The Weekly Download — December 2, 2022

Can you believe we’re in the final month of 2022? Welcome, December, and welcome back to The Weekly Download! Here’s what you might have missed in the headlines this week:

Twitter’s character limit could be increasing, Mastodon makes it easier to find friends, BeReal wins Apple’s App of the Year Award, LinkedIn launches new post-scheduling functionality, some Friday Fun, and more.

Twitter’s Character Limit Could Be Getting a Lot Bigger

Ever wished you had even more space to get all your thoughts and feelings out when composing tweets? If so, you might be thrilled to hear this!

After being tagged in user’s plea for more characters on the platform, Twitter CEO Elon Musk said bumping up the text limit is “on the todo list.”

While it’s certainly not a confirmation of what’s to come, it has piqued our curiosity. It wouldn’t be the first time the microblogging site allowed a jump in character count: After originally limiting posts to 140 characters, Twitter extended the limit to 280 characters in 2017.

‘Movetodon’ Makes it Easy to Locate Your Twitter Friends on Mastodon

If you’re one of the Twitter users who thinks it’s time to explore alternative platforms, a new tool called Movetodon is making it easier to find the accounts you want to continue following.

The tool allows users to easily find and follow Twitter connections with minimal work. Unlike similar tools, which require you to connect your account and export your data into a CSV file (among other steps), Movetodon makes it simple.

Since Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, Mastodon has seen an influx of new users, topping a milestone of 1 million active monthly users in just over a week following Musk’s Twitter takeover.

Have you joined Mastodon yet?

BeReal Wins Apple’s App of the Year Award

Speaking of new social platforms, the buzz surrounding BeReal continues as the app snagged Apple’s App of the Year Award.

Originally launched in 2020, BeReal skyrocketed in popularity this year and has already been imitated by social media giants TikTok and Instagram.

The app requires users to post a photo combining a front and back camera shot at random times during the day, whenever they receive the “Time to BeReal!” alert. It has a more “authentic” vibe than other platforms, and maybe that has something to do with its popularity. 

“This year’s App Store Award winners reimagined our experiences with apps that delivered fresh, thoughtful, and genuine perspectives,” CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. “From self-taught solo creators to international teams spanning the globe, these entrepreneurs are making a meaningful impact, and represent the ways in which apps and games influence our communities and lives.”

LinkedIn Launches In-App Native Post Scheduling

Are you someone who likes to schedule content on LinkedIn? If so, you’ve probably long relied on third-party tools to make it possible. But good news! LinkedIn is finally launching a native post-scheduling tool for all users following an internal testing period.

This will be a huge benefit to those managing their online presence on LinkedIn, and luckily, the process is pretty straightforward. While it’s not a groundbreaking tool by any means, it’s a welcome convenience for LinkedIn users and will allow them to schedule content up to three months in advance.

Friday Fun

Kids Are Ruining Their Parents’ Spotify Wrapped

Spotify Wrapped dropped this week, and by now you’ve probably seen images of your friends’ yearly roundups all over social media. But some users are taking to digital platforms to share their Spotify Wrapped for different reasons: They’ve been taken over by their kids.

It’s a lot of Encanto, and a lot of Cocomelon.

And a lot of us can relate!

Line drawn peony from Spodek & Co Digital marketing site