Scott Monty

This Week in Digital - April 25, 2015

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The giant Google said "fee-Fi-fo-fum" - but only to one Android device, Comcast and Time Warner are too big to succeed, a growing disaffection with Silicon Valley, "Mobilegeddon" arrives, YouTube turns 10, Facebook changes its News Feed (no, really!), Twitter allows you to be DM'd by users you don't follow, a 5-minute major for Periscope and Meerkat, Gett gets what Uber doesn't, defining "public," the state of storytelling in the age of the Internet 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 and more 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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News items are in regular text; <i>additional commentary has been added in italics</i>.<br />
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<h4>
<b>Industry</b></h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2015/04/project-fi.html" target="_blank">Google announced Project Fi</a>, its wireless network for the Nexus 6 phone (an Android device). The service, a hybrid of LTE networks from T-Mobile and Sprint as well as wifi, is a low-cost alternative that includes free calling and texting, and charges $10 per GB of data. And if you don't use an entire GB of data, you're refunded the difference. (Official Google Blog) </li>
<ul>
<li>More on <a href="http://recode.net/2015/04/22/googles-project-fi-what-it-means-for-consumers-google-and-the-carriers/" target="_blank">what Fi means for consumer</a>s. (re/code) </li>
</ul>
<li><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-23/comcast-said-planning-to-withdraw-offer-for-time-warner-cable" target="_blank">Comcast plans to drop the Time Warner deal</a> amid likely delays, questions and opposition from regulators. (Bloomberg)</li>
<li>Between the European Union's Google smackdown, the Zuckerberg privacy battle and what some see as overvalued start-ups, <a href="http://qz.com/386571/are-we-starting-to-fall-out-of-love-with-silicon-valley/" target="_blank">are we falling out of love with Silicon Valley?</a> (Quartz)</li>
<li>The U.S. Office of Government Ethics has <a href="http://www.oge.gov/OGE-Advisories/Legal-Advisories/LA-15-03--OGE-Issues-Legal-Advisory-on-the-Standards-of-Conduct-and-Social-Media/" target="_blank">issued social media guidelines for federal employees</a>. It's a good idea for <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/article/2910820/feds-lay-down-social-media-rules-enterprises-should-too.html" target="_blank">enterprises to do the same</a>. (OGE, ComputerWorld)</li>
<ul>
<li>Here's an excellent resource on <a href="http://socialmediagovernance.com/policies/" target="_blank">social media policies from hundreds of companies</a>. (Social Media Governance)</li>
</ul>
<li>In the 9th edition of the <a href="http://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/technology-media-and-telecommunications/articles/digital-democracy-survey-generational-media-consumption-trends.html" target="_blank">Deloitte Digital Democracy Survey</a>, it was found that social media is an important and <a href="http://qz.com/388418/the-unstoppable-rise-of-social-media-as-a-source-for-news/" target="_blank">growing source of news for Millennials</a>. (Deloitte, Quartz) </li>
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<b>Platforms</b></h4>
<ul>
<li><b>Google</b></li>
<ul>
<li>"Mobilegeddon" arrived on Wednesday, as Google changed its search algorithm to favor companies <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/04/20/websites-prep-for-googles-mobilegeddon/" target="_blank">that have mobile-optimized sites</a>. (WSJ Digits Blog)</li>
<li>Google is also <a href="http://searchengineland.com/google-replaces-a-sites-url-from-the-search-results-uses-their-site-name-breadcrumb-path-219064" target="_blank">changing the display of sites in mobile search</a> to include the site name and breadcrumb path rather than URLs. (Search Engine Land)</li>
<li>You can determine whether your site passes the test on <a href="https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/" target="_blank">this mobile-friendly test site</a>. (Google)</li>
<li>As we all know, Google+ is being dismantled into its more popular parts. Here are <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2015/04/17/five-reasons-why-google-died/" target="_blank">five reasons that it didn't work out</a> the way that Google had hoped. (Forbes)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.economist.com/news/business-and-finance/21649460-most-popular-site-online-video-turns-ten-today-its-growth-has-been-record-smashing" target="_blank">Happy Birthday, YouTube!</a> The video sharing and search site turned 10 this week. Here's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw" target="_blank">the first video ever posted on YouTube</a>. (The Economist)</li>
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<li><b>Yahoo</b></li>
<ul>
<li>That Microsoft / Yahoo deal from last week? Here's <a href="http://marketingland.com/yahoo-microsoft-deal-explained-125423" target="_blank">a handy FAQ about it</a>. (Marketing Land)</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Facebook</b></li>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/04/22/facebook-hello/#.gwfldk:vMQx" target="_blank">Facebook's new Android caller ID app Hello</a> is a call screening tool on steroids. (TechCrunch)</li>
<li><a href="http://newsroom.fb.com/news/2015/04/news-feed-fyi-balancing-content-from-friends-and-pages/" target="_blank">Facebook is changing its News Feed algorithm</a> (<i>surprised?</i>) so you'll see fewer repeat posts based on what your friends have liked. It's designed to allow users to see more posts from close friends. Of course, this means that brand pages may be negatively affected. <i>As if it wasn't hard enough to get your posts in front of people.</i> (Facebook)</li>
<li><a href="http://recode.net/2015/04/22/facebook-users-are-notching-four-billion-video-views-every-day/" target="_blank">Video views are up to 4 billion per day</a> on Facebook. <i>Note to self: remember to make all of my content auto-play.</i> (re/code)</li>
<li><a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/04/17/whatsapp-hits-800000-users-1-billion-by-year-end/" target="_blank">WhatsApp now has 800 million monthly users</a> - and may have 1 billion by the end of 2015. (WSJ Digits Blog)</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Twitter</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Twitter is getting more serious about <a href="https://blog.twitter.com/2015/policy-and-product-updates-aimed-at-combating-abuse" target="_blank">combating abusive and violent behavior</a>, as they introduced new policies and a product feature that will identify abusive tweets and limit their reach. (Twitter)</li>
<li>Search results on the web will have an expanded view with tabs, <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2015/04/21/twitter-is-testing-a-new-look-for-search-results-on-the-web/" target="_blank">according to tests Twitter is running</a>. (Venture Beat)</li>
<li>Users can now <a href="https://blog.twitter.com/2015/easier-than-ever-to-have-private-conversations" target="_blank">receive direct messages from anyone</a>, regardless of <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/04/20/twitter-now-lets-you-opt-in-to-receive-direct-messages-from-anyone/" target="_blank">whether or not they're following them</a>. <i>Don't worry, it's opt-in.</i> (Twitter, TechCrunch)</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Instagram</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Using Instagram for brands can be a bit of a manual effort - unless you're using some of these <a href="http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/623f61c0-0f4c-44cc-ae97-6fdbc9d4bc23.aspx" target="_blank">13 tools for managing Instagram</a>. (PR Daily)</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Periscope / Meerkat</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Well, that didn't take long: <a href="http://mashable.com/2015/04/22/periscope-meerkat-banned-nhl/" target="_blank">the NHL has officially banned Periscope and Meerkat</a>. <i>If they want to catch perpetrators, that's a lot of hockey they're going to have to watch live.</i> (Mashable) </li>
</ul>
<li>There are way too many social media management tools out there - and they'll all tell you they're better than the next. Here's <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2015/04/21/28-social-media-management-tools-rated-scored-and-reviewed-study/" target="_blank">a breakdown of the most popular</a>. (Venture Beat)</li>
</ul>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SP1BOCU_o4M/VTmqOTYzg5I/AAAAAAAAejo/8vB17kZY2T0/s1600/Social%2BMedia%2BTools%2Bused.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Most used social media management tools" border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SP1BOCU_o4M/VTmqOTYzg5I/AAAAAAAAejo/8vB17kZY2T0/s1600/Social%2BMedia%2BTools%2Bused.png" title="Most popular social media tools" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Collaborative Economy</b> </h4>
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<li>In the midst of upheaval and disruption from upstarts like Etsy, Uber and Airbnb, Jeremiah Owyang does an excellent job categorizing the <a href="http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2015/04/20/18505/" target="_blank">six strategies that companies can take to lead the collaborative economy</a>. (Web Strategy)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3045261/getts-alternative-to-uber-style-surge-pricing" target="_blank">Gett provides an alternative to the surge pricing of Uber</a>. Their strategy? They pay drivers more when demand is high, but they don't charge customers more. (Fast Company)</li>
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<b>Content</b></h4>
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<li><b><i>Area Company Relies on Satire Site for News</i></b>: The Onion has <a href="http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2015/04/onion-custom-content-agency/" target="_blank">its own in-house agency</a> that works with brands and makes them funny. (Content Marketing Institute)</li>
<li>BuzzFeed deleted certain editorial-side articles <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/20/business/media/buzzfeed-says-posts-were-deleted-because-of-advertising-pressure.html?_r=0" target="_blank">after advertisers complained</a>. <i>Does this signify the beginning of the end of the church and state relationship of journalism and advertising?</i> (New York Times)</li>
<li>Believe it or not, <a href="http://contently.com/strategist/2015/04/16/story-hackers-how-the-biggest-companies-in-silicon-valley-are-using-content-to-fuel-their-growth/" target="_blank">content can be used to fuel the growth of a company</a>. Here are examples of certain startups that are relying on content - in some cases print publications - to help grow their businesses. (Contently)</li>
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<b><i>Have you got your ticket yet for <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? Thousands attend this signature event for the content marketing industry - <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 />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">[Disclosure: affiliate link]</span><br />
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<b>Audio</b></h4>
<ul>
<li>Norway will become the first country <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/19/8453165/norway-end-fm-radio-2017" target="_blank">to shut down FM radio</a>, reported the appropriately-named Radio.no. <i>That's strange; we would have predicted the demise of AM radio beforeFM radio.</i> (The Verge)</li>
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<b>Metrics / Measurement / Data</b></h4>
<ul>
<li>If you missed the webinar on Google Analytics for PR Professionals, it's <a href="http://www.shiftcomm.com/webinar-google-analytics-basics-for-pr-professionals/" target="_blank">available as as replay here</a>. (SHIFT Communications)</li>
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<b>Privacy / Security / Legal</b></h4>
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<li>The FBI pulled a security expert off of a United flight, <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/17/technology/security/fbi-plane-hack/" target="_blank">fearing that he was going to hack into the plane's systems</a> after a questionable tweet. <i>Security can't be overestimated these days, and with the fears of <a href="http://www.wired.com/2015/03/hacked-fridges-arent-internet-things-biggest-worry/" target="_blank">personal data access through the Internet of Things</a>, it's understandable why they'd take that step.</i> (CNN Money)</li>
<li>There's alternatively so much debate about privacy and so much ignorance of what we put online. But just <a href="https://medium.com/message/what-is-public-f33b16d780f9?sectionName=recommended" target="_blank">what is considered public?</a> (Medium)</li>
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<h4>
<b>When You Have the Time: Essential Watching / Listening / Reading</b> </h4>
<ul>
<li>We live in a fascinating time when so many different forms of content are available to us so inexpensively and so ubiquitously. <a href="https://medium.com/@readthisthing/the-state-of-storytelling-e607aaf6eeb2?sectionName=recommended" target="_blank">The state of storytelling in the Internet age</a> may interest you. (Medium)</li>
<li>Do you have too many contacts across too many address books? Maybe it's <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/clean-up-your-messy-android-and-iphone-contacts-without-going-mad-1429637144" target="_blank">time to clean them up</a>. (WSJ)</li>
<li>You might be surprised at <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3045148/work-smart/8-habits-of-curious-people" target="_blank">eight habits of curious people</a>. <i>Only the truly curious among you will click through</i>. (Fast Company)</li>
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<i>Image credit: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfFHnBQ6nQg" target="_blank">YouTube</a></i></div>
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This Week in Digital - April 25, 2015

The giant Google said "fee-Fi-fo-fum" - but only to one Android device, Comcast and Time Warner are too big to succeed, a gro...

Remember These Four Rules When Preparing Your Strategy

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Inspiration can come from any source. Part of being a lifelong learner, storyteller and strategic planner is having an open mind and keeping a wide variety of reading material at hand.<br />
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Recently, my alumni publication, Bostonia, published <a href="http://www.bu.edu/bostonia/2014/seinfelds-costanza-gives-master-class-in-acting-at-cfa/">an article</a> about Jason Alexander giving a master class in acting to Boston University’s College of Fine Arts.  While you probably best know him as George Costanza from Seinfeld, Alexander is an accomplished actor on the stage, as well as in movies and on television.  As such one can imagine that he learned a few things along the way. He had a number of mentors over the course of his career, both at the university as well as in his professional capacity.<br />
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One of them, legendary acting coach Larry Moss, told Alexander that there are four rules that actors must remember when preparing for a role:<br />
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<ol>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;">Who am I talking to?</span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;">What do I want them to do?</span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;">What do I do to make them do that?</span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;">What’s in the way of me getting what I want?</span></b></li>
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It struck me for two reasons: first, it’s a fairly simple formula. Breaking a complex process down into easy and understandable bits helps make it more accessible by those who may be novices or who may not understand the process behind the craft. Second, the formula almost reads like a strategic or creative brief in the development of a campaign or project.<br />
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Rather than getting caught up in the how, this set of questions helps focus on the three most important parts of a communications strategy: the why, the what and the who. In other words, strategy, objective and audience.<br />
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This isn’t to say that communicators or marketers are actors, trying to fake something or play make believe. But rather that it is a craft that needs fine-tuning and constantly needs to take into account external factors, including how to determine whether or not an effort is successful.<br />
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And how do you go about determining your success? According to Alexander, there’s a very simple way:<br />
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"The audience will tell you whether or not you’ve been effective in communicating your story."</blockquote>
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By having a strong strategy, a concrete set of objectives and identifying your audience, combined with listening, responding and shaping your message, you have an opportunity to perform well. And that just might get you a standing ovation.<br />
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This piece <a href="http://www.shiftcomm.com/2015/03/four-rules/" target="_blank">originally appeared on the SHIFT blog</a>.<br />
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Remember These Four Rules When Preparing Your Strategy

Inspiration can come from any source. Part of being a lifelong learner, storyteller and strategic planner is having an open mind and kee...

This Week in Digital - April 17, 2015

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The EU rebukes Google, we finally get to see the net neutrality rules, the troubling growth of ad blocking, Yahoo prepares a new product launch, statistics on teens and Facebook, Twitter's data grab, LinkedIn's largest acquisition yet, Snapchat sneakily lures Uber and Lyft engineers, the lawyer that wants to curtail the collaborative economy, a free webinar on Google Analytics for communicators, hiring data artists, BuzzFeed's origins in the 1920s 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 and more by subscribing to the <a href="http://flip.it/IfN4O" target="_blank"><i>This Week in Digital Magazine</i></a>.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
News items are in regular text; <i>additional commentary has been added in italics</i>.<br />
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<h4>
<b>Industry</b></h4>
<ul>
<li>The Federal Register <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-net-neutrality-federal-register-fcc-20150413-story.html" target="_blank">published the FCC's net neutrality rules</a>, the first time the public has seen the rules in their entirety - two months after they were approved. (LA Times)</li>
<li>As India debates the merits of net neutrality, <a href="http://qz.com/384865/facebooks-internet-org-is-falling-apart-in-india-as-the-country-debates-net-neutrality/" target="_blank">Facebook's Internet.org is suffering</a> as many media companies are pulling out of the initiative amid concerns about how online traffic is treated. (Quartz)</li>
<li><a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/cmo/2015/04/09/growth-of-ad-blocking-adds-to-publishers-worries/" target="_blank">The growth of ad blocking</a> concerns publishers and the IAB as Internet users become more savvy and adopt new blocking tools. (WSJ CMO Today)</li>
<li>Social network advertising spending continues to rise; in 2015, the global total is projected to be $23.68 billion - growing to nearly $36 billion by 2017. Canada and the United States are projected to increase their spending by 30% this year alone, with a per-user spend that is more than double that of Western Europe. (eMarketer)</li>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zM7UBnrtwyc/VTEUDLvrjJI/AAAAAAAAeVY/m8xrlVkqq7U/s1600/Social%2BNetwork%2BAd%2BSpending%2BWorldwide%2B2013-2017.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Global social network advertising spending from 2013 - 2017" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zM7UBnrtwyc/VTEUDLvrjJI/AAAAAAAAeVY/m8xrlVkqq7U/s1600/Social%2BNetwork%2BAd%2BSpending%2BWorldwide%2B2013-2017.gif" title="Social network ad spending globally, 2013-2017" /></a></div>
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<b>Platforms</b></h4>
<ul>
<li><b>Google</b></li>
<ul>
<li>The European Union is <a href="http://marketingland.com/how-google-went-from-search-engine-to-content-destination-19272" target="_blank">charging Google with antitrust violations</a> stemming from its search practices that favor Google sites over non-Google sites. <i>For a longer discussion about what Google stands for, see the final section below</i>. (CNBC)</li>
<li>Google is in talks to allow advertisers to <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/google-may-offer-new-way-to-target-ads-1429044389" target="_blank">target ads in search results at their existing customers</a>, using email as the key identifier and giving it a leg up against Facebook's Custom Audiences feature.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Yahoo</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Yahoo is preparing to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/here-comes-the-first-major-consumer-product-from-yahoo-while-marissa-mayer-is-ceo-2015-4" target="_blank">launch its first product in 32 months</a> - the first product that Marissa Mayer has overseen during her tenure there. The mobile app will "combine live and recorded video and text." (Business Insider)</li>
<li><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/04/16/microsoft-and-yahoo-renew-search-allian/#.gwfldk:pHr9" target="_blank">Microsoft and Yahoo renewed their search alliance</a>, with an enhanced search experience across platforms and a change in sales staffs - Microsoft growing its and Yahoo shrinking its. (TechCrunch)</li>
<li>Yahoo was <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/04/15/sources-yahoo-in-talks-to-buy-foursquare/#.gwfldk:4Uwg" target="_blank">rumored to be in talks to buy Foursquare</a> - wait, <a href="http://recode.net/2015/04/15/sources-say-yahoo-foursquare-are-not-in-talks/" target="_blank">no it wasn't</a>. (TechCrunch and re/code)</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Facebook</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Branded videos on Facebook are prohibited unless supported by advertising. Some entities are <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/cmo/2015/04/08/on-facebook-some-skirt-rules-requiring-permission-for-branded-entertainment-videos/" target="_blank">skirting the rules by selling packages to marketers</a> to guarantee views, but cutting Facebook advertising out of the process. <i>With product placement becoming more prominent, this will become an increasingly gray area, difficult to determine where a primary or third party message begins and ends.</i> (WSJ CMO Today)</li>
<li>Remember the canard that teens are leaving Facebook? According to the Pew Research Center, <a href="http://recode.net/2015/04/08/what-teen-problem-facebook-still-dominates-among-teenagers/" target="_blank">Facebook is still the primary destination for 71% of teens</a>. Coming in at #2 is Instagram - which happens to be owned by Facebook. (re/code)</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Twitter</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Twitter has <a href="https://blog.twitter.com/2015/updating-trends-on-mobile" target="_blank">updated its trends feature on mobile</a>, showing descriptions with each trend. (Twitter)</li>
<li>When unregistered users reach the Twitter homepage, <a href="http://recode.net/2015/04/15/twitter-homepage-adds-sampling-of-tweets-to-lure-new-users/" target="_blank">they'll be greeted by sample tweets</a> to boost their engagement, thanks to a new redsign. (re/code)</li>
<li>Twitter has <a href="http://blog.datasift.com/2015/04/11/twitter-ends-its-partnership-with-datasift-firehose-access-expires-on-august-13-2015/" target="_blank">cut off Firehose access to DataSift</a> (and other third party data resellers) as it steps up its own efforts to <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/04/11/twitter-cuts-off-datasift-to-step-up-its-own-b2b-big-data-analytics-business/?ncid=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=sfgplus&%3Fncid=sfgplus#.gwfldk:ljT3" target="_blank">sell big data analytics services</a>. (DataSift and TechCrunch)</li>
</ul>
<li><b>LinkedIn</b></li>
<ul>
<li>LinkedIn has always been the most professional social network, most commonly associated with hiring and recruiting. But now with <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/article/linkedin-buys-lynda-com-for-1-5-billion/" target="_blank">its $1.5 billion acquisition of Lynda.com</a>, LinkedIn is moving into the training and development area as well. (ZDNet)</li>
<li>With the launch of Elevate, <a href="http://blog.linkedin.com/2015/04/13/elevate/" target="_blank">LinkedIn is helping companies empower employees</a> by curating content and making sharing easier. (LinkedIn blog)</li>
<ul>
<li>Seems like an answer to <a href="https://hbr.org/2015/04/why-no-one-uses-the-corporate-social-network" target="_blank">Why No One Uses the Corporate Social Network</a>. (HBR)</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<li><b>Periscope / Meerkat</b></li>
<ul>
<li>After what has seemed an epochal wait, <a href="http://thenextweb.com/creativity/2015/04/16/meerkat-launches-public-beta-on-android/" target="_blank">Meerkat has released an Android app</a>. (The Next Web)</li>
<li>Thinking of livestreaming <i>Game of Thrones</i>? That could <a href="http://mashable.com/2015/04/13/periscope-game-of-thrones/" target="_blank">result in your account being closed</a>. (Mashable) </li>
<li>Is Twitter pushing <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/04/12/this-stream-aint-big-enough-for-the-both-of-us/#.gwfldk:tkhR" target="_blank">celebrities to use Periscope over Meerkat</a>? (TechCrunch) </li>
</ul>
<li><a href="http://recode.net/2015/04/13/snapchat-is-no-longer-selling-its-original-ad-unit-brand-stories/" target="_blank">Snapchat is no longer selling Brand Stories</a>, its original ad unit, and is "fine tuning" its offerings. <i>Could it be that too many brands found the non-negotiable $750,000 price tag too high?</i> (re/code)</li>
</ul>
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<h4>
<b>Collaborative Economy</b> </h4>
</div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/04/15/ola-series-e-400-million/" target="_blank">Uber's biggest rival in India, Ola, has raised $400M</a> and will expand to 200 cities by the end of the year. <i>Given public concern about Uber's safety in that country, Ola may have a good shot at dominating the market.</i> (TechCrunch)</li>
<li>Ride is a new ridesharing app that aims to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-cofounder-oscar-salazar-launches-ride-2015-4" target="_blank">make your commute cheaper, easier and better for the environment</a> - and it was launched by Uber's former CTO. (Business Insider)</li>
<li>Snapchat is creatively <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/kathleenchaykowski/2015/04/15/snapchat-sneakily-uses-its-own-app-to-poach-uber-engineers/" target="_blank">using its own app's geo-filters to poach engineers</a> from Uber and Airbnb.  Ads pop up only when users are near the companies' headquarters, with a message that reads "Is this place driving you mad?" (Forbes)</li>
<li><a href="http://fusion.net/story/118401/meet-the-lawyer-taking-on-uber-and-the-on-demand-economy/" target="_blank">A Boston lawyer specializing in worker misclassification lawsuits</a> may be the collaborative economy's worst nightmare. At stake is whether drivers for Uber, Lyft and the like are employees or independent contractors. (Fusion</li>
<li>Want to know <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-certify-study-2015-4?op=1" target="_blank">how much Americans already rely on Uber</a>? See it in this one chart. (Business Insider)</li>
</ul>
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<h4>
<b>Content</b></h4>
<ul>
<li>Evidence as to <a href="http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2015/04/real-time-marketing-wont-work/#.VSXE0uiRD5Y.linkedin" target="_blank">why real-time marketing won't work - aside from the fact that most brands simply don't know how to work in real time - and why responsive marketing is a better alternative.</a> (Content Marketing Institute)</li>
<li>If you're looking for a platform that gives you more flexibility with your content than the typical social networks, try <a href="http://medium.com/" target="_blank">Medium</a>. Here's a great resource on <a href="https://blog.bufferapp.com/how-to-use-medium" target="_blank">How to Use Medium: A Complete Guide for Marketers</a>. (Buffer) </li>
<li>Did you ever wonder about <a href="http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2012/02/content-marketing-vs-social-media-marketing/#.VTBeF3OERds.twitter" target="_blank">the difference between social media and content marketing</a>? It boils down to location (social network vs. website), length of content and objectives (brand awareness vs. demand generation), among other things. (Content Marketing Institute)</li>
</ul>
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<b><i>Have you got your ticket yet for <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? Thousands attend this signature event for the content marketing industry - <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 />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">[Disclosure: affiliate link]</span><br />
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<h4>
<b>Audio</b></h4>
<ul>
<li>The Electronic Frontier Foundation has claimed victory as <a href="https://www.eff.org/press/releases/eff-busts-podcasting-patent-invalidating-key-claims-patent-office" target="_blank">the US Patent Office has invalidated the so-called "podcasting patent"</a> held by Personal Audio, LLC - the company that famously sued Adam Carolla and other high-profile podcasters. (EFF)</li>
<li>The relative inexpensive costs of podcasts <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelthomsen/2015/04/07/podcasts-are-doing-to-advertising-what-uber-has-done-to-transportation/" target="_blank">may do to advertising what Uber has done to transportation</a>. (Forbes)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/spotify-nears-deal-to-raise-400-million-at-84-billion-valuation-2015-04-10" target="_blank">Spotify is close to raising $400M</a> on an $8.4 billion valuation in its seventh round of funding. Currently 70% of its revenue is paid to artists in the form of royalties. (MarketWatch)</li>
</ul>
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<h4>
<b>Metrics / Measurement / Data</b></h4>
<ul>
<li>If you'd like to get up to speed on Google Analytics as an ally for earned media, my colleague Christopher Penn will be hosting <a href="http://www.shiftcomm.com/webinar-google-analytics-basics-for-pr-professionals/" target="_blank">a free webinar on Tuesday, April 21</a>. (SHIFT Communications)</li>
<li>With the heavy focus on data and analytics in communications and marketing, it's tempting to hire the brainiest analyst that you can find. However, <i>insights</i> are more valuable than data, and <a href="http://adexchanger.com/data-driven-thinking/marketers-need-insights-artists-not-data-scientists/" target="_blank">you should be looking for data artists rather than data scientists</a> - individuals who can apply critical thinking to their analysis. (Ad Exchanger) </li>
<li>Having a theory before you test it against data is how the scientific process works. But it doesn't work <a href="http://www.shiftcomm.com/2015/04/opinion-out-data-in/" target="_blank">when you're unwilling to change your opinion in the face of facts</a>. (SHIFT Communications)</li>
</ul>
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<h4>
<b>Privacy / Security / Legal</b></h4>
<ul>
<li>Facebook is facing <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/09/class-action-privacy-lawsuit-filed-against-facebook-in-austria" target="_blank">a class action lawsuit in Austria</a> regarding privacy and the tracking of personal data. (The Guardian)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.geekwire.com/2015/amazon-files-first-ever-suit-over-fake-reviews-alleging-calif-man-sold-fraudulent-praise-for-products/" target="_blank">Amazon is cracking down on false reviews</a>, filing a lawsuit against sites that have sold fake positive reviews. (GeekWire)</li>
<li>Despite Facebook promoting the erosion of personal privacy, <a href="http://qz.com/380348/zuckerberg-should-absolutely-protect-his-privacy-even-as-facebook-erodes-it-for-everyone-else/" target="_blank">Mark Zuckerberg should protect his own privacy</a> - and so should you, Dave Pell argues. (Quartz)</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>When You Have the Time: Essential Watching / Listening / Reading</b> </h4>
<ul>
<li>If you'd like to learn the secret of BuzzFeed, you have to go back about 90 years - to the founding of <i>Time</i> and <i>Reader's Digest</i> and the reformatting of <i>Collier's</i>, <i>Liberty</i> and others. Then as now, technological and cultural change was driving the way we find and consume news. <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2015/04/the-eternal-return-of-buzzfeed/390270/" target="_blank">The Eternal Return of BuzzFeed</a> is a longform piece and is a fascinating history of the medium. (The Atlantic)</li>
<li>Danny Sullivan originally wrote this piece over two years ago, but as the nature of the online world has shifted and content has become a central conversation piece, it's probably more relevant today than ever before: <a href="http://marketingland.com/how-google-went-from-search-engine-to-content-destination-19272" target="_blank">How Google Went From Search Engine to Content Destination</a>. (Marketing Land)</li>
</ul>
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<i>Image credit: <a href="http://dilbert.com/strip/2006-05-16" target="_blank">Dilbert</a></i></div>
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This Week in Digital - April 17, 2015

The EU rebukes Google, we finally get to see the net neutrality rules, the troubling growth of ad blocking, Yahoo prepares a new produc...

This Week in Digital - April 3, 2015

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<span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://entertainthis.usatoday.com/2015/03/31/sorry-yall-the-selfie-strick-era-is-over-meet-the-selfie-shoe/" target="_blank"><img alt="Selfie shoes prank fools USA Today" border="0" height="358" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eZYl2700PtA/VSH2WZwcvTI/AAAAAAAAeMc/nenaDP_H92M/s1600/selfie%2Bshoes.PNG" title="April Fools' prank by Miz Mooz misleads USA Today" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<br />
April Fools' Day brings brand pranks, Amazon goes for service and buttons, the disparate use of smartphones by age, global social media ad spending for 2014, new features from Facebook, Twitter gets into the curation game, Tumblr hires a CMO, the AP bans "ridesharing," Airbnb moves into Cuba, the types of staff you need on a content team, NPR's podcasting strategy, the legal ramifications of livestreaming, the single common trait of good leaders 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 />
Note: we'll be off this week; if you’re on Flipboard, you can get some 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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News items are in regular text; <i>additional commentary has been added in italics</i>.<br />
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<h4>
<b>Industry</b></h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/april-fools-day-2015-our-giant-roundup-best-brand-hoaxes-163795" target="_blank">Here's a roundup of some April Fool's pranks by brands</a>. <i>Once again, brands used April 1st as their annual display of personality</i>. (AdWeek)</li>
<li><a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/cmo/2015/03/31/amazons-dash-button-is-not-a-hoax-its-phase-one/" target="_blank">Amazon launched its Dash button</a> - a single mountable button that consumers can place around the home to submit orders for staples when their inventory is running low. No, it was not an April Fools' joke. (WSJ Digits blog)</li>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/30/8309573/amazon-launches-home-services" target="_blank">Amazon is also beginning to offer Home Services</a>, allowing users to summon plumbers, electricians and other handymen who provide services to the many products that Amazon sells. <i>This puts the e-retail giant in direct competition with service providers like Angie's List.</i> (The Verge)</li>
</ul>
<li>T-Mobile [client] is <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/baig/2015/03/30/t-mobile-pitch-to-customers-better-coverage-maps/70648648/" target="_blank">crowdsourcing its coverage maps</a> as customers self-report the strength of their signals. (USA Today)</li>
<li>Learning new skills is never easy. But in the age when the PR and marketing industries are seeing more overlap, <a href="http://www.shiftcomm.com/2015/04/why-you-should-expand-your-pr-skill-set/" target="_blank">it's critical to put your mind to cross-training yourself</a>. (SHIFT Communications)</li>
<li>A new <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2015/03/PI_Smartphones_0401151.pdf" target="_blank">Pew Research Center study on the U.S. smartphone use</a> (click for report) indicates that <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2015/04/01/pew-on-phone-only-internet-users/?ncid=rss_truncated" target="_blank">7% of Americans use their phones only for Internet access</a>, and that there is <a href="http://www.multichannel.com/pew-study-shows-digital-age-divide/389362?nopaging=1" target="_blank">a significant digital age divide</a> in users, with . (Engadget and Multichannel)</li>
<ul>
<li>75% of users aged 18-29 indicate using their phone to watch a video at least once a week, compared with 46% of those 30-49 and only 31% of those 50 and older.</li>
<li>Almost a third (31%) said they used the phones to "avoid people around you" (that figure was 47% for 18-29s), and more than half used them to settle arguments. The vast majority of 18-29s (93%) also said they used their phones to "avoid being bored."</li>
</ul>
<li>Global social media advertising grew 41% in 2014 to $15.3 billion; <a href="http://marketingland.com/facebook-accounted-for-75-of-social-ad-spending-globally-in-2014-123911" target="_blank">Facebook accounted for 75% of the spend</a> - and this is without China as a market. (Marketing Land)</li>
<ul>
<li>Together, <a href="http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Facebook-Twitter-Will-Take-33-Share-of-US-Digital-Display-Market-by-2017/1012274?ecid=SOC1000" target="_blank">Facebook and Twitter will account for 33% of the digital display market</a> by 2017, while Google and Yahoo begin to slip. (eMarketer)</li>
</ul>
<li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/spending-on-native-ads-will-soar-as-publishers-and-advertisers-take-notice-2014-11" target="_blank">The future looks bright for native advertising</a>. According to a a report, $7.9 billion is expected to be spent by marketers this year, with as much as $21 billion by 2018. (Business Insider Intelligence)</li>
</ul>
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<h4>
<b>Platforms</b></h4>
<ul>
<li><b>Google</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Google is <a href="http://googledrive.blogspot.com/2015/03/photosindrive.html" target="_blank">bringing together files and photos</a> in Google Drive. (Google Drive Blog)</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Facebook</b></li>
<ul>
<li>A new feature called <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/04/01/friends-contribute-then-their-friends-contribute-then/#dxMZ7G:Kxyk" target="_blank">Riff will give Facebook users the ability to create collaborative videos</a> with clips submitted by friends. (TechCrunch)</li>
<li>If you don't want to give your kids their own Facebook accounts but still want to tag them in photos, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-scrapbook-feature-2015-3" target="_blank">Facebook is giving users an option called Scrapbook</a> to do just that. (Business Insider)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/2/8315897/facebook-on-this-day-nostalgia-app-bringing-back-painful-memories" target="_blank">Facebook's Nostalgia feature resurfaces past posts On This Day</a> - but some people want to put unhappy memories behind them. <i>Another reason to post only positive news and stories on social media</i>. (The Verge)</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Twitter</b></li>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/03/31/twitter-curator/#dxMZ7G:Fd1S" target="_blank">Twitter has launched Curator</a>, a competitor to Storify that lets media organizations, publishers, and broadcasters identify, filter and display tweets and Vine videos on any screen in real-time. (TechCrunch)</li>
<li>Twitter is testing <a href="https://recode.net/2015/03/31/twitter-is-now-placing-ads-within-user-profiles/" target="_blank">advertising placements in your profile</a>. <i>No word yet on whether they'll throw one into your bio or avatar automatically, though</i>. (re/code)</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Periscope / Meerkat</b></li>
<ul>
<li>There's a lot of potential for <a href="http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/periscope-could-make-twitter-an-even-more-powerful-news-source/617827" target="_blank">Twitter to become a more powerful news source</a> as Periscope provides the opportunity for live video coverage of breaking news and events. (SocialTimes)</li>
<li>While the <a href="http://mashable.com/2015/04/04/periscope-vs-meerkat/" target="_blank">death of Meerkat may have been exaggerated</a>, <a href="https://bgr.com/2015/03/30/meerkat-vs-periscope-analysis-journalism/" target="_blank">the journalism around the initial coverage was lacking</a>, to say the least. (Mashable and BGR)</li>
<li>Aside from being a huge data hog, these livestreaming apps to have one downfall: <a href="http://fusion.net/story/111772/the-interesting-problem-with-periscope-and-meerkat/" target="_blank">it's difficult to communicate on live video and reply to all of those comments simultaneously</a>. <i>Oh great, another social channel that can be used for broadcast messaging only</i>. (Fusion)</li>
</ul>
<li><a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/04/02/linkedin-acquires-refresh-contact-intelligence-app/" target="_blank">LinkedIn has acquired Refresh</a>, an app that gives users information on LinkedIn contacts with whom they have meetings scheduled their calendars (WSJ Digits blog)</li>
<li>Tumblr has named <a href="http://recode.net/2015/03/30/tumblr-hires-stephanie-dolgins-as-its-first-cmo/" target="_blank">its first CMO</a>. (re/code)</li>
</ul>
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<b>Collaborative Economy</b> </h4>
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<ul>
<li>Airbnb has announced its <a href="http://time.com/3768510/airbnb-cuba-united-states-internet-american-fidel-castro/" target="_blank">expansion into Cuba</a>. <i>No word on whether Castro will open the Presidential Palace to overnight visitors. Cuba libre, anyone?</i> (TIME)</li>
<li>The Associated Press is cracking down: <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/25405/the-ap-bans-the-term-ride-sharing-for-uber-lyft/" target="_blank">the AP has banned the term "ridesharing" for services like Lyft and Uber</a>, as it deems the term inaccurate. The preferred term? Ride-hailing. (Greater Greater Washington)</li>
<li>French startup Drivy, a service that allows customers to rent a car from anyone, has <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/04/01/community-based-car-rental-service-drivy-grabs-another-8-6-million-acquires-buzzcar/" target="_blank">acquired Buzzcar and raised $8.6 million</a>. (TechCrunch)</li>
<li>An Uber driver in Denver was arrested when he attempted to <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/01/uber-driver-in-denver-accused-of-burglary-attempt-at-passengers-house" target="_blank">burgle the house of a passenger he had just dropped off at the airport</a>. (The Guardian)</li>
<li>Unrelated: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/03/technology/uber-hires-a-security-chief-from-facebook.html?_r=0" target="_blank">Uber just hired a chief security officer</a> - the former head of security at Facebook. (New York Times)</li>
<li>It's Uber for jets: you can now <a href="http://nextshark.com/victor-app-lets-you-charter-private-jets-with-your-friends-for-as-low-as-317-a-person/" target="_blank">charter private jets with friends</a> for as low as $317 per person. <i>Let's hope they screen their pilots better than Uber screens its drivers</i>. (NextShark)</li>
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<h4>
<b>Content</b></h4>
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<li>If there's one thing that represents table stakes in content marketing, it's good grammar. How's your grammar? <a href="http://marketingland.com/is-poor-grammar-killing-your-content-marketing-study-says-69-of-brands-fail-to-make-the-grade-123573" target="_blank">69% of brands don't pass the test</a>. (Marketing Land)</li>
<li>When you're putting together a content marketing plan, you'd better think out your team. Great content marketing isn't anything without a killer team - and there are about <a href="http://www.b2bmarketinginsider.com/content-marketing/10-creative-types-you-need-to-build-a-killer-content-marketing-team" target="_blank">10 types of individuals you'll need</a>.(B2B Marketing Insider)</li>
<li><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/03/30/flipboard-launches-private-magazines-for-groups/" target="_blank">Flipboard is launching a Private Magazines option</a> for groups of individuals that wish to share content among themselves. <i>Sounds like a great option for projects, brainstorms and planning. You can find <a href="http://flipboard.com/@scottmonty" target="_blank">my public Flipboard magazines here</a>.</i> (TechCrunch)</li>
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<b><i>Have you got your ticket yet for <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? Thousands attend this signature event for the content marketing industry - <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 />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">[Disclosure: affiliate link]</span><br />
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<b>Audio</b></h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.poynter.org/news/mediawire/328489/inside-nprs-podcasting-strategy/" target="_blank">NPR's podcasting strategy is quite savvy</a>. From cross-promoting to linking similarly themed shows, they're growing their listers. (Poynter)</li>
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<b>Metrics / Measurement / Data</b></h4>
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<li><a href="http://www.christopherspenn.com/2015/03/when-marketing-data-is-counterintuitive/" target="_blank">Marketing data is not always intuitive</a>. In fact, Christopher Penn calls out a stupid metric that too many people focus on. (Awaken Your Superhero)</li>
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<b>Privacy / Security / Legal</b></h4>
<ul>
<li>The uptick in personal live streaming (PLS) has gotten a lot of attention recently. But, Ryan Garcia argues, it's always a good idea to<a href="https://somelaw.wordpress.com/2015/03/27/yes-please-a-legal-guide-to-periscope-and-meerkat/" target="_blank"> think through the legal ramifications of livestreaming</a>. (SoMeLaw Thoughts) </li>
<li>One area that's going to be next to impossible to control: <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/04/whats-stopping-people-from-periscoping-copyrighted-material/389228/" target="_blank">pirating via livestream</a>. (The Atlantic)</li>
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<h4>
<b>When You Have the Time: Essential Watching / Listening / Reading</b> </h4>
<ul>
<li><i>The Economist</i> has taken the view that advertising is nice, and we’ll certainly take money where we can get it, but we’re pretty much expecting it to go away. <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/2015/04/the-economists-tom-standage-on-digital-strategy-and-the-limits-of-a-model-based-on-advertising/" target="_blank">Tom Standage takes a look at digital strategy and the limits of an advertising-based model</a>. (Nieman Labs)</li>
<li>You're always inundated with events and conferences to attend. Here are <a href="http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/questions-ask-before-attending-event" target="_blank">9 questions to help you determine which events are worth your time</a>. (Hubspot)</li>
<li>Before you go on that rant, think twice. <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Business/cfo-food-stamps-controversial-viral-video/story?id=29533695" target="_blank">This former CFO ended up on food stamps</a> because of a tirade about a social issue that he posted on YouTube. (ABC News)</li>
<li>One of the common traits of a leader is <a href="http://www.strategy-business.com/blog/Learning-from-the-Persuasive-Genius-of-Great-Leaders?gko=aa40d" target="_blank">the ability to effectively persuade teams and individuals</a>. While this might seem intuitive, in practice it's not quite so easy to achieve. <i>A manager makes himself seem like the most important person in the room; a leader makes you feel like the most important person in the room.</i> (strategy+business)</li>
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<i>Image credit: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=36&v=Dw72zFX2rsk" target="_blank">YouTube</a> (Miz Mooz)</i></div>
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