The longer social networks exist, the more they learn what their users want; they modify, update, and increase their capabilities to keep users interested. Sometimes, however, older options become hidden features, or harder to find forgotten ones.

Therefore, if you didn’t stick with a particular social network as it evolve, you might not know about some of these hidden features. For users of the most popular social networks such as Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and LinkedIn, however, these best kept secrets have been revealed by Salesforce.

If you’re like the average person, you’ll spend more than five years of your life on social media. That’s nearly 116 minutes a day spent on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other popular apps. The following infographic reveals the little-known social network features that can help you monitor your audience, better organize your profiles, and use the platforms more effectively.

For example, did you know you can attach four photos to a single Tweet? Or that you can get Facebook messages from people you aren’t friends with? For more of hidden features, have a look at the infographic below.

Hidden features for Facebook, Google+, Twitter & LinkedIn

Twitter

Mute
Do you want to stop receiving tweets a Twitter user, but don’t want them to unfollow them. The solution? You can “mute” the account so those pesky unwanted tweets will no longer appear on your timeline without them knowing. It’s especially helpful if users are participating in chats or tweet bursts.

Tag photos
When you add a photo to a tweet, you can tag up to 10 people in the photo. Good for reaching influencers about an event or product launch, these tags won’t count towards your character limit.

Photo collage
Twitter allows you to create a photo collage of up to 4 images in a single tweet. After uploading one image, click on the “add more” button to add up to 3 more images.

Embedded SlideShare presentation directly into tweets
Link to the presentations and Twitter will automatically embed the SlideShare. Followers can then flip through the presentation without having to leave Twitter.

Find out who has unfollowed you
Use manageflitter.com to track who has unfollowed you, plus:

• Sort your follower/following list by a range of criteria
• Easily manage multiple Twitter accounts
• Find out when most of your followers are online to schedule tweets
• Track keyword mentions

Facebook hidden features

Review other messages
To the right of your inbox, you’ll find the “Other” folder. This is where Facebook puts messages from people you’re not connected with.

Access quick stats
Click on one of your posts to see details including:

• The breakdown of likes, comments, and shares
• How posts look in the feed
• The actions people took on each post

Save links to read for later
There’s a “Save” option in the drop-down menu under the top, right corner of posts. Saved items are then viewable in one big chuck or broken down by category in the left menu list. The save option shows up for:

• Links
• Places
• Movies
• Music
• Books
• TV Shows
• Events

Manage posts to page
Other users can post to a business page by tagging a business name in their updates. These posts are then displayed in the sidebar section below your photos. Check these regularly for:

• Spam
• Customer service opportunities
• Engagement opportunities
• Content worth re-sharing to your main page

Reorder your page sections
Did you know that Facebook admins can rearrange the order of sidebar elements? While the “People” and “About” sections always remain in the top two spots, the remaining page sections can be dragged and dropped into other positions. Access this hidden feature by hovering on the About bar on the right until “Manage” appears.

Feature page owners and liked pages
In page settings manage the “Featured” settings to set which page owners show up on your “About” page and which page likes show up in your “Liked Pages” widget.

Google+

Share your circles with others
Go to “People” in the left drop-down menu, choose “Your Circles,” and click on the circle you want to share. Inside the actions menu, click “Share this Circle,” then you can compose a post that features this circle for others to follow.

Hidden features on LinkedIn

Message someone you’re not connected with

1. Join a common group. Group members can message each other without a direct connection.
2. Find a person’s post within the group.
3. Click the drop-down arrow and select “Reply Privately.”

Download a list of your connections
Click on “Connections” in the top menu then click the gear icon that appears in the top, right corner. In the advanced settings, the first option will be: “Export LinkedIn Connections.” You can download a list of connections along with:

• Name
• Title
• Company name
• Email address

Maintain LinkedIn relationship notes
Under each connected profile, there’s an option to add relationship notes. For example:

• How you met
• Reminders
• Contact information
• Other important details

All of this information is kept private.

Create a showcase page
Showcases are niche pages branched off a main company page that allow a company to promote specific products or market to a specific buyer. Click on the drop-down menu to the right of the edit button, the click on “Create a Showcase Page.” You can create up to 10 free showcase pages. Simply enter information as you would for a regular page, including links, images, and industry.

Source: https://www.salesforce.com/ca/blog/2015/07/hidden-social-media-features.html