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 Buys LiveRail to Grow Its Video Ad Business

Facebook is buying video ad platform LiveRail and giving it control of a network that powers advertising for high-profile publishers—online and on mobile. LiveRail delivers video ads to websites and apps for Major League Baseball, ABC, A+E Networks and Dailymotion. "LiveRail also helps... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2014-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How to Stop Facebook From Making Us Pawns in Its Corporate Agenda

Facebook’s most recently published study is not unique. This is a call to action. We should work together to demand that companies promise not to make us involuntary accomplices in corporate activities that compromise other people’s autonomy and trust. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2014-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sneaky Facebook Study on Users' Emotions Draws Ire

If you use Facebook and found yourself momentarily feeling either better or worse in early 2012, an algorithm may have caused your shift in mood. And that's what has some social media users upset today. A controversial research study published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2014-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook reveals news feed experiment to control emotions

Protests over secret study involving 689,000 users in which friends' postings were moved to influence moodsIt already knows whether you are single or dating, the first school you went to and whether you like or loathe Justin Bieber. But now Facebook, the world's biggest social networking site,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Anger at Facebook's Mood Manipulation Not Likely to Last

A Facebook researcher apologized after conducting an experiment that temporarily influenced what almost 700,000 readers saw on their news feeds, reviving some customers' concerns about privacy issues.The number of positive and negative comments that users saw on their feeds of articles and... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2014-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Here Are All the Other Experiments Facebook Plans to Run on You

Facebook and two outside social scientists recently published a scientific paper in which they revealed that they had manipulated users’ news feeds to tweak their emotions. Since then, there has been a growing debate over the ethics and practice of Facebook experimenting on its users, as... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2014-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook messed with users' emotions--for science!

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[ PC World | 2014-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Time Incs M Scott Havens: We want to build the next LinkedIn or Facebook

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[ The Guardian | 2014-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Oculus VR says ZeniMax suit aims to cash in on Facebook acquisition

Oculus VR has accused game publisher ZeniMax Media of attempting to cash in on Facebook’s pending acquisition of the wearable virtual reality technology company.In a court filing challenging ZeniMax’s ownership claims in its virtual reality technology, Oculus also cited mail from a former... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2014-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Diary of a Kickstarter Campaign Part 1: What Am I Getting Myself Into?

Thinking of Kickstarting a book? Follow along with this weekly diary of what works, what doesn't, and how to figure costs and navigate the Kickstarter process. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers jailed overnight in campaign for prisoners' right to read

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[ The Guardian | 2014-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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British spies are allowed to intercept Google and Facebook traffic, official says

British spies are authorized to spy on British citizens’ Internet communications transiting through servers outside the U.K., a civil rights group has discovered.Privacy International uncovered the information as part of a lawsuit it filed against the U.K. government over its alleged involvement... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2014-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Is Beginning to Look Like a Bona Fide Online Ad Network

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[ AdWeek | 2014-06-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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4 Brands Bet on Social and Mobile to Boost Father’s Day Campaigns

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[ AdWeek | 2014-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook to Use Web Browsing History For Ad Targeting

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[ Advertising Age | 2014-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PayPal's David Marcus Will Lead Mobile Messaging at Facebook

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[ AdWeek | 2014-06-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Major UK campaign for Hillary Clinton memoir

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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J&J's World Cup Campaign Barely Mentions Soccer or World Cup

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[ Advertising Age | 2014-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Combat Gent Calls Out 'Dad Jean' Offenders via Social Campaign

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[ AdWeek | 2014-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Seeks Patent for Tech to Let Kids on Its Network (Legally)

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[ Advertising Age | 2014-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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