✅ Monday briefing: Combatting disinformation, radio rocks, newsletter strategies, content engagement, algorithmic amplification, Facebook's second life, Facebook groups, and more...
Media, strategy, research and insight, tools, and social media and platforms
This newsletter is crowdsourced each week from my blog and community of practice for people studying and working in marketing, media and PR. It’s a hive mind, newsroom and source of information, help and support.
Media
🤑 COMBATTING DISINFORMATION: A public benefit corporation backed by LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman and investor and philanthropist George Soross aims to tackle disinformation. Good Information Inc. will fund businesses that cut through echo chambers with fact-based information. Spotted David Gallagher.
🥐 RADIO ROCKS: 49.5 million adults or 89% of the adult UK population listen to the radio each week according to the latest RAJAR data. The average listener tunes in for 20.4 hours of live radio per week. 43% listen via DAB, 34% via traditional AM/FM, and 18% via online apps or online. Spotted Alan Morrison.
📬 NEWSLETTER STRATEGIES: A Press Gazette long read explores the different ways in which journalists and publishers are using newsletters. It concludes that newsletters provide a means to side step Apple, Google, and Facebook, and connect directly with advertisers and readers. There are lessons here for anyone that manages a community. Spotted Alan Morrison.
Strategy
💼 BUDGET AND SPENDING REVIEW: UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced his Autumn Budget and Spending Review last week. Setting out the government's tax and spending plans for the next 12 months he focused on the UK’s emergence from COVID-19, claiming the plans paved away for an "economy of higher wages, higher skills, and rising productivity". Spotted Michael Greer.
Research and insight
👍 CONTENT ENGAGEMENT: Content that generates strong engagement on one social networking site won’t necessarily generate engagement elsewhere according to BuzzSumo analysis. Facebook provides the opportunity for the highest levels of engagement whereas Twitter is more open. Spotted Andrew Smith.
ℹ️ CORPORATE COMMS: Data published by Edelman supports the trend that the role of communications has become more important to management during the pandemic. The modern corporate communications function is agile, multidisciplinary, and insights-driven it says. Spotted Jesper Andersen.
Tools
🖼️ IMAGE BACKGROUND: RemoveBG use artificial intelligence to remove the background from images. It’s available to try for free. Canva provides a similar tool as part of its platform. Spotted Alan Morrison.
Social media and platforms
🌪️ FACEBOOK’S SECOND LIFE: Facebook’s charge sheet includes invasive advertising, polarising public discourse, inciting violence, and impacting the mental health of users. Its response? The social network rebranded this week as Meta with a vision that sounds a lot like Second Life circa 2003. Spotted Stephen Waddington.
👥 FACEBOOK GROUPS: My only possible defence of Facebook is the tools that it provides to create, build and manage community groups. A new update demotes content from group members that have previously been flagged by admins or breach community standards. Spotted Alan Morrison.
🏷️ SERVICES MARKETPLACE: LinkedIn is taking aim at the freelance market with an expansion of its services tool. It allows freelancers to add a menu of services to their profile page. A marketplace matches employers seeking services with freelance providers. Spotted Alan Morrison.
🐦 ALGORITHMIC AMPLIFICATION: Twitter is working hard to put space between itself and Facebook in a bid to dodge regulation. Its latest example of self-flagellation is an examination of its impact on political discourse. It finds that it amplifies right and left in equal measure. Nothing to see here. Spotted Stuart Bruce.
🍔 FOODBANK FUNDRAISER: We’re raising funds again for The BAY Foodbank, our local food bank in Newcastle. Demand is greater than ever this year because of rising food and energy costs, and Universal Credit cuts. We've donated £1,000 to kick off the campaign. Thank you for your support.