Got a minute? Check out our quick update on what's new in the industry!

Twitter
Twitter announced this week that they're testing out an expanded character limit. Now, instead of the 140-character limit, people can tweet their thoughts in up to 280 characters. The feature has been made available only for a select group of users and Twitter has made clear that they're considering this a test rather than a formal roll-out. In addition, they've replaced the character count in the Twitter compose screen with a circle that gradually fills in as you approach the limit. 

Our Take:

• Twitter's 140-character limit enforces brevity — one of the platforms biggest differentiator.
• While 280 characters is still rather limited, we think a smaller requirement forces businesses and individuals on the platform to be creative and get right to the point.

Facebook
Would you like to meet up with your fellow Facebook friends? Facebook is testing a functionality that will help users connect with one another through Messenger. Facebook will suggest friends that you may want to catch up with and if both parties click 'Yes,' they will be alerted.

Our Take:

• We believe the feature is coming from Mark Zuckerberg's "campaign" to focus on the importance of community.
• We are still on the fence about this feature and how much it will actually connect friends, but look forward to the feature rolling out.

Instagram
Instagram's advertiser base is growing in leaps and bounds. Over the past month, the number of businesses advertising on the platform has crossed the 2-million mark. This rapid growth makes sense for a number of reasons, including the Facebook feature that allows businesses on Facebook to also buy ads on Instagram at the same time. As a result, most advertisers on Facebook (Instagram's parent company) are also advertising on Instagram.

Our Take:

• Instagram continues to be a popular platform for young audiences, so it makes sense that advertisers with that demographic in mind would flock to the platform as well.
• As their advertising base grows, it's likely we'll also see improvements in analytics, tracking, and targeting options on Instagram as well.