Scott Monty

This Week in Digital - June 28, 2015

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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZLjnOkt8J6o/VZCsgdQP3AI/AAAAAAAAgkw/9hYtPCfAGYA/s1600/Uber%2BParis.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How do you say "innovation" in French?" border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZLjnOkt8J6o/VZCsgdQP3AI/AAAAAAAAgkw/9hYtPCfAGYA/s640/Uber%2BParis.png" title="How do you say "innovation" in French?" width="640" /></a></div>
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The role of the CMO in the culture wars, the future of customer experience, new search and targeting features on Instagram, Facebook wants you to stay on Facebook, "liberté, égalité, fraternité" does not apply to the sharing economy, speed listening, the numbers can lie, the evolution of a Truffle Pig, raising your digital quotient, the interplay of algorithms and humans in curation, Cannes in is the can and more, it's <b>This Week in Digital</b>.<br />
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A roundup of relevant links affecting our industry.<br />
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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">the 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 />
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If you’re on Flipboard, you can get these links - and additional ones - by subscribing to the <i><a href="http://smonty.co/flipdigital" target="_blank">This Week in Digital Magazine</a></i> at <a href="http://smonty.co/flipdigital" target="_blank">smonty.co/flipdigital</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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<b>Industry</b></h4>
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<li>More than ever, <a href="https://www.spencerstuart.com/research-and-insight/cmos-on-the-brand-experience-culture-matters-video" target="_blank">the CMO sits at the intersection of the brand experience and culture</a> - in a world where the customer experience is an increasingly powerful differentiator. </li>
<li>The Washington Post has created a social network for its freelancers, <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/2015/06/the-washington-post-built-a-social-network-for-its-freelancers-to-better-match-skills-to-stories/" target="_blank">to help match skills to stories</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.marketingcharts.com/online/c-suite-sees-social-rising-in-cx-importance-56101/" target="_blank">Social media is a rising factor in the customer experience</a>, according to the C-suite. Within three years, online assistance support, web self-service and social media will be as important as face-to-face communications, according to a study by the Economist Intelligence Unit sponsored by Genesys. <i>Note that automated processes remain stable - which means that social needs to be more social, not more automated. It can't be about the programmed targeting of ads, but must focus rather on interaction.</i></li>
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<b>Platforms</b></h4>
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<li><b>Snapchat</b></li>
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<li><a href="http://mashable.com/2015/06/22/evan-spiegel-ads-snapchat-cannes/" target="_blank">CEO Evan Spiegel, speaking at Cannes</a>, said that the company is committed to changing perceptions about vertical video, tells brands to cool it with their frequency, and swears that he doesn't want the company to be "creepy."</li>
<li>Here are <a href="http://contently.com/strategist/2015/02/27/10-key-things-marketers-need-to-know-about-snapchats-discover/" target="_blank">10 things marketers need to know</a> about Snapchat's Discover.</li>
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<li><b>Twitter</b></li>
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<li>Jack Dorsey shouldn't get too comfortable in the CEO office at Twitter. The microblogging platform <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/06/22/memo-to-jack-dorsey-twitter-only-wants-a-full-time-ceo/" target="_blank">only wants a full-time CEO</a>. Dorsey is currently the CEO of Square as wel.
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<li><b>Instagram</b></li>
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<li><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/06/23/teleportationgram/#.fvmhl3:jvVH" target="_blank">Instagram is now searchable in real-time</a>, with its <a href="http://blog.instagram.com/post/122260662827/150623-search-and-explore" target="_blank">revamped Explore</a> feature, including Trending Tags, Trending Places, curated content, and a new Places Search.</li>
<li>Just in case you need some inspiration, check out what such disparate <a href="http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/brands-great-instagram-content/299160/" target="_blank">brands as Airbnb, Lenovo and Bacardi Limon are doing on Instagram</a>.</li>
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<li><b>Facebook</b></li>
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<li>The future of Facebook mobile ads <a href="http://mashable.com/2015/06/23/facebook-mobile-ads-vision/" target="_blank">will keep you on the Facebook app or site</a>, interacting with advertising content directly within Facebook instead of clicking through to the advertiser's website. <i>Brands - particularly those that are accustomed to measuring web traffice - need to get comfortable with this idea now and to think about how to create engaging experiences that make users want to interact with their ads</i>.</li>
<li>Also, the company is <a href="http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/desktop-video-app-ads-carousel-mobile-app-ads/622205" target="_blank">expanding its desktop video ads</a> to have more features similar to mobile video ads, and mobile video will now have a carousel option, similar to desktop video.</li>
<li><a href="http://adage.com/article/digital/mondelez-facebook-sell-cookies-online/299172/" target="_blank">Mondelez has renewed and expanded</a> its global strategic partnership with Facebook, which gives it access to beta testing programs in 52 countries and will drive "impulse snack purchasing online." <i>Not sure I would have purchased Oreos online after that <a href="https://twitter.com/Oreo/status/298246571718483968" target="_blank">dunk in the dark tweet</a> - particularly because I was stuffed from the Super Bowl smorgasbord I had just inhaled</i>.</li>
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<li>Great news for real-time video junkies: if you missed a live video on Periscope, <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2015/6/23/8835947/you-can-now-watch-periscope-replays-on-the-web" target="_blank">you can now catch the replay on Periscope's website</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://adage.com/article/digital/engagement-brand-content-soared-52-quarter/299131/" target="_blank">Engagement with brand content on social platforms rose 52%</a> in the first quarter of 2015 compared to the same time period a year prior. Segments that performed best include media and sports verticals. <i>It could also be that this is a result of more paid promotions, which elevates the content.</i></li>
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<b>Collaborative Economy</b> </h4>
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<li><b>Uber</b></li>
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<li>PayPal and Uber have extended their <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/06/24/uber-paypal/" target="_blank">payment partnership to 19 countries</a>.</li>
<li>Did you ever wonder <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2015-06-23/this-is-how-uber-takes-over-a-city" target="_blank">how Uber takes over a city</a>? Here's how it went down in Portland.</li>
<li>That's not quite how things played out in Paris, as <a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/06/26/uk-france-uber-idUKKBN0P60U420150626" target="_blank">the French government filed a legal complaint against UberPOP</a>, in which the interior minister called the company cynical and arrogant. <i>That's pretty bad when the French think you're arrogant</i>.</li>
<li>Not satisfied to let the government do its job, taxi drivers got straight to work <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/shyamanthaasokan/paris-taxi-drivers-are-burning-tires-and-overturning-cars-to#.edlW9ExyN" target="_blank">burning tires and overturning cars</a> and <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2015/06/25/anti-uber-protests-heat-up-in-france-as-taxi-drivers-block-roads-and-airports/" target="_blank">blocking access to main transport hubs</a> like train stations and airports in protest. <i>Because nothing says "we embrace innovation" like crass riots</i>. <i>That'll show 'em! It's too bad France isn't concerned with doing something that will benefit consumers.</i></li>
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<li><b>Airbnb</b></li>
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<li>Not satisfied at throttling transportation, it would seem that Paris would like to also take on tourism from the hospitality side with <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB12147335600370333763904581058032330315292?mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRonvq7BZKXonjHpfsX54uUuT%2Frn28M3109ad+rmPBy92IoFWp8na+qWCgseOrQ8mFkIV8izUs0TrKM%3D" target="_blank">inspections and fines for Airbnb hosts</a>.</li>
<li>That doesn't seem to be stopping the company, though: <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/airbnb-raises-1-5-billion-in-one-of-largest-private-placements-1435363506" target="_blank">Aibnb raised another $1.5 billion in its latest round</a>, putting valuation at $25.5 billion for its 1.4 million listings - placing it between Hilton and Marriott in valuation size.</li>
<li>Incidentally, <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3047872/innovation-agents/inside-marriotts-attempt-to-win-over-millennials?campaign_date=06262015&partner=newsletter&position=1" target="_blank">Marriott has a plan to win over Millennials</a>. It involves making the stay less predictable and an incubator lab to try new things.</li>
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<li>Grocery delivery service <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/22/technology/instacart-employee-option/" target="_blank">Instacart is giving its contract workers the option to become employees</a> in Chicago, following the non-binding decision on one of Uber's drivers last week.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2015/06/12/is-the-crowd-a-disruption-or-an-opportunity-for-large-companies/" target="_blank">Is the crowd a disruption or an opportunity</a> for large companies? Crowd Companies founder Jeremiah Owyang explores what's in the collaborative economy for enterprises.</li>
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Audio</h4>
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<li>Speed reading has always helped readers skim through content in order to make best use of time. But when it comes to audio, <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/the-rise-of-speed-listening/396740/" target="_blank">can you really speed listen?</a> <i>Shouldn't be a problem for me - I grew up listening to Alvin and the Chipmunks</i>.</li>
<li>Edison Research and Triton Digital released their <a href="http://www.edisonresearch.com/the-podcast-consumer-2015/" target="_blank">assessment of the podcast consumer in 2015</a> based on some 2,000 surveyed individuals. There are some fascinating takeaways in the report, including the debate of podcasting as a digital or audio medium and the revelation that podcast listeners are more educated and more affluent than non-podcast listeners.</li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="485" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/key/1N6JchSLM8SNgV" style="border-width: 1px; border: 1px solid #CCC; margin-bottom: 5px; max-width: 100%;" width="595"> </iframe> <br />
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<strong> <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/webby2001/the-podcast-consumer-2015" target="_blank" title="The Podcast Consumer 2015">The Podcast Consumer 2015</a> </strong> from <strong>Edison Research</strong> </div>
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<b><i>Time is running out. Tickets 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 are selling quickly. Join your colleagues to get the best information about the content marketing industry.</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">[Disclosure: affiliate link]</span><br />
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<b>Content</b></h4>
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<li>WPP is partnering with the <i>Daily Mail</i> and Snapchat in the creation of <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/cmo/2015/06/23/wpp-daily-mail-snapchat-partner-to-launch-content-marketing-company-truffle-pig/" target="_blank">a new company to help brands who are grappling with content marketing</a>, and will offer Snapchat's video production space to help with vertical-oriented videos. The new agency, Truffle Pig, will be open to working with any media company or platform - not just the two aforementioned ones. <i>Don't know about you, but we've always found truffles to be quite expensive. And if you can't figure out how to shoot vertical video, you've got bigger problems</i>.</li>
<li>It could turn out to be a wise strategy, as it seems that <a href="http://contently.com/strategist/2015/06/22/the-new-red-bulls-why-every-big-brand-is-launching-a-media-company/" target="_blank">every company is becoming a media company</a> - from Red Bull's legendary lifestyle content to Coca-Cola's Journey website, and magazines like Airbnb's <i>Pineapple</i>,  Uber's <i>Momentum</i> and <i>Marriott Traveler</i>, among others. <i>The real coup will come when they can sell advertising to other brands</i>.</li>
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<b>Metrics / Measurement / Data</b></h4>
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<li>Facebook would love advertisers <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-22/facebook-pushes-advertisers-to-employ-user-data-more-effectively" target="_blank">to pay more attention to the data</a> - particularly the creatives - as the company begins to move toward using targeting on Instagram.</li>
<li>Nielsen has been the go-to measurement source for television for years. But you would think that Nielsen is to blame in the shrinking ratings of TV lately. The company is now expanding on its measurement chops, including multiple devices and platforms to see where people actually spend their time with programming. The outlook for TV is <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/cmo/2015/06/23/if-you-think-tv-is-dead-maybe-youre-measuring-wrong/" target="_blank">much less bleak than previously thought</a>.</li>
<li>Measuring engagement: with Facebook changing its algorithm to focus more on <a href="http://newsroom.fb.com/news/2015/06/news-feed-fyi-taking-into-account-time-spent-on-stories/" target="_blank">the time you're spending</a> on links, it's not a surprise that Amazon has developed a formula to <a href="http://thenextweb.com/insider/2015/06/23/amazon-will-soon-pay-self-published-authors-based-on-how-many-pages-of-a-book-are-read/" target="_blank">pay self-published authors based on how many pages of their digital works are read</a>.</li>
<li>Despite being empirically true, numbers can lie. Here are some ways to <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-not-to-be-misled-by-data-1435258933" target="_blank">avoid being misled by data</a>.</li>
<li>Big data is still a priority (despite the overuse of the term). However, <a href="http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Big-Data-Management-Requires-Big-Makeover/1012648?ecid=NL1001" target="_blank">there are certain obstacles to implementation</a> that CIOs and CMOs need to address.</li>
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<b>Privacy / Security / Legal</b></h4>
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<li>It turns out that the Chinese hack of the files of some 4 million federal employees through the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was entirely preventable: the OPM <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-us-agency-plundered-by-chinese-hackers-made-one-of-the-dumbest-security-moves-possible-2015-6" target="_blank">gave Chinese contractors access to every row of its database</a>. But please - <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/opm-head-don-blame-china-hack-article-1.2268766" target="_blank">don't blame the head of the OPM</a>.</li>
<li>Facebook has <a href="http://www.cnet.com/news/facebook-nabs-yahoos-chief-information-security-officer/#ftag=CADf328eec" target="_blank">poached Yahoo's chief information security officer</a> Alex Stamos. Earlier this year, Facebook lost its information security chief to Uber.</li>
<li>Speaking of Uber and security, in Uber's privacy policy, they have the option to track you even when you're not using the app. Don't like that? <a href="http://thenextweb.com/insider/2015/06/22/uber-the-top-tracking/" target="_blank">Neither does the Federal Trade Commission</a>.</li>
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<b>When You Have the Time: Essential Watching / Listening / Reading</b> </h4>
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<li>If you read nothing else in this edition, <b>read this</b>. If you want to raise your digital game, focus on <a href="http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/strategy/Raising_your_Digital_Quotient?cid=Digital-eml-alt-mkq-mck-oth-1506" target="_blank">the organization, culture and a strategy that fits</a>. Some key elements:</li>
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<li><b>Get the strategy right</b> by creating a smaller-scale disruption of your own business model to enter a new space or redefine an existing one; fast-following to ride the wave and capture some of the value created by an industry’s evolution; aggressively reallocating resources from digitally threatened assets to more digitally interesting ones; boosting the effectiveness of existing business models through digital approaches and tools.</li>
<li><b>Create capabilities at scale</b> by leveraging data-empowered decision making, connectivity to help companies establish deeper connections between a brand and its customers, automating well-defined processes, and having a two-speed IT system that supports infrastructure and can operate at high speed to deliver rapid results.</li>
<li><b>A fast, agile culture</b> that is externally oriented (<i>many companies are too busy being in love with themselves that they miss external factors</i>), has an appetite for risk, tests and learns at scale and collaborates internally.</li>
<li><b>Organization and talent</b> are essential elements to your digital success, such as having executive and mid-level talent connections, real-time monitoring to determine the success of digital initiatives, and nontraditional structures to support the speed at which digital changes.</li>
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<li>Here are two on the juxtaposition of human editors versus algorithms:</li>
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<li>There is a need for <a href="https://stratechery.com/2015/curation-and-algorithms/" target="_blank">human intervention when it comes to curation</a> - humans have the taste that helps in decision making in news and the arts. Twitter's Project Lightning and Apple Music are two cases in point. Read this longer analysis on why each are important.</li>
<li>This <a href="http://contently.com/strategist/2015/06/23/editor-vs-algorithm-why-the-future-of-media-needs-both/" target="_blank">killer combo of human editors and data-driven news feeds</a> is the natural evolution of media creation and curation, as pointed out with players such as Facebook, Upworthy, Snapchat, LinkedIn and Techmeme.</li>
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<li>The Cannes Lions wrapped up this week. In case you missed the advertising & PR industry nearly breaking its arm trying to pat itself on the back, here are a few highlights:</li>
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<li>P&G (<i>well, really MSLGroup and Leo Burnett - I mean, this is about the work, not the client, right?</i>) <a href="http://www.holmesreport.com/latest/article/always-likeagirl-by-mslgroup-and-leo-burnett-takes-top-pr-honours-at-cannes" target="_blank">won the Grand Prix for its Always #LikeAGirl campaign</a> to instill confidence in young women.</li>
<li>AdWeek's David Griner on <a href="http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/heres-story-behind-my-photo-two-people-having-sex-cannes-red-carpet-165563" target="_blank">how his tweeted photo of people having sex on the red carpet wound up in the New York Post</a>.</li>
<li>Someone clearly not in France last week came up with this creative Tumblr to counter the incipience from Twitter feeds: <a href="http://cannesyoupleaseshutup.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Cannes You Please Shut Up?</a></li>
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ICYMI, <a href="http://smonty.co/announcemt" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">I opened a consultancy to help companies with their corporate and digital acumen</a>. Please <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/p/contact.html" target="_blank">get in touch</a> if you'd like to put my experience and digital smarts to work on a project or to advise your group.</div>
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<i>Image credit: Buzzfeed</i></div>
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This Week in Digital - June 28, 2015

The role of the CMO in the culture wars, the future of customer experience, new search and targeting features on Instagram, Facebook w...

This Week in Digital - June 21, 2015

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News Corp gets more digital, a new ad blocker blocker, U.S. digital trends,Flipboard puts together a resource for marketers and communicators, Twitter gets Lightning fast, Facebook allows you to prioritize what you see, Uber has a rough week, LastPass and the Houston Astros get hacked, an essential report on the sharing economy, the great secret of influencer marketing, a long read on the marketing machine and more, it's <b>This Week in Digital</b>.<br />
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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">the 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>Last year, the <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/2014/05/what-brands-can-learn-from-bombshell.html" target="_blank">New York Times digital report</a> was greeted with surprise and awe. This week, News Corp - owner of the Wall Street Journal - announced that it would be <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/news-corp-to-cut-jobs-shift-resources-to-digital-media-1434645075" target="_blank">cutting jobs and shifting resources to digital media</a>. Areas for hiring include mobile offerings, interactive graphics and data-driven journalism. </li>
<ul>
<li><i>If history is any guide, look for this trend to continue at other reputable news organizations and brands</i>.</li>
</ul>
<li>Brands have had to worry about ad blocking technology more frequently in the last year. So, ad tech veteran Ben Barokas is launching <a href="http://recode.net/2015/06/18/ad-tech-vet-ben-barokas-launches-sourcepoint-to-block-ad-blockers/" target="_blank">Sourcepoint, a solution to block ad blockers</a>. That's right - an ad blocker blocker.</li>
<ul>
<li><i>We're just waiting for the next inevitable iteration: a blocker to block blockers that block ad blockers. Or put more simply, <a href="http://ctt.ec/8Fwbh" target="_blank">an ad blocker blocker blocker</a>. [TWEET THIS]</i></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b><i>What do customers want? Everything! When do they want it? Now!</i></b> <a href="http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Companies-Keep-Up-with-Soaring-Customer-Expectations/1012615?ecid=NL1001" target="_blank">Their list of demands includes</a>: access to services faster than ever, 24/7 access and connectivity, access on an increasing number of platforms and more. Companies are on point to innovate and meet customer demands more and more each year thanks to technology.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>While social media gets a lot of press, there are <a href="https://www.marketingtechblog.com/email-engagement-vs-social-engagement/" target="_blank">plenty of reasons to still feel bullish about email marketing</a>.</li>
<li>"Social thinking" is more than just Facebook, Twitter, or the latest craze - it’s
about understanding the concept of social insight. While traditional insights
focus on individual motivations, social insights put this in the
context of interpersonal relationships, communities and society. This and other observations from the <a href="http://wearesocial.net/blog/2015/06/digital-trends-market/" target="_blank">report on digital trends in the U.S. market by WeAreSocial</a>.</li>
</ul>
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<h4>
<b>Platforms</b></h4>
<ul>
<li><b>Flipboard</b></li>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.inc.com/amy-vernon/flipboard-launches-resources-community-for-marketers.html" target="_blank">Flipboard launched a resource and community</a> for marketers, communicators and brands. It's called FlipMarketer and <a href="https://flipboard.com/@flipmarketer" target="_blank">you can follow it here</a>. [<i>This Week in Digital is included as one of the resources, FYI.</i>]</li>
<li>And if you're new to Flipboard, the <a href="https://flipboard.com/@flipboardclub/flipboard-user-guide-pu5l21bqz" target="_blank">Flipboard User Guide</a> is a great set of links to help you get started.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>Twitter</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Twitter announced new features to help people discover products and places: <a href="https://blog.twitter.com/2015/testing-new-ways-to-make-it-easier-to-discover-products-and-places" target="_blank">product and place pages and collections</a> that will have more information about a place, service, product or brand.</li>
<li>An interview with the leader that some think should be <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/interview-with-nuzzel-ceo-jonathan-abrams-2015-6" target="_blank">the next CEO of Twitter</a> includes many nuggets, including who should acquire his company, Nuzzel.</li>
<li>Twitter will begin operating even more at the speed of real time with its new <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/mathonan/twitters-top-secret-project-lightning-revealed#.raPG6mwOr" target="_blank">Project Lightning</a>, a visually-driven, curated collection of tweets. <i>One thing Facebook will never beat Twitter at is real-time news. This is the kind of innovation that should have been more regular under Dick Costolo's watch; we're just glad he gets to see it get a start before he departs.</i></li>
</ul>
</ul>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--5yv2akVwZo/VYdzfB-JHwI/AAAAAAAAgWE/yUwXAlRPhkI/s1600/Project%2BLightning.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--5yv2akVwZo/VYdzfB-JHwI/AAAAAAAAgWE/yUwXAlRPhkI/s640/Project%2BLightning.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<ul>
<li><b>Google</b></li>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/2015/06/google-and-storyful-are-launching-youtube-newswire-a-feed-of-verified-user-generated-videos/" target="_blank">Google and Storyful are teaming up to create YouTube Newswire</a>, a dedicated channel that will be a resource for journalists looking for verified user-generated content.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul><ul></ul>
<li><b>Facebook</b></li>
<ul>
<li>There's another app available from Facebook: <a href="http://newsroom.fb.com/news/2015/06/introducing-moments/" target="_blank">Moments allows you to privately sync photos with friends</a> with whom you share experiences and to get photos back from them that you're in.</li>
<li>If you're tired of seeing updates from friends at the top of your News Feed that are hours or even days old, <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/06/18/facebook-see-first-puts-your-favorite-people-atop-the-feed/#.fvmhl3:38Ru" target="_blank">a new feature called See First</a> will ensure that you get information from the people you choose more quickly. <i>The implications for brands and marketers are obvious; the price tag as of yet is not.</i></li>
<li>Did you know that <a href="http://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-business/adhutchinson/2015-06-17/87-user-posts-facebook-pages-ignored-report" target="_blank">87% of posts to Facebook Pages go ignored</a>? Active Facebook pages respond to only 37% of user posts. </li>
<li>That's not surprising, given the <a href="http://theweek.com/articles/560046/inside-counterfeit-facebook-farm" target="_blank">revelations behind counterfeit Facebook farms</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/belgium-takes-facebook-to-court-over-privacy-user-tracking-1434366787" target="_blank">Belgium is not pleased</a> with Facebook's privacy policy. So much so that they're taking them to court.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
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<h4>
<b>Collaborative Economy</b> </h4>
</div>
<ul>
<li>Check out this <a href="http://newsletters.briefs.bloomberg.com/document/4vz1acbgfrxz8uwan9/the-workers-white-collar" target="_blank">Bloomberg Brief on "The Sharing Economy."</a> It's a nice overview of the concept, naming conventions, economic implications, commentary and more.</li>
<li>A deeper dive into the W-2 (full-time) employee vs. 1099 (independent contractor) employee explores what the future of labor might look like - including <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/carolineodonovan/meet-the-new-worker-same-as-the-old-worker#.qdMB3ygY8" target="_blank">the possibility of a new class of worker in the future</a>. A dependent contractor?</li>
<li><b>Uber</b></li>
<ul>
<li>It was not a good week for Uber. They're one of the casualties in the argument for a new class of workers, as <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/06/17/uber-drivers-deemed-employees-by-california-labor-commission/#.fvmhl3:O3nT" target="_blank">the California labor commission ruled that drivers are employees of the company, not independent contractors</a>. Uber later issued a statement that the ruling applied only to that single driver, not their entire fleet.</li>
<li>New York is cracking down: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/496-uber-cars-seized-by-new-york-city-authorities-2015-6" target="_blank">New York City seized 496 Uber vehicles</a> for illegal pickups (street hails) and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hamptons-uber-drivers-are-heading-to-court-2015-6" target="_blank">22 Uber drivers in East Hampton have been arrested</a> because they violated a new ordinance requires drivers to register a physical address in town.</li>
<li>The company is also on the receiving end of <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/06/17/mom-wants-uber-to-pay-after-driver-molested-her-child.html?source=TDB&via=FB_Page" target="_blank">a $50 million lawsuit from a mother whose daughter was sexually assaulted</a> by an Uber driver.</li>
</ul>
<li>While Uber is a strong logistics company, <a href="http://www.wsj.com/article_email/the-50-billion-question-can-uber-deliver-1434422042-lMyQjAxMTI1MjE2NjgxODY0Wj" target="_blank">it hasn't fared well in the delivery arena</a>. But <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jun/16/amazon-delivery-service-public-mobile-app" target="_blank">Amazon is there with a solution</a>: getting your neighbor to deliver the packages. <i>Now all they have to do is figure out a way to get your neighbors to stop stealing the deliveries from your porch.</i></li>
<li>Airbnb is valued at more than $24 billion on $900 million of revenue - that's more than Marriott International. <a href="http://www.wsj.com/article_email/the-secret-math-of-airbnbs-24-billion-valuation-1434568517-lMyQjAxMTI1MTE0NzcxMzczWj" target="_blank">Here's how the secret math works</a>.</li>
<ul>
<li>While you're at it, take a look at <a href="http://graphics.wsj.com/billion-dollar-club/" target="_blank">the billion-dollar start-up club</a>.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
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Audio</h4>
<ul>
<li>Apple Music is free for the first three months; after that, <a href="http://recode.net/2015/06/15/heres-what-happens-to-your-10-after-you-pay-for-a-month-of-apple-music/" target="_blank">here's where your $10 a month goes</a>.</li>
<li>Singer Taylor Swift doesn't like the notion of musicians, writers, singers and artists going hungry for three months (she notes that she can afford it, but newer artists are at a disadvantage) and <a href="http://taylorswift.tumblr.com/post/122071902085/to-apple-love-taylor" target="_blank">she will not debut her new album on Apple Music</a>.</li>
<ul>
<li>UPDATE: Apple says that <a href="http://www.macrumors.com/2015/06/21/apple-will-pay-artists-free-trial/" target="_blank">it will pay artists</a> during the three-month trial period.</li>
</ul>
<li>Meanwhile, Slash from Guns N' Roses is <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/06/21/slashprefersvinyl/" target="_blank">putting his music on (and his faith in) BitTorrent</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/18/technology/personaltech/podcasting-blossoms-but-in-slow-motion.html" target="_blank">Podcasting is growing at a slow and steady pace</a>. Expect the same to continue.</li>
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<b><i>Time is running out. Tickets 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 are selling quickly. Join your colleagues to get the best information about the content marketing industry.</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">[Disclosure: affiliate link]</span><br />
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<h4>
<b>Metrics / Measurement / Data</b></h4>
<ul>
<li>In addition to Twitter getting better at real-time, <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/a-new-window-into-our-world-with-real.html" target="_blank">Google is expanding Google Trends to include real-time trends</a> backed with data pouring in immediately.</li>
<li><a href="http://zignallabs.com/announcement-the-washington-post-and-zignal-labs-team-up-to-enhance-realtime-news/" target="_blank">Zignal Labs is teaming up with the Washington Post to enhance real-time news</a> and to power the Post's morning briefing with PowerPost. This will undoubtedly be important in the run-up to the 2016 U.S. presidential election.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Will-Mobile-Marketers-Move-Beyond-Basic-Measurement/1012600?ecid=NL1001" target="_blank">Mobile marketing analytics seem to be stuck in a rut</a>. Not enough is known about cross-device behavior or even about platforms and only basic measurement is possible at this point.</li>
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<h4>
<b>Privacy / Security / Legal</b></h4>
<ul>
<li>A New Jersey <a href="http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2015/06/womans_critical_yelpcom_review_causes_dentist_to_t.html" target="_blank">dentist is suing a former patient</a> over a Yelp review. <i>Hey, how about not using lawsuits as a substitute for customer service instead?</i></li>
<li>The St. Louis Cardinals are being investigated for <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/sports/baseball/st-louis-cardinals-hack-astros-fbi.html?_r=0" target="_blank">hacking into the Houston Astros' computer system</a>. It's not as serious as Chinese intelligence hacking into the OPM files, but at stake: closely guarded information about players as revenge for poaching one of the Cardinals' management.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-17/at-t-to-be-fined-100-million-by-fcc-for-slowing-mobile-data" target="_blank">The FCC is fining AT&T $100 million</a> for throttling the speed of the Internet of customers who were part of their unlimited data plan.</li>
<li>A huge security flaw in Apple's iOS and OS X platforms <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-ios-and-os-x-security-flaw-could-let-hackers-steal-passwords-and-app-data-2015-6?op=1%3Fr%3DUK" target="_blank">could allow hackers to steal your passwords and data</a>.</li>
<li>Related: password keeper <a href="https://blog.lastpass.com/2015/06/lastpass-security-notice.html/" target="_blank">LastPass was hacked last week</a>. <i>If you'd like to try out Dashlane, our preferred password system, use our code: <a href="https://t.co/7QjRwSPoW0">dashlane.com/en/cs/3bb86395 </a></i></li>
</ul>
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<h4>
<b>When You Have the Time: Essential Watching / Listening / Reading</b> </h4>
<ul>
<li>Here's a long read from <i>Harvard Business Review</i> on <a href="https://hbr.org/2014/07/the-ultimate-marketing-machine" target="_blank">what marketing needs to do to change with the times</a>. We were particularly struck by this observation: </li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul><i>Tools and strategies that were cutting-edge just a few years ago are fast becoming obsolete, and new approaches are appearing every day. Yet in most companies the organizational structure of the marketing function hasn’t changed since the practice of brand management emerged, more than 40 years ago.</i></ul>
</blockquote>
<div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.steamfeed.com/influencer-marketings-dirty-little-secret/" target="_blank">Influencer marketing has a dirty little secret:</a> while you can certainly gain access to "influencers" by paying them, it's a small(ish) group of people whose opinions are as fickle as the variety of paychecks they receive from brands. <i>So, be careful what you wish for</i>.</li>
<li>If you do happen to be working with an influencer (or are one yourself), <a href="http://marketingland.com/ftc-puts-social-media-marketers-on-notice-with-updated-disclosure-guidelines-132017" target="_blank">familiarize yourself with the FTC's latest disclosure guidelines</a>. </li>
<li>Distraction continues to be a problem in our busy lives. <a href="https://hbr.org/2015/06/conquering-digital-distraction" target="_blank">There are ways to conquer digital distraction</a>, of course. Whether it is caused by our technology-rich surroundings or a desire to escape having to think about heavier topics, <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/a-new-theory-of-distraction" target="_blank">a new theory posits that it's more about autonomy</a>. <i>Don't ask me; I couldn't make it through the whole article without being distracted</i>.</li>
<li>The Tampa International Airport gets its wings this week, as <a href="http://mashable.com/2015/06/16/lost-stuffed-animal-gets-taken-on-an-airport-adventure/" target="_blank">it takes a little boy's lost stuffed animal on a journey</a> and sends him photos to show him it's in good hands until he returns.</li>
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<div>
ICYMI, <a href="http://smonty.co/announcemt" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">I'm launching a consultancy to help brands and agencies with their corporate and digital acumen</a>. Please <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/p/contact.html" target="_blank">get in touch</a> if you'd like to put my experience and digital smarts to work on a project or to advise your group.</div>
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<i>Image credit: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FlyTPA/photos/pb.168446129858770.-2207520000.1434943467./863972320306144/?type=3&theater" target="_blank">Tampa International Airport Facebook Page</a></i></div>
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This Week in Digital - June 21, 2015

News Corp gets more digital, a new ad blocker blocker, U.S. digital trends,Flipboard puts together a resource for marketers and c...

This Week in Digital - June 14, 2015

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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0-SYZtdTXA4/VX5l650eOII/AAAAAAAAgPk/mUoMrOAKogM/s1600/Alfred_Hitchcock%2527s_The_Birds.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Twitter's HQ may have seemed like this last week" border="0" height="352" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0-SYZtdTXA4/VX5l650eOII/AAAAAAAAgPk/mUoMrOAKogM/s640/Alfred_Hitchcock%2527s_The_Birds.png" title="Less drama in Hitchcock's movie than at Twitter" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
An announcement, Twitter's CEO flies the coop, Apple announcement is Music to many ears, hoping that unionizing at Gawker won't diminish its witty headlines, Facebook values time over likes, Twitter needs to figure out what it needs to be, Google searches nearly everywhere, 17 collaborative unicorns, Uber's Chinese expansion, the audio competition heats up, how different generations consume content, the need for security at all levels is serious, trademarking the "book," combating digital distration 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">the 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;">
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News items are in regular text; <i>additional commentary has been added in italics</i>.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>Before we begin</b></h4>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Last week, I made an announcement on the main feed; if you subscribe only to This Week in Digital, you may have missed it. <a href="http://smonty.co/announcemt" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">I'm launching a consultancy to help brands and agencies with their corporate and digital acumen</a>.</li>
</ul>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0AvWMg5vs0c/VXSXuKAPuBI/AAAAAAAAgJM/rwJ84JqYB7g/s1600/SM-Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0AvWMg5vs0c/VXSXuKAPuBI/AAAAAAAAgJM/rwJ84JqYB7g/s320/SM-Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Industry</b></h4>
<ul>
<li>The biggest news from the digital world this week was that <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2015/06/11/twitter-ceo-dick-costolo-is-stepping-down-cofounder-jack-dorsey-is-interim-ceo/" target="_blank">Dick Costolo is stepping down</a> as CEO of Twitter as of July 1, with former CEO Jack Dorsey taking over duties temporarily. The change comes amid multiple leadership changes in the last year, lagging revenue, slow growth and an uncertain product cadence.</li>
<ul>
<li>Analysts think Twitter is going to have a hard time <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2015/06/14/twitter-new-ceo-struggles-analyst-cnbc/71126124/" target="_blank">finding a replacement</a>.</li>
<li>For sheer entertainment value, Gawker won the Internet with its headline <a href="http://gawker.com/jack-off-to-executive-suite-with-dick-out-1710723519" target="_blank">Jack Off to Executive Suite, with Dick Out</a>.</li>
</ul>
<li>Apple had its day in the sun at its annual WWDC. Among <a href="http://fortune.com/2015/06/08/apple-wwdc-announcements/" target="_blank">the myriad announcements</a>:</li>
<ul>
<li>The new iOS is called El Capitan (<i>have the naming convention moved from wild felines to Sousa marches?</i>) and will include the ability for split screens on iPads.</li>
<li>Apple Music is a streaming service that will cost $9.99 and includes DJ-selected playlists. This will give serious competition to Spotify.</li>
<li>Its <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/06/08/apple-just-cloned-flipboard-and-named-it-news/#.fvmhl3:Jh5M" target="_blank">News app will give Flipboard a run for its money</a> and will satisfy news junkies.</li>
<li>Apple Watch got some attention, as developers will now have the ability to code native apps for the device.</li>
</ul>
<li>It didn't get much press, but the new iOS will allow users <a href="http://www.niemanlab.org/2015/06/a-blow-for-mobile-advertising-the-next-version-of-safari-will-let-users-block-ads-on-iphones-and-ipads/" target="_blank">to block ads in Safari on iPhones and iPads</a>.</li>
<ul>
<li><i>Of course, this doesn't mean no ads on Safari. Remember that Apple has its own iAds product, and you can bet it will derive a decent bit of revenue from advertisers who are desperate to reach the Macolytes</i>.</li>
</ul>
<li><a href="http://gawker.com/gawker-media-votes-to-unionize-1708892974" target="_blank">Gawker Media has voted to unionize</a>, giving them representation through the Writers Guild of America. According to them, their next priority is "determining what we want to bargain for." <i>What do we want? A union! Why do we want it? To do... union-y... stuff. Serious question, though: will such things as overtime provisions hamper Gawker's ability to cover news around the clock?</i> (Gawker)</li>
<li>Recently we shared GM's plan to integrate Apple and Android interfaces into some of its vehicles; this week, longtime rivals <a href="http://fortune.com/2015/06/03/toyota-ford-apple-google/" target="_blank">Ford and Toyota are teaming up to defend their dashboards</a> against the tech leaders. (Fortune)</li>
<ul>
<li>Just what is the <a href="http://www.strategy-business.com/article/00329?gko=dc1a8" target="_blank">best strategy for connected cars</a>? PwC says there are five elements: treat connectivity as integral to the experience; focus on safety first; ensure security; upend the traditional development cycle (<i>easier said than done</i>); adapt the vehicle operating model to accommodate connected vehicles (<i>not the other way around</i>).</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h4>
<b>Platforms</b></h4>
<ul>
<li><b>Twitter</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Chris Sacca, Twitter's single largest investor, wrote a thoughtful critique titled <a href="http://lowercasecapital.com/2015/06/03/what-twitter-can-be-2/" target="_blank">What Twitter Can Be</a>, with tips for the platform to get back on track. <i>The challenge is that in order to be successful, Twitter needs to focus on the mainstream, not its beloved power users.</i></li>
<li>The inherent problem with Twitter is that <a href="http://tvrev.com/twitter-is-a-broadcast-network-not-a-social-network-deal-with-it/" target="_blank">it's a broadcast network</a>, and not everyone is a broadcaster.</li>
<li>Amid its identity crisis, Twitter is rolling out <a href="http://www.wired.com/2015/06/twitter-just-became-messaging-app/" target="_blank">unlimited message length in its direct messaging feature</a>, making it more like other messaging apps.</li>
<li>Advertisers on the platform can now target you <a href="http://recode.net/2015/06/10/twitter-advertisers-can-now-target-you-based-on-the-other-apps-on-your-phone/" target="_blank">based on other apps you have installed on your phone</a>. </li>
</ul>
<li><b>Google</b></li>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://fortune.com/2015/06/01/facebook-google-shareholders/" target="_blank">Google and Facebook shareholders</a> will be fighting for equitable voting rights with regard to share ownership. Currently, neither has a one share, one vote standard.</li>
<li>The search function in the Google mobile app now <a href="http://insidesearch.blogspot.com/2015/06/find-app-content-straight-from-google.html" target="_blank">searches within other apps</a>.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul><ul></ul>
<li><b>Facebook</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Announcing its latest change, Facebook said that the <a href="http://newsroom.fb.com/news/2015/06/news-feed-fyi-taking-into-account-time-spent-on-stories/" target="_blank">News feed algorithm will be based on time spent</a> on certain content rather than actions taken. <i>Probably not a a unique view into the ever-changing estimation of engagement; with time as our most valuable asset, it's a good indicator of interest.</i></li>
<li><a href="http://fortune.com/2015/06/03/facebook-video-traffic/" target="_blank">Four billion views a day</a>. That's how many video views Facebook is logging every day, rivaling YouTube.</li>
<li>Facebook Messenger opened its API up to developers earlier this year; <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/06/09/facebook-messenger-game/#.fvmhl3:EGbx" target="_blank">it now has its first game, a doodling app</a>.</li>
<li>Focusing more on helping retailers generate revenue, <a href="http://recode.net/2015/06/08/facebook-is-handing-out-free-beacons-to-retailers/" target="_blank">Facebook is handing out beacons to stores</a>. This is an integration with the company's Place Tips, designed to give relevant updates and suggestions based on geolocation and check-ins.</li>
<li>Also in support of e-commerce, the platform is <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2015/6/10/8761735/facebook-buy-button-expansion" target="_blank">allowing more merchants to add buy buttons to their posts</a>.</li>
</ul>
<li><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/06/02/adstagram/#.fvmhl3:nI6d" target="_blank">Instagram is doing the same</a>, offering Shop Now, Install Now and Sign Up buttons, along with opening its API to advertisers and their agencies who want to target ads based on who you follow or like.</li>
<li>As <a href="http://recode.net/2015/06/02/pinterest-launches-the-buy-button/?mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRonv6XJZKXonjHpfsX54uUuT%2Frn28M3109ad+rmPBy92IQEWp8na+qWCgseOrQ8mFkIV8izUs0TrKM%3D" target="_blank">is Pinterest</a>.</li>
</ul>
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<h4>
<b>Collaborative Economy</b> </h4>
</div>
<ul>
<li>Sharing is big business. In fact, an estimated <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2015/06/04/the-sharing-economy-has-created-17-billion-dollar-companies-and-10-unicorns/" target="_blank">17 billion-dollar companies</a> have been formed because of the new practice of shared resources and services built upon them. </li>
<li>Those so-called "unicorns" may be a figment of our imagination - <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-11/uber-investor-chris-sacca-predicts-technology-industry-decline" target="_blank">there may be a technology bubble</a> that is building once again.</li>
<li>In an email unearthed by reporters, Uber internally reports that it is now logging some <a href="http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0%2Fe533bb8a-1081-11e5-b4dc-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3crP5w2Sh" target="_blank">one million rides per day in China alone</a>.</li>
<li>Uber is recruiting new drivers <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/johanabhuiyan/grand-theft-uber#.olvXo4Zbl" target="_blank">via a snappy new video game</a> called UberDrive, which gives players a view into a day in the life of an Uber driver.</li>
<ul>
<li>Alternatively, they could simply read about <a href="http://citypaper.net/uberdriver/" target="_blank">life as an undercover Uber driver</a>.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
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<h4>
Audio</h4>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Spotify continues to grow: the streaming music service now has <a href="http://recode.net/2015/06/10/spotify-has-20-million-paid-subscribers/" target="_blank">over 20 million paying subscribers</a> and 55 million free users; this is up from 15 million in January. </li>
<li>Not to be outdone by Apple's announcement, <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/06/10/spotify-raises-526-million-amid-battle-with-apple/" target="_blank">Spotify raised another $526 million</a>, placing its value at over $8 billion - more than double that of Pandora.</li>
<li>SoundCloud is moving closer to a paid subscription model as it <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jun/04/soundcloud-signs-licensing-deal-independent-labels" target="_blank">adds licensed music from independent labels</a>. This is in addition to the podcasting feature it added earlier this year.</li>
</ul>
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<div>
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</div>
</div>
<h4>
<b>Content</b></h4>
<ul>
<li>In terms of content consumption, Millennials and Gen Xers aren't that much different. <a href="http://contently.com/strategist/2015/05/19/infographic-how-millennials-gen-xers-and-boomers-consume-content-differently/" target="_blank">Baby Boomers, on the other hand...</a></li>
<li>Putting its two-year brand publishing experience to work, Coca-Cola's <a href="http://contently.com/strategist/2015/06/10/how-coca-cola-journey-made-the-most-of-its-mad-men-moment-and-drew-200000-readers/" target="_blank">Journey site took advantage of the <i>Mad Men</i> finale</a> by ensuring there was plenty of content related to its classic "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" ad. </li>
<li>Writer Matthew Ingram wondered if <a href="https://fortune.com/2015/06/05/buzzfeed-trust-problem/" target="_blank">BuzzFeed has a trust problem</a>, given its dual nature of news and entertainment. In a civil debate on Twitter, BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti explained how some of the research was outdated and that many <a href="https://twitter.com/peretti/status/606881374939709440" target="_blank">traditional media entities have news bureaus and entertainment divisions</a>.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<hr />
<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 />
<hr />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">[Disclosure: affiliate link]</span><br />
<div>
</div>
</div>
<b><br /></b><b><br /></b><br />
<h4>
<b>Metrics / Measurement / Data</b></h4>
<ul>
<li>If you're into visual analytics, take a look as this <a href="http://io9.com/this-animated-data-visualization-of-world-war-ii-fatali-1709065880" target="_blank">animated visualization of World War II data</a>, taken from a documentary.</li>
<li>Twitter has rolled out its Audience Insight feature to all ad users. Learn <a href="http://www.shiftcomm.com/2015/05/how-to-use-twitter-audience-insights-for-marketing/" target="_blank">how to use Twitter's Audience Insights for marketing</a>.</li>
<li>And while you're at it, check out <a href="http://thenextweb.com/insider/2015/06/02/twitter-unveils-heron-a-real-time-analytics-system-that-can-withstand-social-traffic-spikes/" target="_blank">Heron, Twitter's real-time analytics tool</a>.</li>
</ul>
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<h4>
<b>Privacy / Security / Legal</b></h4>
<ul>
<li>Is digitized medicine the future? If it is, we'd better hope there are safeguards in the security of everything from record keeping to devices. Case in point: <a href="http://www.wired.com/2015/06/hackers-can-send-fatal-doses-hospital-drug-pumps/" target="_blank">hackers can potentially deliver a fatal dose to hospital drug pumps</a>.</li>
<li>The federal government isn't immune either; <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/04/politics/federal-agency-hacked-personnel-management/" target="_blank">Chinese hackers gained access to the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) system</a> and made off with personal data of every single federal employee - including social security numbers and dates of birth. <a href="http://www.wired.com/2015/06/opm-breach-security-privacy-debacle/" target="_blank">It's a huge deal</a> - with the potential for blackmail, uncovering of foreign contacts, exposure of military background checks and more. <i>The inadequate response of the OPM and the failure to initiate safeguards even when warned should be a huge red flag to anyone who puts faith in our government's security systems</i>.</li>
<li>And yet, the White House and Congress are stonewalling with regard to the details in the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement - so much so that <a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/wikileaks-crowdfunds-100000-bounty-for-full-text-of-trans-pacific-partnership-treaty-2015-06-04" target="_blank">Wikileaks has offered $100,000 to anyone who can unearth details on it</a>. Expect details to be forthcoming.</li>
<li>Evidently, if your business has "book" in its name, it's fair game for Facebook's lawyers. The social network giant <a href="http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/06/facebook-sics-trademark-lawyers-on-designbook-startup/" target="_blank">is releasing its trademark lawyers on Designbook</a>, a network for entrepreneurs to meet collaborators, investors and team members. <i>Look out, yearbook publishers - you might be next!</i></li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RTQQmAzHrp8/VX5kXbvr0jI/AAAAAAAAgPY/dKesc3nlkZ4/s1600/Hounds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="479" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RTQQmAzHrp8/VX5kXbvr0jI/AAAAAAAAgPY/dKesc3nlkZ4/s640/Hounds.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Facebook's trademark lawyers go to work</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>When You Have the Time: Essential Watching / Listening / Reading</b> </h4>
<ul>
<li>Medium is moving <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/charliewarzel/whats-going-on-at-medium#.swMZzn6Py" target="_blank">away from being identified as a publishing tool</a> and toward a social network. Evidently, the strategy is to drive more interaction and engagement - <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/medium-budget-cuts-and-restructuring-2015-6?op=1" target="_blank">despite that it's been one of the best long-form content</a> sites out there. <i>Evidently, time spent is less important than likes and shares - a move in direct opposition to Facebook's algorithm change above.</i></li>
<li>If you've made it this far, congratulations. Perhaps you don't need to read about how <a href="https://hbr.org/2015/06/conquering-digital-distraction" target="_blank">some psychologists are suggesting we deal with digital distraction</a>. Then again, maybe you skimmed your way here; if so, try checking out some of their tips for putting some control back in your life.</li>
</ul>
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</h4>
<i>Image credit: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/fqH6Ur" target="_blank">Duncan Hull (Flickr)</a></i></div>
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This Week in Digital - June 14, 2015

An announcement, Twitter's CEO flies the coop, Apple announcement is Music to many ears, hoping that unionizing at Gawker won't...

Announcement: Embracing the Entrepreneurial Life

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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JYKqY7odiQE/VXUCjedjQBI/AAAAAAAAgKk/0F8dCkndHzA/s1600/SM%2Blogo%2B-%2Bhorizontal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JYKqY7odiQE/VXUCjedjQBI/AAAAAAAAgKk/0F8dCkndHzA/s640/SM%2Blogo%2B-%2Bhorizontal.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
I'm very excited to share some news. After some time in stealth mode, I'm officially launching a consultancy - <b>Scott Monty Strategies</b> - to advise and counsel brands and agencies looking to up their game in digital communications and marketing.<br />
<br />
After about a year at SHIFT Communications, I realized that it was time to spread my wings a bit. For the last five years or so, I've been giving advice and strategic input on the side, and I had always thought about starting an entrepreneurial effort of my own. While I was at Ford, I was something of an <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/onmarketing/2012/05/21/move-over-entrepreneurs-here-come-the-intrapreneurs/" target="_blank">intrapreneur</a>, so the spirit remained with me.<br />
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Staying fully in touch with the old-fashioned corporate requirements and remaining on the forefront of digital developments may seem like nearly an impossible task. But I've always had taste for analog and digital together: I use <a href="http://www.brainsonfire.com/blog/2009/11/30/keeping-promises/" target="_blank">fountain pens to send hand-written notes</a>; I believe in the importance of the offline customer experience - that it should mirror that of the online experience. The fusion of two seemingly disparate elements fascinates me.<br />
<br />
Consider the bow tie in our logo, for example. It is a divisive fashion choice - one that's said to never go out of style because it's never <i>in</i> style - but it always drives attention and conversation. It conveys a sense of quirky independence and of traditional experience at the same time. That is the exact blend of attributes that I possess - and, frankly, that is extremely rare.<br />
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The business will be split into two major areas - which you can see in the new navigation of the site - <b><a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/p/consulting.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">consulting</a></b> and <b><a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/p/speaking.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">speaking</a></b>.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>Consulting</b></h4>
Having spent six years at a major auto company on the corporate communications staff, I learned a few things. While I became widely known for social media during that time, the integration with the rest of the communications team, as well as other departments, resulted in a wide-ranging education on many aspects of the business. Add to that another decade or so of agency experience for a comprehensive perspective on communications and marketing.<br />
<br />
The consulting activities will focus on topics that I've had the most experience with over the course of two decades in communications and marketing: strategy, influencer relations, crisis communications, digital transformation, executive coaching and brand storytelling. In addition, for agencies, I'll be available to help with the strategy and final preparations for pitches that involve Fortune 500 brands, the auto industry or are heavy in digital components.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>Speaking</b></h4>
I've been fortunate enough to be invited to speak at major industry conferences over the last few years: Dreamforce, the Direct Marketing Association, Social Media Week, in cities as far-reaching as London, Hong Kong, Oslo, Amsterdam, New York, Los Angeles and more. I've spoken for companies and trade organizations, at events where there were just a hundred to thousands in the audience.<br />
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The plan is to continue on this journey, sharing my unique and confident outlook on digital marketing and communications, crisis communications, storytelling and more. It's not often that audiences get to hear from someone who's been in the trenches inside of a Fortune 10 company during the age that social media gained prominence. There are some great stories to tell!<br />
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Most of my speaking engagements are keynotes, but on occasion, I do seminars and roundtable discussions as circumstances allow. I'm open to <a href="mailto:speaking@scottmonty.com" target="_blank">hearing about any opportunity</a> in which you think I could bring value.<br />
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I'll be continuing <a href="http://www.scottmonty.com/search/label/this%20week%20in%20digital" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">This Week in Digital</a>, a weekly entry on this site. The format and content may change over time, as I continue to determine how much time I can dedicate to that curated effort. Expect to see more about that in the months ahead.<br />
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But for now, I'm delighted to be able to share the above news with you. If you have an assignment that could use an experienced executive, know of a colleague who could benefit from a conversation with me, or are planning an event with a keynote slot, please <a href="mailto:scott@scottmonty.com" target="_blank">drop me a line</a>. And if you wouldn't mind sharing this update, I'd be in your debt.<br />
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<br />

Announcement: Embracing the Entrepreneurial Life

I'm very excited to share some news. After some time in stealth mode, I'm officially launching a consultancy - Scott Monty Strat...

Scott Monty - Strategic Communications & Leadership Advisor

This Week in Digital - June 28, 2015

This Week in Digital - June 21, 2015

This Week in Digital - June 14, 2015

Announcement: Embracing the Entrepreneurial Life

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