If you read my last post on Social Media Terms Your Company Should Know, you learned about the most common terms on the major platforms: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. (I also included a roundup of terms that are common across platforms.)
In case you didn’t quite get your fill, today I’ll break down Snapchat, Pinterest, Tumblr and Reddit. I’ve included a quick explanation with each as well in case you’re not already familiar with these platforms. Here we go!
Snapchat Terms
What it is: A mobile app that lets you send videos and pictures to friends. While these “snaps,” as they’re called, have a limited life span, users also can add snaps to a “story,” which lasts a full day and is viewable either publicly or just by your followers. Snapchat has gained popularity among business users as a way to connect with younger audiences.
- Chat: A conversation between two Snapchat users within the app.
- Filters: The fun overlays that let you customize snaps with face swaps, lenses, text, emoji stickers and more.
- Friends: Your connections within the app with whom you can send chats, snaps (described below) and even cash.
- Geofilters: Overlays that communicate the “where and when” of a Snap. Use On-Demand Geofilters to promote your brand in a particular geolocation.
- Snap: A photo or video that disappears after three to 10 seconds. Users can choose to add filters, captions and drawings to their snaps before sending them to their friends.
- Stories: As with the other platforms, Stories let you post a snap that’s viewable for 24 hours before disappearing.
- World Lenses: Adds augmented reality into the mix, letting users place 3D objects within any scene they can walk around with their smartphone camera in hand. Confused? See this TechCrunch article for a complete breakdown of this new feature.
[bctt tweet=”Use On-Demand Geofilters to promote your brand in a particular geolocation. #Snapchat #socialmediatips” username=”rallioHQ”]
Pinterest Terms
What it is: A visually driven social platform that allows users to create collections, aka “boards,” of images and videos around topics, as well as browse what other users have added to their own boards. Because users can be just a click or two away from for-sale items or information, more and more businesses are using Pinterest to drive traffic, leads and sales.
- Boards: Just like your cork board or bulletin board at home, Pinterest Boards are user-created, virtual spaces around any kind of topic. I’ve got Boards set up for “Food & Drink,” “My Style,” “Money Matters” and more. These boards can be public or private. As you browse the web, add photos and links to your boards either by copying and pasting the link or by using Pinterest’s browser plug-in. And then the real fun begins when people follow each other’s boards for ideas and inspiration.
- Business Account: When you create a business account on Pinterest, you gain access to Pinterest Analytics, Promoted Pins and Videos, and Rich Pins. You’ll also be able to add your business logo to any pin that comes from your website.
- Buyable Pins: Pins that allow people to find and buy your products on Pinterest. Per Pinterest, “Right now, they’re only available to a select group of retail partners and U.S. merchants with Pinterest business accounts.” See the example pin below with the “Add to bag” button; after adding an item to your bag, the bag is viewable via the shopping bag icon at the top right of the screen.
- Like: When you see a pin you like (see “Pin” below), hover over it and click on the heart button to save it as a favorite. The original pinner gets notified of the like, thus increasing your reach.
- Notifications and Inbox: Click on the bubble with three dots (top right) to view notifications about other pinners you follow, as well as your inbox where you can send and receive direct messages.
- Pin: Images and links saved to boards are known as pins. Also used as a verb, as in, “I pinned a photo of a rose bouquet to my Flowers Board.”
- Promoted Pins: Businesses can advertise their content via Promoted Pins and get their pins in front of customers who are ready to buy.
- Rich Pins: Pins that include more context about the post itself. There are currently four types of rich pins: app pins (install an app without leaving Pinterest), recipe pins (includes ingredients, cooking times and serving sizes), article pins (includes headline, author and a brief description), and product pins (with real-time pricing, availability and where to buy).
- Save: To save a pin to one or more of your boards, hover over it and click on the “Save” button. Again, the pinner gets notified of the save.
- Trending: Click on the “Discover” icon at the top right of your screen (located to the left of your profile icon) to see the top trending pins across all categories.
Tumblr Terms
- Asks: This tab features user questions that you can choose to answer on your own blog. To enable it, go to your blog’s Customize area and click on the Community tab.
- Dashboard: Your command central where you can view your feed of the Tumblr pages you follow, recommended blogs, your inbox and more, as well as initiate new posts of your own.
- Follow: Follow the Tumblr pages you like, and you become a follower! As you follow new blogs, you’ll increase your reach and attract new followers of your own.
- Message: Within a post, click on the Message tab to send a direct message to the Tumblr page’s owner.
- Notes: The activity associated with a post, including likes and reblogs. You’ll find them underneath every post.
- Reblog: See something you want to share with your followers? The double arrows down at the bottom of the screen will let you reblog (repost) it with a caption of your own, much like a Retweet on Twitter. Reblogging is a great way to hat-tip the people you follow and build engagement.
[bctt tweet=”#Reblogging on @tumblr is a great way to h/t the people you follow and build engagement.” #socialmediatips username=”rallioHQ”]
- Recommended for you: This tab suggests content tailored just for you, such as trending blogs, staff picks, GIFs, quotes, chats, asks and more. Use it to discover new blogs to follow, like, share and reblog.
- Sponsored Ads: You guessed it. Throw some ad dollars behind a post to target toward your desired audience.
- Theme: The design of your Tumblr page. Choose from various free themes available, such as these, or design your own. The ability to customize your theme is what sets Tumblr apart from other platforms. For example, on Facebook and Twitter, you’re limited to changing the cover and profile photos, but Tumblr lets you fully customize your page. Take a look at the clean lines and eye-catching photos on Adidas’ page for inspiration.
Reddit Terms
What it is: The self-proclaimed Front Page of the Internet relies on user votes and includes a mixture of news, links, social commentary, content ratings and discussion. Reddit’s registered community members can submit text posts, photos, videos, direct links and other content, as well as ask for help or suggestions.
To get the most out of the site, be aware of the “Rediquette” you’ll need to follow, so you’ll get targeted traffic, your content will get “upvoted” to the top of the list, and you’ll avoid getting “downvoted” into oblivion. Also, there are lots of acronyms and terms to know, some of which I’ve included below. You can view a more comprehensive glossary here.
- AMA: Ask me anything. Great for showcasing your expertise in a particular subject matter.
- Cakeday: Your Reddit birthday, or the day you registered your account. A small cake icon next to your username lets other Redditors know it’s your cakeday so they can gift you with upvotes and well wishes.
- CCW: Comments and criticism welcome. Be prepared for both the constructive and unconstructive!
- DAE: Does anyone else. Use the acronym to locate other Redditors who share your opinion or viewpoint on a matter.
- Downvote: Downvote things you dislike or disagree with, and work to avoid having your content downvoted by other Redditors. Successful downvotes are displayed in blue.
- ELI5: Explain it like I’m 5. Ask questions for which you want the simplest, most straightforward responses!
[bctt tweet=”To get the most out of Reddit, be aware of the #Rediquette you’ll need to follow. #socialmediatips” username=”rallioHQ”]
- OC: Original content, posted by an OP (see below).
- OP: Original poster, the person who started a thread or comment.
- Redditor: A frequent Reddit user.
- Repost: Links that have been previously shared, a highly frowned-upon practice, as most people visit Reddit looking for original content (OC).
- Subreddit: The small communities that comprise Reddit. They can be public or private, and they cover a variety of topics, from niche communities such as r/CatAdvice to broader topics such as r/Music. If you don’t find a niche appropriate to your product or service, you can start a subreddit of your own and invite others to join.
- Upvote: Having your content upvoted means it shows up higher on the page. Successful upvotes are displayed in orange.
- Username: The name associated with your Reddit account. Choose it wisely, as you cannot change it once you’ve registered it.
Do you use the platforms above? What are some other terms you think are important to know for these platforms in particular?
