Revenue Share Model in Partner Plus Program
Twitch has recently announced that they are revamping their Partner Plus monetization program, where they share revenue with streamers. This update brings exciting changes for streamers, making it easier to qualify for revenue sharing and offering more opportunities to earn.
New Level for Streamers with 100 Plus Points
Twitch is introducing a new level to their Partner Plus program, reducing the entry barrier for streamers. If you have 100 Plus Points for three consecutive months, you now qualify for a 60/40 net revenue split on paid and gift subscriptions.
Elimination of the $100,000 Cap
Twitch has also eliminated the $100,000 cap for streamers to enter into the higher 70/30 revenue sharing bracket. This means that more streamers can now qualify for this higher revenue split.
Reduced Plus Point Threshold for 70/30 Revenue Split
In addition to eliminating the cap, Twitch has also reduced the Plus Point threshold for the 70/30 net revenue arrangement from 350 to 300. This means that even more streamers can now qualify for this higher revenue split.
Share with Your Media Team
If you’re a leader or media team member of a nonprofit, church, or faith-based organization that streams on Twitch, be sure to share this information with your team. These changes to Twitch’s Partner Plus program offer exciting new opportunities for streamers to earn revenue and reach new audiences.
Conclusion
Twitch’s updates to their Partner Plus monetization program are great news for streamers. With reduced entry barriers and more opportunities to earn, it’s a great time to be a streamer on Twitch. Be sure to check if you qualify for the higher revenue split and take advantage of these changes.
News Source Links
🗞️ News 1: Google Adds New AI-Powered Features for Chrome & Google Classroom
🗞️ News 2: Meta Restricts Direct Messaging for Teens on Instagram & Facebook
Source: Instagram
🗞️ News 3: Reddit Launches Advertising Mini-Site with Examples, Tips & Resources
Source: Reddit
🗞️ News 4: LinkedIn Ads ‘Lookalike Audiences’ to be Discontinued from March 2024
Source: LinkedIn
🗞️ News 5: Twitch Launches New 60/40 Revenue Share Model in Partner Plus Program
Source: Twitch
Author of The Connected Church. Social Media and Digital Marketing Consultant for Nonprofits, Faith-based Organisations, Churches, and Ministries.
