This week's 'Skim is all about global growth: Facebook eyes high-quality, original, TV-like shows for as early as this summer; Snapchat's earning report ghost scares investors with growth concerns, and the company releases a suite of new features to combat Instagram; Facebook's latest algorithm change will affect how you share links; Instagram eyes global markets with a brand-new Web sharing feature; the upcoming trend of niche social media platforms; and much more...

Skim for this week's social media digest!

1. Facebook reportedly planning TV-like shows for June

The social network is getting serious about its original-content offering. It's reportedly preparing to premiere up to two dozen TV-like shows in June, and has already greenlit production for several of them.

Facebook is apparently interested in not only in shorter, 5-10-minute shows that would refresh on a daily basis but also longer, more expensive productions (like "House of Cards") made for a home viewing experience—such as via the new Facebook app that brings its video platform to a TV screen near you.

Multiple people briefed on Facebook's latest endeavor say the company has tapped several A-list celebrities to join the shows, so it's clear that the social network's becoming serious about taking on the likes of Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, and Snapchat.

2. Facebook's latest algorithm change means you need to watch what links you share

Facebook is reducing exposure for what it considers low-quality websites in users' News Feeds. Accordingly, Web pages with lots of spammy and shocking ads, or little substantive content, will be devalued in the social network's algorithm and rendered ineligible to become an ad.

The move comes as Facebook continues its fight against fake news and aims to decrease the economic incentive of financially motivated spammers. Brands that don't share low-quality links should see a slight bump in traffic, whereas targets of the algorithm change will see their posts demoted.

3. Snapchat growth disappoints, investors worry

Snapchat's first earning report since going public didn't exactly inspire confidence in investors, who saw that the company's first quarter growth rate jumped only slightly, and that its year-over-year growth continued to decelerate.

Snap Inc. shares plummeted 24% following the news as details shed light on lackluster growth outside of the United States, and expanded fears that Snapchat could become the next Twitter.

The news could partly explain why the app unveiled a suite of new camera features we've outlined in story No. 7, below, so keep reading to see what's changed!

4. Facebook brings offline conversation data to Lead Ads

The social network's new Offline Conversion solution allows companies to connect their customer relationship management (CRM) systems, point of sale (POS) systems, and call center technology to Facebook's Ad Manager: You can now upload the physical-world outcomes of leads generated by Facebook campaigns into its Ads Manager.

Using the new capability, brands can evaluate the effectiveness of, and optimize the efficiency of, existing campaigns as well as create Custom Audiences based on that performance data to retarget lead customers or upsell based on where consumers are in the sales cycle.

To see how to use Facebook's new Offline Conversation solution, get startedhere.

5. Eyeing global growth, Instagram enables Web sharing

Instagram wants to grow faster, so the social network built features that will allow users with data limitations to upload and share photos on their Instagram accounts via its mobile website.

Users in international markets, where networks are slow and data is expensive, now don't have to download the app to take part in the fun. Until now, users could access the mobile Site but were only capable of viewing photos, liking posts, following users, searching for content, and seeing notifications.

Instagram's Web sharing move is aimed at the 80% of its users who live outside the United States, and looks as if it will help the app expand as it reaches saturation in top Western markets.

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#SocialSkim: Facebook's Netflix-Like Shows, Algo Change; Snapchat's Scary Slump: 10 Stories This Week

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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