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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Tulsa Race Massacre

Beyond Social Media - Tulsa Race Massacre - Episode 352

BL and David discuss media coverage of the Tulsa Race Massacre, 100 years after the fact; Oreo’s offering to aliens; the soft power of brands; Amazon supports marijuana legalization; Dunkin’ sells paint; Apple’s privacy commercial; Amazon Sidewalk risks; Hootsuite jacks long-time customers; Twitter reinstates certifications; Stetson disowns hatWRKS; music streaming; influencers’ earnings…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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Lightspeed Internet

Beyond Social Media - Lightspeed Internet - Episode 331

Episode 331: BL and David discuss Google’s infrared Internet project; sequential video storytelling; the Biden Harris transition website; Spotify buys Megaphone audio hosting provider; Four Seasons Total Landscaping’s VR furries; YouTube Rewind cancelled this year; MmHmm video conferencing addon comes out of beta; customizable Oreo cookies; Ticketmaster’s fan safety app; our post-literate society; law firms undermining democracy; support for pot legalization;…and much, much more.

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We Voted

Beyond Social Media - We Voted - Episode 330

Episode 330: BL and David discuss Van Jones’ on-air tears of joy over the presidential election result; the ROI of I Voted stickers; Cheese Boy wins the internet with a successful fondue fountain; a PR agency’s superb election survival kit branding; Shopify and TikTok partner on shoppable ads; Calm’s clever election night sponsorship; Typosquatting; a photo credit backlink scam; The Gap can’t bridge the divide;…and much, much more.

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The Facebook Oversight Board

Beyond Social Media - Facebook Oversight Board - Episode 324

Episode 324: BL and David discuss ‘The Real Facebook Oversight Board’ comprised of industry experts that will try to hold the social network accountable; SEMrush acquires a earned media public relations tool; entertaining B2B advertising; MailChimp evolves into a full-fledged marketing platform; Casey Newton joining the Substack journalism revolution; LinkedIn Stories arrive; TikTok bans fasting app advertising; Google Maps shows COVID 19 hot spots; Hillary Clinton launches a podcast; Proud Boys lose their shirts; cancel culture is the new crisis PR; Google taketh Meet; racial justice and brand trust; …and much, much more.

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TikTok Deal?

Beyond Social Media - TikTok Deal - Episode 317

Episode 317: BL and David discuss the pending/paused TikTok acquisition by Microsoft; Deadspinners split to Defector Media; Nike’s amazing You Can’t Stop Us ad; denying Holocaust deniers; Country Time’s little bailout fund; virtual influencers’ time may have come; the whole Stella Immanuel strangeness; the Walmart Nazis; the Consumer Electronics Show goes virtual until 2022; the Harper’s Letter decrying cancel culture;…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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Apple Developers Conference Updates

Beyond Social Media - Apple Developer Conference - Episode 313

BL and David discuss the most siginficant announcements to come out of Apple’s 2020 Developer Conference; Keen, Google’s new social collaboration tool; Google Images fact checks; Patagonia joins the growing Facebook advertising boycott; Devin Nunes’ Cow wins in court; YouTube introduces shoppable commercials; Pandora introduces analytics for podcasters; Facebook continues to harbor hate; some Covid-19 masks that are creepy AF; mobile messaging app stats;..and much, much more.

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Facebook's Fake Privacy

Beyond Social Media - Facebook's Fake Privacy - Episode 268

Episode 268: BL and David discuss Facebook’s dubious commitment to user privacy; the increasing importance of sonic branding; Burger King’s mental burgers; Snapchat’s Holocaust survivor Stories; a clever Big Little Lies commercial; Creative Commons’ visual search emerges from Beta; LinkeIn testing a Services Offered section for profiles; Poynter’s indexing of fake news sites; YouTube Music arrives on Google Home and YouTube lands on Amazon Fire TV devices; a mockery of our smart phone addiction; how extremism spreads through alternative influence networks; Chase Bank’s poor-shaming;…and much, much more.

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