As always, there is a lot happening in the world of social media. We are hitting the main points you need to know this week with Mysocial News. So what do you need to know? Facebook is stepping up to be more creator friendly, Instagram is unveiling a bunch of new features and expanding some others, and YouTube is simplifying livestreaming.

Facebook Creator challenges YouTube and Patreon

The Facebook for Creators website and the Creator app were launched towards the end of 2017. The app was only available for iOS but nearly 4 months later, it will now be available for Android users as well.

The really big news here is Facebook is directly challenging the pricing model being used by sites favored by creators like YouTube and Patreon. The platform has features that give creators the chance to make real money from their contributions to the website. 

Fans will be able to sign up for $4.99 per month subscriptions. Facebook is not taking a cut of the profits for the first few months, meaning creators will get $3.50 of each subscription. That's $3.50 per fan every month. This is a fixed price right now, but in the near future, Facebook hints that creators will be able to customize the pricing.

Shopping for Instagram expands

Instagram rolled out a bunch of new features lately. The first big change is the expansion of Shopping for Instagram to eight new countries. The feature is now available to users in: Canada, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Australia.

Shopping for Instagram makes it easier for brands and creators to drive customers to their e-commerce stores and merchandise. It brings fans directly to the brand or creator's online store. It first launched in the United States and this is the first expansion before it is introduced worldwide.

That's not all the news coming out of Instagram though. New Instagram Stories features are being introduced such as screenshot alerts, much like the alerts currently available for Snapchat users. It is also possible for Instagram users to share posts within Stories. There is also a focus feature that blurs the background of selfies to create the perfect, Instagram-worthy shot. Finally, hashtags and profile links can now be added to bios. This means that other Instagram profiles and hashtags can be added to the bio section and are clickable.

YouTube offers easy livestreaming

YouTube is simplifying livestreaming for its users. Before livestreaming required downloading additional software. Now creators on the platform can livestream with just the click of a button. The feature will be available on desktop and mobile.

The website is also testing a picture-in-picture mode for users. The feature will allow people to continue watching a video in a minimized screen while browsing the website. Such a feature is sure to keep people browsing on the website for longer periods of time.

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