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 biggest news this week came from Amazon, as they released their Fire Phone. Taking a closer look, MG Siegler notes that what's most remarkable about this device is not that it's another smartphone, but it's a smart camera. (Medium)
- Wikipedia has strengthened its rules against undisclosed editing, which means that if you're in the reputation management business, you should make Wikipedia editing part of your core competency. (WSJ Digits & Holtz.com)
- As communications technology continues to develop, more brands are questioning the value of large agencies or holding companies, in favor of smaller agencies' abilities to get the job done. (Holmes Report)
Platforms
- Facebook is putting the power into users' hands by giving them the power to make ads better by having some say over what they see. (Facebook)
- Of course, this means that good advertising will be rewarded over bad. So what does this mean for brands? (Digiday)
- Here are 25 pieces of advice you need to build an awesome Facebook page. (Socially Stacked)
- A recent report shows just how precipitously organic reach has fallen on Facebook. (Contently)
- Twitter now has the capability to support animated GIFs on their website, iOS and Android. Don't say we didn't warn you. (The Next Web)
- Bio Is Changed is a service that will alert you any time someone you follow changes his/her profile photo or bio on Twitter. Sneaky. (re/code)
- Continuing down the path of social TV, Twitter has acquired SnappyTV, a service for sharing video clips from broadcast. (Twitter blog)
- YouTube is requiring independent musicians to sign up for its subscription music service, or they'll risk being removed from YouTube altogether. (The Guardian)
- Ensuring integration, Tumblr native ads (or "sponsored posts," as Yahoo calls them) will be appearing across Yahoo properties. (Mashable)
Measurement/Metrics/Big Data
- With more demand for data, performance numbers and ROI, PR tech is the future. (Mashable)
- But be careful not to chase numbers; editorial judgment is still necessary. (Contently)
- The good news is that the data and analytics options are wide and varied, and by using an integrated approach, marketing analytics can help drive growth. (McKinsey)
- The Financial Times is ditching CPMs for time spent as a metric. (Contently)
Legal/HR
- In the United Kingdom, it is completely legal for British spies to monitor citizens' social media activities. (CNBC)
Content
- The single best indicator of valuable content -- you might be surprised. (SHIFT Communications)
- Content is one thing. But when combined with trust and influence, you've got something. (Spin Sucks)
Essential Reading/Watching/Listening
- A fascinating long read: Facebook's plan is much bigger than its eponymous app; Facebook wants to own your phone. (Fast Company)
- Mitch Joel reflects on the two data points that demonstrate what's wrong with digital marketing today, which essentially say that branding doesn't work with digital. He rightly states and asks: "…we confuse advertising with marketing. We don't count websites, social media, apps and more as part of our branding experience. Why? Why don't we do this?" (Twist Image)
- And almost as if to answer this lament, in Mastering Digital Marketing, McKinsey's David Edelman explains what companies get wrong when it comes to digital marketing and the changes needed to better engage consumers. [If you cannot see video, please click the link.] (McKinsey)
Image credit: Ben Schumin (Flickr)
