Facebook Nears All-Time High As Instagram Begins To Pay Off

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVl1Z25RvfdR1DCz9LhGzi1-BlU-O8M3iJ1AwJwc6xlQjdySpUi7Lw87PzsqQqyBWQSGRsuu0yJbZlILJvHIHQBD7qqcmqiwoYUjL4Qz99x7X80ZbNRG3vQ5Z1iq5NxHs2irOmDem5Zo/s1600/CC.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVl1Z25RvfdR1DCz9LhGzi1-BlU-O8M3iJ1AwJwc6xlQjdySpUi7Lw87PzsqQqyBWQSGRsuu0yJbZlILJvHIHQBD7qqcmqiwoYUjL4Qz99x7X80ZbNRG3vQ5Z1iq5NxHs2irOmDem5Zo/s400/CC.PNG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Facebook Nears</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 21px; margin-right: 161.65625px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Facebook continued its nearly month-long march up this week, as investors grow increasingly bullish about the social network’s potential. Besides being added to the S&P 500, Facebook is finally seeing its $1 billion purchase of photo-sharing site Instagram begin to pay off.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 21px; margin-right: 161.65625px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">On Thursday, Instagram announced new features under the title Instagram Direct that will allow private group messaging. Users will be able to send photos to a select group, rather than expose them publicly, and chat about the images as well. The move comes as the competition for private message services heats up. Snapchat rejected a $3 billion all-cash offer from Facebook to go it alone, and Twitter pumped new life into its direct messaging service recently as well.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 21px; margin-right: 161.65625px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“We believe Instagram Direct has the potential to drive greater engagement among existing users and could bring new users to the platform that may have shied away from the prior, more public sharing model,” <a class="exit_trigger_set" href="http://www.forbes.com/companies/ubs/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">UBS</a> <span class="quotecard_hook initialized" data-exchange="NYSE" data-naturalid="fred/company/4472" data-quotes-closing="18.3" data-quotes-now="18.25" data-ticker="UBS" data-type="organization" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="wrapper decrease" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="ticker" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">UBS</span> <span class="change" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">-0.27%</span></span></span> analyst Eric Sheridan wrote in a new note.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 21px; margin-right: 161.65625px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Instagram’s initial wave of ads in the News Feeds also showed promise uniting bringing advertisers together with users. UBS cites a study by Curalate that found paid posts generated an average of 32x more Likes than typical brand posts.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 21px; margin-right: 161.65625px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Beyond Instagram, Facebook’s new roll-out of auto-play News Feed video and gif posts on Apple's <span class="quotecard_hook initialized" data-exchange="NASDAQ" data-naturalid="fred/company/280" data-quotes-closing="560.677" data-quotes-now="554.5" data-ticker="AAPL" data-type="organization" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="wrapper decrease" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="ticker" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">AAP</span><span class="ticker" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">L</span> <span class="change" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">-1.1%</span></span></span> iOS and Google's <span class="quotecard_hook initialized" data-exchange="NASDAQ" data-naturalid="fred/company/1821" data-quotes-closing="1069.71" data-quotes-now="1060.79" data-ticker="GOOG" data-type="organization" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="wrapper decrease" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="ticker" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">GOOG</span> <span class="change" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">-0.83%</span></span></span> Android platforms has great potential as a money-making source online. Sheridan believes that the new video product could be a test ahead of a broader video advertising rollout. He has a Buy rating on the stock, with a price target of $62.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 21px; margin-right: 161.65625px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">As of 11:52am EST, Facebook stock was up 9.57% on the week. The share price, touching above $52.50, is nearing Facebook’s all-time high of $54.22 set back in October.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 27px; margin-bottom: 21px; margin-right: 161.65625px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Via:<a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolomon/2013/12/13/facebook-nears-all-time-high-as-instagram-begins-to-pay-off/?partner=yahootix"> Forbes</a></i></span></div>

Facebook Nears All-Time High As Instagram Begins To Pay Off

Facebook Nears Facebook continued its nearly month-long march up this week, as investors grow increasingly bullish about the social network’...

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Instagram launches 'Direct' messages

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNAM9X9gh8bpdERizBE4qIyPMk_TO_ygx4bZJXRNbFjcoCw_iCTQPEUAkUMtIwnwrmYovoRAanIy8BLVnWtegItP_4ClfXhPjyd7F-ZmUvlYuvMpofCijTPloePeHC5ZyKF_qHLGNvN-3m/s1600/455471205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNAM9X9gh8bpdERizBE4qIyPMk_TO_ygx4bZJXRNbFjcoCw_iCTQPEUAkUMtIwnwrmYovoRAanIy8BLVnWtegItP_4ClfXhPjyd7F-ZmUvlYuvMpofCijTPloePeHC5ZyKF_qHLGNvN-3m/s1600/455471205.jpg" /></a></span></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom</i></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The original service allowed users simply to publish their own films or photos to a stream that was visible to their followers. Instagram Direct allows users to send messages to people who follow them, and adds a stream of ‘pending’ requests from other users. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Sometimes you want to be able to share not with everyone but with a specific group – you can’t really do that with Instagram today,” said co-founder Kevin Systrom. “Instagram Direct is a simple way to send pictures and videos to your friends.” </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The rise of instant messaging services such as Snapchat and BBM has made the area a particular focus for a host of new companies but Instagram, with 150m users each month, remains one of the largest. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Writing on the Instagram blog, the company said “There are moments in our lives that we want to share, but that will be the most relevant only to a smaller group of people—an inside joke between friends captured on the go, a special family moment or even just one more photo of your new puppy. Instagram Direct helps you share these moments.” </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The new app will show users who has seen photos they have shared with indivudals, and update if they indicate that they like it. </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The company added: “when you open Instagram, you’ll now see a new icon in the top right corner of your home feed. Tap it to open your inbox where you’ll see photos and videos that people have sent to you. To send a photo or video to specific people, tap the camera button to enter the same simple photo or video capture and editing screens." </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"At the top of the share screen, you’ll see the option to share with your followers (“Followers”) or to send to specific people (“Direct”). To send using Direct, tap the names of the people you want to send your photo or video to, write your caption, tap “send” and you’re done. After sending, you’ll be able to find out who’s seen your photo or video, see who’s liked it and watch your recipients commenting in real time as the conversation unfolds. Photos and videos that you receive from people you follow will appear immediately” </span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Source : <a href="http://www.independent.ie/business/instagram-launches-direct-individual-messages-29835114.html">independent.ie</a> </i></span></span>

Instagram launches 'Direct' messages

Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom The original service allowed users simply to publish their own films or photos to a stream that was visib...

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Instagram has releases a half-baked App for Windows Phone 8

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHakA3Fyskkqyx2K_aRGZTD_NYhpicawFGCLTCKSJg7RMiyC1jv06nAODoDnmuN5wXbfjpengDaZbUduIVUY3vPWWj230T5H4gKoz6UhvrQYG4DgrDk9pgTEiESntFXOPJT6SuDAzMTXy1/s1600/instagram-windows-phone-8-270x167.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHakA3Fyskkqyx2K_aRGZTD_NYhpicawFGCLTCKSJg7RMiyC1jv06nAODoDnmuN5wXbfjpengDaZbUduIVUY3vPWWj230T5H4gKoz6UhvrQYG4DgrDk9pgTEiESntFXOPJT6SuDAzMTXy1/s640/instagram-windows-phone-8-270x167.png" width="640" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Instagram has arrived on Windows Phone 8, although some have slammed it as a "half-baked" effort.</span></span> <br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Instagram app that Nokia announced was coming at its Nokia World conference last month has finally landed, although it is very much still work in progress, appearing in the Windows Store as Instagram Beta.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Beta tag lets users know that they shouldn't expect all the bell and whistles of Instagram's iOS and Android apps. At present, video capture and video upload are both missing from the Instagram Windows Phone 8 app, as are photo and location tagging.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Instagram said that it wanted to get the app out to users as quickly as possible, so a few features had to be left out of the first iteration.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Still, we've got Instagram up and running on our Nokia Lumia 1020, and all of the other features you'd expect are present in the app. There's the ability to upload an image from Camera Roll, or to turn the app into a camera lens, a feature that many thought was missing due to the odd button placement in the app.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">All of the usual filters are present in the app, including XPro-II, Earlybird, Rise, Amaro, Hudson, Lo-fi, Sutro, Toaster, Brannan, Inkwell, Walden, Hefe, Nashville and 1977, as are linear and radial tilt-shift options for blurring images and the option to comment on images of your friends' dinners.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/instagram-beta/3222a126-7f20-4273-ab4a-161120b21aea" target="_blank" title="Instagram beta">Instagram Beta is available to download for free from the Windows Store</a>, and although it is missing a number of features it has already received a four and a half star rating from keen downloaders.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The arrival of Instagram sees Microsoft further boosting its Windows Store with more big name apps, with the hipster photo sharing app coming out just days after Twitter's Vine and Channel 4's 4OD TV catch-up service. Waze is also now available on the Windows Phone 8 mobile operating system, and Microsoft claims that more popular apps will be arriving soon.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Source : <a href="http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2308404/instagram-releases-a-half-baked-app-for-windows-phone-8">The Inquirer </a></i></span></span>

Instagram has releases a half-baked App for Windows Phone 8

Instagram has arrived on Windows Phone 8, although some have slammed it as a "half-baked" effort. The Instagram a...

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