Scott Monty

This Week in Digital - February 27, 2015

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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k_jAK8eJIf4/VPBz3sq_MtI/AAAAAAAAc_k/s6cq03u7A8g/s1600/Fruity%2BPebbles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The new Pebble watch - in full color" border="0" height="478" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k_jAK8eJIf4/VPBz3sq_MtI/AAAAAAAAc_k/s6cq03u7A8g/s1600/Fruity%2BPebbles.jpg" title="The new Pebble Time - in color!" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Forget llamas and blue/black vs. white/gold - it's Pebble Time, the world's most popular brands, the future of mobile search, major hires at Amazon and BuzzFeed, the intersection of porn and marketing, Facebook is concerned about suicides, Twitter hates trolls, YouTube loses money, Roadie and Roadster hit the collaborative street, a boost in podcast listening, using Google Analytics to know if your marketing is working, the number one city for tech and more, it's <b>This Week in Digital</b>.<br />
<br />
A roundup of relevant links affecting our industry.<br />
<br />
Each week, we compose a newsletter that includes a series of links about current events and trends in the worlds of technology, business, digital communications and marketing in order to keep leaders up to date on changes, newsworthy items and content that might be useful in your job. Please subscribe - either to <a href="http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?sub=95082" target="_blank">our full feed</a><a href="http://www.feedblitz.com/f?sub=968961" target="_blank"> just to this newsletter</a> to keep up to date on developments.<br />
<br />
If you’re on Flipboard, you can get these links by subscribing to the <a href="http://flip.it/IfN4O" target="_blank"><i>This Week in Digital Magazine</i></a>.<br />
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<hr /><b><i>The Content Marketing Institute just announced that John Cleese will be keynoting at <a href="http://cmi.go2cloud.org/aff_c?offer_id=22&aff_id=1159&url_id=106" target="_blank">Content Marketing World 2015</a> in September. No mention of whether he'll do a silly walk or a silly talk, but <a href="http://cmi.go2cloud.org/aff_c?offer_id=22&aff_id=1159&url_id=118" target="_blank">you can register here</a>.</i></b><br />
<hr /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">[Disclosure: affiliate link]</span></div><br />
<h4><b>Industry</b></h4><ul><li>The latest shiny object is almost here. Pebble, which got its humble beginnings via Kickstarter, is set to launch its next product - <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3042781/tech-forecast/pebble-time">the Pebble Time, a $199 color smart watch</a> with battery life of up to a week, will hit the street in May. (Fast Company) </li>
<li>This year's list of <a href="http://top50.infegy.com/">The World’s 50 Most Popular Brands</a>has been released; it's based on analysis of billions of online conversations. Top brands include Google, Twitter, Facebook and Apple. (Infegy)</li>
<ul><li>The brands most likely to convert digitally jaded consumers into purchasers <a href="http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/high_tech_telecoms_internet/brand_success_in_an_era_of_digital_darwinism?cid=other-eml-alt-mkq-mck-oth-1502">offer the strongest array of digital experiences</a>. It's Digital Darwinism at its finest. (McKinsey)</li>
</ul><li>You won't believe what the future of mobile search holds - and <a href="http://alexiskold.net/2015/02/22/ive-seen-the-new-face-of-search-and-it-aint-google/"it's not Google</a>. (Alex Iskold)</li>
<li>Do CIOs have what it takes to demonstrate influence corporate strategy? A new survey casts doubts over <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/cio/2015/02/23/most-cios-are-not-seen-as-influencing-corporate-strategy-report/?mod=djemCIO_h">the ability of CIOs to shift from running IT as a services organization to driving business growth</a>. (The CIO Report - WSJ)</li>
<li>Looking for ways to integrate the online and offline realms of retail? Here are <a href="http://www.cio.com/article/2887285/e-commerce/8-ways-to-create-a-successful-multichannel-customer-experience.html" style="font-weight: normal;">8 ways to create a successful multichannel customer experience</a>. (CIO)</li>
<li>Amazon hired former White House spokesman Jay Carney as their head of public relations and public policy. <a href="http://recode.net/2015/02/26/what-amazons-hire-of-former-obama-spokesman-says-about-its-pr-machine/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=rc_email_daily&utm_content=what-amazons-hire-of-former-obama-spokesman-says-about-its-pr-machine">It has profound implications on their strategy</a>. (re/code)</li>
<li>Career advice if you want to work for the marketing department of the future: "anyone who wants to get started in real digital marketing should work for a company that sells a specific product to a specific audience." The author of this piece should know; <a href="http://smonty.co/1FtSTTg">he got started in porn</a>. (Moz)</li>
<ul><li>Speaking of which, the card-snapping dudes on the Vegas strip may be a thing of the past, as <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/26/style/strippers-go-undercover-on-snapchat.html?_r=1">strippers and porn stars are using Snapchat</a> to send images of themselves for a small fee. (New York Times)</li>
</ul></ul><br />
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<h4><b>Platforms</b></h4><ul><li><b>Facebook </b></li>
<ul><li>People share a lot on Facebook - it may be scary how much the social network giant knows about you. But <a href="https://www.facebook.com/fbsafety/posts/817724748265365" target="_blank">their primary concern is safety</a> and they know enough to be able to <a href="http://time.com/3723472/facebook-suicide/" target="_blank">flag when individuals are at a risk of suicide</a>. (Facebook Safety and TIME)</li>
</ul></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><ul><li><b>Twitter </b></li>
<ul><li>Dick Costolo has vowed to <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/feb/26/twitter-costs-dealing-abuse-harassing-dick-costolo" target="_blank">crack down on trolls and abuse</a> that seem so rampant on Twitter. (The Guardian)</li>
</ul><li><b>Google</b></li>
<ul><li>Google may be on the cusp of <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/26/8115187/google-sundar-pichai-hangouts-china" target="_blank">separating Hangouts and Photos from Google+</a>, according to product chief Sundar Pichai. (The Verge) </li>
<li><a href="http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2015/02/finding-more-mobile-friendly-search.html" target="_blank">Mobile optimization counts</a>. Google says that SEO will be affected by whether your not your site is mobile-friendly. Also, information from indexed apps will appear in search results for users. (Google Webmaster)</li>
<li>Despite a 33% growth in revenue, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-still-doesnt-make-google-any-money-2015-2" target="_blank">YouTube still doesn't make money for Google</a>. (Business Insider)</li>
<li>The <a href="http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2015/02/youtube-kids.html" target="_blank">YouTube Kids App</a> is here, designed to make it easier and safer for kids to navigate the video platform.</li>
</ul></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="338" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OUmMAAPX6E8?rel=0" width="600"></iframe></div></div><ul><li>Video star Casey Neistat talks about <a href="https://gigaom.com/2015/02/23/social-media-star-casey-neistat-talks-snapchat-versus-youtube/" target="_blank">YouTube versus Snapchat</a>. (GigaOm)</li>
<li>In an effort to boost use and improve the user experience, Ev Williams announced that some changes are afoot and that <a href="https://medium.com/the-story/a-less-long-more-connected-medium-c345db2d6a56" target="_blank">a Less Long, More Connected Medium</a> is here. Long form and short form content are both welcome, and the goal is to make content easier to find, Improvements include things like inline editing, tagging and a better preview function in the stream. (Medium)</li>
<ul><li>More specifics on the <a href="https://medium.com/the-story/new-ways-to-write-and-read-on-medium-4c54e5eb6a3e" target="_blank">product announcement here</a>. (Medium)</li>
</ul></ul><br />
<h4><b>Collaborative Economy</b></h4><ul><li>The collaborative economy has friends and foes <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/accelerators/2015/02/20/weekend-read-liberal-and-conservatives-both-love-and-loathe-the-sharing-economy/" target="_blank">on both sides of the political aisle</a>. From regulatory disruption to hiring political operatives, there will be plenty for Democrats and Republicans to agree with and debate over. (WSJ)</li>
<li>Someone worked out a financial model <a href="https://medium.com/@kaleazy/a-financial-model-comparing-car-ownership-with-uberx-los-angeles-b7becd917095" target="_blank">comparing the cost of ownership of a car vs. using Uber</a>. (Medium)</li>
<li>Roadie is a delivery service that aims to pair road trip-bound college students with individuals who need packages delivered. And in a move seemingly inspired by Crowd Companies, <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/technology-bubble-ask-waffle-house-1424754062?mod=WSJ_hppMIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsSecond" target="_blank">Waffle House announced a partnership in which its network of locations will act as pickup stations</a>. (WSJ)</li>
<li>The latest collaborative effort is <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2015/02/24/roadster-launches-marketplace-to-help-new-car-buyers-skip-the-dealers/" target="_blank">Roadster, a service that is designed to help shoppers avoid the pain points of car buying</a>. Dealerships still remain an essential part of the equation with inventory and service, but Roadster eliminates the salesperson. (The Verge)</li>
</ul><br />
<h4><b>Content</b></h4><ul><li>We're always interested in the writing process. Who better then, to learn from than <a href="http://www.copyblogger.com/writer-files-shane-snow/" target="_blank">the founder of Contently</a>? (Copyblogger)</li>
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</div><h4><b>Audio</b></h4><ul><li>The highly anticipated Infinite Dial 2015 report from Edison Research is expected next week. A preview of the report included this nugget: approximately <a href="http://www.edisonresearch.com/monthly-podcast-listeners-grow-46-million-americans-12/" target="_blank">46 million people 12 and older have listened to a podcast in the last month</a>. That's a rise from 15% to 17% of the U.S. population. (Edison Research)</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TeFshoQ3ncs/VPB31zpzl3I/AAAAAAAAc_w/wJq-9q4aiJw/s1600/2015-Monthly-Podcast-Listening.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TeFshoQ3ncs/VPB31zpzl3I/AAAAAAAAc_w/wJq-9q4aiJw/s1600/2015-Monthly-Podcast-Listening.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<h4><b>Metrics / Measurement / Data</b></h4><ul><li>Social Media Examiner recently had Christopher Penn on their podcast to discuss <a href="http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/google-analytics-with-christopher-penn/" target="_blank">how to know when your marketing is working with Google Analytics</a>. (Social Media Examiner)</li>
<li>In our experience, marketers are too self-obsessed. With content as well as with their own data. Marketers should be looking at external market research and data to give "<a href="http://mashable.com/2015/02/23/marketers-data-research/" target="_blank">an outside frame of reference and bring that outside-in perspective to their thinking</a>." (Mashable)</li>
<li>If you're trying to determine who is the most influential as part of your marketing and communications, size doesn't matter; <a href="http://smonty.co/1Bdk05X" target="_blank">it's the nodes that count</a>. (SHIFT Communications)</li>
</ul><br />
<h4><b>Privacy / Security / Legal</b></h4><ul><li>Superfish, the software that can surpass HTTPS technology last week was found in Lenovo laptops. This week, the threat is wider with <a href="http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/02/ssl-busting-code-that-threatened-lenovo-users-found-in-a-dozen-more-apps/" target="_blank">Trojan.Nurax from Israeli software company Komodia infecting some 14 apps</a>. (Ars Technica) </li>
<li><a href="http://venturebeat.com/2015/02/24/spotify-exec-we-collect-an-enormous-amount-of-data-on-what-people-are-listening-to-where-and-in-what-context/" target="_blank">Spotify knows a great deal about you and your habits</a> - whether you're a free subscriber or if you pay. According to an executive, they collect an "enormous amount of data on what people are listening to, where, and in what context." (Venture Beat)</li>
</ul><br />
<h4><b>When You Have the Time: Essential Reading / Listening / Watching</b></h4><ul><li>The publishing business is heavily reliant on social media. But <a href="http://recode.net/2015/02/23/digital-content-and-the-social-flywheel/" target="_blank">what does the future hold as social networks cross over into publishing</a> in addition to content distribution? (re/code)</li>
<li><a href="http://recode.net/2015/02/24/hows-the-media-industry-these-days-confused/" target="_blank">How's the media industry these days?</a> Walt Mossberg concludes that it's confused, based on recent conversations with titans of music, video and the written word at the Code Media conference. (re/code)</li>
<li><a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/02/24/austin-beats-san-francisco-in-savills-tech-city-metrics/" target="_blank">Austin has outranked San Francisco as the No. 1 Tech City</a>, according to a report that ranks cities on five qualities:  property prices, talent pool, business environment, tech environment and quality of life. (WSJ Digits)</li>
<ul><li><a href="http://venturebeat.com/2015/02/23/buzzfeed-unveils-its-next-step-for-growth-in-san-francisco/" target="_blank">That hasn't stopped BuzzFeed</a>, which hired Wired's Mat Honan to head its San Francisco bureau and poached John Paczkowski from re/code and others. (Venture Beat)</li>
<li>Related: <a href="https://medium.com/market-insights/your-tech-startup-doesn-t-need-to-be-in-silicon-valley-866bb927c4d7" target="_blank">Your Tech Startup Doesn't Need to Be in Silicon Valley</a>. (Medium)</li>
</ul></ul><br />
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This Week in Digital - February 27, 2015

Forget llamas and blue/black vs. white/gold - it's Pebble Time, the world's most popular brands, the future of mobile search, majo...

5 Steps to Develop a Stronger Brand Narrative in Social Media

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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--7ky_TJFqTI/VOt9F0YIZeI/AAAAAAAAc4k/kmSr7FUKTxM/s1600/Millais_Boyhood_of_Raleigh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--7ky_TJFqTI/VOt9F0YIZeI/AAAAAAAAc4k/kmSr7FUKTxM/s1600/Millais_Boyhood_of_Raleigh.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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[<b><i>Editor's note:</i></b> the following is a guest post by Peter Friedman, CEO of LiveWorld]<br />
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Social media is a dynamic, never-ending flow of conversation and relationships among and between customers and the brands they. Expressing a brand in that context is very different from deploying a traditional marketing campaign. That’s why taking your brand social doesn’t start with a Facebook page or a clever tweet. It starts with considering how you’ll develop a brand narrative through your customers’ experiences and share them in this interactive space. <br />
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At LiveWorld we’ve developed a model called the <b>Social Brand Identity</b>, which provides the foundation for a truly integrated social presence. The Social Brand Identity starts with business goals, with the intent of connecting them to social implementation. It develops a cultural context to guide how customers will experience each other and the brand in social media; lays out how the brand will participate in social; and describes how the social program will be integrated with the rest of the marketing mix. A company might create a single overall social brand identity, one for each brand, or a combination of both, depending on its strategy and structure.   <br />
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The shortest version of the process has five steps.<br />
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<b>1. Define goals and target audience </b></h4>
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Social is a terrific business opportunity—if you treat it as a way to connect with your customers and deliver personal touch at scale. And so we start by defining the business objectives that will be served by the social media program. There have been several high-profile stories about big brands spending millions on social media but failing to see results and therefore shifting back to traditional media. <br />
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What you find when you peel back the onion is that these situations aren’t a failure of the medium, but a failure in the planning and, in turn, the execution. It’s not surprising that if you don’t know what success looks like upfront, you don’t see results. The key lies in how well a brand works to extend the in-store experience to customers in social spaces. <br />
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<b>2. Develop A Socialized Brand Statement </b></h4>
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Social media gives your brand the opportunity to relate more directly to customers. <b>But companies don't have relationships; people do.</b> [<a href="http://ctt.ec/126w7" target="_blank">Tweet this</a>] </div>
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To project your brand into a relationship-building space, you’ll need to re-conceive of the brand as a persona and a relationship dynamic—one that focuses on the relationships among your customers, not just relationships with the brand. Why would your customer want to “make friends” with you in social? How is the brand relating to its target audience? Are you a cool friend? An older sister? A parent? A teacher? The best boss they ever had? </div>
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For example, consider <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/2012/10/a-new-twist-on-content.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Oreo</a>: the clever cookie who you want at your Super Bowl party, or any party, because he’ll always crack the best jokes. Starting with the brand’s core positioning, work through how it will be experienced in the context of social media dialogue and relationships.  Think about what you’d like your customer to tell others about what they get from your brand in social media.</div>
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<b>3. Define Your Party Model </b></h4>
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If your brand’s social media presence were a party, what kind of party would it be: A sit-down dinner? A chic soiree? A country BBQ? Defining your online party model is incredibly important, because it doesn’t just define the content that the brand pushes out. It also helps define how fans relate to each other on the page—which in the end will shape your brand as much or more than your own content. <br />
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What kind of party you’ll throw and the kind of conversations that happen there depend on your goals, socialized brand statement, target audience, and of course the broader brand values and attributes you’d like to bring forward. </div>
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<b>4. Personalize and Socialize the Brand</b></h4>
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Now that you’ve developed the relationship dynamic of your brand. How else is the brand going to develop a unique voice in social media? Finding and engaging representatives among both your employees and your fans dramatically increases your ability to build and strengthen relationships in the social space. </div>
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Your most important social asset (after your customers) is your people. Can you find ways to let customers peek beyond the frontlines via social so that your company is no longer an entity, but a living breathing collaboration of people delivering your product? In this step, identify likely representatives that could be tapped immediately, and make a list of future ideas for brand involvement.<br />
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<b>5. Integrate Across Marketing</b></h4>
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Integration means featuring your social campaigns and platforms in your TV and print ads, packaging, web presence, events, and sales process. Not just listing your Facebook URL, but giving people a glimpse of the activity there, maybe featuring user content. Over time, social media will ideally not be bolted on to your traditional marketing. It will be foundational to the entire customer experience, touching people through your marketing, sales and customer support—that’s the truly socialized brand. While true integration will require the buy-in of your organization, start the process by creating this roadmap of what it would look like. </div>
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Remember, social media is all about conversation and relationships with customers. So don’t look at the Social Brand Identity as a final conclusion to how your brand will express itself in social media. It’s just the start.  As you develop followers, their activity will help you revise and improve your approach, leading to new answers and ideas for each of these steps. With customers’ help your brand will evolve and grow stronger and with it their loyalty.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Image source: "<a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Millais_Boyhood_of_Raleigh.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Millais_Boyhood_of_Raleigh.jpg">Millais Boyhood of Raleigh</a>" by <a class="extiw" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Everett_Millais" title="en:John Everett Millais">John Everett Millais</a>. Licensed under Public Domain via <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/">Wikimedia Commons</a>.</i></span></div>
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<b>About Peter Friedman</b><br />
<i>Peter Friedman (friedman@liveworld.com) is the Chairman and CEO of LiveWorld a services and technology company built to enhance the customer experience for global brands through social media. LiveWorld fosters social media environments that are natural continuations of the experiences customers have with brands—and with each other—in the real world. Solutions include: strategic planning, content development, engagement & moderation, program management, social advertising, social listening, measurement and reporting. LiveWorld is a trusted partner of the world’s largest brands including the category leaders in consumer-packaged  goods, financial services, retail and travel services. LiveWorld is headquartered in California with offices in New York City and San Jose. Learn more at <a href="http://www.liveworld.com/">http://www.liveworld.com</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/LiveWorld" target="_blank">@LiveWorld</a>.</i></div>
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5 Steps to Develop a Stronger Brand Narrative in Social Media

[ Editor's note: the following is a guest post by Peter Friedman, CEO of LiveWorld] Social media is a dynamic, never-ending flow...

This Week in Digital - February 20, 2015

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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M-E1yfwRolQ/VOar-CKbc7I/AAAAAAAAceo/OgXEPDLylLo/s1600/Apple%2BCar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Apple will be looking for customers with deeper pockets than Lowly Worm for its car" border="0" height="364" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M-E1yfwRolQ/VOar-CKbc7I/AAAAAAAAceo/OgXEPDLylLo/s1600/Apple%2BCar.jpg" title="The Apple Car?" width="640" /></a></div>
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The wondrous Apple Car, Microsoft's mobile comeback, the evolution of the NY Times' digital strategy, Facebook values videos, A/B test your tweets, Snapchat heads to Fashion Week, self-driving cars will disrupt many industries, when the sales guy controls the magazine cover, the nuances of B2B content marketing, the value of a chief marketing technologist, the future of journalism with David Carr and more, it's <b>This Week in Digital</b>.<br />
<br />
A roundup of relevant links affecting our industry.<br />
<br />
Each week, we compose a newsletter that includes a series of links about current events and trends in the worlds of technology, business, digital communications and marketing in order to keep leaders up to date on changes, newsworthy items and content that might be useful in your job. Please subscribe - either to <a href="http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?sub=95082" target="_blank">our full feed</a> or <a href="http://www.feedblitz.com/f?sub=968961" target="_blank">just to this newsletter</a> to keep up to date on developments.<br />
<br />
If you’re on Flipboard, you can get these links by subscribing to the <a href="http://flip.it/IfN4O" target="_blank"><i>This Week in Digital Magazine</i></a>.<br />
<br />
<hr />
<b><a href="http://amzn.to/1BsBcFO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>The Engaged Leader: A Strategy for Your Digital Transformation</i></a> is Charlene Li's latest book. And if it's anywhere near as insightful and instructive as her Open Leadership book, it will be well worth it. <a href="http://amzn.to/1BsBcFO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pre-order your copy today</a>.</b><br />
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<b>Industry </b></h4>
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<li>Apple fanboys specifically and the tech world in general were all abuzz about the proposed Apple car, which could <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-19/apple-said-to-be-targeting-car-production-as-soon-as-2020" target="_blank">hit the market as soon as 2020</a>. (Bloomberg)</li>
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<li>If the rumor is true, it's one of the worst kept secrets in Apple history. And some think that with the <a href="http://www.mondaynote.com/2015/02/15/the-fantastic-apple-car/" target="_blank">complexity, thin margins and lack of Moore's Law</a>, the auto market is simply not right for Apple. (Monday Note)</li>
<li>Former GM CEO Dan Akerson thinks <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-18/former-gm-ceo-akerson-cautions-apple-on-trials-of-making-cars" target="_blank">Apple is better off partnering with automakers</a> rather than taking on an entirely new industry. (Bloomberg)</li>
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[Aside: The supposed minivan's code name is "Titan," which may be an inside joke. Anyone familiar with the nautical history should be aware of the novella <a href="http://amzn.to/1DFKyNK" rel="nofollow" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">Futility, or the Wreck of the Titan</a> - a book written in 1898 about an ocean liner that struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic.]<br />
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<li>Microsoft - often the butt of "blue screen of death" jokes - <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/19/technology/personaltech/microsoft-has-suddenly-gotten-serious-with-mobile.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0" target="_blank">is making a comeback</a>. In mobile. And if you've used their Outlook app for iOS, you'll understand why. (New York Times) </li>
<li>Yahoo! is getting more deeply involved in mobile as <a href="http://www.cnet.com/news/yahoo-woos-app-makers-at-its-first-mobile-conference/" target="_blank">it hosts an app developers conference</a>. (CNET) </li>
<li>When the CPG business downsized half gallons of ice cream and orange juice to just 48 ounces, there was a mild backlash, but now we're living with it. But what about when <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cable-networks-are-speeding-up-tv-shows-to-cram-in-ads/" target="_blank">television networks speed up shows by 7.5% to be able to sell more commercials</a> (many of which are of the 15-second variety, which you can guarantee are more than half the price of 30-second spots)? (CBS News) </li>
<li><a href="http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2015/02/ny-times-elevates-digital-focus-202794.html" target="_blank">The New York Times continues to make digital more central to its strategy</a>. In a memo Thursday, Executive Editor Dean Baquet indicated that with mobile providing more than half of the traffic to the site, digital is king: "Desks will compete for the best digital, rather than print, real estate," he wrote. (Politico)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/08/advertising-is-the-internets-original-sin/376041/" target="_blank">The Internet's Original Sin</a>: after the very first ad appeared on the Internet, it was all downhill from there. (The Atlantic)</li>
</ul>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1cTsVtpLljg/Uk7VwvQE38I/AAAAAAAAJkY/H0hKhMhp6PE/s1600/Lets%2Bruin%2Bsomething%2Bwith%2Badvertising%2B-%2BSomeecards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1cTsVtpLljg/Uk7VwvQE38I/AAAAAAAAJkY/H0hKhMhp6PE/s1600/Lets%2Bruin%2Bsomething%2Bwith%2Badvertising%2B-%2BSomeecards.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Platforms </b></h4>
<ul>
<li>If you want to make informed decisions about your social media strategy and understand the changes in the social media landscape, including what new innovations arose in 2014 check out <a href="http://www.shiftcomm.com/about-shift/news/pr-resources/state-social-media/" target="_blank">SHIFT's The State of Social 2014</a> eBook. (SHIFT Communications) </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Facebook </b></li>
<ul>
<li>If you want to get more engagement on Facebook, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-photos-worst-for-organic-reach-socialbakers-video-text-2015-2" target="_blank">stay away from posting photos</a>. Once thought to be the top way to get readers to engage, it has fallen away to the more superior video post. (Business Insider) </li>
<li>Little wonder then, that <a href="https://medium.com/@BRaVeVentures/facebook-in-2014-and-the-road-ahead-adb013cc9500" target="_blank">video is a central play in Facebook's multi-channel network</a> (MCN) approach as it begins dealing with media companies and brands together. (Medium - BRaVe Ventures)</li>
</ul>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fjkxGYm7YzU/VOa4EUNKbiI/AAAAAAAAce4/haqE-LuKVaU/s1600/Facebook%2Bvideo%2Bengagement.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Facebook video is dominating" border="0" height="328" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fjkxGYm7YzU/VOa4EUNKbiI/AAAAAAAAce4/haqE-LuKVaU/s1600/Facebook%2Bvideo%2Bengagement.jpeg" title="The growing engagement of Facebook video" width="640" /></a></div>
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<li><b>Twitter </b></li>
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<li>In a blow to some CRM and social account management service companies, <a href="https://blog.twitter.com/2015/introducing-tweetdeck-teams" target="_blank">Twitter announced the introduction of TweetDeck Teams</a>, a way to share access to accounts without sharing passwords. (Twitter blog) </li>
<li><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/02/the-unbearable-lightness-of-tweeting/385484/" target="_blank">What good is Twitter</a> if it doesn't drive traffic to your website? (The Atlantic)</li>
<li>If you want to be retweeted more, check out <a href="https://chenhaot.com/retweetedmore/" target="_blank">this nifty online tool that's an instant A/B test</a> for your tweets. (Retweeted More)</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Snapchat </b></li>
<ul>
<li>In the media world, it's all about content distribution. That's why <a href="http://fusion.net/story/47528/snapchat-discover-could-be-the-biggest-thing-in-news-since-twitter/" target="_blank">Snapchat's Discover platform could be the biggest thing</a> for news and content discovery since Twitter. (Fusion) </li>
<li>Snapchat knows its users. Now <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/18/8064439/snapchat-update-record-video-play-music" target="_blank">Snapchat users can record video while streaming music</a>. (The Verge) </li>
<li>Fashion Week used to be all about Instagram. Now much of <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-18/for-an-insider-s-view-of-ny-fashion-week-just-download-snapchat" target="_blank">what's happening at Fashion Week can be found on Snapchat</a>. (Bloomberg)</li>
</ul>
<li>The New York Times is <a href="http://digiday.com/publishers/nytimes-instagram-strategy/" target="_blank">expanding its presence on Instagram</a>, with a number of handles to support different beats such as fashion, video, sports, marketing, travel and more. See how they use visual storytelling to help build awareness and loyalty. (Digiday)</li>
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<b>Collaborative Economy </b></h4>
<ul>
<li>Will <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3042248/the-gig-economy-wont-last-because-its-being-sued-to-death">lawsuits be the downfall</a> of the collaborative economy? (Fast Company) </li>
<li>What's another $1 billion to Uber? In this case, it's <a href="http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2015/02/18/uber-expands-funding-round-by-1-billion/">Series E financing</a> as the juggernaut continues. (NY Times Dealbook) </li>
<li>Talk of Apple and Google getting into the automotive business means that more <a href="http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2015/02/19/self-driving-cars-disrupt-the-crowd/">autonomous vehicles will disrupt more than just the auto industry</a>. (Web Strategy) </li>
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<b>Content</b></h4>
<ul>
<li>Over at Forbes, <a href="http://consumerist.com/2015/02/16/forbes-now-including-advertiser-created-content-on-front-cover-of-magazine/" target="_blank">"Revenue Dude" and "Product Guy" evidently have more say than the editor</a>, as native advertising stealthily invades the cover and they see nothing wrong with it. (Consumerist) </li>
<li>Twitter has the potential to be a great storytelling medium, if you know how to use it. Comedian Norm MacDonald spent an hour telling a multi-tweet story of what it was like behind the scenes at the SNL 40th anniversary show. <a href="http://gothamist.com/2015/02/18/norm_macdonald_snl_tweets.php" target="_blank">And it was a masterpiece</a>. (Gothamist) </li>
<li>Another great report to help you get your head around where things have evolved: <a href="http://contently.com/strategist/2015/02/18/the-state-of-content-marketing-2015/" target="_blank">the State of Content Marketing 2015</a>. (Contently)</li>
<li>A study by Regalix indicated that audience relevance, compelling storytelling, and video are among <a href="http://www.marketingcharts.com/traditional/b2b-content-marketing-update-goals-content-types-and-more-51592/" target="_blank">the most important elements of B2B content marketing</a> - and, interestingly, that sales is not a primary goal. Nuturing prospects and influencing purchases ranked first, followed by generating leads and creating awareness. (Marketing Charts)</li>
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<li>Related: B2B customers do not follow a traditional marketing funnel. If you're in the B2B world, <a href="http://www.mckinsey.com/Insights/Marketing_Sales/Do_you_really_understand_how_your_business_customers_buy?cid=mckgrowth-eml-alt-mkq-mck-oth-1502" target="_blank">do you really understand your customers</a>? (McKinsey)</li>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sRrW2-IDjJw/VOarchwpPDI/AAAAAAAAceg/VoNZtQ8viGo/s1600/Regalix-Most-Important-Elements-Effective-B2B-Content-Feb2015.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Most important elements in B2B content marketing are audience relevance and compelling storytelling" border="0" height="342" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sRrW2-IDjJw/VOarchwpPDI/AAAAAAAAceg/VoNZtQ8viGo/s1600/Regalix-Most-Important-Elements-Effective-B2B-Content-Feb2015.png" title="Most important elements in B2B content marketing" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Audio </b></h4>
<ul>
<li>David Carr's last piece of work was as a moderator at a discussion about podcasting at The New School. The panelists talk about what makes a good story, how many listeners a podcast needs to be financially sustainable (50,000), why Ira Glass is the dark lord of everything and <a href="http://www.techly.com.au/2015/02/16/11-insights-host-serial-titans-podcasting/" target="_blank">8 other insights from veteran podcasters</a>. (Techly) </li>
</ul>
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<b>Metrics / Measurement / Data  </b></h4>
<ul>
<li>Twitter is going large with <a href="https://blog.twitter.com/2015/answers-not-just-for-developers-anymore" target="_blank">mobile analytics with its Answers platform</a>, geared toward developers. (Twitter) </li>
<li>"Just because the CMO can decide on his or her own choice of technology, run it in the cloud, pay for it on a credit card, or from their cost center, it doesn’t mean they should." <a href="http://www.cmo.com/articles/2015/1/20/the_chief_marketing_.html" target="_blank">The case for the Chief Marketing Technologist</a>. (CMO.com)</li>
</ul>
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<h4>
<b>Privacy / Security / Legal </b></h4>
<ul>
<li>If you recently bought a Lenovo, you'll want to read all about <a href="http://thenextweb.com/insider/2015/02/19/lenovo-caught-installing-adware-new-computers/" target="_blank">Lenovo installing Superfish adware on its new computers</a>. (The Next Web) </li>
</ul>
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<h4>
<b>When You Have the Time: Essential Reading / Listening / Watching</b></h4>
<ul>
<li>Think you know Detroit? Think again. The city that built the original mobile technology is far more than cars and burned out buildings. In fact, it's experiencing a digital, technological and innovation rebirth as <a href="http://recode.net/special-series/detroit/" target="_blank">the multi-part series Detroit vs. Everybody</a> uncovers. (re/code)</li>
<li>David Carr continued to be remembered as <a href="http://mashable.com/2015/02/13/david-carr-new-media/" target="_blank">a champion of digital media</a> and <a href="https://medium.com/@nickbilton/the-two-best-pieces-of-advice-david-carr-ever-gave-me-7e4c32de6a55" target="_blank">a sage advisor</a>. (Mashable and Medium) </li>
<li><a href="http://www.bu.edu/today/2015/david-carr/" target="_blank">Boston University honored the memory of David Carr</a>, who was the Andrew L. Lack professor at the College of Communication, as an innovator with his eye on what journalism should be. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPlazqH0TdA" target="_blank">In the video below</a>, he discusses the future of journalism with Bloomberg Chairman Andy Lack and BU College of Communication Dean Tom Fiedler.</li>
</ul>
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This Week in Digital - February 20, 2015

The wondrous Apple Car, Microsoft's mobile comeback, the evolution of the NY Times' digital strategy, Facebook values videos, A/B...

You Can't Own a Conversation

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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HL42i7nhiV4/VOSdrT18gvI/AAAAAAAAcZo/mxAwJKHaqUE/s1600/speech-bubbles-310399_1280.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="412" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HL42i7nhiV4/VOSdrT18gvI/AAAAAAAAcZo/mxAwJKHaqUE/s1600/speech-bubbles-310399_1280.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Hashtags are everywhere. The convention began on Twitter years ago as a way to create centralized conversation topics between people that cared about the same thing but who weren’t necessarily following each other.<br /><br />It eventually spread to Instagram, Facebook and most major social networks. In fact, it’s so pervasive that the phrase has crept into live conversations, with people actually saying the word “hashtag” before whatever topic or phrase they’re focusing on.<br /><br />It was inevitable that brands would jump on the hashtag convention as a way to reach more people and draw more attention to topics that are important to them. But it can spiral out of control.<br /><br />With the #MyNYPD effort that was launched last year, the New York City Police Department was too focused on “getting its message out” rather than assessing the prevailing sentiment of its community. The group was hell-bent on achieving the aims of its own campaign rather than, in the spirit of community policing, being aware of issues and building relationships with the citizens they’re tasked with protecting. The visceral and harsh reactions with which the campaign was met were predictable.<br /><br />Last week we wrote about <a href="http://www.shiftcomm.com/2015/02/stop-hoping-overnight-success/">establishing trust with your audience</a>. It was an important reminder that trust is something that is built up over time because of doing things <i>repeatedly </i>and <i>consistently</i>.<br /><br />While consumers will always take the conversation wherever they want, based on passions, desires and issues, brands don’t need to be victimized in their efforts. For those that have taken the time to build relationships with and listen to customers, detractors and advocates will be in a better position to be supported by their audiences rather than vilified by them.<br /><br />No, you can’t own a conversation. But you can own relationships. And the relationships you create are your defense against missteps and critics.<div>
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[This post <a href="http://www.shiftcomm.com/2015/02/cant-conversation/" target="_blank">originally appeared</a> on the SHIFT Communications blog.]</div>
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You Can't Own a Conversation

Hashtags are everywhere. The convention began on Twitter years ago as a way to create centralized conversation topics between people tha...

How to Improve the Security of Your WordPress Site Quickly and Easily

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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5h60nh3EADE/VOJ2ZLAGzTI/AAAAAAAAcTw/n8FofnYTkp4/s1600/Pic%2B4%2B(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Security for your Wordpress site" border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5h60nh3EADE/VOJ2ZLAGzTI/AAAAAAAAcTw/n8FofnYTkp4/s1600/Pic%2B4%2B(2).jpg" title="Security" width="640" /></a></div>
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[<b><i>Note:</i></b> the following is a guest post.]<br />
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There are plenty of ways a hacker can gain access to your WordPress website. Your best line of defense is to make a hacker’s life as difficult as possible. If you make hacking your website as inconvenient as possible, then there is a good chance your WordPress blog will remain unmolested for the rest of its running life. As a side note, using plugins is the easiest way to improve security without too much effort, but there are a few things you should know before you start installing plugins. <br />
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<b>Brute Force Attacks </b></h3>
These are the most common attacks because they are the easiest to perform. A hacker need not even do any hacking or any programming. You can buy a Brute Force program, load it onto a cloud system and have it run the program night and day until a password is found. You can even reuse the same program by paying a programmer a small fee to adjust it to suit the next program or account you wish to hack. <br />
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Luckily for you, Brute Force attacks can be fought against if you are proactive with your security. Create a longer and more complex password and the Brute Force program will need a lot longer to crack your password. If you then resolve to manually change your password every 72 days then the odds of the program cracking your password are millions to one. <br />
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<h3>
<b>Default settings and information</b></h3>
The default settings on your WordPress account are a big security threat. A hacker will use default information on all the accounts that he or she tries to hack. If you have kept your default username or password, then you have just made hacking your website a lot easier and more convenient for the hacker. Luckily for you, all you have to do is change your defaults to something you created that is original. <br />
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On that note, you should never re-use passwords both on your accounts and across your accounts. If you reused passwords on your WordPress blog, then you make Brute Force login attempts relevant again (making the process easier for the cracker). If you use the same password across different accounts, then when one is hacked all the others will be hacked. A hacker will try numerous other accounts by default because he or she knows that people reuse passwords across accounts.<br />
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<h3>
<b>Use plugins for security and hide your version number</b></h3>
If a hacker knows what version of WordPress you are using, it becomes a lot easier to hack your website. This is especially true if your website is run with an older version of WordPress; which is also a good reason why you should update whenever you can. <br />
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There are plugins on the market that will remove the version number from your WordPress account so that hackers cannot see which version you are using without gaining direct access (or guessing). There are also plugins that tighten up your security too, and many of them require very little effort from you at all. <br />
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<b>Plugins you may like to try</b></h3>
Be very careful of article such as these that promote the use of plugins because they are usually funded by the WordPress plugin developers themselves. With that said, here are a few plugins you may like to research and try. They are security plugins that remove a lot of the manual work from securing your WordPress website. As a side note, be very careful when downloading from third-party sites. There is a WordPress run plugin marketplace that features numerous trusted plugins you can download. <br />
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<b><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/all-in-one-wp-security-and-firewall/" target="_blank">All-in-one WP security and firewall</a></b></h4>
This is a plugin that is free and it has a lot of features that help to tighten your WordPress security. It is better that you use a plugin such as this rather than the paid security your hosting package offers. This is a plugin that does tweaks smaller coding issues so they are not as inviting for hackers. It also features a firewall that may help protect your website from more active attacks. <br />
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<b><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/block-bad-queries/" target="_blank">BBQ - Block Bad Queries</a></b></h4>
This is not a very popular plugin, but it offers a trouble free solution to blocking malicious requests. It is a very simple plugin and is good because it works behind the scenes to protect your website from spammers that are hoping to bring it down. It has had over 180,000 downloads and was updated in September 2014, but this is not an issue as it is a simple app and doesn’t need frequent updates.<br />
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<b><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/better-wp-security/" target="_blank">iThemes Security (formerly Better WP Security)</a></b></h4>
This is the number one security plugin on the WordPress marketplace. It has the most users and highest rating of them all. It is an umbrella security plugin, which means it has its finger in all the pies. It makes hacking your website difficult, makes installing malware on your website difficult, and makes your website appear harder to hack than it actually is.</div>
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Whichever approach you take, you'd do well do consider the security threats to your WordPress site. And frankly, running a combination of the above defensive moves could put you in the best position to avoid any hacking attempts.</div>
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<i><b>About the contributor:</b></i> <i>Michael McPherson is a graduate student from Boston University, freelance blogger and a regular contributor at <a href="http://www.topreviewstars.com/">www.topreviewstars.com</a>.</i></div>
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How to Improve the Security of Your WordPress Site Quickly and Easily

[ Note: the following is a guest post.] There are plenty of ways a hacker can gain access to your WordPress website. Your best line ...

This Week in Digital - February 6, 2015

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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tTBWvEHtN2U/VNTIs5EoC5I/AAAAAAAAb1M/r1X8x9a91dQ/s1600/Left%2BShark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Now THIS is what we call jumping the shark!" border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tTBWvEHtN2U/VNTIs5EoC5I/AAAAAAAAb1M/r1X8x9a91dQ/s1600/Left%2BShark.jpg" title="Left Shark" width="640" /></a></div>
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The FCC does the right thing and Gawker does not, Shack attack, Millennials want human interactions with brands, Facebook turns 11 and turns down promotional posts from brands, a huge week of Twitter news and product improvements, how to produce your own podcast, the increasing importance of data for marketers and communicators, online reference checks get tougher, questioning the magic of Super Bowl ads, the surprise breakout star from the Big Game, and more, it's <b><i>This Week in Digital</i></b>.<br />
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A roundup of relevant links affecting our industry.<br />
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Each week, I compose a newsletter that includes a series of links about current events and trends in the worlds of technology, business, digital communications and marketing in order to keep leaders up to date on changes, newsworthy items and content that might be useful in your job. And now you have the option of <a href="http://www.feedblitz.com/f?sub=968961">subscribing just to this newsletter</a> if you wish.<br />
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If you’re on Flipboard, you can get these links by subscribing to the <a href="http://flip.it/IfN4O">This Week in Digital Magazine</a>.<br />
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And if you like this newsletter/update, please consider mentioning it to @ShortyAwards, who are looking for the best #BusinessBlogger content <a href="http://shortyw.in/businessblogger">http://shortyw.in/businessblogger</a></h4>
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<b>Industry</b></h4>
<ul>
<li>The FCC has come down <a href="http://www.wired.com/2015/02/fcc-chairman-wheeler-net-neutrality/" target="_blank">squarely in favor of consumers with its net neutrality ruling</a>, with "<i>the strongest open internet protections ever proposed by the FCC. These enforceable, bright-line rules will ban paid prioritization, and the blocking and throttling of lawful content and services</i>." (Wired)</li>
<li>As part of its Super Bowl efforts, Coca-Cola has launched #MakeItHappy, a campaign designed to turn away from the negativity, trolling and bullying so often seen on the web. The automated social media program took negative words and turned them into cute art. <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/coca-cola-suspends-makeithappy-social-campaign-162775" target="_blank">Until they were forced to shut it down thanks to a professional troll at Gawker</a>. Of course, an unchecked automated bot could get you into just that kind of trouble. (Adweek)</li>
<li>A week of mixed news for Shacks:</li>
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<li><a href="http://fortune.com/2015/01/29/shake-shack-ipo-price-above-range/" target="_blank">Shake Shack raised $105 million</a> in its highly anticipated IPO. (Fortune)</li>
<li>But Radio Shack is ending a 94-year run as <a href="http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2015/02/05/radio-shack-files-for-chapter-11-bankrutpcy/" target="_blank">it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection</a>, (NY Times Dealbook) just after announcing a deal with Sprint and <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-03/amazon-said-to-mull-buying-radioshack-stores-in-retail-expansion" target="_blank">allowing Amazon to buy some of its stores as retail outlets</a>. (Bloomberg) [See below for a longer piece]</li>
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<li>In a survey of 3,000 19-33 year-olds, smartphone-owning Millennials expect brands to meet their needs, including having mobile-friendly websites or apps. Their second biggest priority? Some <a href="http://www.marketingcharts.com/online/how-smartphone-owning-millennials-expect-brands-to-use-technology-51040/" target="_blank">44% want brands to still maintain some form of human interaction with them</a>. (Marketing Charts)</li>
</ul>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CFf0HkA5EnA/VNTejy7gvuI/AAAAAAAAb1k/-Cd-B4N6uzA/s1600/Millennials-Brands-Tech-Use-Expectations-Feb2015.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="368" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CFf0HkA5EnA/VNTejy7gvuI/AAAAAAAAb1k/-Cd-B4N6uzA/s1600/Millennials-Brands-Tech-Use-Expectations-Feb2015.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<h4>
<b>Platforms</b></h4>
<ul>
<li><b>Facebook</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Happy 11th birthday, Facebook! <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-facebook-used-to-look-like-2015-2" target="_blank">Boy, have you grown up</a>. (Business Insider)</li>
<li>According to a Havas Media / Crowd Emotion study, <a href="http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/243011/consumers-blind-to-branded-content-on-social-med.html?edition=79840" target="_blank">users are now blind to branded content on Facebook</a>. Given the repetitive and typical billboard-style/interruptive/insipient nature of the content (which already appears on other platforms), it's not surprising. (MediaPost)</li>
<li>Facebook has a solution to that: <a href="http://recode.net/2014/11/14/facebook-news-feed-update-cuts-down-on-promotional-brand-posts/" target="_blank">cutting down on promotional posts by brands</a> - again, affecting organic reach. (re/code)</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Twitter</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Here's <a href="http://www.shiftcomm.com/2015/02/state-social-q4-2014-twitter-flies-rough-skies/" target="_blank">Twitter's Q4 by the numbers</a>. Highlights: slowed user growth (which Twitter claims was because of <a href="http://recode.net/2015/02/05/how-twitter-lost-4-million-users-because-of-apples-ios-8/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=rc_email_daily&utm_content=how-twitter-lost-four-million-users-because-of-apples-ios-8" target="_blank">an iOS 8 glitch</a>), better monetization and more press than its larger competitor, Facebook. (SHIFT Communications)</li>
<li><a href="http://venturebeat.com/2015/01/30/twitter-launches-version-of-vine-for-kids-for-ios/" target="_blank">Twitter launched a Vine app for kids</a>. I know what you're thinking: "Vine is for <i>adults</i>?" (Venture Beat)</li>
<li>With its new <a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/02/twitter-displays-its-value-with-instant-timeline-for-new-users/?_r=0" target="_blank">Instant Timeline for new users</a>, Twitter is trying to create value without requiring much setup or involvement from new sign-ups. (NY Times Bits blog)</li>
<li>Also in an effort to reach more users, <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-05/twitter-said-to-reach-deal-for-tweets-in-google-search-results" target="_blank">Twitter has a deal with Google in which tweets will show up in Google search results</a> as soon as they're posted. This is particularly important with regard to breaking news, as Twitter tends to have that information first. (Bloomberg) </li>
<li>The Promoted Tweet ad unit is now available <a href="http://recode.net/2015/02/03/with-an-eye-on-wall-street-twitter-starts-selling-twitter-ads-outside-of-twitter/" target="_blank">outside of Twitter</a>. In this way, Twitter hopes to expand its content (or at least brands' content) to other areas of the web. (re/code)</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Instagram</b></li>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://recode.net/2015/02/03/instagram-update-means-you-wont-miss-videos-from-your-friends-or-brands/" target="_blank">Videos shared to Instagram will now loop</a>, without the option to pause them, until users scroll past them. (re/code)</li>
<li>Similar to other initiatives at Facebook and Snapchat, <a href="http://digiday.com/platforms/instagram-looks-expand-editorial-team/" target="_blank">Instagram is hiring former journalists</a> for its editorial team, including a senior features editor. (Digiday)</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
<h4>
<b>Collaborative Economy</b></h4>
<ul>
<li>Uber is giving Google a run for its money and is opening up <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/02/02/uber-opening-robotics-research-facility-in-pittsburgh-to-build-self-driving-cars/" target="_blank">a robotics research arm to build self-driving cars</a>. So much for the jobs promised by the sharing economy... (TechCrunch)</li>
<ul>
<li>Is Google striking back <a href="http://thenextweb.com/insider/2015/02/03/google-reportedly-planning-use-driverless-cars-compete-uber/" target="_blank">with a car-sharing development of its own</a>? (The Next Web)</li>
</ul>
<li>In a change of attitude, <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/hard-driving-uber-gives-compromise-a-try-1422588782" target="_blank">Uber is attempting to soften its approach</a> by negotiating agreements with regulators and legislators. (WSJ)</li>
<li>The sharing economy isn't about sharing at all - <a href="https://hbr.org/2015/01/the-sharing-economy-isnt-about-sharing-at-all" target="_blank">it's about access and convenience</a>. (Harvard Business Review)</li>
</ul>
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<br />
<h4>
<b>Audio</b></h4>
<ul>
<li>With the success of Serial and the like, you can guarantee that there will be an uptick in DIY audio. Here's a guide on <a href="http://www.convinceandconvert.com/content-marketing/how-to-produce-a-podcast/" target="_blank">how to produce a podcast</a> from veteran podcaster Jay Baer. (Convince and Convert)</li>
</ul>
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<br />
<h4>
<b>Metrics / Measurement / Data / Security</b></h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/marketing_sales/The_dawn_of_marketings_new_golden_age?cid=mckgrowth-eml-alt-mkq-mck-oth-1502" target="_blank">Marketing is entering the dawn of a golden age</a>. Don't believe it? They're boosting their precision, broadening their scope, moving more quickly, and telling better stories. That counts for something. (McKinsey)</li>
<li>Math can be hard, particularly for communicators. <a href="http://www.shiftcomm.com/2015/02/embracing-the-data-driven-pr-future-and-math/" target="_blank">That doesn't mean you can escape the future, though</a>. (SHIFT Communications)</li>
<li>Data is a top priority for marketers. But <a href="http://www.marketingcharts.com/online/are-marketers-leveraging-data-driven-insights-for-their-top-priorities-50893/" target="_blank">87% consider data the most underutilized asset in marketing</a>. It could stem from a belief that their <a href="http://www.marketingcharts.com/online/state-of-data-quality-continues-to-worsen-50897/" target="_blank">data quality is questionable</a>. (Marketing Charts)</li>
</ul>
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<h4>
<b>Legal / Security / HR</b></h4>
<ul>
<li>Anthem, the second largest healthcare insurer in the U.S., was plagued by <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/gregorymcneal/2015/02/04/massive-data-breach-at-health-insurer-anthem-reveals-social-security-numbers-and-more/?ss=business" target="_blank">a data breach that compromised the data of 80 million members</a>. (Forbes)</li>
<li>With significant attacks on Anthem and Sony in the news, it should be no surprise to find a new provider claiming to be Snapchat for business. When the CTO of on such company calls the cloud "a drunken copier machine," it's clear that there's a need for <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/4/7974611/snapchat-for-work-ephemeral-apps-confide-tigertext" target="_blank">a service that manages corporate documents on mobile devices</a>. (The Verge)</li>
<li>Have you found a job that's perfect for you? Perhaps you think you have all of the right skills and personality traits for the job but there's one catch: you don't have the proper work experience or references. No problem. Companies like Career Excuse and Paladin Deception will <a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-fakers" target="_blank">create websites, references and even entire businesses to fake it for you</a>. (Motherboard)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>When You Have the Time: Essential Reading / Listening / Watching</b></h4>
<ul>
<li>Radio Shack is an American institution: it's been with us for nearly a century, plugging along, and now its slow-motion collapse is a spectacle for all to see. <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2015-02-02/inside-radioshack-s-slow-motion-collapse" target="_blank">But exactly how did Radio Shack get here?</a> (Bloomberg)</li>
<ul>
<li>And more importantly, where will I go for my next soldering iron? </li>
</ul>
<li>With so many ads being posted before the game, <a href="http://qz.com/336394/the-magic-of-super-bowl-ads-is-gone-forever/" target="_blank">is the magic of Super Bowl ads gone forever?</a> (Quartz)</li>
<li>She's an icon of Silicon Valley - a Stanford superstar, an early Google employee and now the CEO of Yahoo! <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/marissa-mayer-made-700-million-before-turning-40--here-are-5-lessons-from-her-incredible-career-2015-1" target="_blank">Lessons from Marissa Mayer's success</a>. (Business Insider)</li>
<li>Left Shark was the breakout star of the Super Bowl Halftime show. And now <a href="http://thechive.com/2015/02/03/left-shark-has-taken-over-the-internet-25-photos/" target="_blank">he's the star of the Internet</a>. (The Chive)</li>
<ul>
<li>Related: You know you've made it <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-31164440" target="_blank">when Katy Perry's lawyers come after you</a>. (BBC)</li>
</ul>
</ul>
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This Week in Digital - February 6, 2015

The FCC does the right thing and Gawker does not, Shack attack, Millennials want human interactions with brands, Facebook turns 11 and t...

Scott Monty - Strategic Communications & Leadership Advisor