✅ Monday briefing #14: Beating ennui, Blockbuster moment, CIPR election, local people Ofcom data dump, Social Dilemma rebuttal, Facebook groups boom...
Must read, media, research, best practice, social media platforms, tools and books
Good morning. My name is Stephen Waddington. This is a weekly summary of news from my blog and topics discussed in a community of practice that I run on Facebook. You’d be welcome to join us. My thanks to all the contributors.
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Must read
😢 BEATING ENNUI: Have you been feeling a bit off par this week? Crisis management experts explain the life cycle of the COVID-19 crisis, your current mood, and what you can do about it. Source Stephen Waddington.
🍿 BLOCKBUSTER MOMENT: Cineworld is shutting its cinemas across the UK this week. Employees learned from the weekend media. It’s a tragic loss of a significant British cultural, social, and economic activity. Netflix can’t recreate the big screen experience. Spotted by Stephen Waddington.
🗳 CIPR ELECTION: I’m backing Pete Holt for CIPR President in 2022. He’s a moderniser with fresh thinking on governance and member engagement, and critical areas of practice including internal communications and ESG. Source Stephen Waddington.
Media
🗞️ LOCAL PEOPLE: The local media did what it does best in response to the news that President Trump has been diagnosed with COVID-19. The Ayr Advertiser in Scotland splashed with Turnberry hotelier tests positive for coronavirus. Spotted by Stephen Canning.
💰 GOOGLE STUNT: Neilman Lab says Google's move to give $1bn to news publishers is a stunt aimed at persuading Governments not to throttle the search giant. The cash will be used to license publishers’ content for Google News. Spotted by David Gallagher.
✒️ LOCAL WORKS: The 160-old regional Cumberland and Westmoreland Herald has seen a remarkable turnaround under new management by hiring new talent and focusing on hyperlocal editorial. It has enabled the papers to increase its price by 50%. Spotted by Howard Walker.
Research
📈 OFCOM DATA DUMP: The latest report from Ofcom tells the story of the UK’s media habits: 13% of people don’t use the internet; 72% of over 18s use social media; Facebook and Snap most popular; Twitter is in decline; and news web sites are booming. Source Dan Slee.
📍 HYPERLOCAL SOCIAL NETWORK: Ofcom called out NextDoor’s growing popularity with over-50s. It’s a hyperlocal neighbourhood social network and an alternative to local Facebook Groups. In some areas the Council and Police use it to share public information. Spotted by Sheena Thomson.
😩 TOUGH READ: #FuturePRoof finds the PR industry getting to grips with structural changes, managing personal issues and the health impact of COVID-19, and bracing for Brexit. The strategic role of communication has been recognised by organisations during the crisis. Source Stephen Waddington.
Best practice
💬 STORYTELLING: The ability to work out how to best communicate with all your audiences and tell the right story in a straightforward way is still at the heart of what we do. There’s a beauty in its simplicity, which is why it’s so hard. Source Ross Wigham.
Social media plaftorms
🎬 SOCIAL DILEMMA REBUTTAL: Facebook has issued a rebuttal in response to the Netflix movie The Social Dilemma. It challenges issues raised about addiction, algorithms, its business model, polarization, elections, and misinformation. Righto. Spotted by Jamie Summerfield.
💥 FACEBOOK GROUPS BOOM: 1.8bn people have used Groups to connect locally or around topics during lockdown. Facebook has announced new moderation and engagement tools at its Communities Summit. Spotted by Alan Morrison.
Tools
🔧 DESIGN TOOLS: There are some lovely tools to help with design such as Canva for images, and Beautiful for decks. They provide templates and automate aspects of visual design. 10web is taking aim at the website dev market. Spotted by Stephen Waddington.
Books
📕 DATA CAPTURE: You’ll be shocked when you add up all the data you’re sharing about your daily life via your mobile phones and the internet. Carissa Véliz’s new book Privacy is Power is a wake-up call in which Véliz shares a plan to fight back. Spotted by Máire McGrath.
📗 IF THEN: The seeds of Cambridge Analytics, Facebook, and surveillance capitalism were sown in the 1950s by Simulmatics Corp. Jill Lepore’s book If Then: How One Data Company Invented the Future uncovers the roots of behavioural science and big data. Spotted by Andrew Smith.
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