Emotiki is here!!
Five months later than first expected - we have lift off!
Emotiki was released on Wednesday and the range is fantastic!
The general consensus based on Facebook feedback so far is that people are disappointed they can't yet be incorporated into the general emoji keyboard.
The page has been good at responding and this is what they have to say on the matter -
"Emotiki - Māori Emoji App - Hiya! We've got a sticker pack for iOS10 and will update this for android as soon as their next update allows, the keyboard will also come in a not too distant future"
As you can imagine, we are all super excited and (im)patiently awaiting the next update!
#New! Messenger - Group video chat
Yet another update from Messenger is hitting the market - just in time for Christmas!
I'm picturing this being useful for Christmas morning when the family is spread far and wide. In an agricultural sense - is this the start of the future of field days across the country? Perhaps we will be live streaming pasture walks with Q+As, or PowerPoint presentations will be across your screen while the guest speakers walk you, and the field day attendees though it...?
Wait, who am I kidding 'perhaps' is a bit conservative - I can guarantee you this will be a 'thing' in 2017 and beyond.
We will need some more reliable connectivity and cheaper mobile data in my opinion, but it's coming quickly and I look forward to live streaming a farm tour from Australia, the US or Asia and engaging on a global scale.
Watch this space!
"Group Video Chat is super easy to use (and, of course, free over wifi!). You can see up to six people at a time … but don’t worry if your group is a little larger because up to 50 friends can join in and choose to just listen in and join via voice, or be on camera. Once more than 6 people are on the call, just the dominant speaker is shown to all participants."
#FunFactsAbout2016
I love statistics and numbers - but not too many of them!
I'm extremely easily distracted but I found some interesting numbers around the reach and engagement of social media channels to give you an idea of global spread and usage over 2016. Here is a wee taster before I do a more comprehensive look in January...
Instagram passed a milestone in 2016, with 500 million users. The platform has 300 million daily users (almost three times more than Snapchat), while 80% of these users are outside the US. On Instagram - my personal favourite addition to the platform this year would have to be the Story function.
For some (sometimes over zealous) story action you can follow Grass Roots Media at @grassroots_media, myself at @justafarmerswife or our new AgWomen project account at @agwomen
Facebook is still taking the world by storm. Worldwide, there are over 1.79 billion monthly active Facebook users (Facebook MAUs) which is a 16 percent increase year over year and clocks up 4.5 billion likes generated daily as of May 2013 which is a 67 percent increase from August 2012.
To ignore Facebook is to ignore your clients, customers, friends and family these days. Sometimes sad but true - especially as a marketer. You can't afford to not have an online, especially Facebook, presence.
That's me for 2016!
Have a blast over Christmas and New Years! Use the down time to do something for yourself, to disengage from social media and engage in friends and family. Go do some local walks or hikes, lay on the beach or next to a lake with a book.
My final recommendation would be to have a think about 2016 - How did it go? What worked, what didn't? What do you want to accomplish in 2017 and how will you go about it?
Catch you on Thursday the 19th of January - Bring on 2017!
Chanelle O’Sullivan is Grass Roots Media's Social Media Specialist. She originally studied agriculture, before moving south onto a Station, followed by a stint dairy farming. After three years vet nursing, she is now a Mum to two kids and creator of Farming Mums NZ and ‘Just a Farmers Wife’ while also working part-time for the NZ Landcare Trust and Grass Roots Media.
Follow her on Instagram
