How did a small search marketing software company become the lead “analyst” on Facebook’s advertising potential? It used pictures for its PR.In the days leading up to Facebook’s IPO, there was a great deal of debate around whether the social media giant’s ad platform was built for long-term success. This dialogue didn’t escape WordStream, a provider of pay-per-click and search services, which thought it could get a bit of publicity for a quick study it conducted comparing the value of display advertising on Facebook to that of Google’s Display Network. But rather than simply put out a press release, WordStream decided to tell the story via an infographic.What WordStream wasn’t prepared for was the massive reception the infographic received. Initial pickups came from a Wall Street Journal blog and Business Insider, both of which linked directly to the visual. But as the news cycle around the IPO heated up with GM’s announcement that it was pulling its Facebook ads, the infographic—a graded comparison of Facebook vs. Google—went viral. In a matter of hours, many of the top news outlets, including USA Today, CNN, Fast Company, The Economist, Fox Business and more, picked it up. Within a week, a Google search yielded more than 13,000 news articles mentioning WordStream, many of them embedding the infographic and linking back to the company’s site.
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How Reddit ranking algorithms work – amix.dk
This is a follow up post to How Hacker News ranking algorithm works. This time around I will examine how Reddit’s default story and comment rankings work. Reddit’s algorithms are fairly simple to understand and to implement and in this post I’ll dig deeper into them.
The first part of this post will focus on story ranking, i.e. how are Reddit stories ranked? The second part of this post will focus on comment ranking, which does not use the same ranking as stories (unlike Hacker News), Reddit’s comment ranking algorithm is quite interesting and the idea guy behind it is Randall Munroe (the author of xkcd).
BBC News – Reddit’s rise: Can the social news service stay popular?
Social news site Reddit bills itself as the front page of the internet, and there are days when it is hard to disagree with that description.It proved especially difficult last week given the outrage, debate, comment and condemnation generated when it encouraged rapists to share the motivation for their sexual assaults.Thousands of Redditors commented on the stories being told. Beyond Reddit some commentators said it was just a cheap attempt to generate notoriety, and others an attempt to excuse misogyny.
via BBC News – Reddit’s rise: Can the social news service stay popular?.
You Suck at Infographics
We asked the Visual.ly chief for a few tips on how to make data pop.
1. Apply a journalist’s code of ethics
An infographic starts with a great data set. Even if you’re not a journalist — but an advertiser or independent contractor, say — you need to represent the data ethically in order to preserve your credibility with your audience. Don’t source from blogs. Don’t source from Wikipedia. Don’t misrepresent your data with images.
2. Find the story in the data
There’s a popular misconception that creating a great infographic just requires hiring a great graphic designer. But even the best designer can only do so much with poor material. Mapping out the key points in your narrative should be the first order of business. “The most accessible graphics we’ve ever done are the ones that tell a story. It should have an arc, a climax and a conclusion,” Langille says. When you find a great data set, mock up your visualization first and figure out what you want to say, before contacting a designer.
3. Make it mobile and personal
As the media becomes more sophisticated, designers are developing non-static infographics. An interactive infographic might seem pretty “sexy,” Langille says, but it’s much less shareable. A video infographic, on the other hand, is both interactive and easy to port from site to site. Another way to involve readers is to create a graphic that allows them to input and share their own information.
4. Don’t let the code out
One of the easiest ways to protect your work is to share it on a community site. Visual.ly offers Creative Commons licensing to users who upload a graphic to the site. When visitors who want to use the graphic grab embed code from the site, the embedded image automatically links back to its creator. Langille suggests adding branding to the bottom of your work and never releasing the actual source file — only the PNG, JPEG, or PDF. And what if your work goes viral without proper credit? For god’s sake, don’t be a pain and demand that the thieves take it down. “It’s better to let it go and ask for a link back and credits on the graphics,” Langille said.
How to avoid being lost in the digital crowd – iMediaConnection.com
To promote the brand, the digital mailbox concept allows marketers to incorporate logos, styles, personalized offers, one-on-one messaging, links to online account management, product cross-sells, and even offers bill pay, which enables businesses to maintain their personalities while creating a strong brand presence and ultimately strengthen ties between the business and its customers.
via How to avoid being lost in the digital crowd – iMediaConnection.com.
Is that an ad or a news story – and does it matter which? – The Globe and Mail
Brand journalism is storytelling meant to draw readers to a company’s field of expertise, without laying on the hard sell.
Familiar examples include the cocktails-and-recipes magazines you might pick up at the liquor store, or inflight magazines on airplanes that report from exotic destinations.
But the digital age has given brand journalism a new urgency. It’s becoming a force that could shape the way all of us receive our information.
via Is that an ad or a news story – and does it matter which? – The Globe and Mail.
Uncovering Demographic Differences in Tablet Activities – eMarketer
eMarketer estimates there will be nearly 70 million tablet users in the US by the end of this year, an increase of more than 100% over 2011, and that robust penetration gains will continue annually through 2015. Currently, around one in five consumers in the country uses such a device at least once per month, but research indicates not all those users are created equal.A March survey conducted for Adobe by Keynote Systems found the tablet activity mix varied significantly by age. For all tablet owners under age 50, playing games was the most common activity. For the youngest tablet owners, ages 18 to 29, this was followed by shopping, reading books and email.
via Uncovering Demographic Differences in Tablet Activities – eMarketer.
PR industry developing social media measurement standards | Articles | Home
With hundreds of service providers who offer secret sauces and black-box solutions, how can a PR pro know if his results approximate reality? How does he compare reports from one vendor to the next?There is good news. Thanks to a cross-industry collaboration of PR trade bodies—social media analytics, advertising and word-of-mouth associations, and a handful of blue-chip client companies—the industry is definitely making progress.Tim Marklein of W2O Group and Katie Paine of KDPaine & Partners—who are both leading the charge—gave an update at the 4th Annual AMEC European Measurement Summit a few weeks ago. See www.smmstandards.org.The work follows the AMEC Barcelona Principles in 2010 and the AMEC Valid Metrics Framework in 2011, both of which established preliminary methods to measure social media.The next steps are to create standards in six priority areas, which are below. The first is complete, and the subsequent five are slated for updates this fall after additional cross-industry collaboration meetings.
via PR industry developing social media measurement standards | Articles | Home.
A PR pro walks into a bar …
There are jokes about every profession, some more than others. Sorry, lawyers.We rounded up 10 jokes about various aspects of public relations, from writing and editing to media relations and many points in between.
How to Make B2B Content More Shareable
When it comes to creating content for a company blog, “if you build it they will come” is not the right mantra. Smart social media promotion of your content is key, and it’s almost as important as creating the content itself.
That said, copying and pasting the same old thing to every social network — or worse, automating it — isn’t an effective strategy. Each platform has its own unique nuances that, when wisely taken advantage of, can increase clicks on links you share and page views for your blog. Here are tips on how to do that on each platform.