Virtual Skinny: ClickBait…

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on August 8, 2016 in Internet & Tech, Newsletter 0 Comment

8.8.2016

Good to Know: It’s #InternationalCatDay. BTW, over the weekend, the hashtag #FirstSevenJobs was trending thanks to @mariancall. People shared their first seven jobs. Did you? If not, it’s not too late! Take a min, reflect a little, and tweet at us (@virtual_skinny)!

THE SKINNY

When You’re Just Looking Out (For clickbait)…

Facebook doesn’t want its users to deal with ‘clickbait’ articles in your newsfeed.

When You Need To Use It In A Sentence …

Clickbait aka articles with headlines that leave you feeling misled, tricked, or underwhelmed after clicking the link (e.g., Headline: You won’t believe what XYZ celeb did! The Actual Content: [Insert uninteresting, mundane activity like a grocery story run].

When They’ve Heard You Loud & Clear …

Facebook users aren’t amused and complain about these annoying clickbait articles. So, FB decided to put some brainpower behind solving the problem. FB employees have narrowed down types of click bait into two groups. Category 1: ‘Curiosity gap headlines’ (see example above) and Category 2: Flat out misleading headlines.

When You’ve Found A Solution …

FB’s changed up its algorithm so that publishers who dabble with the worst type of clickbait just simply won’t reach the number of FB users they’d like. But no need to go to basic, boring, and bulky headlines just yet. FB’s only going after the worst offenders.

When Others Chime in…

Last night, John Oliver dug deep into journalism and even talked ‘clickbait’ and what that means for the future of journalism.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

Didn’t They Tell You That I Was a Savage?

In case you haven’t heard, Instagram hit ‘copy and paste’ on Snapchat’s Stories. That’s right … Insta pulled a boss move and copied Snapchat’s Stories feature. The basic concept is that you can post pics at the top of your newsfeed, but it’ll “disappear” after a day. Insta’s version is called ‘Instagram Stories.’ #ShockerButNotReally Turns out people seem to like it better. And business wise, Snapchat should be worried. Instagram’s got a larger audience (its 350 million daily users v. Snapchat’s 150 million users) and possibly better tools. Uh Oh!

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN

E-commerce site Jet.com tried to take on e-commerce giant Amazon. But, it didn’t work. Walmart stepped in and paid $3 billion in cash money for Jet.com. Now, it’s back to the Wal-Mart v. Amazon matchup. Advantage, Walmart?

Back on! Online fantasy sports sites FanDuel and DraftKings can now legally operate again in New York. But, there’s a catch. NY Governor Andrew Cuomo says the sites’ contests are now considered a “game of skill,” which basically means NY regulators will be watching. And, the sites will have to pay new fees.

Google is off to the races in India. The company’s winning the emerging market (ahead of Facebook and Microsoft) with its free Wi-Fi program, and that’s major! #NextBillion

Yahoo’s going through things right now. But, it’s still got its eye on the prize. It’s launching Yahoo View, a TV watching site, with the help of Hulu.

In more TV watching news, Comcast, Time Warner, Disney, etc. have all poured money into online companies to reach younger audiences. But not Viacom. The company hasn’t gone down the digital investments road yet. Rumor has it that Viacom has its eye on BuzzFeed. Unlikely, but anything’s possible…

Speaking of not making investments, Chinese Internet giant Alibaba has no plans to get involved with U.S. streaming service Netflix.

MAKING MOVES

Twitter just lost a member of its Comms team. Jim Prosser is heading over to marketplace lending company SoFi.

Everyone’s trying to be a tech company, including healthcare and consumer goods company Johnson & Johnson. J&J is kicking of its new tech business with the help of former Dropbox exec Marc Leibowitz.

After almost 8 years on Google’s self-driving car projects, Chris Urmson is peacing on account of he’s ‘ready for a fresh new challenge.’

And now that Verizon is buying Yahoo, the Internet company’s VP of global PR & Communications Anne Espiritu is ready to dip. She’s going the startup route and is joining health-care company Oscar Insurance Corp.

Virtual Skinny: Get the News While Well-Rested…

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on February 16, 2016 in Internet & Tech, Newsletter 0 Comment

2.16.2016

Good to Know: Make sure not to change the date on your iPhone to January 1, 1970. Unless of course, you want to destroy it. You’re welcome!

THE SKINNY

Beep, Beep …

Unlike in Europe, carpooling hasn’t really been a thing in the U.S. But, could that be changing?

Not Feeling It …

Americans aren’t into sharing a car ride with others. Only about 10% of U.S. commuters are doing it these days. One reason? Gas is cheaper in the U.S. than in other area. Oh, and no one in the U.S. has managed to come up with a bomb app to get people into carpooling.

Trying to Make ‘CarPooling’ Happen …

New startup Scoop wants to be the go-to app for carpooling. It’s launched in San Francisco (for now) and is working with companies in the Bay Area whose employees aren’t close to public transit access. The idea is that these apps can take out the uncertainty with carpooling by taking care of the logistics planning and money transactions in advance. Unclear whether Scoop can help turn American attitudes around about carpooling especially since oil prices are at an all time low.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

When Your Current Mood is Damage Control …

Fantasy sports websites FanDuel and DraftKings are still reeling from the alleged insider trading scandal that happened last year. After the media frenzy followed by the companies’ fallout with states like Nevada and New York, some companies that process payments for the sites decided it was time to go their separate ways. T o stop the bleeding, both companies are leading the charge at the Fantasy Sports Association to influence state lawmakers across the country. The group is unleashing an army of lobbyists to push states to pass laws that in part protect fantasy-sports operators. #FullCourtPress

When You’re Trying to Drum Up Support …

Nigeria’s economy is going through it right now. The country’s government put out some new monetary policies to try to save face, but these policies aren’t working as planned. Foreign reserves are depleting, and the government is look for ways to turn things around. So, the government is now turning to Twitter to encourage Nigerian citizens to do their part. The idea is that if Nigerians buy locally, then that’ll help restore some value in its currency (the Naira) and also help boost the economy. Some people are all for it while others say that local options need to be just as quality as foreign imports. Also, there’s chatter about how Nigeria needs to look beyond the social media campaign and make the country more business-friendly. #BuyNaijaToGrowTheNaira

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

Apple Inc. is getting into original content. Who knew that it’s first foray into content was Drake’s ‘Hotline Bling’ music video? The company apparently had a role in its production and shelled out some cash to release the video via its streaming service. Up next? Its first original TV show with Dr. Dre.

If at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try again. And, that’s exactly what Google did with Project Loon, its attempt to use balloons to bring wi-fi to remote areas. The company is planning a test run in Indonesia.

Making moves … Twitter’s former News Manager Mark S. Luckie is headed over to Reddit as its first-ever head of journalism and media.

The Virtual Skinny: Just One of Them Days…

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on November 18, 2015 in Internet & Tech, Newsletter

11.18.2015

Good to Know: “Where is the opportunity? The opportunity always lies where people worry.” – Jack Ma, CEO of Chinese Internet company Alibaba, during a sit down with U.S. President Obama on why his company will prop up startups trying to prevent climate change. Also, just some solid advice for your next venture …

THE SKINNY

When Will It End?

Last night, a bombing went down in the city of Yola in Nigeria. It claimed about 31 lives and injured 72 others. No one knows who’s responsible just yet, but Islamist militant group Boko Haram is no stranger to the area.

Making Good on Your Promise …

Earlier this week, we told you that people had a lot to say about how the general media covered the Paris attacks in comparison to the Beirut bombings, which both happened last week. Facebook came under fire for ‘perceived Western bias’ because it launched its “Safety Check” after the Paris attacks but didn’t do the same for Beirut. Facebook promised to change its policy and said it would activate that feature for human disasters moving forward. The social network delivered. It launched “Safety Check” for Yola residents to show that the company “cares about all people equally.”

Raising More Questions Than Answers …

FB has come a long way from its debut ten years ago. These days, it’s taken a massive role in how people interact and keep up with each other. The company is on a mission to bring Internet access to everyone around the world. With ‘Safety Check,’ it raises questions of FB’s social responsibilities (e.g., Will the feature be applied uniformly across the world? Or, does it require a tailor-made approach for different regions? And, how will FB define what ‘safe’ means? Lots of questions but no answers.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

Putting Plans Into Action …

There’s just a lot going on at Facebook. When it’s not dealing with serious human crises, it’s trying to outfit the world with Internet access. The social network announced that it’s entered a deal with telecom company Airtel Africa to bring basic Internet access aka ‘Free Access’ via its Internet.org initiative. Seventeen African countries will reap the benefits of this deal including countries like Burkina Faso,Chad, Gabon, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone and Uganda.

**Don’t Give Up … Don’t Ever Give Up …**

Google tried to get into the social game with its Google Plus service to compete with the likes of Facebook. It didn’t quite work out. Rather than throwing in the towel, Google went back to the drawing board and did a complete redesign of the feature. It’s now geared towards a “mobile first” experience and focused on ‘Communities’ (where people with similar interests can virtually gather) and ‘Connections’ (a place for virtual scrapbooking). It’s sort of a cross between Facebook and Pinterest. Interesting …

If You Can Make It There, You Can Make It Anywhere …

Hell hath no fury like a NY Attorney General (AG) scorned … The AG is not letting up on fantasy sports sites FanDuel and DraftKings. The AG’s office filed an injunction (order issued by a judge to prevent someone or an entity from starting or continuing to engage in certain activities) against both sites. The 35-page report rips into the sites’ arguments on why they should not be considered online gambling sites. FanDuel ( which has already stopped accepting contest entries from NY residents) and DratKings aren’t the only ones that should be worried. The jig is up for Yahoo. The Internet vet runs its own fantasy sports service and has done so long before FanDuel and DraftKings even existed. Yahoo isn’t officially part of the investigation just yet, but the AG is watching. The relevant parties head to court next week (November 25).

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

Flu shot season is in under way, and ride-hailing app Uber is taking away your excuses. This Thursday, the company’s re-launching its UberHealth to bring those dreaded flu shots to your desired location.

On a side note: NY taxi drivers are still peeved at Uber and plan to sue New York City and its Taxi and Limousine Commission. The basis of the suit? Violating their right to pick passengers up street-side.

Amazon’s Black Friday kicks off this Friday (November 20). See here for how to properly secure your Amazon.com account information. It’s called two-factor authentication. Don’t worry … It’s pretty straightforward.

Boards of tech companies are including more women (it’s up to 18.3% in 2014 compared to 13.7% in 2010). But, tech still falls behind other industries on gender diversity. If we talk about it enough, then things have to change, right?

Mobile payments Square is set to announce its long-anticipated IPO price today. The thing is, we already know that the price will be discounted from what people originally expected. Unicorns (aka private companies worth a billion dollars or more) are watching this closely.

You can make a few extra bucks by selling some of your photos via apps like EyeEm and Snapwire.

German company Jobspotting GmbH, competitor to professional network platform LinkedIn, is looking for funds to get into the U.S. market.

Ride hailing company and Uber rival, Lyft says it needs $500 million.

The Virtual Skinny: Hello, Weekend!

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on October 9, 2015 in Internet & Tech, Newsletter

10.9.2015

Good to Know: It’s a long weekend (note: in the U.S., Oct.12 is Columbus Day). No worries … We’ll be back on Tuesday, October 13!

THE SKINNY

Pointing Fingers …

Someone hacked Uber’s system, and the ride-hailing app thinks Lyft (its U.S. nemesis) did it.

You’d Better Be Able to Back It Up …

Someone accessed Uber’s system and downloaded up to 50,000 drivers’ names and license numbers. Uber admits this probably all went down because an employee inadvertently made a security key code publicly available by posting it to GitHub, a website programmers use to trade code. Thanks to a Comcast IP address, Uber thinks Lyft’s Chief Technology Officer Chris Lambert is their Public Enemy #1. The company can’t be too sure since the person’s identity is unknown.

Ok? Now What?

Uber won’t stop until it gets to the bottom of this. Since it can’t identify the person, the company filed a “John Doe” lawsuit and got Comcast involved. Uber convinced a federal judge to order Comcast to turn over records on the mystery subscriber. Attorneys for the subscriber are appealing the decision to avoid any potential “embarrassment and reputational harm” that could result from a reveal. Based on GitHub’s records, Uber’s targets could be any of four groups, including the Comcast IP address. Investigators think the Comcast subscriber has a history of trying to scrape Uber’s website for driver data and also believe that other databases show that the IP address links to Lambert. Lyft’s spokesperson said “no way, Jose” because Uber has no real evidence.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

Onwards and Upwards …

Despite its legal drama with Uber, Lyft is making some important business moves. The company is partnering with Hertz Global Holdings to rent SUVs out to potential Lyft drivers. Stats show that over 60 million people over 25 years old in the U.S. don’t own a car. So, car rentals may be the answer to get more drivers into Lyft’s network. The Lyft-Hertz agreement includes discounted rates for Lyft drivers. Here’s the rental price breakdown: a standard SUV – $25/day, $150/week or $540/month; a premium SUV -$65/day, $390/week and $1,400/ month. And in other good news for Lyft drivers, the company is launching its Express Pay service next month, which means same day payments for drivers.

Had I kNOWN …

Earlier this week, we learned that fantasy sports websites FanDuel, Inc. and DraftKings, Inc. went into full on damage control after getting some unwanted attention, particularly from the New York State Attorney General, after news broke of potential insider trading by one of DraftKings’ employees. Both companies banned their employees from competing in their daily contests for money and also brought in seasoned legal teams to get their houses in order. But, as they say, things will get worse before they get better. Fantasy football player Adam Johnson who frequents both websites just filed a class action lawsuit against FanDuel and DraftKings. Johnson says he put 100 bucks into his DraftKings account but wouldn’t have done so had he known that a company employee may not have been playing fair. The damages Johnson is seeking have yet to be determined.

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

Uber is in a fighting mood. São Paulo’s Mayor Fernando Haddad banned the service in his city recently but later came up with a proposal that would allow Uber to operate legally. The proposal involves things like Uber admitting that it’s a “black taxi,” all Uber cars must painted black, and cars must be less than 5 years old. Not to mention, fees would apply. Uber said no thanks since it’s not a taxi service.

Price goin’ up! Netflix’s new users will be on the hook for a dollar more in fees. The streaming service’s price just went up to $10. No need to worry existing customers, your monthly fee will remain the same — for now.

Payment company Stripe just brought on Will Gaybrick as its new Chief Financial Officer. Gaybrick was previously an investor and software engineer with a law degree. Stay in school, kids.

Pinterest engineer Makinde Adeagbo wants to do his part to solve tech’s diversity problem. He just founded a non-profit to help connect black engineers with the resources needed to jumpstart their careers.

Next time you’re at your local KFC, Starbucks, Chili’s or Best Busy just know that using Apple Pay is an option.

Facebook’s David Marcus says messaging is the wave of the future. Given how well things are going in Asia with other messaging apps, we could see FB Messenger grow into a full-blown business complete with peer-to-peer payments and the ability to connect directly with businesses.

The Virtual Skinny: Everything’s Good Like It’s Post To Be…

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on October 8, 2015 in Internet & Tech, Newsletter

10.8.2015

Good to Know: We all love to post pics of our wonderful travels. Maybe next time stick to posting pictures of breathtaking landscapes and not of your actual boarding pass. We hear it’s not that hard for savvy people to extract information from your ticket’s barcode (e.g., full name, origin and destination cities, frequent flyer number, etc). Don’t say we never told you.

THE SKINNY

Giving ‘Em The Heisman…

When it comes to their daily contests, fantasy sports websites FanDuel, Inc. and DraftKings, Inc just said access denied to their employees wanting to use either site to get their bets on for cash money.

When SomeOne (ALLEGEDLY) Ruins It For Everyone …

The companies’ decision is in response to the fall out that ensued after DraftKings employee Ethan Haskell went online and self-reported that he prematurely released lineup data in advance of NFL games. Haskell later pulled in $350K after betting on competitor FanDuel’s site that same week. Everyone (except for DraftKings and FanDuel) yelled “flag on the play.” Now, employees with both companies are banned from playing fantasy for money on either site. We wonder how the other employees feel about this …

clean Up On Aisle Three…

FanDuel and DraftKings’s current mood: damage control (especially after the New York Attorney General fired off a letter to the companies requesting information about the case). Both companies fully admit that they know how bad all of this looks and are making moves to fix the situation. FanDuel recruited former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey to lead an internal review of company practices and make recommendations on ways to tighten up their ship. It’s also looking to set up an advisory board led by Michael Garcia, former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York who knows a thing or two about sports scandals. Garcia was a top investigator for FIFA. DraftKings put together its own legal team to looking into “one of their employees” but aren’t naming names.

What Else Is Going On?

Say What You Wanna Say …

If it’s a negative comment about Facebook’s Internet.org initiative that seeks to bring Internet access to emerging markets via a basic mobile app, the company’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg isn’t listening. The initiative is offering an app to Internet users in emerging markets called “Free Basics,” which includes select services like Facebook and Wikipedia. Some skeptics say that this goes against net neutrality – the idea that all Internet traffic should be treated equally and that Internet users should have access to all content they want to reach. The Zuck spoke on a Vanity Fair panel and had a few choice words to defend his company’s work. He said that net neutrality is really about price discrimination and not about access. Zuckerberg says research shows that Web access can decrease poverty levels so he just wants people in those markets to understand the Internet’s value.

Change of Plans…

Amazon-rival Jet.com just did an about face. The newcomer e-commerce site burst onto the scene with a different business model by charging peeps $50 for membership. The fees were supposed to be its revenue generator. More specifically, membership fees were intended to help the company undercut Amazon’s pricing within the next five years. Jet founder Marc Lore said they were just kidding with the fees. The company’s merchant’s weren’t into their way of doing business so changes had to be made, which means customers will see less of a discount in purchases. Questions are being raised about Jet’s ability to compete with Amazon given this move. Lore doesn’t seemed worried. He says the company is working on alternative solutions and is exploring new partnerships with potential luxury manufacturers.

Stranger Danger …

Security firm Dell SecureWorks wants LinkedIn users to be careful whose connection requests they accept. The firm just put out a report on 25 fake LinkedIn profiles. Turns out these profiles likely belonged to Iranian hackers looking to bamboozle people into revealing personal information about themselves (FYI the technical term for this is “social engineering”). Dell SecureWorks say that these hackers are mostly portrayed as people in the Middle East in the telecom or defense industry. LinkedIn has since taken down the fake profiles. In more hacker-related news, LoopPay – a company with ties to Samsung – has been breached. Reports indicate that Chinese hackers are to blame. Samsung says there’s no evidence indicating that its own systems have been compromised.

The Streets Are Talkin’

Amazon is getting crafty and taking on Etsy with its new online arts and crafts marketplace called Handmade at Amazon.

A few weeks back Mark Zuckerberg put the kibosh on rumors about a ‘dislike’ button. Facebook is said to be testing a new “reactions” feature consisting of a wide range of emoticons to supplement the ‘like’ button.

Alphabet (formerly known as Google) made its official debut this week with a fresh domain name ABC.xyz. It also owns abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz.com. True story.

Exceptions can be made. Crowdfunding platform Kickstarter doesn’t usually permit crowdsourcing funds for charity. But, it broke rank for Syrian refugees and teamed up with the White House to raise $1 million.

The Virtual Skinny: Forget Me Not

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on October 7, 2015 in Internet & Tech, Newsletter

10.7.2015

Good to Know: Dorothy was right. There really is no place like home. Ex-NSA contractor turned whistleblower Edward Snowden is prepared to return to the good ole U-S of A to do some prison time. Snowden says he’s made this clear to the U.S. federal government and is still waiting on a response.

THE SKINNY

put me in, coach!

This week’s alleged insider trading scandal involving fantasy sports websites FanDuel, Inc. and DraftKings, Inc. has caught the New York State Attorney General’s (AG) attention, and he wants to know what the deal is with these companies’ employees.

Have Your Cake and Eat It Too …

At least one employee, DraftKings’ Ethan Haskell, missed the memo that you can’t do that. Haskell said he messed up recently when he prematurely released internal data regarding NFL games. This would’ve probably been cool except we later found out that he made $350K that same week when he placed a bet on competitor site FanDuel. Now, people want to know whether it’s fair to allow employees to participate in competitors’ services given what they know from their day jobs. Both companies denied any wrongdoing, but the NY State AG sent a letter to both companies saying that this episode has “raised[d] legal questions [of] fairness, transparency, and security.” The AG is requesting information on company employees (including Haskell) and wants answers by October 15.

Things Are About To Get Real …

Online fantasy sports is a multi-billion dollar industry that has managed to fly under the radar and avoid regulation unlike online poker. But, many people are starting to think that this is no bueno. Industry pros, who have made millions playing fantasy, think that the industry would benefit from oversight and just better industry practices. One pro Corey Albertson says companies should focus on hiring professional people who simply want to offer quality service rather than betting on games themselves (#ShadyShade). U.S. Capitol Hill is watching, and some Members of Congress are outraged. New Jersey’s Senator Bob Menendez even wants the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to launch its own investigation. Meanwhile, professional sports leagues and individual teams are watching how things unfold.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

Going local…

European privacy advocates are happy. U.S. companies, on the other hand, not so much. Remember the European Court of Justice decision, we told you about? No? Here’s a quick reminder. Companies, particularly those offering cloud based services like Amazon and Google, are shelling out money to build more data centers located in Europe. But, this will likely pay off in the long run as having more local operations could help avoid legal trouble down the road.

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’

Microsoft announced its first ever laptop called the Surface Book. We’re talking 13.5-inch display complete with 6 million pixels and a 5-point multi-touch “precision” glass trackpad. Who’s buying?

Pandora and ticket vendor for small-scale music venues Ticketfly just finished a $450 million deal.

Reddit’s expanding with a new standalone service – a news site called UpVoted. The site will feature original stuff from its editorial team.