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Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram all announced new features this week. Facebook updated its algorithm to reprioritize the posts in your News Feed; Twitter revamped its two-factor authentication system to make your account more secure; LinkedIn added the capability to apply for jobs from your mobile phone; and Instagram rolled out two new features in version 4.1.
Here's a recap of this week's changes.
1. Instagram Updates Video, Photo Tools.
Photo-sharing app Instagram released its first update after launching a new video capability about a month ago. Instagram 4.1 includes two new features: the ability to upload video from your phone's media library and an automatic straightening tool for iOS.
Although the video feature still only allows for 15-second clips, the videos you choose your clips from can be longer. The new update lets you trim videos down to the exact part you want and lets you choose how you square-crop your clip to ensure the action is centered.
[ Keep your job hunt under wraps. Read 5 LinkedIn Privacy Settings for Job Hunters. ]
Instagram's new automatic straightening tool lets you correct a crooked picture with a quick tap. It also includes a slider so you can rotate and adjust any photo. The automatic straightening tool is only available for iOS devices.
Instagram also announced that it is extending video capabilities to Instagram users on Android 4.0, who previously did not have access to it.
2. Facebook Changes The News Feed.
Facebook introduced two features this week that change what you see in your News Feed and when you see it.
"Story bumping" allows organic stories that you did not scroll far enough to see to reappear near the top of your News Feed, as long as the posts are getting lots of likes and comments. The "last actor" feature bumps up content from someone you have recently interacted with; for example, liking one of their photos or commenting on one of their posts. "Last actor" takes into account the last 50 interactions you've had with content.
Facebook said that these two changes to its algorithm will help ensure users don't miss important updates and will encourage more relevant posts from Page owners.
3. LinkedIn Enables Mobile Job Applications.
Last month, LinkedIn announced an update to its mobile app that lets you search for jobs on the go. This week the professional social network announced that not only can you search for jobs, but you can apply for them too, directly from your mobile phone.
In developing its latest update for iOS and Android, LinkedIn said that many users asked for the ability to apply directly from mobile devices. But because managing and editing resumes on small screens can be difficult, LinkedIn's latest changes let you apply for jobs without a resume attachment. Instead, you use your LinkedIn profile in place of your resume.
This feature started rolling out to English-speaking users on Monday, the company said. If you want to get an early start, upgrade your LinkedIn app to the latest iOS and Android versions.
4. Twitter Updates Two-Factor Authentication.
Twitter unveiled the next version of its two-factor authentication system, which the company said is more secure than its previous offering.
The updated security measure no longer sends one-time codes via SMS. Instead, the second factor is provided via a unique, private key found on a user's Android or iPhone, which is generated by the Twitter app.
If you enable the feature, Twitter sends a push notification requesting verification if someone attempts to log into your account using a valid username and password.
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