Snapchat may let users subscribe to publishers, get notifications when they snap

By Jason Hahn Published February 14, 2016

planet earth snapchat snapchatdiscover — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Snapchat may have a trick up its sleeve to appease content publishers that may be unhappy with how discoverable they are on the app’s Discover page. The company has plans to let users subscribe to their favorite content channels, according to a report from Re/code.

While Snapchat has added to its stable of publishers in its Discover page, the company has also seen a few content producers step away from the platform. Discover is supposed to be Snapchat’s monetization vehicle, so this new report is a clear sign that the company is trying to make its app more appealing to paying publishers.

Snapchat has been telling publishers that it plans to let its users subscribe to their favorite channels and may send push notifications when one of those publishers posts content, according to the report from Re/code. The company is also considering replacing each publisher’s logo with a “magazine-like image that rotates each day depending on that publisher’s content,” according to sources who have spoken with Re/code. A company spokesperson declined to comment.

Currently, when a user opens the Snapchat app on their phone, they have to swipe left to get to the Stories page, which features a scrollable Discover row at the top. If a user swipes left again, they get to a full-blown Discover page with all the publishers’ round logos shown. MTV, Vice, Food Network, ESPN, Vox and Comedy Central are among the 19 publishers currently on Snapchat’s Discover page.

Allowing users to subscribe to the publishers of their choice may put less heat on Snapchat and how it chooses to order its Discover publishers. It also appears to be a user-friendly step toward improved monetization.

Topics

Contributor

Jason Hahn is a part-time freelance writer based in New Jersey. He earned his master's degree in journalism at Northwestern…

Social Media

Bluesky barrels toward 1 million new sign-ups in a day

Social media app Bluesky has picked nearly a million new users just a day after exiting its invitation-only beta and opening to everyone.

In a post on its main rival -- X (formerly Twitter) -- Bluesky shared a chart showing a sudden boost in usage on the app, which can now be downloaded for free for iPhone and Android devices.

Computing

How to make a GIF from a YouTube video

woman sitting and using laptop

Sometimes, whether you're chatting with friends or posting on social media, words just aren't enough -- you need a GIF to fully convey your feelings. If there's a moment from a YouTube video that you want to snip into a GIF, the good news is that you don't need complex software to so it. There are now a bunch of ways to make a GIF from a YouTube video right in your browser.

If you want to use desktop software like Photoshop to make a GIF, then you'll need to download the YouTube video first before you can start making a GIF. However, if you don't want to go through that bother then there are several ways you can make a GIF right in your browser, without the need to download anything. That's ideal if you're working with a low-specced laptop or on a phone, as all the processing to make the GIF is done in the cloud rather than on your machine. With these options you can make quick and fun GIFs from YouTube videos in just a few minutes.
Use GIFs.com for great customization
Step 1: Find the YouTube video that you want to turn into a GIF (perhaps a NASA archive?) and copy its URL.

Social Media

I paid Meta to ‘verify’ me — here’s what actually happened

In the fall of 2023 I decided to do a little experiment in the height of the “blue check” hysteria. Twitter had shifted from verifying accounts based (more or less) on merit or importance and instead would let users pay for a blue checkmark. That obviously went (and still goes) badly. Meanwhile, Meta opened its own verification service earlier in the year, called Meta Verified.

Mostly aimed at “creators,” Meta Verified costs $15 a month and helps you “establish your account authenticity and help[s] your community know it’s the real us with a verified badge." It also gives you “proactive account protection” to help fight impersonation by (in part) requiring you to use two-factor authentication. You’ll also get direct account support “from a real person,” and exclusive features like stickers and stars.