Video Conferencing Revolution

Episode 314 – July 12, 2020

Topics:

The Geopolitical Internet
MmHmmm Video Conferencing App
Subscription Twitter
Pinned Grams
Smart Glasses
Google Listens
Battered FaceApp
YouTube Affinity Channels
Facebook Gets A Big Meh
Jimmy Johns Dough Noose
Anti-Mask Masks
Atlas Scammed
A PR Pitch From Hell
Rising Digital Marketing Budgets

During episode 314, BL and David discuss the amazing Mmhmm video conferencing app; the tech pushback against Chinese data requests; new evidence for Subscription Twitter; pinnable Instagram comments; Google acquires an augmented reality glasses company; Google Assistant Continuous Mode; the FaceApp #WhatItWouldBeLike campaign; YouTube’s new affinity metrics; a Google Project Loon update; Jimmy Johns employees post racist video; Mark Zuckerberg fails to impress civil rights leaders; the Ayn Rand Institute grabs PPP money; Anti-mask masks for sale; another PR pitch from hell;..and much, much more.

Best Practices

A Fight Over the Internet’s Future

WhatsApp, Facebook, Google and Twitter are suspending the processing of requests for user data from Hong Kong law enforcement following the new national-security law.

Google, Facebook, Microsoft Pause Hong Kong Data Requests

Mmhmm Could Revolutionize Video Conferencing

A new virtual camera could reshape video communication.

Subscription Twitter?

An employment ad was spotted for a mysterious new Twitter subscription team, codenamed ‘Gryphon.’

Twitter is working on a new subscription platform, hints job listing

Pin Instagram Comments

All Instagram users can now pin up to three comments within their post interaction streams.

Instagram Gives All Users the Option to Pin Post Comments

Today we’re rolling out pinned comments everywhere 📌

That means you can a pin a few comments to the top of your feed post. By highlighting positive comments, you can better manage the tone of the conversation. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/w2X5grdee7— Vishal Shah (@vishalshahis) July 7, 2020

Google Buys AR Glasses Company

Google has officially purchased AR glasses maker North for a reported $180 million

Google’s Listening

Continuous Match Mode allows Google Assistant to respond immediately to a user’s speech by recognizing specified words and phrases.

Battered FaceApp

Using the hashtag #WhatItWouldBeLike, men in Columbia used FaceApp to turn themselves into pictures of abused women to draw attention to the huge problem of domestic abuse and murder during the lockdown.

This Domestic Violence Campaign Uses FaceApp To Turn Men Into Abused Women

YouTube Analytics To Reveal Affinity Channels

YouTube Analytics is going to start showing what other channels and videos your audience is watching.

Balloon Powered Internet

Google’s Project Loon has launched a fleet of balloons that is providing internet service to remote areas of Kenya.

Worst Practices

Jimmy Johns Employees Fired For Racist Video

Two white Jimmy Johns employees recorded two other white employees creating a noose out of bread dough and playacting a lynching to mock Black Americans on the Fourth of July.

This happened in Woodstock, GA, at a #JimmyJohns. White employees decided to make a noose out of bread dough, to mock the lynching of Black Americans. According to a rep at the store, the employees and the manager were fired. pic.twitter.com/W0cDhZ8bNI— Ryan Guillory Sr. 💫💫 🇺🇸 (@Mr_RyanGuillory) July 5, 2020

Zuckerberg Tries to Glamour Civil Rights Groups

NAACP, ADL and others keep boycott pressure up after reporting ‘nothing’ got done at summit with executives.

Civil Rights Leaders Meet With Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg But Doubt His Commitment to Change

Atlas Scammed

The Ayn Rand Institute applied for and received a PPP loan.

In sign of the times, Ayn Rand Institute approved for PPP loan

People are missing the fact that someone at the Ayn Rand Institute had to take the initiative to apply for the PPP loan. That’s called lifting yourself up by the bootstraps. https://t.co/s55O4IeAUg— Stephanie Kelton (@StephanieKelton) July 6, 2020

Anti-Mask Masks

A Tweet from @Shattered_earth went viral when he shared pictures of mesh masks being sold on Etsy as anti-mask masks.

I hate that making maliciously compliant ineffective mesh face masks IS A THING (NOT JUST ONE PERSON) for these fuckheads who want to actively deceive people to endanger everyone around them. Just go in the volcano already. I HATE THESE PEOPLE! pic.twitter.com/475y1QmP2c— Shattered-Earth (@Shattered_Earth) July 7, 2020

Career Karma’s PR Pitch from Hell

Screenshot: Completely Irrelevant Pitch To Minnesota Vikings Chat

Shiny New Stuff

B.L.’s Finds

Askaway – open-source remote work tool that allows businesses to more easily and efficiently ask and answer questions during large video conferences.
Plantyflix helps you to plant trees each month while you watch your favourite films and TV shows on Netflix.
Green Tech from Product Hunt – Makers with heroic intentions have launched products designed to help in the fight against Climate Change.