HolidayBlogging

Tag: sending

  • Spotify launches a messaging feature in a bid to become more social

    Spotify launches a messaging feature in a bid to become more social

    Spotify on Tuesday introduced a way for you to chat with your friends in a bid to become a more social app.

    Users have shared Spotify links for music and podcasts with others outside the platform for years. With its new feature, Spotify is pushing users to do more within the app while also keeping the history of shared content, so users don’t have to search for a song.

    At launch, messages are one-on-one, and you can only start a chat with someone with whom you’ve previously shared content. That means if you have a collaborative playlist with someone, or have joined a jam or a blend, you can start a conversation with them.

    This also applies to people on a Family or Duo plan with you. Once you send a request, they will have to approve it to start a conversation.a series of screenshots showing the step-by-step process of viewing new messages and sending a message on Spotify Image Credits:Spotify

    Outside of Spotify, if someone sends a Spotify link to you on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Snapchat, or TikTok, you can tap on it and approve their request to chat. Alternatively, you can send an invite link to someone in your contacts.

    The company said that users should continue sharing content outside Spotify, and the new message feature is a “complement” to that.a series of screenshots showing the process of reacting to messages on Spotify using emoji Image Credits:Spotify

    Users can access messages by tapping on their profile pictures. Conversations can be viewed under the Messages section on the hover bar located on the left. Users can also react to specific messages using emojis.

    The company noted that messages are encrypted at rest and in transit; however, messages are not protected by end-to-end encryption. The company proactively checks messages to see if they are breaking its rules. What’s more, Spotify said that users can report messages, and the company will investigate those messages against its terms of service and platform rules.a series of screenshots showing how users can report messages that they received on SpotifyImage Credits:Spotify

    Last month, Spotify chief product and technology officer Gustav Söderström hinted during the company’s quarterly call that the consumer mobile experience will be much more interactive. The new messages feature appears to be a move in that direction.

    Spotify is rolling out the messages feature to both premium and free users over 16 in select markets in Latin and South America, only on mobile versions. The company said that the feature will expand to the U.S., Canada, Brazil, the EU, the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand in the coming weeks.

    Over the years, Spotify has offered only a few social elements, like being able to follow someone and look at what they listen to. That has been changing with the introduction of features like comments on podcasts last year and a redesigned video-focused feed.

    Last year, in an interview with TechCrunch, Spotify VP of Podcast Product Maya Prohovnik also didn’t deny the idea that comments could one day be added to music tracks.

    In recent months, users on social media have complained about Spotify’s interface being too cluttered with features. My colleague Amanda Silberling, who left Spotify for Apple Music, had a similar problem.

    “There’s an overwhelming display of visual clutter from the time it takes to navigate from Spotify’s home page to the music you’re looking for,” she wrote earlier this month.

    While messages might nudge some to share more content with friends, it could also annoy some who have been feeling that the app is becoming overwhelming. Thankfully, you can go to Settings > Privacy and social and disable messages.

  • Communication Empathy

    Communication Empathy

    I’ve written about task and communication overload in the modern workplace many times before.

    I call it Corporate Whack-Attack. It often feels as though we’re playing the Whack-a-Mole game that you see at fair grounds and amusement parks.
    COVID-19, and the sudden shift to mass homeworking, has just created Extreme Whack-Attack.
    In the past few days, I’ve noticed people getting over-whelmed with the sheer volume of messages that are coming at us through multiple channels. You’re probably a member of more WhatsApp groups than ever before, and they’re probably busier than they were two weeks ago.
    Your inbox is probably getting busier. You’ve no doubt got more instant messages, MS Teams notifications, Trello notifications, Zoom invites etc, etc.
    It’s hard to keep up with everything, right?
    And whilst we feel like we’re drowning in this sea of communication overload, we perpetuate the problem by sending more and more messages ourselves.
    Where are you up to on X? Can I get a status update on Y? Hey, check out this funny video someone just sent me on WhatsApp…
    And then we get frustrated when people don’t respond to us as quickly as we’d like, on what’s important to us, at that moment in time.
    A friend and supplier to my business made a very generous offer to everyone in a particular WhatsApp group that I’m a member of last week. He essentially offered to help us for free, or defer payment, on anything that would help us or help us better serve our clients.
    I completely missed his message, as did everyone else in the group. I only spotted it days later, completely buried in the conversation thread; and I felt really bad. It felt like I’d just been completely ignorant and kicked sand in his face.
    What was worse, was that everyone else in the group missed the message too.
    As leaders, we need to be aware of this and take action. We need to demonstrate Communication Empathy by focusing on three key areas.

    Communicating mindfully

    Ensuring our teams feel connected whilst working remotely in these uncertain times is critically important, so yes, we do need to communicate more. (Watch my video about leading remote teams in uncertain times here.)
    It’s also important to maintain morale, have fun and occasionally share some of those amusing memes that we’re seeing. And at the same time, we must be mindful of not sending so many messages that we add to people’s stress and anxiety.

    Be patient…not demanding

    Everyone has a lot going on right now.
    Our team members may be self-isolating or shopping for friends and family who are. They may be worried about their health or that of a loved one. They may be juggling their work, their partner’s work and trying to home school their children (that’s my particular reality right now).
    All of this means that people may not respond to us as quickly as we would like them to. It also means that the emails and messages will get missed.
    Be patient. Give people time.

    Be empathetic…not angry

    If you offer to help someone and they don’t respond, it can feel like they’ve kicked sand in your face. When we’re feeling anxious and stressed ourselves the natural, instinctive response can so easily be “well screw you, that’s the last time I offer to help”.
    But that person may be just like me…and you. They may have just missed your message due to communication overwhelm. Or they may have read it, planning to respond later but got side-tracked by something else.
    In all of these circumstances, stay empathetic.
    Be understanding.
    Be a leader.