Reading Roundup: What’s New in Blogging Lately?

It’s Saturday here in Oz, so that must mean reading roundup day (and Halloween)! Enjoy/Boo.

The Thumb is In Charge // Facebook

If you’ve ever doubted that mobile is the future (who would really, though?!), Facebook has undertaken some research that squarely places mobile in the “you better get on this and quickly!” box. You can download “The Thumb is In Charge” magazine that explains their findings, or follow along as they release three blog posts detailing it all. If you want to be where the future is going, this is pretty required reading.

The Social Media Metrics You are Forgetting // Hootsuite

Oy, the bounce rate. Indeed I am forgetting that. Couple of other ways of measuring traffic here too, if you’re interested.

Google AdWords Turns 15: A Look Back at the Origins of a $60 Billion Business // Search Engine Land

It’s come so far! What a great infographic too. Very handy if you advertise with AdWords, or you’re thinking you’d like to start.

YouTube Red Will Pay Video Makers During Free Trial, After Concerns // BBC

Did you know that YouTube is launching a subscription service so you can watch your favourite cat-playing-the-piano videos ad-free? It’s only for the US and it’s only a select trial. After vloggers worried they wouldn’t receive ad revenue during the trial, but YouTube Red has clarified they’ll get a cut of the subscription profits based on how long people watch their content for. I am interested to see how the subscription services would go… I often think I’d rather watch an ad than cough up cash but that could just be me.

Slack Finally Lets You Create Group Chats Easily // Mashable

As you know, we used Slack for team communications during the ProBlogger event earlier in the year and this group chat function would have been great. Until now you had to open a new channel if you wanted to reach everyone at the same time (or tag them individually). Get the update for the group chat availability.

Is Twitter the Next MySpace? // News.com.au

Now there’s a thought. Nobody wants to be the new MySpace, but flagging user growth and fewer people using it in general, we could very well see its demise. What are your thoughts? Is Twitter still useful for you?

5 Ways Google Analytics Finds You Relevant Topics for Your Social Media Campaigns // Entrepreneur

Have you finally hit that point where you’re struggling to come up with a constant stream of content ideas? This post shows you how to mine Google Analytics for all the info you need.

Why All SEOs Should Unblock JavaScript and CSS… and Why Google Cares // Moz

These terms make my head spin. But I care about what Google cares about.

Snapchat or Instagram? Deciding Which Platform is Best for Your Visual Content // Social Media Examiner

I always say go where your audience is, and also where you enjoy being. That’s where the magic is! But this post will also help you decide.

How Google Handles Search Queries it’s Never Seen Before // The Next Web

You know, I’ve never thought of this. But it made me think – what are my potential readers searching for that I’ve never thought of? And how can I create content for that?

So what have you learned recently? Do you think Twitter is on the decline? Snapchat or Instagram?

Stacey Roberts is the Managing Editor of ProBlogger.net: a writer, blogger, and full-time word nerd balancing it all with being a stay-at-home mum. She writes about all this and more at Veggie Mama. Chat with her on Twitter @veggie_mama or be entertained on Facebook.