The Bitcoin hiccup, plenty of post-WhatsApp acquisition chatter, Facebook getting up in LinkedIn's business, Twitter tweaks its product for growth, a surprising data analyst hire at the New York Times, a software vendor guide for employee advocacy, looking at the intersection of journalism and content marketing, conversational advice from 1866 that's still relevant today 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.
Industry
- The Bitcoin industry is under scrutiny after the failure of Mt. Gox, the largest Bitcoin exchange. The site was hacked and withdrawals were halted, and now lawmakers are calling for oversight of the industry. Bitcoin prices fell to below $500 on Tuesday before picking back up. (Forbes)
- Growth in mobile has been something to watch the last three years, but nowhere more than Asia. It should be clear that the future of the mobile Internet is in Asia. (Tech in Asia)
- Sina, parent company of Weibo, has an upcoming IPO - at the same time that WeChat is funneling away a number of its users. (Marketplace)
- Email is in the news. Marketers must be more careful and deliberate than ever in their email efforts.
- Mobile-only email viewers jumped 64% in 2013. (eMarketer)
- Facebook is ending its @facebook.com email system. (Re/Code)
- Gmail is rolling out a prominent unsubscribe feature. (Christopher Penn)
The Platforms
- More on the WhatsApp acquisition from last week:
- Even with the WhatsApp acquisition, Facebook doesn't quite own Asia. (Tech in Asia)
- WhatsApp CEO Koum says they'll be remaining independent. (WSJ Digits)
- Some think that WhatsApp was worth more than $19 billion; those people include Mark Zuckerberg. (The Next Web and TechCrunch)
- WhatsApp is adding voice calls to its services in Q2. (CNN)
- In December, Facebook changed the algorithm that dictates how your News Feed looks. Here's what you need to know about that, particularly if you're responsible for content on a company Facebook Page. (Business Insider)
- When you do determine how to leverage advertising against that content, take these 8 Golden Rules for Surefire Success with Facebook Ads as a guide. (Arik Hanson)
- Facebook has started to allow ad targeted based on job titles, a direct shot across the bow of LinkedIn. (AdAge)
- When Facebook Pages tag other Pages in posts, it will now show in your News Feed. This is particularly relevant for companies with multiple Pages who wish to cross-promote content. (The Next Web)
- Is Facebook dead to millennials? When asked to share their top 3 social networks, Facebook still dominated. (SHIFT Communications)
- Not a surprise, but most brands on Twitter are able to draw crowds yet are still unable to hold a conversation. (MediaPost)
- Here's a look at brands that are performing well on Twitter. Ford was noted as a champion of customer service response rates, while Microsoft has the fastest response time. (AllTwitter)
- Twitter is making tweaks to its product to boost revenue and growth. (Bloomberg Businessweek)
Measurement / Metrics / Big Data
- To help make sense of the data and behavior patterns, the New York Times hired a biology researcher as its chief data scientist. (Fast Company)
Legal / HR
- Terms of Service are a powerful thing. Even with the "anonymish" apps like Secret and Whisper, users still risk exposure. In short: if it's on the Internet, it's not private. (Mashable)
- As more is asked of employees to be brand advocates, inevitably it needs to be managed. This guide to social employee advocacy software looks at the two dozen or so vendors and what they offer. (Social Media Governance)
- Paramount Pictures, citing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), requested the suspension of a Twitter account that was sharing the movie Top Gun, frame by frame.
Content
- Top journalists are flocking to brands. Here's why. (Contently)
- Journalists deal in content all day long, which makes them a great source of content marketing lessons. (Contently)
- Eighteeen content marketing myths - and how to bust them.
- Amtrak has established a long-term residency program for writers who wish to use its trains to practice their craft. (The Wire)
- The world is moving quickly. How you tell your story in a fast-paced world is more critical than ever, and this video sums up the challenges and opportunity well. Caution - NSFW language.(Gary Vaynerchuk)
Bookmark / Read / Watch Later
- Corporate culture comes in many different flavors, and goes beyond the top-down change management programs. There are some critical components to a truly effective culture. (strategy+business)
- Understanding your audience and becoming audience-centric is key to marketing success, says Edison Research's Tom Webster. (MarketingProfs)
- The Art of Conversation: Timeless, Timley Dos & Don'ts from 1866 is brilliantly applicable to the web today. (Brain Pickings)
- Audio continues to surface in the area of storytelling. (NY Times Sunday Review)
- Two pieces from Forbes delve into the hidden dangers and the upsides of brands and influencers working together:
Image credit: Antana (Flickr)
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