The proof that Facebook is broken is obvious from its very modus operandi | John Naughton

Despite employing a small army of contractors to monitor posts, it’s clear the company is no longer fit for purposeWay back in the 1950s, a pioneering British cybernetician, W Ross Ashby, proposed a fundamental law of dynamic systems. In his book An Introduction to Cybernetics, he formulated his law of requisite variety, which defines “the minimum number of states necessary for a controller to control a system of a given number of states”. In plain English, it boils down to this: for a system to be viable, it has to be able to absorb or cope with the complexity of its environment. And there are basically only two ways of achieving viability in those terms: either the system manages to control (or reduce) the variety of its environment, or it has to increase its internal capacity (its “variety”) to match what is being thrown at it from the environment.Sounds abstruse, I know, but it has a contemporary resonance. Specifically, it provides a way of understanding some of the current internal turmoil in Facebook as it grapples with the problem of keeping unacceptable, hateful or psychotic content off its platform. Two weeks ago, the New York Times was leaked 1,400 pages from the rulebooks that the company’s moderators are trying to follow as they police the stuff that flows through its servers. According to the paper, the leak came from an employee who said he “feared that the company was exercising too much power, with too little oversight – and making too many mistakes”.... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-01-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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John Noakes was your beloved, daredevil uncle – we mourn the loss | Lucy Mangan

For thousands of us of a certain age, the former Blue Peter presenter is that personal connection with a collective past There used to be just three television channels. There used to be a universally recognised teatime – five o’clock. And there used to be John Noakes. Now the last of these... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nicky Morgan to write book for John Catt

Former education secretary Nicky Morgan is to write a book for indie John Catt Educational on character education. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #write book #john catt


Industry Notes: A Milestone at the Netherlands’ Sweek; Facebook Live at BookExpo and Bookcon

In the Netherlands, a reading and writing platform, Sweek, gains traction. In the States, BookExpo and Bookcon plan Facebook Live streams of interviews. The post Industry Notes: A Milestone at the Netherlands’ Sweek; Facebook Live at BookExpo and Bookcon appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bookcon appeared #facebook live #writing platform #gains traction


Facebook Just Lost a Big Battle to Google for Publishers

Facebook hasn't lost the war against Google for publishers' content, but it looks like it's losing one fight.The company said Thursday that it's created a software extension that lets publishers easily transfer content formatted for its Instant Articles to the No. 1 competition for mobile... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2017-05-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #google amp #facebook hasn #mobile readers #widespread adoption #load faster


Publishers Creating Facebook Instant Articles Can Now Simultaneously Work on Google AMP (Apple News Soon)

The software-development kit for Facebook's Instant Articles media-rich, quick-loading stories from publishers now supports Google AMP, and the social network said support for Apple News is on the way. Partner engineering director Piyush Mangalick said in a Facebook Media blog post that an... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #enable publishers #apple news


Facebook recruits its top publishers for exclusive shows

BuzzFeed, Vox Media, Attn, Mashable and Refinery29 are among the publishers getting paid by Facebook to make shows for its video tab. The post Facebook recruits its top publishers for exclusive shows appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #top publishers #vox media #make shows #video tab


Cengage c.f.o. John Leahy to stand down

John Leahy, executive vice president and chief financial officer at Cengage, is to step down at the end of the year, the company has said. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #john leahy


Facebook's New Tool Lets Publishers Use Its Data to Sell Video Ads

Facebook is opening up its data for streaming video publishers to target video ads on their sites and in their apps.A&E Networks, ESPN, Hearst Television and Scripps Networks Interactive are testing an automated system that lets marketers find their intended audience using Facebook data such... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2017-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #automated system #ae networks #hearst television #intended audience


French publishers face delays and transparency issues in Facebook’s fake-news crackdown

French publishers are happy about Facebook's fact-checking initiative, but there's room for improvement. The post French publishers face delays and transparency issues in Facebook’s fake-news crackdown appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fake-news crackdown #french publishers #fact-checking initiative


You May Not See Original Facebook-Exclusive Video Content From Publishers Until August

Facebook's initiative under which publishers are creating exclusive original video content for the social network continues to move forward, but on a revised timetable, according to reports. "Multiple sources" told Kurt Wagner and Peter Kafka of Recode that the initial plan was to roll out... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-05-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #move forward #multiple sources #pushed back


Facebook Is Guiding Publishers Through the Rough Waters of Recent News Feed Changes

In the wake of a flood of recent changes to Facebook's News Feed algorithm aimed at drowning out fake news and clickbait, the social network threw a lifeline to potentially overwhelmed publishers. Vice president of News Feed Adam Mosseri shared some "basic guideposts" for publishers looking to... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fake news #vice president


Facebook blocks Pulitzer-winning reporter over Malta government exposé

Temporary censorship of Matthew Caruana Galizia – who worked on the Panama Papers – raises concern over Facebook’s power to shape the newsFacebook has censored a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist for publishing a series of posts alleging corruption by the prime minister of Malta and his... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #panama papers #prime minister #community standards #evidence shows


Best of the week: Local publishers warm up to the duopoly as Facebook errs again

This week’s top stories covered Facebook’s latest misstep, the duopoly’s relationship with local publishers and more. The post Best of the week: Local publishers warm up to the duopoly as Facebook errs again appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #local publishers


Publishers’ candid thoughts on video: ‘Facebook is taking a cut of what used to be ours’

At the Digiday Video Anywhere Summit, video publishers spoke honestly about the challenges in platform publishing, measurement and making money. The post Publishers’ candid thoughts on video: ‘Facebook is taking a cut of what used to be ours’ appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post publishers #candid thoughts #platform publishing #making money


Facebook promised to tackle fake news. But the evidence shows it's not working

Following pressure from users, the social network introduced tools to stem the spread of false information. But the rollout has been rocky at bestWhen Facebook’s new fact-checking system labeled a Newport Buzz article as possible “fake news”, warning users against sharing it, something... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fake news #opposite effect #fact check


Publishers are using Facebook video to drive commerce revenue

Facebook’s embrace of video hasn’t done much good for publishers' balance sheets, so some have looked to make it a commerce driver. The post Publishers are using Facebook video to drive commerce revenue appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-05-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post publishers #facebook video #balance sheets


Fake news or not, the future belongs to Facebook

Imagine the forecasters are right, and that print will die and social media rises to domination. What would the 2042 general election be like then?It was the week when the fake news furore went legacy-viral. Facebook bought full-page print ads in national dailies featuring 10 tips for spotting... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-05-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fake news


Obituary: John Davey

Ivon Asquith and Andrew Franklin pay tribute to John Davey - a prodigious talent in academic, trade and reference publishing.   Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Trains AI to Identify False News Spam Sites

Facebook is taking another step to penalize the lowest quality websites by lowering their visibility on the social network.Facebook is using artificial intelligence to identify when a link leads to a website with the worst ad experiences, like sponsored content spam and other negative cues, and... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2017-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #artificial intelligence #false news


Facebook publishes fake news ads in UK papers

Adverts contain a list of ten things to look out for when deciding whether a story is genuine. Continue reading at BBC World

[ BBC World | 2017-05-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ten things