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
- It was not a good week for airlines and social media.
- First, American Airlines received a terrorist threat that later turned out to be coming from a 14 year-old Dutch girl who was playing around. She was later arrested, but multiple copycat tweets have been following. (Deadspin and CNN)
- Then, @USAirways tweeted a pornographic image that later caused the web to blow up with ridicule and questions. It turns out the link was to an inbound image that was being routed for handling, and the individual running the account inadvertently pasted the wrong link in a reply to a customer. The individual will not be fired. (Mashable and CNN Money)
Who put this guy in charge of the @USAirways Twitter account?? pic.twitter.com/azXBUQtdJy
— Jon Eiseman (@Jon_Eiseman) April 14, 2014
- Ford is called out for having a strong social strategy that incorporates a wide variety of platforms. (Econsultancy)
- Not surprising, but most of the interaction on social networks happens on mobile devices. (comScore)
The Platforms
- With its acquisition of Gnip, Twitter is signaling that it is getting serious about the sophistication of its data offering. (Twitter blog and re/code)
- As Twitter continues to roll out its redesign, it's clear why they need to create a more engaging site: because 44% of Twitter accounts have never sent a tweet. (WSJ Digits)
- Google has expanded its use of +Post ads to allow brands to turn Google+ content into display ads. Available to pages with more than 1,000 followers, brands need to opt in to shared endorsements and use material that's relevant to their audiences. (The Next Web)
- Facebook is cracking down on spam in your News Feed by eliminating like-baiting and spammy links and reducing repetitive content. (Facebook)
- In an effort to help users connect IRL, Facebook is launching an optional feature called Nearby Friends. (TechCrunch)
- Flickr's mobile apps for iOS and Android are being updated to be more competitive with Instagram. (The Verge)
Measurement / Metrics / Big Data
- Google is using Acxiom to measure the impact of online ads on purchases in physical stores. (WSJ Digits)
Legal / HR
- Retailer Duane Reade may find itself in some legal trouble after tweeting a picture of actress Kathrine Heigl without permission that implied that she endorsed their brand. While individuals or media companies may use such publicly available images, when a brand acts this way, it is different because it is seen as a promotion tied to commerce. (LinkedIn)
- General Mills is taking a lead in what may become a trend: they have added language to their legal terms on their site alerting customers that they void their right to sue the company if they like its brands on Facebook. (New York Times)
Content
- When brands get into smack-downs with each other, there are pros and cons. (Contently)
- Three brands that are wildly succeeding at branded content are: Red Bull, General Electric and Intel. Find out why. (CMO.com)
- Here's a unique way of getting more readers: simplify your process the way Quartz is doing with its newsletter. (Nieman Journalism Labs)
- Millennials love user-generated content. In fact, they trust it 50% more than other media. (Mashable)
- There are plenty of content distribution platforms to help spread your message. Here's a way to judge who has the best offering. (Contently)
Essential Reading/Watching/Listening
- The next big social platform? It doesn't exist. Chat apps, anonymous platforms and visual media-first properties are creating fragmentation. (SHIFT Communications)
- The debate has raged about Facebook throttling the News Feed to allow more personal content to flow through at the expense of organic brand content. A recent commentary has called it Facebook's Goodfellas Moment. (Contently)
- BuzzFeed is making social TV a reality with its Social Tune In Program that will debut with IFC and Bravo. The BuzzFeed Block will be a 360-degree program that includes BuzzFeed's brand an unique voice on air and sponsored content online. The program design recognizes that a good deal of social TV is asynchronous. (BuzzFeed)
- Something to think about: is it wise to have employees that are connected 24/7? (Bertrand Duperrin's Notepad)
- Pay attention to audio.
- About one-fifth of weekly radio usage in the US and Canada occurs on digital sources, and year-over-year mobile listening apps have seen a 50% increase. (Marketing Charts)
- All the more reason for the latest wearables craze to focus on audio devices, or "hearables." (PSFK)
- Erik Qualman (@equalman) updated his Socialnomics video for 2014. Lots of great statistics on the state of the digital/social world today.
Image credit: quintanomedia (Flickr)
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