Facebook to Change After $5B Settlement With FTC

Wow.

Well, then, $5B is what a month to Facebook?  Still.

Agreeing to oversight after the big payout is still some significant news.

Here is the full story:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/24/technology/ftc-facebook-privacy-data.html

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Probes of Big Tech Coming

This headline says quite a bit, especially given the toxic political environment in the United States today.

AG Barr Promise to Probe Big Tech Unites Democrats and Republicans

Well then.  I guess this is happening.

The question of technology's place in our world, in our society, our laws, our forms of government, and much more, has been growing as the impact becomes more understood.

What is government but a place where the voice of the people can be heard?

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

BRotD - Entry 0258 Facebook's Next Move

Best Reading of the Day

The wonderful narration of the opening paragraphs had me completely drawn in.

Do you love Facebook?

Or hate it?

Read this piece:

https://www.vox.com/2019/4/29/18511534/facebook-mobile-phone-f8

Here is a snippet from it:

Facebook’s core social network isn’t going away anytime soon, but there’s a good chance — probably a great chance — that the way you use Facebook’s products in 10 years will look and feel very different from the way you use them today. The device you use it on? That may change too.

Zuckerberg isn’t just thinking about that reality, he’s already betting on it.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Facebook and Democracy 2018 Edition

The unfortunate news related to this story is I'm only going to touch on Facebook and democracy in the United States in 2018.  The reality is Facebook is having a profound impact globally and we are really only just beginning to understand the impact.

Here is a piece about what Facebook is doing to protect the looking midterm elections in the United States, just 49 days away:

Two weeks ago, on a hastily scheduled conference call with journalists, Facebook executives announced what many felt was inevitable: Someone, perhaps Russia, was once again trying to use the social network to “sow division” among U.S. voters, this time before November’s midterm elections.

The “bad actors,” as Facebook called them, created bogus events; posted about race issues, fascism, and President Donald Trump; and paid Facebook to promote their messages. “Some of the activity is consistent with what we saw from the IRA before and after the 2016 elections,” Facebook’s head of cybersecurity policy wrote in a blog post, referring to the Internet Research Agency, a Kremlin-backed online troll farm.

That activity, of course, may have altered a U.S. election, and sent Facebook and CEO Mark Zuckerberg down a path of self-reflection that has changed Facebook’s strategy, as well as its mission.

Here is a snippet from the piece:

https://www.recode.net/2018/8/17/17686252/facebook-2018-midterm-election-plan-russia

How is technology changing the human condition? How is it impacting democracy?  I've written a bit about our entry in to the Information Age and I feel a white paper coming out of it.  I'm sure I'll write more about this subject.

Happy Voting,

J.W. Gant

BRotD - Entry 0262 Social Media's Growing Pains

Best Reading of the Day

This is a really fine article over on the New York Times.

What has Facebook, and other technologies, done to us?  What has the impact been on humanity?  How did we get here?  What can be done?

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Let me first state that I actually like Mark Zuckerberg and have since the day I met him more than a dozen years ago.

But let me also say that he and Facebook, the huge social network that he started in college, have been working humanity’s last nerve for far too long now.

Every week, it’s something, and that something is never good.

This week, it was the revelation that the Russians — or, more precisely, a group of geek thugs who are acting the exact same way that a group of Russians acted when they messed with the 2016 United States elections on Facebook — are still skulking around the platform and making trouble for the midterms.

Here is the full article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/02/opinion/the-expensive-education-of-mark-zuckerberg-and-silicon-valley.html

I use Facebook for one thing really.  I have a couple small groups I'm in where we discuss particular topics.  Movies mostly.  I enjoy the folks there.  We are quite collegial and regularly have respectful disagreements.  We stay on topic and share our thoughts and experiences.

Beyond that the platform doesn't do hardly anything for me any more.

Twitter is a great place for instant news, though dangerous as the possibility of inaccurate news is very real.

Troubling times as we've seen our hopes and dreams for technology dashed by bad actors.  As if we've never seen this before in history (oh, yes, we have says Mr. Nobel). 

Happy Disturbing Reading,

J.W. Gant

Brand Prep for Augmented Reality Advertising

Just when you thought you worked out your social media strategy and executed on your mobile plan now it is virtual reality or augmented reality.

Are you ready?

The fine folks over at ClickZ (you really should follow their work) have a great little article on the subject hot off the presses (for my younger readers that means they just wrote it).

Read on:

https://www.clickz.com/augmented-reality-ads-are-here-is-your-brand-ready/215659/

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Earlier this week, Facebook announced that it’s moving augmented reality (AR) ads out of Messenger and into the News Feed. Early adopters like fashion retailer Michael Kors and beauty brands like Sephora are creating ads that allow Facebook users to virtually test products from the comfort of their couch.

The move means that even brands without huge marketing budgets should start thinking about how AR can fit into upcoming campaigns...

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Brands Feel Pain of Social Media

You would have to ignore all of the news, business or otherwise, not to recognize the struggles of social media today.  Not so well understood however is how this is impacting brands who utilize social media to interact with a large portion of their customers.

The Participation Age indicates brands are now co-created by potential customers.  That mostly happens through social media.  So if Facebook, Twitter, etc. are suffering?  Yeap.

Read more here:

https://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2018/06/brands-blamed-for-social-medias-shortcomings.html

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

BRotD - Entry 0259 Regulating Technology

Best Reading of the Day

"Robber Barons"

That's what they were called.

In the late 1800s they industrialists who used questionable methods to get rich came to be known as robbers. 

Here is a bit more on that subject:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robber_baron_(industrialist)

That is the language now in use to describe Google, Facebook, Amazon and more who have convinced the masses of the population to hand over their valuable personal data for free.  Time for regulations of these giants in technology?  There is an argument to be made.

Read more here:

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/611425/its-time-to-rein-in-the-data-barons/

Here is a snippet from the piece:

When Mark Zuckerberg appeared before Congress earlier this year to discuss how the now-defunct political-data company Cambridge Analytica acquired data of up to 87 million Facebook users without their knowledge or consent, one of the few pointed questions came from Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina. “Who’s your biggest competitor?” Graham demanded. After Zuckerberg replied that Google, Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft all had some overlap with various Facebook products, Graham chafed at the answer.

“If I buy a Ford and it doesn’t work well and I don’t like it,” pressed the senator, “I can buy a Chevy. If I’m upset with Facebook, what’s the equivalent product I can go sign up for?”

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

What Facebook's Problems Mean to You

As the Federal Trade Commission looks in to Facebook's interactions with the now widely known company Cambridge Analytica people across the U.S. and the globe are waking up to a startling revelation ...

Facebook has a ton of data about you.

Wait. That isn't news to you? Good!

Here is that story in case you are interested:

https://www.cnet.com/news/ftc-confirms-its-investigating-facebook/

Here is the next startling revelation ... ready?

Every company out there wants your data too. The only difference is Facebook got caught with its hand in the cookie jar and the company it was in business with, Cambridge Analytica, is engaged in some very dirty business. Setting up politicians so it appears they had sexual relations with Ukranian escorts. According to their CEO on video it doesn't matter if the person actually engaged in the behavior it just has to appear that way. Great business you have there, but, hey, so long as your kids get to go to expensive private schools who cares if you help destroy democracy.

Apple is reportedly interested in seeing Facebook put under the microscope for this.

Of course they are. Facebook eats Apple's lunch on personal data. Apple might gain more marketing dollars if Facebook loses out. It's a gold rush to get your data and all of the technology companies, and retailers, want in.

Where Facebook has really done is overstepping on what they gather without proper notification. Android users woke up to a shock over this when they found Facebook was gathering their phone conversations.

I have been predicting we will see a general pullback in technology due to security concerns. Privacy concern are trumping that. Regulations are next.

Is it time we the people gained a measure of control over the technology that has become central to our lives?

Giving out your personal information is a trade-off  You give something of value and receive something of value in return. I have a rewards card or my favorite supermarket. No worries. However when the data gathering is unclear or used in ways you don't agree with and without your consent you should be concerned.

Happy Reading.

J.W. Gant

**UPDATE**

I have several articles to add to this.  First up is news the U.S. immigration force, rounding up illegal entrants, is using Facebook data to track, locate, and presumably remove folks:
http://fortune.com/2018/03/27/facebook-data-ice-immigrants-deport/

Can the consumer gain from this fiasco?  Yes according to one analyst and I agree.  This is an important moment, a wake-up call, to folks who haven't followed what is happening to them digitally. Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/27/facebook-data-scandal-should-be-a-wake-up-call-about-online-footprint.html

When an issue enters the public awareness to a level it is parodied in TV comedies you know it is a problem.  Facebook is spelled in Russian during the new opening for Season 5 of the hit HBO comedy 'Silicon Valley'. A reference to Russian trolls using Facebook data to attack the 2016 elections. See it and read more here: https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2018/3/26/17164094/silicon-valley-season-5-opening-credits-facebook-easter-egg-russian-cyrillic-letters-fake-news

More bad news for Facebook on the front page of Bloomberg's marketing pages: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-03-27/ad-scammers-need-suckers-and-facebook-helps-find-them

What Facebook's troubles mean to marketers, that's you right? Read on:
https://econsultancy.com/blog/69902-facebook-is-in-real-trouble-what-it-could-mean-for-marketers/

I'll add more if I find worthy entries in this ongoing story.  I think we are about to see some technologies become treated as equivalent to utilities such as electricity, running water, and phone service.  How that changes the game is easy to see.  A vacuum will be created and other companies, such as Apple, will rush to fill it with their services.

Facebook Acknowledges Election Manipulation

This is pretty enormous news in the tech world.  I think this is an existential threat to the existence of Facebook and that might be why the Zuck is travelling around the country meeting every day people.  If the Facebook marketing systems can be used in a devious way to push outcomes of Democratic elections that is ... a problem.  Now Facebook itself is stating this happened.

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Without saying the words "Russia," "Hillary Clinton," or "Donald Trump," Facebook acknowledged Thursday for the first time what others have been saying for months.

In a paper released by its security division, the company said "malicious actors" used the platform during the 2016 presidential election as part of a campaign "with the intent of harming the reputation of specific political targets."

Here is the entire story:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/facebook-for-the-first-time-acknowledges-election-manipulation/

My thoughts are this fits with the pattern we continue to see in history, as I've written about previously.  Any new technological advancement will take time before all of the opportunities around that advancement can be figured out.  If nefarious uses are available folks will figure it out and begin using it to advance their interests.  There is no going back, of course, rather we must learn, acknowledge, and adjust.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Facebook at 2 Billion

2 Billion.

With a B.

As in a big, Big deal.

So a third or slightly less of the world population uses Facebook in one form or another to stay in touch with others.  Kind of something to keep an eye on.

Read more here:

https://www.recode.net/2017/6/27/15880734/facebook-mark-zuckerberg-two-billion-monthly-users

I think Zuck and crew have their work cut out for them after 2016.  Their marketing tools can be used for insidious purposes and that really shook them. We'll see this come out more broadly soon I'm guessing but suffice to say it is possible to "weaponize" marketing through social media.  That certainly puts a lot of responsibility on Facebook to get it right doesn't it?

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Where Global Ad Spending is Going

Facebook and Google.

Done.

Well, there may be a bit more to the story.  Those two account for 20%.  Huge.

Read on:

https://www.recode.net/2017/5/2/15516674/global-ad-spending-charts

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Global ad revenue is growing and the top earners are taking an increasingly bigger cut.

Google is the largest recipient of global ad revenue, taking in $79 billion in 2016, according to new data from media agency Zenith. That’s three times as much as the No. 2 biggest ad revenue recipient, Facebook, which raked in nearly $27 billion in ad revenue last year.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

United Airlines the Most Engaged Post on Facebook Last Week

In the realm of how not to do things we present ... United.

http://adage.com/article/digital/marketer-mvps-social-media/308648/

That headline pretty much tells you all you need to know, however, it is worth reviewing a few points.

After the "incident" on the plane where the 69 year old doctor was forcefully removed from the flight to make room for United employees, the CEO came out multiple times to defend the action and his employees.

Then the stock dropped nearly $500 Million dollars before recovering to only a $255 Million loss and suddenly the CEO changed his tune.

Hmmm.

So United could have offered every person on that plane an 8 figure option and they would have made out about the same as they did. I think there is a lesson in there for brands, somewhere, but I'm just not sure.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Facebook Copying Snapchat

Back when Microsoft was doing this sort of thing they encountered anti-trust concerns.  The EU eventually forced them to take action.

Wonder how long Facebook has?  Read on:

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/09/facebook-copies-snapchat-examples.html

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Mark Zuckerberg's company tried to purchase Snap for $3 billion in 2013, but the camera company politely declined the offer. Since then Snapchat's popularity and worth have skyrocketed. The company's market cap has been pegged as high as $34 billion, and held its initial public offering on March 2.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Facebook Jobs

Wait ...

What?

Zuck and crew want us to open up our Facebook accounts for job searches?  Yeap.  Get your college boozing and your resume all together in one place for recruiters.

Well, aren't recruiters doing that now anyway?

Yeap.

Move over LinkedIn?

Read on:

http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/strategy/24512.preview

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Facebook, Google, the Internet and the Election

I've been utterly absorbed by the politics in the Unites States this summer, as have many of my fellow Americans, and now it is time to move to other things I'm very intrigued by the question of Facebook's impact on the results.

Did "fake news" run rampant on Facebook and tilt the election one way or another?

Mark Zuckerberg doesn't think so but they are looking in to it.  Read on:

https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10103253901916271

Here is a piece of that:

After the election, many people are asking whether fake news contributed to the result, and what our responsibility is to prevent fake news from spreading. These are very important questions and I care deeply about getting them right. I want to do my best to explain what we know here.

Of all the content on Facebook, more than 99% of what people see is authentic. Only a very small amount is fake news and hoaxes. The hoaxes that do exist are not limited to one partisan view, or even to politics. Overall, this makes it extremely unlikely hoaxes changed the outcome of this election in one direction or the other.

Is that all?

This is kind of an interesting place right?  We have only their word on this, really, because their internal workings are proprietary.  Yet, as a global utility for social communication their obligations run deep. Full transparency is called for here and I'm not seeing it yet.

One thing is clear to me, we aren't finished with this discussion.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

PS  Important to note how much larger the story is.  Google has its own issues.  For example, in the days following the election if you googled for the election results the top hit would be a fake news site that incorrectly listed Trump with more votes than Clinton.  Wow.  That sort of mis-information is damaging.  Read on.

https://www.cnet.com/news/google-fake-news-election-donald-trump-popular-vote/

Facebook OmniCommerce?

"Like" something on Facebook.  Then "Buy" it.

Simple right?

Seems that is the direction they are headed and the folks at Facebook just took a big step in that direction. Omnicommerce here we come.

Read on:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/facebook-aggregates-products-and-offers-for-dedicated-shopping-section

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Facebook is testing a single location where users can easily discover, share and purchase a personalized selection of products as the race heats up to connect millennials’ time spent on social media with their shopping needs.

The dedicated shopping feed will aggregate photos and products on sale from different retailers’ pages on Facebook. Retailers will be able to advertise here as well by using the feed’s search bar for traditional keyword ads.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Facebook's New Milestone

1 billion users visited Facebook in a single day on Monday.

That is an incredible new milestone.

Here is what Mark Zuckerberg wrote about this news:

We just passed an important milestone. For the first time ever, one billion people used Facebook in a single day.

On Monday, 1 in 7 people on Earth used Facebook to connect with their friends and family.

When we talk about our financials, we use average numbers, but this is different. This was the first time we reached this milestone, and it's just the beginning of connecting the whole world.

I'm so proud of our community for the progress we've made. Our community stands for giving every person a voice, for promoting understanding and for including everyone in the opportunities of our modern world.

A more open and connected world is a better world. It brings stronger relationships with those you love, a stronger economy with more opportunities, and a stronger society that reflects all of our values.

Thank you for being part of our community and for everything you've done to help us reach this milestone. I’m looking forward to seeing what we accomplish together.

Did YOU visit Facebook on Monday?  I bet you did so and were on your mobile phone when you did it.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

True Omni-commerce is Arriving

You've likely heard of omni-channel.  Previously this kind of concept was called multi-channel where a classic store-based merchant might enable online sales.  With mobile people are always connected to the internet, always living their lives connected, which means they might look to buy at any time from any channel.

Omnicommerce is always on sales from any direction.

With social media adding 'buy' buttons and incorporating a payments vehicle this is becoming a reality very quickly.

Here is a story on the concept:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/as-social-media-buy-buttons-increase-retailers-must-dive-in-now

Here is a snippet from that piece:

“Payments are becoming embedded across the mobile commerce spectrum, and the rapid growth of in-app payments will accelerate the trend,” he said. “Prepare for the ability to pay for anything, any time, anywhere and on any device be it physical or virtual.

“True omni-commerce, incorporating payments, is happening.”

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

BRotD - Entry 0220 Small Businesses Using Social Media for Customer Engagement

Best Reading of the Day

This is a really great little story, good enough to qualify for best reading of the day even though it has been out there for a week already.  It focuses on 4 small business and their use of social media to connect with customers across the globe.  Impressive.  I often say the real action is at the SMB level where real test-tube creations are popping up.

https://nrf.com/news/4-small-businesses-using-social-media-connect-customers

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Seattle illustrator and designer Moorea Seal developed a large following on Pinterest before she opened her own store. “I love talking with the handmade community and getting to know people in it. I thought, ‘Well, let's meld all these things and start an online store,’” Seal says. That was in 2013. Two short years later, Seal’s eponymous brand has more than 900,000 followers on Pinterest and another 19,000 on Instagram.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant