Twitter's biggest challenge, a major acquisition, the rise of the platishers, Facebook click fraud - or not, Facebook "truthers," the dark horse social network, WeChat is taking on too much, finding your marketing moral compass, the IAB's measurement and big data announcements, how to make audio go viral, the return to anonmity and more, it's This Week in Digital.
A roundup of relevant links affecting our industry.
Each week, I compose a newsletter that includes a series of links about current events and trends in the worlds of technology, social media, mobile, digital communications and marketing in order to keep leaders up to date on changes, newsworthy items and content that might be useful in their jobs.
If you have additional links, sources or ideas that might be helpful, I'd encourage you to add some via a comment below. And if you’re on Flipboard, you can get these links by subscribing to the This Week in Digital Magazine.
Each week, I compose a newsletter that includes a series of links about current events and trends in the worlds of technology, social media, mobile, digital communications and marketing in order to keep leaders up to date on changes, newsworthy items and content that might be useful in their jobs.
If you have additional links, sources or ideas that might be helpful, I'd encourage you to add some via a comment below. And if you’re on Flipboard, you can get these links by subscribing to the This Week in Digital Magazine.
Industry
- There's a subtle change going on in the industry as media companies and tech platforms are blurring lines more than ever before. Publishers offer technology that allows any user to create content and platform companies are hiring editors and content creators. It's the Rise of the Platishers. (re/code)
- Lithium plans to acquire Klout. Analysts indicate that the social customer service company and the social influencer ranking company are a great fit in terms of data sharing and customer profiling. The $100M deal was all stock. (re/code)
The Platforms
- The slow growth in Twitter's user base (as reported in last week's quarterly financial report) indicate that the challenge ahead for Twitter is one of indifference. (WSJ)
- Indeed, Twitter may be everywhere, but it hasn't yet gained widespread appeal. (ValueWalk)
- One way it might be trying to counter this is through a drastic redesign that's reminiscent of Facebook. (Mashable)
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| Image via Mashable |
- Yahoo is teaming up with Yelp to integrate reviews into search. (PC Mag)
- Keep your attention on LinkedIn: with a higher growth rate and revenue per user over Twitter and a diversity of revenue, it's the social network dark horse. (SHIFT Communications)
- Some argue that WeChat is trying to do too many things; one of those is booking taxi rides. (Tech in Asia)
- Related: private ride app Uber has officially launched in Manila. (Tech in Asia)
- A controversial video found its way onto the front page of reddit this week. Its premise: that fake Facebook Page likes are fraudulently, causing some to buy more ads. At issue: spam bots and like farms. (Veritasium, The Next Web)
- A clever analysis debunked most of this myth however, noting that the potential fraud was likely to occur when buying page likes, adding, "if you buy Facebook ads like it's 2012, you deserve the results you get." (Jon Loomer)
- More about Facebook "truthers" and the willingness of the crowd to believe anything horrible about the largest social network. (Slate)
Measurement / Metrics / Big Data
- Esurance reported some impressive numbers post-Super Bowl. One analyst argues that they shouldn't be taken at face value. (Experience: The Blog)
- We are all data companies. Recognizing this, the IAB has issued 10 best practices for handling big data. (AdRants)
- The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has released a new definition of advertising engagement (Defining and Measuring Digital Ad Engagement in a Cross-Platform World), indicating that it is a complex measurement, critical for core metrics, the need for industry benchmarks of performance, the dependence on creative as well as platform, that it encompasses more than physical interaction, and that social media is more than a single form of engagement. (IAB)
- Speaking of engagement, a number of publishers revealed their January numbers on Facebook, and Buzzfeed topped the list. (AllFacebook)
Legal / HR
- The estate of James Dean is suing Twitter over a fan's account. (USA Today)
Content
- There seem to be many different definitions for content marketing. The 5 Ps (Plan, Produce, Place, Publish, Promote) help to narrow things down. (Digital Intelligence Today)
- Humor in content is a great idea (if you can pull it off). But humor in B2B content? When done right, it's an amazing combination. (Ann Handley)
Bookmark / Read / Watch Later
- It's an old article, but one worth reading just the same, as it pinpoints a type of myopia that affects virtually everyone who's a communicator, marketer or otherwise a storyteller: The Pitfalls of NASCAR Blindness. (AdWeek)
- NPR is experimenting with building earworms in an effort to determine what makes audio go viral. (Nieman Journalism Lab)
- Brand loyalty is an ever-moving target and consumers are more well-informed than ever before. (New Yorker)
- What are you willing to do for a click? What do you stand for with respect to consumer interaction? Put another way, what's your marketing moral compass? (Inc.)
Commentary
Will anonymity kill the web? Or will the web kill anonymity?
The latest trend online appears to be apps that let users post anonymously. We all remember the classic New Yorker cartoon, "On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog." With the advent of the social web, our interactions have largely been tied to our online personae, save the likes of message boards or other sites designed to mask identities.
Even Google's recent merging of YouTube IDs with Google+ accounts has been a move to cut down on the insipid, inane and even hateful comments on the video sharing site, by tying actual identities to users. The idea is that when you're clearly identifiable, you're less likely to be hurtful.
So, imagine the surprise when we discovered that Facebook is about to let you go anonymous for the first time. This is counter to their established position that identity and integrity go hand in hand. But with the rise of popular apps such as Secret and Whisper, it's no surprise to see Facebook turning this way. After all, they've adopted hashtags and trending topics to mimic Twitter; they established direct messages within Instagram to combat Snapchat - of course after being turned down to the tune of $3 billion. Still, it seems a bit of a stretch for Facebook to give up on one of its core values simply to allow people to do more without being easily identified.
But the relative freedom to say whatever you feel may have a price. Whether it's the appearance of trolls or the audience's own lack of tolerance for outlandish statements, it may be a short-lived effort. If anything, the increase in digital communication has proven that logging out and enjoying real face-to-face conversations are more valuable than anything.
And you can't do that anonymously.
Even Google's recent merging of YouTube IDs with Google+ accounts has been a move to cut down on the insipid, inane and even hateful comments on the video sharing site, by tying actual identities to users. The idea is that when you're clearly identifiable, you're less likely to be hurtful.
So, imagine the surprise when we discovered that Facebook is about to let you go anonymous for the first time. This is counter to their established position that identity and integrity go hand in hand. But with the rise of popular apps such as Secret and Whisper, it's no surprise to see Facebook turning this way. After all, they've adopted hashtags and trending topics to mimic Twitter; they established direct messages within Instagram to combat Snapchat - of course after being turned down to the tune of $3 billion. Still, it seems a bit of a stretch for Facebook to give up on one of its core values simply to allow people to do more without being easily identified.
But the relative freedom to say whatever you feel may have a price. Whether it's the appearance of trolls or the audience's own lack of tolerance for outlandish statements, it may be a short-lived effort. If anything, the increase in digital communication has proven that logging out and enjoying real face-to-face conversations are more valuable than anything.
And you can't do that anonymously.
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| via Joy of Tech |
Do you have a hot tip or a topic that you think should be covered next week? Share it in a comment below.
Image credit: anon617 (Flickr)
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