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Product launches and redesigns were the talk of the town this week. Amazon surprised us all and introduced a user-generated video service to take on YouTube, and Instagram launched a redesigned app and icon.

This week's 'Skim will also fill you in on Facebook's promise to make Messenger bots more useful with analytics, give you the latest on LinkedIn's plans to rival Facebook's Instant Articles, and tell you all about the first feature-length film that debuted on Snapchat.

Skim to stay in the know!

Amazon launches platform for user-generated videos

Taking on YouTube and Vimeo is a tall order, but if anyone is ambitious enough, it's Amazon. Amazon Video Direct came via a surprise announcement on Wednesday, and the service officially launches the company into the user-generated video market.

AVD, as they call it, lets users upload content to Amazon's Prime Video and earn royalties based on the number of hours streamed, and to monetize it with advertisements or by making the content available to rent or own. The launch of the service follows the introduction of standalone Prime Video subscriptions, which start at $8.99 per month.

Publishers already signed up include Mashable and Conde Nast Entertainment, making us think the tool is aimed more at professionals than your mainstream YouTube user, but the service opens the door to creators from all walks of life.

1. Facebook bets on bots despite criticism, says analytics are coming soon

Facebook generated a lot of chatter and promised the future of customer service and automation with its new Messenger chatbots, but brands have been hesitant to latch on, and the social network has been criticized for jumping onto the bot train before it was ready.

Messenger's head of product took to the stage at a recent TechCrunch event to dispel fears that bots would dehumanize Messenger, and to reassure brands that a full-fledged analytics system was on its way.

Aside from a few success stories like Activision's Call of Duty bot (more than six million messages exchanged between users in its first week), there are few indicators showing how bots are performing overall. An analytics platform that does would help brands see which messages or calls to action are working and garnering engagement, and which are coming off as spammy.

Check out the full panel in the video:

2. Instagram launches redesigned app and icon

Big changes over at Instagram as the photo and video sharing network has finally done away with its classic old-school camera app icon in favor of a more modern, rainbow-inspired look.

In contrast to the icon's pop of color, the app itself received a barebones black-and-white redesign, built to put "more focus on your photos and videos." What do you think of the changes? Let us know in the comments below!

3. Facebook denies allegations of anti-conservative bias

A report from Gizmodo shed light on former Facebook employees' claims that the team in charge of Trending Topics on the social network routinely suppressed news stories of interest to conservative users.

The Facebook news curators also said they were instructed to artificially inject stories into the topics even if online buzz didn't warrant it. Facebook denied any wrongdoing, saying there's no evidence to support such claims.

The controversy serves as a reminder that, in the end, all isn't left up to the algorithms.

4. Periscope to introduce new live search function, ability to save streams permanently

The livestreaming app has launched a beta for users to test a new functionality that enables them to save their streams permanently, a feature often requested in the past. To try it out for yourselves, simply add "#save" to the title of your stream before going live. Once the feature is permanently implemented, the hashtag addition won't be necessary.

The Twitter-owned app also says it will also roll out a live-video search function that lets users find broadcasts by topic or title. The new capabilities will help the platform build an archive of video, likely pushing the platform toward the path of paid advertising. We see what you did there, Periscope!

5. It turns out Facebook Live doesn't have to be live at all, and publishers are catching on

Facebook Live guidelines leave the door open to non-live video, and the fact that the social network's algorithm now prioritizes live content has encouraged some brands to test whether "broadcasting" their pre-recorded content via Live increases their exposure in users' feeds compared with the platform's traditional video uploader.

Facebook acknowledged the workaround, but urged publishers to live-stream, stating that the strength of Facebook Live lies in its ability to help on-air hosts engage and interact with viewers in real time.

6. Snapchat: Primed for feature-length films?

Indigenous Media last week released social media star-studded Sickhouse, the first feature-length film on Snapchat. The horror film was specifically shot for the platform in real time over the course of five days, and it follows a group of social media crazed teens into the woods where, obviously, terror ensues.

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#SocialSkim: Amazon Debuts YouTube Competitor, Plus 14 More Stories in This Week's Roundup

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

image of Christian Neri

Christian Neri is a digital marketing professional in the film & television industry, and a contributor to MarketingProfs. An American expat in Paris, he recently completed his MS in digital marketing at IÉSEG School of Management.

Instagram: @christianneri

Twitter: @christianneri