Connecting the Dots on Facebook’s Smear Campaign

Perhaps you’ve probably heard: Facebook and Google are at war, and Facebook’s not afraid to play dirty. Thursday’s revelation that the social networking site hired PR firm Burston-Marsteller to plant a negative story about Google’s privacy settings raises a number of questions. Like, “Who at Facebook thought this was a good idea?” The company isn't responding to the question right now. Until they do, it helps to look at the players involved. There’s Burston-Marsteller, the global PR firm run by CEO Mark Penn. There’s Jim Goldman, the former Silicon Valley bureau chief for CNBC (and frequent target of high school-style ridicule). He’s become the fall guy for Burston-Marsteller. There’s Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s universally praised COO. And then there’s Elliot Schrage, Facebook’s VP of communications and public policy. Penn, of course, is a Washington heavy hitter: he worked as a pollster to President Clinton during both of his terms and the Washington Post noted how “thoroughly integrated into the policymaking operation” he’d become. Penn’s also no stranger to criticism from Washington observers: he gained notoriety for missteps as chief strategist to Hillary Clinton during her 2008 Presidential bid. He eventually stepped down after feuding with other aides, and for reportedly offering Clinton some of her worst advice (like, emphasize Barack Obama’s foreignness). Penn’s also no stranger to the tech world—he’s credited with making Microsoft into one of the country’s most... Continue reading at 'AdWeek'

[ AdWeek | 2011-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #googles head #silicon valley #focus attention

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Facebook Is Testing Out Mid-Roll Ads to Further Boost Its Video Revenues

Look out, YouTube. Facebook is trialing mid-roll ads for videos that are viewed for at least 20 seconds, according to a report today by Recode, which cited unnamed industry sources. The digital giant declined to comment on the report.  Simply put, Facebook wants to generate cash from the clips... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #simply put #clear message #sponsored posts #ad break


Facebook hires former news anchor to help its relationships with media outlets

Facebook has hired former NBC and CNN anchor Campbell Brown to help with its ties to news outlets, which has been a point of friction. Brown will be the Menlo Park company’s head of news partnerships, she wrote in a Facebook post on Friday. “I will be working directly with our partners to help... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2017-01-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #facebook post #media outlets #news outlets #news partnerships #working directly


Hour-Long Torture on Facebook Live Could Chill Brands' Appetite for New Platform

The appearance of what appeared to be an hour-long torture video on Facebook Live could undermine efforts to get more brands and publishers to try out the feature.On Wednesday, Chicago police confirmed that they were investigating a disturbing assault that was livestreamed on Facebook's video... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2017-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #warning sign #make money


Facebook is building a tool to hunt copyright infringing videos

YouTube isn't the only site record labels are taking issue with when it comes to copyright infringement. Financial Times reports that music publishers want Facebook to license music that gets posted on its site and take down any user-submitted videos... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2016-12-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #copyright infringement #music publishers #license music


Facebook, Google, consolidation: What drove media deals in 2016

Media ownership is being overhauled as companies try to figure out their place in a world where 85 percent of digital dollars are going to two companies: Facebook and Google. The platform giants' dominance were factors in AT&T's $85 billion bid for Time Warner and other mega deals that were... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-12-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post facebook #digital dollars #platform giants #time warner


How brands and publishers used Facebook Messenger this holiday season

Facebook is bullish on the bot, and its partnering with early-adopting brands and publishers to begin to edge commerce inside of Messenger's four walls. For the holiday season, brands like Burberry and Estée Lauder used Facebook Messenger to extend holiday campaigns into interactive experiences... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-12-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #facebook messenger #holiday season


Publisher trend inception: Facebook Live meets commerce strategies

Brit + Co and Mindbodygreen are seeing early success in using Facebook Live to drive people to pay for how-to courses. Brit + Co’s recent Facebook Live with a handlettering expert drove 180 pre-registrations for its class -- four times the usual average. Meanwhile, Mindbodygreen has been hosting... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-12-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #brit + #early success #facebook live


Why BuzzFeed, Time Inc. are bringing the holiday gift guide to Facebook Messenger

Publishers’ first messenger bots primarily served to send out the day’s news, but some are branching out. BuzzFeed and Time Inc. have both launched holiday gift guide bots on Facebook Messenger. For Time Inc., it's a way to see if there's an appetite for its vast library of lifestyle content on... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-12-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #facebook messenger #vast library #lifestyle content


You Can Now Listen to Live Audio Content on Facebook

Facebook Live isn't just for video. Today the social network launched a new feature dubbed Live Audio that lets users listen to broadcast voice recordings, pushing more audio-only content into newsfeeds. Similar to Facebook Live videos, users can go live from the Facebook app by pressing a... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2016-12-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #live event #news outlet #reach audiences #adam grant


Loyalist flags protester wins £3,000 Facebook damages

Facebook is ordered to pay £3,000 damages to a loyalist flags protester for publishing comments about his children's religion. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2016-12-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Has Now Revealed Its Fourth Marketing Metrics Problem Since September

Facebook has been undervaluing iPhone audiences on certain posts by Instant Articles publishers, per its blog post on Friday. It's the fourth time since September that the digital media giant has owned up to providing marketers with inaccurate data, following up on an admission just one week... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2016-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #national geographic #nbc news #increase revenues #live videos


Now Facebook Says It Gave Some Publishers Bad Traffic Numbers on Instant Articles

Facebook has reported yet another glitch in the data it gives publishers and marketers to understand their activity on the social network.This time Facebook found a problem that gave some publishers inaccurate traffic numbers, underestimating iPhone audiences on certain posts, according to a... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2016-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #small group


Why Facebook’s fake news measures won’t stamp out imposter publishers

Facebook's announcement that it was taking steps to crack down on hoaxes and fake news on the platform drew attention to a specific type of fake news ads -- those that masquerade as legitimate news sites. Publishers have long been the victim of such schemes, but they have few options to squash... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #taking steps #fake news #limited test


That 'holiday gift exchange' Facebook post is technically an illegal scam

Sorry to be a grinch, but that viral Facebook post going around about a gift exchange is against the law. You've probably seen something like this in your newsfeed: Sometimes the message varies: You're sending a bottle of wine or a book or it includes the men on the holiday fun. But the gist is... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #facebook post


Facebook Is Enlisting American Users in the Fight Against Fake News

Facebook's going to need all the help it can get to combat fake news.  With that in mind, the company is enlisting users to fight the good fight, revealing a five-part plan to cleanse its platform of faux publishers that make money off click-bait headlines that contain blatant untruths. The... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2016-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #news organizations #product management #months ahead


MPs to be sent Brexit book after crowdfunding campaign

A book warning about the dangers of Brexit is to be sent to all 650 MPs after the public backed an impromptu fundraising campaign set up by a reader. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #brexit book #crowdfunding campaign #book warning


Global Kids Connect: A Further Look at Issues and Trends for Children’s Publishers

The second annual Global Kids Connect conference, held on December 8 in New York, brought together members of the book industryto discuss the future of global children’s publishing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #global children


China, Brexit Big Topics at Global Kids Connect Conference

The second annual Global Kids Connect conference surveyed China's booming children's publishing market, potential Brexit fallout, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #booming children #publishing market


Facebook patent hints at an automated solution for fake news

Facebook may have said that it's stepping up its fight against fake news in the past few weeks, but there are signs that it might have had a way to tackle this problem sooner. A recently published USPTO filing from 2015 reveals that Facebook has app... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2016-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fake news


Global Kids Connect Surveys China, Latin America and Brexit

Organized by PW and the Bologna Children's Book Fair, the Global Kids Connect conference examined a booming Chinese kids' book marketplace, a renewed rights market in Spain and Latin America, and currency exchange issues after Brexit. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #latin america #bologna children #book fair #book marketplace