Block19 Backlash

Beyond Social Media - Block19 Backlash - Episode 356

BL and David discuss the backlash over Culper Precision’s Lego kit for a Glock handgun; Improv Everywhere’s New York city dance party; Google’s test of seller ratings in search; Twitter’s Non-Fungible Tokens; Amazon’s Kindle Vella serialized fiction platform; Twitter’s testing of new conversational features; Instagram’s Reel advertising; BusinessInsider’s clever welcome email; Facebook launching it’s Substack clone, Bulletin; the advent of the college athlete influencer; This Week in Cuba Twitter Space; DiGiorno’s crowdsourced slogan; an Amazon contractor gets fired by bot; emails on packaging; Clubhouse demographics;…and much, much more.

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Disney’s Robotic Groot

Beyond Social Media - Disneys Robotic Groot - Episode 350

BL and David discuss Disney’s development of atonomous bi-pedal robots to play characters such as Groot at the theme parks; YouTube’s new audio ad format; Google’s LaMDA AI model; Hulu’s self-serve advertising; About This Site coming to a search near you; the brand texting trend; Mattel wants to recycle your old Barbies; Snap’s Spectacles are back in AR form; India wants to erase “Indian Variant” from social media; Google Analytics 4 readiness;…and much, much more.

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Disaster Girl Cashes In

Beyond Social Media - Disaster Girl - Episode 348

BL and David discuss Disaster Girl’s big payday; Nerf’s new chief TikTok officer; Clubhouse’s NFL draft partnership; Clubmarket’s Clubhouse influencer exchange; digital product placement; Spotify’s paid podcast subscriptions; Flipboard flips to sponsored newsletters; vaccination public service tweets; Punch Pizza’s recruiting marketing email; a clever social media and visual communication tactic; Facebook’s failure; slander for profit; Basecamp’s ban; Apple’s privacy sanctimony exposed;…and much, much more.

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Mucinex Fashion Show

Beyond Social Media - Mucinex Fashion Show - Episode 328

Episode 328: BL and David discuss Mucinex’s influencer fashion show; Planet Word, the world’s first voice-activated museum; Lego’s drive to promote creative problem solving through play; AMC renting it’s cinemas for private movie showings; Google’s humming song-discovery app; racist-seeking Reddit bots; Google’s revamped analytics suite; Snopes faked for propaganda; Trump’s lax Twitter security; Facebook misinformation continues; the NFL’s fake patriotism; Instagram Stories reach;…and much, much more.

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Massive Twitter Hack

Beyond Social Media - Twitter Hack - Episode 315

Episode 315: BL and David discuss the massive Twitter hack and Bitcoin scam directed at high-profile accounts; the Minnesota Twins broadcast a scrimmage with a crowdtrack; free Grow With Google courses; long-term care seniors pose for iconic classic rock album cover recreations; Michelle Obama’s new podcast on Spotify; Hulu rolls out self-serve advertising; an ad agency goes fully remote; Target joins the growing list of retailers mandating masks for customers; Chris Cuomo calls out Trump over Goyagate; Instagram to clone TikTok; Hong Kong’s protest movement keeps getting stymied by Apple;..and much, much more.

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Great COVID-19 Unfluencing

Beyond Social Media - The Great COVID-19 Unfluencing - Episode 306

BL and David discuss the effect COVID-19 has had on the Influencer economy; the leaders weighing in on #PressFreedomDay; how the NFL conducted its first-ever virtual draft; New York City’s Stay The F*ck Home festival; Budweiser’s coronavirus-inspired sequel to the notorious Whassup Super Bowl commercial; the Verification Handbook is now free for all; Apple TV+’s new docuseries Home; billboards saluting doctors; successful email signature signoffs; meet Google Meet, now available to everyone; what honest Zoom meetings would look like; unemployed special effects; Frankestein Live; the coming voice tech explosion; the definition of small- and medium-sized businesses; the coming burn-in catastrophe; daytime streaming statistics;..and much, much more.

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Siri, Do I Have Coronavirus?

Beyond Social Media - Coronavirus Crisis - Episode 300

Episode 300: Co-hosts B.L. Ochman and David Erickson discussed the coronavirus crisis, including: The contrast in leadership between governors Andrew Cuomo and Tim Walz and Trump; Siri’s response to Do I Have The Coronavirus?; Smart thermometers that may be able to identify local outbreaks; Covid 19 pandemic maps; Twitter helping brands communicate during the crisis; a New York-based Chinese immigrant stepping up to manufacture personal protective equipment for health care workers; the responsibility of the media in broadcasting the White House coronavirus “briefings” live; Moe Williams’ daily doodles; Willie’s American Guitars offer two-minute guitar lessons on Facebook; Amazon limits non-essential shipments; the ENKI Brewing Company taproom goes curbside; coronavirus resources and free entertainment; pandemic gallows humor; Google’s California-only Covid 19 triage website; the two faces of Fox News; the Army’s social media manager gets canned; idiots that will cost lives; TV commercials that have not aged well in the coronavirus era; live webcams broadcasting deserted public spaces; the Department Of Justice wanting to suspend costitutional rights; …and much, much more.

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Brand Food Fights

Beyond Social Media - Brand Food Fight - Episode 278

Episode 278: Co-hosts BL Ochman and David Erickson discuss French’s & Oscar Mayer’s ice-cream fight; the Minnesota Vikings ambassador employee; Pixel 4’s gesture control; the Oakland A’s PR investment; the global emoji culture; the great automatic advertizator that may put marketers out of work; what the top 100 Instagram influencers earn; Facebook’s fake 126 million; the great Cambridge Analytica/Facebook election hack is now a Netflix must-watch video; how you can get a Master’s Degree in Cannabis Science; the great Facebook re-naming…and much, much more.

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New Prince Music Video & High Times At Coca-Cola?

Beyond Social Media - New Prince Music Video - Episode 241

Episode 241: BL and David discuss Prince’s new music video that pays tribute to the scores of teens and children affected by gun-related violence every year; the Twitterification of Twitter; the crumbling of the college degree barrier; the National Voter Registration Day media takeover; Coca-Cola’s interest in the marijuana industry; dancing lessons for NFL players; the opening of Bud Light’s Victory Fridges; an update to the Social Media Guru list; augmented reality applied below ground; Arby’s tattoos the meats; the hacking of our website; who is getting raises and who is not; the New York Times’ video case study of the Tylenol poisoning; and much, much more.

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