How Facebook Is Using Surveys to Improve Its News Feed and Give Users What They Want

Facebook is taking more of a "survey says" approach to what users will see in their news feeds. In a blog post published today, Facebook software engineers Cheng Zhang and Si Chen explained that the Menlo Park, Calif.-based company's traditional ways of determining what shows up in feeds—likes, clicks, comments, shares—don't always give a full picture of what users want. And the changes could weed out publishers that rely on clickbait for traffic. Facebook asked more than 1,000 users to rate their daily experience and provide feedback on how it can be improved. It also surveyed tens of thousands of people around the world to better understand how well feeds are being ranked. Respondents were asked to give stories a rating of up to five stars according to how much they wanted to see each one show up in their news feed. Facebook uses algorithms to determine what people see based on each user's connections and activity on the platform. Updates to the news feed algorithm will include the probability that users want to see a given story and how likely they are to engage with it. "We saw through our research that people reported having a better newsfeed experience when the stories they see at the top are stories they are both likely to rate highly if asked and likely to engage with," the engineers wrote. So, how will this affect Pages, the section brands use to manage their Facebook page? That depends on the scope of the audience, how frequently a brand posts and what it... Continue reading at 'AdWeek'

[ AdWeek | 2016-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #-based company #full picture #provide feedback

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As Facebook ignores memes, even fake news about Mark Zuckerberg spreads like wildfire

A few days ago, the Columbia Journalism Review published a thorough and frightening look into Facebook’s fact-checking program. The social network enlists organizations like Snopes and PolitiFact to scroll through thousands of contested articles and deem how factual they are. As CJR writes, the... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2018-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Up to 87 million Facebook users affected in privacy scandal

Facebook says as many as 87 million people may have had their data accessed in the Cambridge Analytica scandal - an increase from the 50 million disclosed in published reports. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2018-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook rolls out news verification tools to everyone in the US

Facebook has been fighting fake news for a while now, ranking "trusted" sources and demoting "engagement bait" stories. Last October, the company began testing a feature that provided information on article publishers to help people decide which sour... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2018-04-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A Pre-Scandal Mark Zuckerberg Said Users Trusted Facebook To Protect Their Privacy

In an interview released for the first time today, the Facebook CEO discussed privacy with Freaknonomics Radio last summer. It was a simpler time. Last summer, months before Mark Zuckerberg was feeling the intense pressure of the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, the Facebook CEO said he knew... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2018-04-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Weather Co. goes all-in on 'Taboola Feed,' a Facebook Newsfeed clone

IBM-owned The Weather Company says it's going all-in on Taboola Feed, which mimics the look and feel of Facebook's News Feed, the publication said Thursday, making it perhaps the largest publisher to adopt the format.Like Facebook's News Feed, Taboola Feed is an infinite scroll that surfaces... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2018-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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​Facebook and Google executives clash over ‘fake news’

A head-to-head debate between the executives leading Facebook and Google’s efforts to court publishers revealed sharp divisions between the two internet companies’ approaches to stemming “fake news” and disinformation. Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2018-03-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Zuckerberg says Facebook must protect user data or ‘we don't deserve to serve you’

Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged that his company “made mistakes” in protecting user data obtained by Cambridge Analytica, but said steps already taken and new policies unveiled Wednesday would prevent developers from misappropriating such information in the future. Part... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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News publishers are giving personalization a fresh look

With consumer revenue and loyalty newly important, news publishers are personalizing their products more. The post News publishers are giving personalization a fresh look appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Atlantic’s new family section is built for the post-news feed era

Family is the first big editorial initiative by The Atlantic, now majority owned by Laurene Powell Jobs, since the publisher announced a staff expansion. The post The Atlantic’s new family section is built for the post-news feed era appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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‘Everyone was a bit suspicious’: Scarred news publishers are wary of Facebook’s latest Watch gambit

Stung by Facebook’s pushes for Instant Articles, live video and Watch, news publishers are unwilling to bend over backward for the company's latest pitch. The post ‘Everyone was a bit suspicious’: Scarred news publishers are wary of Facebook’s latest Watch gambit appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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NBC News Chairman Lack Sees No Value for Publishers in Facebook

NBC News' Chairman Andrew Lack isn't optimistic on Facebook."Facebook doesn't have value for publishers really," Lack told reporters during a press briefing on NBC News' digital initiatives on Wednesday. "I call them Fakebook.""What's frustrating about Facebook is you can't have a relationship... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2018-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook's daily news video section may arrive this summer

Facebook has only hinted at its upcoming news video section in Watch, but some more tangible details are starting to trickle out. Axios sources have claimed a daily news service should launch in the summer, with about 10 publishers (both conventiona... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2018-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For News Publishers, Facebook Is a Less Reliable Friend

As Facebook’s share of traffic to news sites has been falling sharply since early last year—and will only decline more—Google AMP has been on the rise. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2018-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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50+ More Publishers Will Soon Begin Testing Facebook’s Breaking News Tag

Facebook is expanding its test of a breaking news tag to more than 50 publishers in North America, Latin America, Europe and Australia, and product manager Joey Rhyu shared some data from the social network's initial test run in a blog post. According to Rhyu, from Dec. 8 through Jan. 14, posts... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2018-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook expands breaking news label to more publishers

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[ Engadget | 2018-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook suddenly cares about news again

Facebook’s ever-changing opinion on which content it will boost in its News Feed is, well, changing yet again. After the company announced only a few months ago that it would de-emphasize content from publishers and brands, meaning news organizations would likely see their Facebook traffic... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2018-03-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook comes to the realization that one feed is better than two

Facebook has announced that it’s getting rid of its “Explore” feed. What is this “Explore” feed? you may ask. And indeed that question proves why the social network is getting rid of it. Explore was meant to create another feed for all content from publishers and companies. The idea was that... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2018-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Is Helping Local News Publishers Get More Digital Subscribers

Facebook is putting its money where its mouth is when it comes to supporting local news publishers, putting $3 million toward helping some of them boost their digital subscription totals. Head of news partnerships Campbell Brown announced in a blog post that the Facebook Journalism Project... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2018-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook program aims to boost local news subscriptions

Just because Facebook is downplaying publishers in your News Feed doesn't mean it's uninterested in giving media outlets a helping hand. The social network's Journalism Project is launching a Local News Subscriptions Accelerator that will help "metro... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2018-02-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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News UK to advertisers: Run your Facebook ads on our sites

"Facebook is aggressively turning the dial against [brands and publishers]." The post News UK to advertisers: Run your Facebook ads on our sites appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2018-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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