CHANGE - FCC Plan for Net Neutrality

The FCC is expected to vote on the 'net neutrality' rules on December 14th. 

These rules presently require ISPs (internet providers) to treat all web traffic the same. Among the concerns arising from an FCC vote to repeal the regulation are these:

• Higher consumer costs
• Reduced consumer access to content services
• A playing field no longer level for consumers or content providers
• Elimination of competitive services
• Censorship of some content

The situation is expected to unleash a wave of lobbying. Opponents of the plan are expected to be Consumer Associations, content services like Netflix and social media giants Twitter, Google, Instagram and Facebook (TGIF). Supporters are expected to include large network providers, especially those who also own content services like Comcast and AT&T.

“Under my proposal, the federal government will stop micromanaging the internet,” FCC Chairman, Ajit Pai said in a statement last week. “Instead, the FCC would simply require internet service providers to be transparent about their practices.”

 CBC News covered this story and its implications very well and includes several of the interviews carried on the national radio network.

ACQUIRE - Facebook Acquires TBH Application

According to industry sources, Facebook paid just under US$100 million for the 'tbh' app but they have not released the details. 

Several weeks ago Facebook acquired social media application 'tbh'. The months old application has already attracted 5 million users (downloads) who have sent more than a billion messages. The application reportedly has 2.5 million active daily users.

The application allows users to anonymously answer questions about their friends, fellow employees and other parties in their network. The 'tbh' application works by giving users a description, such as "always the best dressed," then allowing them to anonymously choose which person meets that description from a small set of names in their network. By keeping the activity structured, 'tbh' expects to maintain positive conversations, instead of regressing into bullying as other anonymous apps have done.

It is unusual for Facebook to acquire an application that is focused on anonymous activity. However, the social media giant is seeking new ways to reach young users who are fickle but savvy and often responsible. While this cohort may not be as loyal as others they can be engaged to communicate in different ways that attract their interest. 

In her statement Vanessa Chan, a Facebook spokesperson, said, “TBH and Facebook share a common goal -- of building community and enabling people to share in ways that bring us closer together. We’re impressed by the way TBH is doing this by using polling and messaging, and with Facebook’s resources TBH can continue to expand and build positive experiences.”

The staff of 'tbh' will move into Facebook infrastructure and use FB resources but maintain their autonomy from other FB activities. 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:  Facebook’s advertising business model requires people to use their real identities, make clear what they like or don’t like and have their social behaviours attached to their identity. This acquisition seems to show the rising value of acquiring an ecosystem with lots of activity and widespread appeal even if it doesn't fit the old paradigm. Perhaps a new recipe is required to grow a giant but mature social media play.

BEHAVIOUR - IAABC Behavior Live on Facebook will Feature Animal Experts

The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) is taking advantage of Facebook Live Video and launching an educational series called IAABC Behavior Live.

The series of one-on-one interviews with behavior experts will be hosted by IAABC President Mike Shikashio (and others) on their public Facebook page.

Viewers can ask questions of the speakers, get to know others in the field, and have access to these professionals in a relaxed and informal way.

Chats will be 30 minutes long and recorded episodes will remain on the IAABC Facebook page indefinitely.

(Dr.Chris Pachel)

The first live broadcast will be this Wednesday, May 17th at 2:00pm EST and features Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorist Dr. Chris Pachel.

Pachel is the owner and primary clinician for the Animal Behavior Clinic in Portland Oregon and became board certified by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists in 2010.

He lectures regularly throughout the US and Canada, and has taught undergraduate and professional courses in veterinary behavior at the University of MN and at the Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine.

Times and dates for future IAABC Behavior Live episodes are to be determined and will include Alexandre Rossi, Dr. Susan Friedman, Kristyn Vitale, Steve Dale, and other animal behaviour professionals.

The IAABC was founded in 2004 with a goal to standardize and support the practice of companion animal behavior consulting, while providing resources for pet owners needing advice.

DIGITAL - Facebook Launches TV Video App

Facebook’s new video app has now launched on both Samsung Smart TV and Apple TV, allowing users to save videos throughout the day and watch them when they get home.

The new app is part of Facebook’s concerted push into the video market.

Having already invested heavily in their live video feature, the app will provide a place where users can go to watch each other’s videos and more easily find other video content.

The move is potentially game-changing, opening up valuable television advertising dollars for the company and allowing Facebook to compete with market dominators like Netflix, YouTube, Amazon, and Hulu.

Facebook has already dabbled in live broadcast of sporting events, and is looking at creating original content as well.

The new app isn’t the only video-focused change that users can expect.

Facebook also announced that videos will play with the sound on by default, vertical videos will now expand to fill the screen, and videos will continue to play in a thumbnail window while users continue to browse.

These changes are each designed to complement the new video app, and make Facebook a destination for users who want to watch, and share, video content.

 

However, the launch of the video app corresponds tragically with breaking news about arrests related to a rape streamed live on the service late last month – one of multiple such incidents.

A Facebook spokesman told CNN that, "Crimes like this are hideous and we do not allow that kind of content on Facebook. We take our responsibility to keep people safe on Facebook very seriously and will remove videos that depict sexual assault and are shared to glorify violence."

Facebook may need to more comprehensively address the issue in order to prevent these incidents from casting a shadow over their efforts to pull more users into their live video services.

Facebook is far from the only live video service to experience such gruesome content – both Snapchat and Periscope have also been used this way.

However, Facebook is a much larger player in the mobile market.

The company’s efforts to combat fake news have been met with approval by a consumer base tired of constant misinformation.

Tackling the issue of inappropriate content being broadcast on their new video efforts will hopefully also be a priority.

Either way, Mark Zuckerberg believes that video is “a megatrend on the same order as mobile.”

He spoke about the company’s focus on video in an earnings call in March, and stated that the company will continue to “put video first across our family of apps.”

It’s unlikely that Facebook will go head to head with Netflix when it comes to original content or scripted video content.

But the new app, along with video-focused changes and Facebook’s slow rollout of mid-play ads, will certainly offer new advertising revenue, and new services for both users and content publishers.

About Tiffany Sostar

Tiffany is a published academic, an editor with the Editors Association of Canada, an independent scholar and researcher, and a self-care and narrative coach. She is particularly interested in the intersection of technology and identity - how our tools shape our selves and change our stories, and in how the nature of work is changing as we incorporate more technology into our daily lives. 

FUTURE TRENDS - Concerns Grow as Facial Recognition Software Use Expands

Facial recognition software is a fact of daily life in today’s hybrid digital/physical world.

Some uses are fully consensual and informed, such as enabling (or not) the Microsoft Hello feature.

Other uses, in fact most uses, are more ambiguous when it comes to users’ ability to control when and how facial recognition is used.

Facial recognition in photo software is already notorious for causing problems.

Automatic tagging and facial recognition is meant to save time and make it easier to share your photos with the people in them.

Auto-tagging is a privacy concern, especially for professionals who need to keep their private lives and professional lives strictly separated.

This is a difficult task, and social media makes it more challenging every year.

It’s possible to opt-out of Facebook’s auto-tagging feature, but unless you go through the process of manually opting out, you have no way to control how many photos you’ll find yourself tagged in.

Privacy issues aren’t the only concern when it comes to auto-tagging.

Google has gotten into trouble for a problem in the auto-tagging algorithm that tagged two Black individuals as “gorillas.”

Google isn’t the only software with a race issue, and it’s not the most worrisome, either.

Facial recognition software used by law enforcement has been shown to be significantly less accurate when identifying black individuals, with a match rate that is 5 to 10 percent less accurate than the match rate for white individuals.

Racial bias in photography technology is nothing new, but this problem in facial recognition software used by law enforcement has the potential to cause serious problems for people who do not realize they are even being monitored by the software.

There are nearly 250 million surveillance cameras worldwide, recording people’s movements and faces in areas such as public spaces, streets, stores, and private property.

The software that searches these recordings has become significantly more sophisticated, and the rules about who can access surveillance in order to run facial recognition software are still murky.

Not knowing when you are being entered into a database, or searched through facial recognition databases, is another concern.

A new app released in Russia called FindFace allows users to take a picture of a stranger on the street and the app will search millions of photos on social media to find out who they are.

While this could be used innocently to find missed connections, the risk of abuse by stalkers and abusers is significant.

As Fortune magazine put it, this is a “facial recognition nightmare.”

And abuse by strangers isn’t the only concern. Misuse by law enforcement is also an issue.

 

A 2016 report by the Georgetown Law Centre on Privacy and Technology calls the use of facial recognition software by law enforcement “the perpetual line-up” and highlights the risks to civilian privacy.

According to The Intercept, in an article that unpacks the report and interviews authors and stakeholders, the report “reveals that police deploy face recognition technology in ways that are more widespread, advanced, and unregulated than anyone has previously reported.”

British filmmaker Karen Palmer created an interactive film and protest simulation to demonstrate how facial recognition software can be used to track protesters, and to point out how easily facial recognition software can be used to surveille in secrecy, and at a distance.

The use of facial recognition software by law enforcement and government is currently unregulated in most jurisdictions, and that’s a major concern for privacy.

This is a growing concern, particularly in America right now.

Both citizens and legislators will have to address issues around the rights to privacy, to free association, and to anonymity.

As always, the balance between personal freedom and governmental control will be tricky, but the software is here to stay, so it’s an issue that will demand a response.

About Tiffany Sostar

Tiffany is a writer, editor, academic, and animal lover who came late to her appreciation of pets. At 18, a rescue pup named Tasha saved her from a depression and she hasn't looked back. She has worked as the canine behaviour program coordinator for the Calgary Humane Society, and was a dog trainer specializing in working with fearful and reactive dogs for many years. She doesn't have any pets right now, but makes up for it by giving her petsitting clients (and any dogs she comes across on her frequent coffee shop adventures) extra snuggles.

BUSINESS - Apple Joins Other Tech Giants in Artificial Intelligence Partnership

Partnership on AI was formed in 2016 and while Apple was involved since the beginning, the corporation became an official founding member this week.

 

Apple joins a group that includes some of the biggest names in tech - Amazon, DeepMind/Google, Facebook, IBM, and Microsoft.

The growth in artificial intelligence (AI) products, and concerns about potential risks prompted the formation of Partnership on AI whose goal is to ensure that applications of AI are beneficial to people and society.

The organization will study the potential societal impact of AI systems, develop and share best practices, develop educational resources and host open forums to share information about the latest topics in the field.

They will also create working groups for different sectors, for example healthcare and transportation, conducting research on the specific AI applications in these different areas of the economy.

Some fears surrounding AI include criminal use, robots taking over the workforce, privacy, and even the end of the human race.

Many believe, however, AI machines and applications are the next generation of sophisticated tools enhancing our human capabilities.

The aim of Partnership on AI is to help ensure the positive application of artificial intelligence.

According to their website, “Diversity of thought across the organization is crucial to ensure that we effectively explore and address the influences of AI on people and society, provide guidance on AI best practices, and seek to advance the public’s understanding of AI.”

DIGITAL - Companies Stay Connected with Facebook's Workplace

It used to be that “Facebook” was the ultimate f-word at the office.  Now bosses are encouraging employees to Like, follow trending stories and join groups.

But there’s a catch: they are not referring to baby pictures and YouTube videos. They are talking about Facebook’s new service called Workplace.

While it is built to look like a user’s personal Facebook page, Workplace is open only to members at a specific company.

It’s easy to use, as many employees are among the 1.7 billion people logging onto the traditional Facebook site each month, and it caters to mobile workers who aren’t always tethered to their desks.

Employees and management can post information, have group discussions about projects or issues, track News Feed items, and use the voice and video calling feature, all on a secure system.

Workplace also features Multi-Company Groups that allow employees from different companies to connect when working together on a project.

The service has been in beta testing for a year and there are more than 1,000 organizations worldwide, including the Royal Bank of Scotland, Danone and Starbucks, using Workplace.

On October 10, 2016, Facebook announced that Workplace is now available to anyone and everyone.

But unlike Facebook, Workplace isn’t free.

The company would pay a monthly fee based on the number of users accessing the service: $3 per user for the first 1,000 users and $2 per user for between 1,001 and 10,000 users and $1 for any users above that.

But for Workplace officials, the goal is more geared toward adoption that to make a ton of money.

"We want to grow to have hundreds of millions of people using it and then just as we've done for Instagram and Messenger, we will care about monetization," Julian Cordoniou, director of Workplace, said in an interview with CNN.

Facebook has tapped into the workplace social media market and despite competition from existing communications services like Slack and Yammer, it is poised to dominate the market with the new Workplace service.

By Rennay McLean
Rennay is a freelance writer and editor, animal lover, mom, and Gryffindor. She has written nonfiction books, corporate communications, blog posts, magazine articles and newspaper pieces on topics including caring for your pets, animal rescue agencies, the economic outlook of Alberta, archeological digs, and spa getaways. 

DIGITAL - Facebook Launches Marketplace & Snapchat Rebrands

Changes in the digital world this week saw an expansion of services by Facebook and Snapchat.

Snapchat announced a corporate name change to Snap Inc. as they rebrand themselves as a digital lifestyle company.

The fun Snapchat app won’t be affected, but the change will allow the company to expand their offerings.

The same day as they announced the new name, Snap Inc. also introduced a new product - Spectacles.

The glasses are a totally new type of camera that records video. The video plays full screen on any device, in any orientation, and captures the human perspective with a 115 degree field of view.

Unlike smartphones, which record video in a rectangular format, video via Spectacles is circular, allowing the viewer to watch the content naturally, whether in portrait or landscape mode, the way the user “saw” it.

Spectacles bring back memories of the failed Google Glass and the company will have to overcome the association consumers may have.

Facebook launched Marketplace - a place to discover, buy and sell items such as clothes, jewelry, household items and even cars.

The company observed that in recent years more people have been using the digital media channel to buy and sell items.

In fact, more than 450 million people visit buy and sell groups on Facebook each month — from families in a local neighborhood to collectors around the world.

Marketplace opens with photos of items that people nearby have listed for sale.

Search is available to find something specific, and results can be filtered by location, category or price.

A variety of categories such as Household, Electronics and Apparel are available to browse through. 

Marketplace is rolling out to everyone over 18 years old in the US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand on the Facebook app for iPhone and Android.

Facebook plans to extend the service to its desktop site and additional countries over the coming months.

Marketplace is seen as a major e-commerce push by Facebook and will be increased competition for sites such as Kijiji and craigslist.

Digital Ad Spending to Exceed TV This Year

eMarketer recently reported that U.S. digital ad spending will surpass TV ad spending by the end of 2016 for the first time - one year earlier than they had originally predicted.

Advertisers have been rushing to purchase digital at the expense of traditional advertising like print, and the shift has been happening more quickly than anticipated.

According to eMarketer, by the end of this year, US digital ad spending will reach $72.09 billion, while TV spending will grow to $71.29 billion.

That means digital will represent 36.8% of US total media ad spending, while TV will have 36.4%.

They are quick to point out that TV ad spending is still growing, particularly in light of the Olympic Games and U.S. federal election this year.

Mobile ad spending will grow 45.0% this year to reach $45.95 billion and as it grows, it will represent an increased share of overall ad spending.

Google has cornered the market on mobile advertising with a 32% share.

eMarketer predicts video ad spending will reach $10.30 billion, representing 14.3% of total digital spending this year and the figure will climb to 15.1% next year.

Display ads, where Facebook leads the market at almost $12 billion in 2016, will continue to be the dominant form of digital advertising for several years to come.

DIGITAL - How to Promote Your Product on Facebook

Are you looking for new ways to promote your product that also helps build trust, grow your audience and increase brand engagement?

Social Media Examiner has come up with some fresh ideas in their Five Ways to Promote Your Products On Facebook.

Ask Fans to Show Their Love

Set up a user-generated content campaign where you ask customers to share photos and videos of them using, wearing or talking about your product.

This type of campaign shows your product in an authentic way and can help you reach a wider audience as the post will be seen by all your customers’ friends.

Demonstrate Creative Ways to Use Your Product

Customers want to know and it doesn’t need to be fancy. Simple video demonstrations that you create or customer video that you share work well.

Incentivize Word-of-Mouth Referrals

Create a loyalty program where you can reward customers for referring friends to your business by sharing your page with their Facebook friends.

Build Trust With Ratings and Reviews

Facebook has a ratings tab that you just need to activate.

Make sure when you ask your fans for ratings and reviews, don’t be intrusive or offer incentives and always follow Facebook’s Community Guidelines.

Target Prospects With Facebook Ads

You can use your own company data and Facebook Insights to target audiences similar to your current buyers.

Read the entire article for all the details.

DIGITAL - Simplifying Social Media Algorithms

While ‘simple algorithms’ is something of an oxymoron, it’s a beneficial weapon in the toolbox to have an idea of how the dynamic algorithms for some of the most popular social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – have evolved.

Al-go-rithm

‘A process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer’ – Wikipedia

Facebook

Of the three most popular social media sites, Facebook uses the most complicated algorithm system, having evolved considerably since the advent of the ‘Like’ feature in 2007.

The algorithm, which accounts for hundreds of variables including who posted/type of content/level of interaction with the post/recency of post, then calculates a single digit relevancy score for each post; these posts are then classified in order of relevancy, which determines how they appear in each person’s news feed.

These relevancy scores are also given to advertisements, based on positive and negative feedback.

The News Feed algorithm was changed in 2015 to also be able to give more control to the users themselves; prior to this, Facebook would analyze what users wanted to use through a calculation of feedback, but now the ‘See First’ option (under the News Feed Preferences tab) is a further tool for customization by users.

Other tweaks made last year include the analysis of how much time the user spends on a post, including video engagement; analysis of video engagement includes enabling audio and high-definition and enlarging the video to full screen.

Twitter

A notable change made to Twitter algorithms in 2015 is the ‘While you were Away’ feature, determined by user engagement.

Just a few months ago, the ‘Show me the Best Tweets First’ feature was added, which changes timeline content based on relevancy, rather than chronology. While there is no limit to ‘best tweets’, the average is around a dozen, according to Wired magazine.

To remove the ‘best tweets’ option manually, users can constantly manually refresh their feeds or can change their settings under their ‘Profile’ tab (‘Account’- ‘Content’ – ‘Timeline’ – ‘Show Me The Best Tweets’).

Many Twitter users have expressed concerns that Twitter’s algorithm changes will move the platform away from its ‘live stream’ or ‘real time’ feed to a fully algorithmic stream (like Facebook) but Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said they ‘will continue to make Twitter feel more, not less, live’.

Instagram

Acquired by Facebook in 2012, it wasn’t until 2014 that Facebook began to make changes to the ‘Explore’ tab to display tailored posts. Just this spring, Instagram announced on their official blog, "To improve your experience, your feed will soon be ordered to show the moments we believe you will care about the most”.

Optimizing order will apparently be the first order of business, based on four factors – the number of likes and comments on a post; the relationship with the viewer and the user posting; timeliness of the post; and what shares are between the users. Instagram has yet to announce when these changes will roll out.

It all comes down to one basic premise – filtering out poor quality and irrelevant posts and highlighting current, attractive, newsworthy or visually appealing posts.

The essence of social media is relevant, up-to-the-minute posting and constant sharing and linking to other such materials.

The dynamic nature of social media is, in a word, limitless.

By Lindsay Seewalt

Lindsay is an experienced journalist and mother of three whose heart and home is always open to a four-legged friend. With her Corgi, Angie, as household editor-in-chief, Lindsay gives back to the animal planet through the written word on anything and all ado about pets. She is passionate about topics regarding animal welfare and responsible pet ownership, which she aims to instill in both her readers and children to be compassionate animal lovers who are conscious and considerate that furry friends around the globe deserve a voice.