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Virtual Skinny: Friday Fave

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

5.13.2016

Good to Know: Want to delete your fave dating app? Just deleting the app from your phone won’t do the trick. Take these steps to delete your profile and avoid any awkward encounters or questions.

delete

THE SKINNY

When It’s The Same Story, Different Source … 

Facebook is having one of the worst weeks ever. More info has leaked about its editorial team and “Trending Topics” section. This time it’s courtesy of The Guardian.

When It’s More Of The Same … 

The Guardian obtained a leaked internal document intended to give FB’s editorial staff guidelines on how to determine what news is trending and what’s not. The docs confirms things that we’ve already heard. FB’s new team relied on 10 major new sources, staff can “inject” a story into Trending Topics even if it actually isn’t trending on the network, and new stories about FB are kind of off limits. A couple of things here: (1) FB’s VP Tom Stocky said earlier this week that the company does not “insert stories artificially” and (2) FB leads users to believe the stories are picked by algorithms, but there’s actually quite a bit of human involvement.  Hmmm … Whoops!

When It’s Time to Deny, Deny, Deny … 

FB responded and said that the Guardian’s doc is out of date and isn’t the current practices of the company.  FB’s VP of Global Operations Justin Osofsky responded with an official blog post of how “Trending Topics” actually works. He says the team relies on 1,000 new sources (not just 10). Osofsky says the team also uses an RSS web crawler to I.D. hot topics. And, he says that FB’s not about suppressing political views even if they are conservative.

When You Don’t Want No F&^#@! Problems …

Mark Zuckerberg is in full on damage control. He put out a lengthy FB status about the situation. He says the company is investigating the matter but has not found any wrongdoing yet. Also, he wants to pow-wow with conservatives and others to put this whole thing to bed. 

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON? 

When Amazon Isn’t Your Fave … 

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is not a fan of Amazon.  He thinks the company has a “huge antitrust problem.” It all comes down to the fact that Amazon’s Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos also owns the Washington Post (WaPo). Trump is under the impression that Bezos is using WaPo to influence politicians and ultimately avoid paying taxes. #Interesting

THE STREETS ARE TALKIN’ 

Pitching your startup to venture capitalists – the latest thing you can do on Snapchat.

Basketball legend Magic Johnson is leaving payment company Square’s board.  Who knew? Johnson’s kicking off his fund for urban development.

Virtual Skinny: Get the News While Well-Rested…

Posted by The Virtual Skinny on 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. To 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.