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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‘Between scrappy and slick’: How The Economist is using Facebook live video

The Economist has been experimenting with Facebook Live since January and, along the way, is trying to figure out how to translate its polished journalistic brand to the raw format. The publisher is still looking for that balance between "scrappy and slick," said deputy community editor Adam... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Security researcher: Anyone can see links you share using Facebook Messenger

When you use a messaging service like Facebook Messenger, you have a reasonable expectation that what you say is private and secure. But due to a quirk in how Facebook handles certain pieces of information, just about anyone who knows how to use Facebook’s developer API can view links that... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2016-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #facebook messenger #security researcher #messaging service #post published


ALA 2016: Inside EveryLibrary's National Campaign for Local Library Support

EveryLibrary is the only national political action committee fighting for libraries at the local level. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-06-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Anger over Penguin's 'anti-Russian' poster campaign

A Penguin Classics poster campaign featuring a quote from Ivan Turgenev's Fathers and Sons has been accused of stirring up "ethnic hatred". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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German publishers are pooling data to compete with Google and Facebook

German media's relationship with Google and Facebook has been fraught with tension. In the last nine months, eight of the 10 biggest publishing groups in Germany, including Axel Springer, have been pooling reader data from nearly 1,000 websites to create highly targeted, quality data segments... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-06-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #facebook appeared #german publishers #german media #advertising spend


Facebook tests News Feed-only posts that avoid your Timeline

Being able to hide a Facebook update after it posts isn't entirely new, but the social network is testing a way to let users keep things from ever hitting their Timeline. A "Hide From Your Timeline" checkbox will allow you to only publish something i... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2016-06-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How FloSports used Facebook to grow paid subscribers by 22 percent

FloSports, which covers niche sports like volleyball and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, grew subscribers by 22 percent after changing up its Facebook content and advertising strategy. The company now puts up nearly 400 videos per month on Facebook and has started targeting users based on characteristics... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook endorsements are good for news sites, but where's the money?

Social media ‘currency’ is all very well, but it doesn’t fund journalismTrinity Mirror regularly publishes the numbers of its Facebook and Twitter followers and likes (example here). Archant has also boasted of its social media success when doing the same.Many journalists find this less than... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A YouTube billionaire, Motor Trend revs up for Facebook Live

TEN, the parent company of Motor Trend and other sports magazines and websites, plans to produce 20 hours of live programming per month on Facebook. With Motor Trend, this means bringing viewers closer to the action at industry car shows, as well as interviews with top personalities and athletes... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publisher Reach on Facebook Is Down 42%

Publishers who have noticed their overall reach on Facebook has dramatically declined over the past few months can at least have peace of mind that they're not alone. According to an analysis by SocialFlow, publishers on Facebook have experienced a rapid decline in overall reach during the... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2016-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook sticks by Gawker attack funder

Facebook says the billionaire who is helping people sue Gawker Media - threatening the publisher's future - will stay on its board. Continue reading at BBC World

[ BBC World | 2016-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Orchard and Monsoon partner on Rosie Banks campaign

Orchard Books has partnered with high street clothing retailer Monsoon for the launch of Rosie Banks’ new children’s series Secret Princesses. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BBC relaunches Love To Read campaign at Hay

The BBC today relaunched Love to Read, a campaign that celebrates reading for pleasure, at Hay Festival.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers on Facebook Live: The good, the bad and the bitchy

Brands may still be treading lightly, but publishers have been going all-in on Facebook Live. So much so that it’s becoming impossible to scroll through your Facebook feed without coming across a live video stream involving some wacky science experiment or a celebrity Q&A. But not all videos... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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One month in: What CNN has learned from Facebook Messenger bots

For CNN, messaging apps represent as big an opportunity as mobile has for publishers with ambitious international ambition. The publisher was one of the first to set up a Facebook Messenger chatbot last month, and it's already learned a lot. People are spending an average of two minutes with the... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers’ Facebook videos are shared 7 times more than links

Publishers are addicted to the video format on Facebook, and it's easy to see why: they get much higher engagement on video posts than they do on article links, according to an analysis of NewsWhip data. The problem is that publishers have less ability to monetize the video they post to... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Is Using This Data to Pitch Canvas Ads to Mobile-Minded Marketers

Almost a year after Facebook rolled out its Canvas ad unit at Cannes, the social network is releasing data about the mobile product, which allows for entire campaigns to be built inside of it. Ford, Target, Nike, Samsung, Little Caesars, Apple, Procter & Gamble and L'Oreal are among the... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2016-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stephen Fry backs libraries in poster campaign

Stephen Fry is supporting libraries by appearing in a new poster campaign from the Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals (CILIP). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How Facebook food-porn upstart Twisted plans to differentiate

Twisted is looking for Facebook food fame. After launching six weeks ago, the London-based food page is getting 220 million views on its videos, according to Tubular Labs. But there are many successful food publishers on Facebook. To differentiate, Twisted looks for oddball combinations like... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2016-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pullman, Rebuck and Daunt back 'Remain' campaign in joint letter

Leading publishing figures, including Waterstones m.d James Daunt, chair of Penguin Random House UK Gail Rebuck, author Philip Pullman and poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy, have signed a letter to say they believe leaving the European Union would "severely weaken" the UK's creative industries. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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