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's News Feed Update Isn't Good News For Publishers—But It May Be For You

Would you rather get your news directly from publishers or from your Facebook friends?If you've been feeling like Facebook is clogging up your News Feed with too many dispiriting news stories and not enough cute baby pictures, this one's for you: The social network is tweaking its algorithm yet... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2016-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #news directly #similar change


As Publisher Reach on Facebook Goes Down, Video Is Going Way Up

Even as Facebook plans on de-emphasizing publisher-posted content in users' news feeds in favor of posts from friends and family, video seems to be on the way up. According to data compiled by SocialFlow, a social analytics company used by many major publishers, video content posted by... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2016-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #news feeds #media companies #increasingly turning #audience engagement #anecdotal reports #rapid growth


Facebook to Push Friends' Posts Higher, Likely to Publishers' Detriment

It's a fact: Most publishers rely on Facebook for a significant portion of their referral traffic. As such, they watch carefully as Facebook makes decisions about what kind of content to prioritize in the all-important News Feed product that is at the center of the social network.On Wednesday,... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2016-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #significant portion #referral traffic #big change #similar change


Facebook changes the News Feed to favor friends and family over publishers

Facebook has published for the first time a list of “News Feed Values,” Facebook’s secret sauce of what makes the algorithm tick. The social network is adjusting the recipe with a heavy helping of content from friends and family, likely an attempt to get people to share more, given that there... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post facebook #publishers appeared #secret sauce #media outlets


Facebook Is Changing Its News Feed Algorithm to Focus Less on Publishers' Content

Expect to see more pictures of your friends' pets and wedding announcements from extended family members in your Facebook news feed in the coming weeks. And expect to see less news. In yet another blow to publishers that have spent years building audiences to build traffic and revenue, the... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2016-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #top priority #research suggests #digital publishing #marketing strategies


Facebook plays favorites with publishers

As Facebook, Google, Apple and Snapchat compete for audiences and advertising, they're providing new outlets for publishers to distribute their news content, but some publishers have been bigger beneficiaries than others. BuzzFeed, CNN and The New York Times are three whose resources, scale and... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publishers appeared #news content


Facebook Pays Publishers Over $50 Million to Start Using Live Video

Company signs over $50 million in deals with 140 companies and celebrities for Facebook Live content. The post Facebook Pays Publishers Over $50 Million to Start Using Live Video appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2016-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #$50 million #live video


CI 4: Children's Bookselling Industry 'Only Connects' in Orlando

Despite the recent tragic events that took place days before the start of Children's Institute 4 at the Wyndham Orlando, the conference started off on a high note. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bookselling industry #high note


Mills & Boon launches #LoveAtTheLibrary campaign

Romantic fiction publisher Mills & Boon is partnering with The Reading Agency to work with libraries across the UK to help readers “fall in love” at their library. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #reading agency


Tumblr Is Getting Into Live Video, But It's Completely Different Than Facebook or Periscope

Yahoo-owned Tumblr wants in on livestreaming, and it's taking a different route than Facebook or Twitter's Periscope app. Today the site is launching a live video feature that will let content creators and brands push their clips to Tumblr. But unlike live video on Facebook, Twitter and... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2016-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #video player #brands push #huffington post #existing platforms


Facebook hones a new pitch to jettisoned LiveRail customers

Facebook is offering new video ad services for some publishers that were formerly clients of LiveRail, the programmatic platform it shut down last month. Facebook is offering some LiveRail refugees, premium publishers, a special partnership program where they could tap its rich data and use it... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #premium publishers #programmatic platform #ad technology


How Fusion, Complex and other publishers are using Facebook Messenger bots

Two months after Facebook Messenger opened up a bot platform to outside companies, we took a look at the offerings from four developers -- Fusion, TechCrunch, Betaworks and Complex -- that created bots to interact with Messenger's 900 million users. Two months in, the bots are a work in... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #facebook hasn


Marketers Are Slowly Experimenting With Audio in Their Snapchat and Facebook Videos

For the past year or so, Facebook has conditioned advertisers and publishers to create video that can be understood without sound, as more clips that play automatically (and silently) when users scroll fill news feeds. With 100 million hours of video viewed every day and the explosion of... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2016-06-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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News UK is doing 25 Facebook Live videos a week

News UK is ramping up its Facebook Live output from a couple a week to five a day. For the last six weeks, live videos have been largely done by its tabloid title, The Sun, where it blends stunt-style videos, like grown men plunging into ice baths, with highly visual footage, like filling up... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-06-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #week appeared #news uk #live videos


How the Ad Council Used Facebook's Atlas to Drive Donations and Volunteers

A recent campaign success story for Feeding America could shed light on how consumers are using devices and which publishers are actually driving traffic. Working with the Ad Council and Facebook's Atlas measurement platform, the Chicago-based nonprofit launched an eight-week digital campaign... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2016-06-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bernie Sanders never came close to beating Hillary Clinton, but his campaign still mattered. Here's why

When Bernie Sanders took an early, exploratory trip to Iowa, a curious crowd of 150 or so turned out at a college-town bookstore, where they listened politely as he raged against the billionaires and oligarchs he said were destroying America. The angry aria from the wild-haired, slouch-shouldered... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bernie sanders #exploratory trip #curious crowd #college-town bookstore #listened politely #destroying america #angry aria


Sanders never came close to beating Clinton, but his campaign still mattered. Here's why.

When Bernie Sanders took an early, exploratory trip to Iowa, a curious crowd of 150 or so turned out at a college-town bookstore, where they listened politely as he raged against the billionaires and oligarchs he said were destroying America. The angry aria from the wild-haired, slouch-shouldered... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bernie sanders #exploratory trip #curious crowd #college-town bookstore #listened politely #destroying america #angry aria


Intel becomes the first brand to publish on Facebook’s Instant Articles

Facebook, which created Instant Articles a year ago to make publishers' articles load faster, is now giving that tool to brands. Intel is using the tool to post articles from its digital tech-focused publication, iQ. “This is a wonderful move to signal we’re not just an advertiser," Intel's... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-06-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #make publishers #post articles #big advantage #organic reach


Facebook's rise as news source hits publishers' revenues

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism report also finds importance of TV news is waning among young peoplePeople are increasingly heading to social media such as Facebook for news, making it more difficult for publishers to attract and make money from readers, according to an influential... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #make money #digital ads #business models


How Insider is selling its newfound Facebook video expertise to brands

The rise of social video has changed the game for publishers like Business Insider, which owns a Facebook-based property called Insider that generates more than 1.3 billion video views a month across all platforms. In April, Facebook updated its branded-content policies that opened a path for... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #business insider #brands appeared #social video #diet coke