The Splice Slugs: Week 55
By now you must have already seen what’s been the biggest rant against media this year. John Oliver ripped into the sickness of the media industry for 19 minutes on Sunday. It’s been viewed 4.3 million times on YouTube. For those of us in media, there’s no surprise here — we constantly undermine our brands (say, how many of you are still using Page Views as core metric?). What’s tragically funny is how we’ve come to rely on comedians to explain things in context to us. Isn’t that what journalists are supposed to do, to help society understand? So if you haven’t seen it, watch it. Let me know what you think.
Facebook may be great at helping brands target niche audiences. But what if you just want to sell them soap and shampoo? P&G is giving up narrow targeting on Facebook; it’s time to go back to a mass audience. “Now we’re looking at: What is the best way to get the most reach but also the right precision?”
…So Facebook claims it has an ad blocker-proof format (Ads are “part of the experience”, it said). And it seems Adblocker Plus has found a way to defeat it.
Twitter is opening up Moments to everyone. So far, it’s been used by brands, partners and influencers. This is somewhat similar to Snapchat and Instagram Stories, but public. Interesting, but it won’t change Twitter’s fate.
Some publishers have been trying out Instagram Stories. It’s still early days, but it’s good to see some experimentation. Here’s what Bloomberg, NYT and Al Jazeera have learned. “On Facebook, videos people usually watch for the first 15 seconds or so, then the viewership drops off a cliff… We’re seeing much stronger results with Instagram.”
…Experiments are important but it’s equally important to do it right. Here’s a list of good questions to ask when testing new ideas in a newsroom.
No newsroom likes its CMS (email me if you like what you’re using!). That’s why some large newsrooms are trying to build their own. The Los Angeles Times has put together something called SNAP — Simple News Assembly Platform. “I’ve never seen such a great response to a CMS before.” This is what it looks like.
Time added 125,000 followers on Line within a week. They send out a story or two each day on the chat app, all in English.
The New Yorker saw a 36% jump in unique visits in July compared with the same month last year. They reduced the number of freelancers and brought on more regular contributors.
Jessica Lessin founded The Information with one simple principle: To turn the mass media market on its head by finding a niche information service that people want to pay for. I’m a subscriber myself and I’ve been using The Information as a case study for clients who are looking for signs of life beyond selling banners to a mass audience. “Media companies in general are way too focused on being where our readers are, as opposed to being so necessary to our readers that they will seek us out.” Spot on.
…And here’s one reason why I love The Information. Just check out the infographic at the top of this article on ride-sharing services. How many other media companies do you know will take the time to help you understand this?
Pinterest is driving less traffic to publishers these days. Like Facebook, Pinterest is tweaking its algo to boost engagement. And like Facebook, the changes are starting to hurt publishers.
Reported.ly — Andy Carvin’s social media verification newsroom — is “suspending” its operations. It ran out of funds after its key investor, First Look Media, walked away.
Some newsrooms have started using bots to write the news — stocks, minor league baseball, etc. But should the bot get a byline? To the point: Does the reader need to be told that the story wasn’t written by a human?
How does Donald Trump get away with saying almost anything he wants? He has a simple trick: “I’m not saying; I’m just saying.” And the media doesn’t know how to deal with it.
The New York Times has assigned its Cairo bureau chief to cover the U.S. elections as a foreign correspondent in America. Why?
Germany’s Axel Springer will open a U.S. headquarters in New York City in October. It previously ran its U.S. investments out of a small office in Silicon Valley.
Singapore is considering a new bill that would have a significant impact on what’s left of freedom of speech in this country. Vague language in the bill would allow broad definitions around what constitutes contempt of court. A public petition — the first in nine years — has been submitted.
The Thai government is considering a plan to track the movement of foreigners in the country through SIM cards. “The location will always be turned on in this SIM card for foreigners. And it cannot be turned off.”
…Thailand is also thinking of banning Pokemon Go if the developer doesn’t remove sensitive areas from the game, including state properties, temples and dangerous areas like roads.
…Malaysia has come up with safety guidelines for players of Pokemon Go. “Bring a power bank or a power source in case you need to call your family in an emergency.”
Quote of the week:
“Trust is extraordinarily important, and [people] need it most when they are most vulnerable.” — General Stanley McChrystal on how to handle failure in teams.
Have a great weekend everyone!
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