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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‘The greatest literary editor there has ever been’ – John Banville remembers Robert Silvers

The death this week of the New York Review of Books editor marks the loss of one of publishing’s most brilliant mindsRobert Silvers was one of the most significant cultural figures of our time. This will seem a large claim to make about the editor of a twice-monthly literary magazine, but then... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Don’t just survive: A three-step publisher strategy to beat Facebook at its own game

Get a group of digital publishers together, and you won’t get five minutes into the conversation without someone addressing the elephant in the room — Facebook. The social giant is unilaterally resetting the terms of its relationship with publishers, sending dwindling audience numbers to... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Suspected gang rape of Chicago teen streamed on Facebook Live; no one calls police

A 15-year-old Chicago girl was apparently sexually assaulted by five or six men or boys on Facebook Live, and none of the roughly 40 people who watched the live video reported the attack to police, authorities said Tuesday. Police only learned of the attack when the girl's mother approached... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Just Changed the Mobile Web Landscape With Header Bidding

Facebook just executed what might best be described as a digital advertising coup against rival Google and its DoubleClick empire.The social media power said Wednesday that it's bringing advertiser demand from its Audience Network to mobile web publishers that use header bidding.Mobile... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2017-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #header bidding #rival google #audience network


Rams visit with veteran free-agent center John Sullivan

The Rams’ attempt to fortify their offensive line continued Monday when they visited with center John Sullivan, people with knowledge of the situation said. The Rams released veteran center Tim Barnes shortly after the start of free agency. Last week, they gave restricted-free agent center Ryan... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-03-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Elle Is Partnering With Jeweler David Yurman for Its First Branded Facebook Live Video

One year after opening up livestreaming to the masses, publishers are stepping up their efforts to make money from their Facebook clips. Today, Hearst-owned Elle is running its first branded Facebook Live video for jewelry brand David Yurman. At 2 p.m. Eastern time, the publisher will stream a... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #make money #20-minute video


ALA Presents Senator John Tester with 2017 James Madison Award

The award honors organizations or individuals who have championed the public’s right to government information. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Inked Magazine Drives Breast Cancer Awareness in Viral Facebook Live | Behind the Screens

Folio: Looks at Social Media Success. The post Inked Magazine Drives Breast Cancer Awareness in Viral Facebook Live | Behind the Screens appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2017-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook and Twitter Could Face Fines in Germany Over Hate Speech Posts

A Facebook office in Berlin. A report published on Tuesday found that Facebook and Twitter had failed to meet a German target for removing hate speech from their platforms. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2017-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers Get More Ad Placement Flexibility in Facebook Instant Articles

Publishers that include advertising within their Facebook Instant Articles will soon have more flexibility when it comes to placement. Product manager Harshit Agarwal announced in a Facebook Media blog post that starting next week, ads can be placed up to every 250 words within Instant Articles.... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2017-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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John Parsley Named EIC At Dutton, Among Other Changes

John Parsley, formerly v-p and executive editor at Little Brown, has been named v-p and editor-in-chief of Dutton. Berkley executive editor Brent Howard and the Caliber line will also move to Dutton. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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John Kerry signs memoir deal with Simon & Schuster

Former US Secretary of State John Kerry is publishing his memoir with Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Get ready for more ads in Facebook's Instant Articles

As part of its Journalism Project, Facebook has revealed that it will allow publishers to place more ads in Instant Articles. That will allow sites like the Washington Post and New York Times to eke a bit more money out of posts published directly on... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2017-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #journalism project


New George Smiley novel from John le Carré

Viking is publishing a new John le Carré novel this year, A Legacy of Spies - the first novel in over 25 years to feature British intelligence officer George Smiley. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How one viral publisher uses Facebook groups to grow big numbers

Crowdsourced news site Blasting News has built big numbers by paying 1,000 Facebook closed-group owners to distribute content within their groups. The post How one viral publisher uses Facebook groups to grow big numbers appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-03-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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German publishers are skipping Facebook’s fake-news initiative

“When you ask five questions, Facebook has the answer to none of them,” said one publishing exec. “The initiative appears to be set up by amateurs." The post German publishers are skipping Facebook’s fake-news initiative appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook’s latest video shift irks news publishers

Facebook’s 2017 plans include buying original shows and rolling out a mid-roll ad product for media partners. But some news publishers feel like these initiatives won’t help them. The post Facebook’s latest video shift irks news publishers appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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ESPN drops false play buttons on Facebook, maintains them on Twitter

The sports publisher is still holding on to a sneaky traffic-boosting tactic. The post ESPN drops false play buttons on Facebook, maintains them on Twitter appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Marketers are still into Facebook Live

Publishers may have been left questioning the viability of Facebook Live in recent months, but it’s a completely different story on the marketing side of the spectrum. The post Marketers are still into Facebook Live appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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UK publishers see Facebook Live viewership stagnate

In the U.K., the number of Facebook Live videos publishers are creating has plateaued, according to SocialBakers data, and reach is also falling. The post UK publishers see Facebook Live viewership stagnate appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2017-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #uk publishers