Vanity Metrics #3
FTC/FB: It's Complicated, and Creators won't put up with your rules, mom!
Thank you to all the new subscribers. It really means a lot to see the interest this newsletter is attracting. Share it with one person? That’s it. That’s the ask.
This time, it’s not all about Facebook! Let’s get to it.
The Big Stuff
Spotify.com
Billboard to start tracking video views
Billboard charts will finally begin including video plays from YouTube, Apple, Spotify, Tidal and Vevo starting in January. YouTube alone will ad tens of millions of plays into factoring the Top 200 album chart…
Creating content to drive to these destinations has often resulted in many views, but no relatable KPIs that could be held up as “valuable”. Now that views = charts, strategists and buyers can better translate social campaigns driving to those massive streams into wins clients/bosses will love.
Music is the #1 category of content consumed on YouTube, and 55% of all music streaming on the internet.
Is it time to consider YouTube a Social Media Platform?
YouTube has a fundamentally different engagement structure with its users than other social platforms, one that’s been a tough nut to crack for brands trying to integrate YouTube into a traditional social media content mix. Traditional marketing campaigns don’t hold sway outside paid ad inserts, and creating regular, engaging video content to support a brand channel is a full-time job unto itself…
YouTube’s 1.8 billion users make it as influential, if not more so than Facebook. Millions of people search, share and engage with their favorite “Creators” thanks to new story options and an increased emphasis on interacting. And those Creators are making serious bank thanks to monetization. Top channel creators report incomes north of $10M/year…
But a lot of that gross platform profit has come at the expense of oversight and resulted in content many now see as copyright theft, harassment, dangerous conspiracy, and hate speech. Things very much in the spotlight for traditional social platforms in 2019. Now YouTube is having to face the music, and Creators are not happy about it. The “It” here being their ability to make money. Creators that have made a living off questionable content are pushing back hard against what it sees as unfair content moderation policies.
“The only thing keeping other YouTubers in check is other YouTubers. We have this anarchy system; don’t come and ruin it for us, YouTube.” - Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg (who has since annoucned will be “taking a break” from YouTube for 2020).
Addendum: what happens to the stuff we don’t see? (Warning)
We talk a lot about how bad content is bad for users. What we never discuss is what happens to the content that was screened out before you had a chance to see it. On the other side of the screen, there are real people filtering out a percentage of questionable content, and what they are watching is simply beyond repulsive. The Verge’s Casey Newton first broke the story on the devasting effects moderating content on social has on people back in June. It served as a catalyst to the scrutiny and new incoming content policy changes for YouTube you see in the stories above. The video embedded below is an interview with one such employee tasked with moderating YouTube/Google video. [Warning: this is interview involves discussions of disturbing topics.]
Thank you to Casey for agreeing to share this video with us. If you like his work, please consider subscribing to his *obviously* superior newsletter, The Interface.
Is Facebook Headed Towards a Breakup?
From Emily Glazer at WSJ: The FTC is considering seeking an injunction on Facebook. Specifically, the potential legal move focuses on how Facebook’s ecosystem of apps - Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Oculus - share data with each other. This could be a precursor to new rules governing how the company discloses this information to the public, pushing for competitive access to their chain, or a breakup of the company (think Microsoft and Internet Explorer in the 90s) and a forced spin-off of its apps. More info in January.
The Small Stuff.
Facebook released the budget for it’s “Supreme Court” of content disputes. Also, the dispute board has no clear start date, no membership selected, no bylaws, budget for only six years, and no power to make or change policy. So, not much but a press release and a sticker price.
Full disclosure: I am one of the few remaining holdouts that don’t use Spotify. Years ago they had a stupid rule that limited the number of tracks you could download to your phone for offline listening (which has since been lifted). Since I wasn’t interested in updating my tracks every couple of days or burning through my meager data plan in the worst country in the world for cell phone plans, I went with Google Play Music…
This also means I am one of the few people that receive a Spotify Year-End Wrap-Up. It probably looks like a lot of fun to see the cute stats and graphics, but here’s an interesting take on why sharing it is not such a great idea (long read warning): it commodifies your listening habits, places more pressure on artists to produce more muzak-like content and pay to have it showcased, and ultimately drives growth for Spotify and carrier companies, rather than incubating more great music.
Facebook will finally, after much criticism, start fact-checking posts on Instagram. Instagram has, of late, become a hotbed for unchecked claims on all sorts of dubious conspiracies, including a haven for anti-vaxxers.
Instagram will also start warning users if their captions are going to be flagged as unacceptable. AI will screen comments before they are posted.
Spotify has released its agency playbook. I haven’t had a chance to play around with self-serve ads on the platform yet, but I’m curious. Have you tried it? Toss a comment below.
Last-minute Christmas gift from Google? If you are a subscriber to Google Play Music, YouTube Music, or YouTube Premium, you may be eligible to receive a free Google Home Mini. Sign in to Google Chrome with the same account as your subscription, and hit up this link to see if you qualify. It worked for me in Canada, and my little red mini arrived, free shipping, yesterday.
Looking for something to listen to in between meetings about meetings (aka life)? Episode 2 of Geekout with Matt Navarra sits down with CNN Media Reporter Kerry Flynn to talk about the future social media. Big thanks to Matt for producing and sharing the podcast, be sure to give him a follow, you won’t regret it.
Something specific you want to see covered? Let us know in the comments. Thanks again for subscribing, and give us a share if you like what you’ve seen. We’ll try for one more edition before the turn of the decade, but eggnog is a helluva drug.
Ryan LaFlamme has worked in social media marketing and advertising for longer than the job had a title. He formed the independent social consultancy Hub and Spoke in 2016, and can be found hanging out on Twitter @ryanlaf