And just like that, we have reached the final issue of the year — and also, somehow, the decade. As is tradition around here, let’s close out the year with some predictions from you about where platforms and democracy are headed in 2020 and beyond.

Thanks to everyone who contributed. Here are your thoughts, along with some of mine. This year, I’m ordering these in roughly how likely I think they are. So, the most likely things to happen at the top, and we move further into crazy town as you scroll down. Generally speaking, I feel more comfortable predicting product moves than policy shifts.

16 predictions for social networks in 2020

Are you looking to put more emphasis on Instagram in 2020?

Now reaching over a billion active users, and with more and more business and eCommerce related tools on the way, it makes sense that all social media managers should be considering whether there's a fit on Instagram for their business, and how they might be able to utilize the various platform tools and options to connect with their audience.

If you are considering your Instagram approach, then this infographic from the team at Hootsuite might help. The below listing highlights some key usage and engagement stats to help in your planning, which could help you decide where and how to improve your focus in the app.

Top 10 Instagram Stats for 2020

The method of getting your podcast out to the world might not be the way you think.

Unlike most popular forms of online content, podcasts utilize a form of forbidden arcane knowledge; an ancient method of internet distribution discussed in hushed tones and under furtive glances as really simple syndication or RSS for short.

Learning how to make your own podcast-only RSS feed is a crucial element for any successful show. Feel free to jump to a section of your choosing if you’re looking for something in particular:

What is a podcast-only RSS feed?
Why you need a podcast-only RSS feed
How to craft a podcast-only RSS feed
How to switch to a podcast-only RSS feed

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Google has used links to determine the authority of websites since its early days: the idea of webpages casting votes” for other pages by linking to them is at the core of the PageRank algorithm. This led to the rise of numerous manipulative link tactics.

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One of the unwritten rules of Instagram management is to create a cohesive feed. The posts you upload on the platform should be logical in terms of visual concept, timing, captions, and hashtags.

But consistency isn’t something that can be accomplished overnight. You need to take time and think through each caption, the relevance of tags, the whole grid layout style and posting frequency. To streamline this process and plan your Instagram posts and stories, you can use Combin Scheduler, a tool for Instagram content planning.

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This year is likely the last one ever in which you can say that more than half the planet is not on social media.

Hootsuite just released a massive digital state of the union report. Some of the high-level findings:

5.2 billion of us now have phones globally
4.5 billion are connected to the internet
3.8 billion are active social media users

That 3.8 billion is 49% of the planets population, and it grew 9% over the past year. That means it is extremely likely that sometime this calendar year, more than half of all of us will be active social media users.

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In your personal life, reading peoples minds is a questionable superpower; but the business benefits of being able to listen in on peoples thoughts are infinite. And while social media monitoring is not exactly about reading peoples minds, it is as close to it as it gets.

Social listening gives you access to what people are saying about your brand, industry, or competitors across social media and the web – often without them being aware of you listening. If you know how to word your queries and filter the results, you will end up with the most authentic, unbiased insights you can get as a business.

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Web based feed readers are kind of a pain to use. They often implement changes that you do not want, while taking away features that you like.  Local readers are much better when it comes to this, because you can revert to an older version in case of adverse changes.

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As the coronavirus pandemic sweeps the world, more and more governments are imposing lockdowns on their citizens. As a result, reliance on digital tools has increased significantly to maintain social and professional relationships. Notably, usage of video conferencing app Zoom has spiked, and not just for professional purposes.

But what about the social media tools we were already using to connect with people on a daily basis? How has their popularity changed so far in these trying times?

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For many beginners (and, heck, some mid-level and even advanced SEOs), the line between search engine optimization and social media can sometimes blur.

~ Does your social media support or even help your search engine rankings?
~ How does optimizing for search on social media affect your profiles chance of showing up to new users?
~ And what does it mean that my tweets show up in search results?

In the past, the difference between SEO and social was fairly stark.

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Social media has been one of only a handful of sectors that is benefiting from the stay-at-home environment. Social distancing has forced social interactions online for the time being, but investors looking to capitalize on the surge in social media usage be surprised at the big winner.

On Friday, DataTrek Research co-founder Nicholas Colas said the biggest social media winner from the COVID-19 era is not Facebook, Inc.
FB , its subsidiary Instagram, Snap Inc  SNAP 0.06% or Twitter Inc TWTR 0.02%
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Instead, teen-oriented video platform TikTok has seen the biggest surge in Google search volume over the last 90 days. TikTok is owned by the private Chinese company ByteDance.

Social Media Search Numbers
Colas said Facebook and Twitter saw only a small bounce in worldwide Google search volume since global lockdowns went into effect. In the chart below, searches for Snapchat have demonstrated a similar trend, while searches for TikTok have steadily risen over the last 90 days.

When most people talk about social media, they are usually referring to platforms like Facebook or Instagram, but rarely think of LinkedIn as part of the vast array of social media platforms available.

We tend to assume that LinkedIn is not such a valuable place to be and often, even businesses make this mistake, assuming that it would be far more beneficial to focus on their presence on Twitter, for example. There is a logic behind this – LinkedIn is a place for businesses, but I’m looking to advertise to real people, and they are going to be on other, more laid-back platforms, so I might as well go there, too.

This logic is flawed. Why? We are just about to show you.

On LinkedIn, you can build your brand.
This is true both for individuals looking to expand their job potential, and for businesses wanting to grow their brand. As an individual, where can a possible employer find you? On Facebook or Instagram. But do you really want them to see that snapshot of you in your undies at the beach, or the dirty joke you posted last night?

Probably not. These are personal details about you that chip away at your professional brand.

Web based feed readers are kind of a pain to use. They often implement changes that you don't want, while taking away features that you like.  Local readers are much better when it comes to this, because you can revert to an older version in case of adverse changes.

Smart RSS Reader is a feed reader extension for Firefox and Chrome that I have been using for a week; I am quite impressed by it so far.

Install the add-on and click its toolbar icon to open a new tab with the extension's RSS reader. It has three panes, each of which has a toolbar at the top. The left pane is the feeds pane and lists all RSS feeds that you're subscribed too. Selecting a feed displays the title of the articles published by the site in the center pane. It also displays the author's name and the date when the article went live.

The method of getting your podcast out to the world might not be the way you think.

Unlike most popular forms of online content, podcasts utilize a form of forbidden arcane knowledge; an ancient method of internet distribution discussed in hushed tones and under furtive glances as really simple syndication or RSS for short.

First of all, we need to draw a critical distinction between traditional RSS feeds and podcast-only RSS feeds. An RSS feed is a format of internet file that can contain any sort of content, while the podcast-only variety is, unsurprisingly restricted to only podcasts.

A podcast-only RSS feed is a subtype of the internet file type known as RSS. This file can be easily distributed to a variety of different directories that updates the displayed content in real time alongside changes made by the creator.

This format restriction is what allows podcast directories to so easily display and showcase new content; everything that is submitted is, from a technical standpoint, completely identical!

The return of migrant workers to West Bengal has become another flashpoint between the Centre and the TMC-led state government with home minister Amit Shah alleging that the state government is not allowing special trains. However, the TMC government accused the Centre of "lying" and said they have planned eight trains to ferry migrants.

The evaluation for class 10, 12 board exams will be done by teachers at their homes and 3,000 schools have been identified as exam centres to deliver the answer sheets to them, Union HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' said on Saturday. He said 1.5 crore answer sheets of already conducted class 10, 12 exams will be delivered to teachers.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to talk to chief ministers of those states who are not allowing migrant workers to come back home.

The testing capacity for Covid-19 has been scaled up to around 95,000 tests per day and a total of 15,25,631 tests have been conducted so far across 332 government and 121 private laboratories, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Saturday. The minister reviewed the status of Covid-19 in the northeastern states along with the measures taken for its containment.

The Cowboys still hope to hold training camp in Oxnard, California, this summer. The 49ers, Raiders, Chargers and Rams also are planning to have camp in California. But California was among the first states to entact stay-at-home orders and is expected to be among the last to allow large groups to convene. That means all [more]

Opportunity knocks for teams in need of interior line help.

One of the best guards of 2019 is all of a sudden on the market.

The NFL released its schedule for the upcoming season last night despite concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. Myron Rolle, a former NFL player who is now a neurosurgery resident at Massachusetts General hospital, joined CBSN to discuss whether there is a safe way to play sports during this time. 

Defensive tackle Derrick Brown, the seventh overall choice, became the league's initial first-round draft pick to sign his rookie deal. He agreed to a fully guaranteed, four-year, $23.621 million contract Friday. Uncertainty over the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a question of whether some owners might hold onto signing bonus money longer than usual. The Bills, [more]

NFL Network's Mike Robinson and Steve Wyche discuss Los Angeles Rams' top questions for 2020.

Larry Warford isn't going to be out of work long. Only as long as it takes the Pro Bowl offensive guard to make up his mind on his next home. The Texans are interested in Warford, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports only hours after the Saints released the lineman. That's not a surprise [more]

Don't you want me, baby?...DJ Bean points out that Tom Brady's first season in Tampa Bay is loaded with games against teams who passed on the legendary former Patriots quarterback in free agency.

It seems there isn't much we agree on these days, but one thing America is united on is this: The Bears blew it in 2017. Even Bears fans wouldn't argue that point. Chicago, of course, could have had Patrick Mahomes or Deshaun Watson and didn't have to trade up to No. 2 overall to get [more]

The New Orleans Saints have cut three-time Pro Bowl right guard Larry Warford, whose three-year run as a starter was cast into doubt by the club's selection of interior lineman Cesar Ruiz in the first round of the NFL draft. Warford, whose termination was announced Friday by general manager Mickey Loomis, started all 44 games in which he played for New Orleans since signing a four-year, $34 million contract in 2017. The 6-foot-3, 317-pound Warford also was named to the Pro Bowl for a third straight season in 2019, when he started 15 games.

As expected, Larry Warford quickly has become a highly sought-after free agent. Hours after the Saints released the offensive guard, the Texans expressed interest. The Bears also are considering pursuing Warford, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports. They might not have long to consider whether they're interested. The Bears signed Germain Ifedi, a first-round [more]

The Los Angeles Rams finally have a date and an opponent for the long-awaited opening of SoFi Stadium, the multibillion-dollar reason for their return to California over four years ago. The Rams still don't know for sure whether they'll actually be able to have their big Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 13. The coronavirus pandemic is occurring during a historic year for this NFL franchise.

Here are some rookie-against-rookie battles we can't wait to see in 2020.