> Link Building Specialist
Ah-ha. So, she’s an SEO specialising in link building to try and boost her clients’ Google ranking. Let’s just have a wee check and see what Google’s guidelines say about link building, shall we?
## What Google says about guest posts
[First up](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2017/05/a-reminder-about-links-in-large-scale?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> Google does not discourage these types of articles in the cases when they inform users, educate another site's audience or bring awareness to your cause or company. However, what does violate Google's guidelines on link schemes is when the main intent is to build links in a large-scale way back to the author's site
And then:
> When Google detects that a website is publishing articles that contain spammy links, this may change Google's perception of the quality of the site and could affect its ranking.
And that’s my, my friends, you will almost never see guest posts on this here site, and certainly never one that comes from an unsolicited source like this.
And you should be very wary of them, too. In fact, more recent information suggests that Google is [very good at spotting and ignoring “guest post" links](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-guest-posting-for-links-warning/372115/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com#close). So why do people bother? A mix of habit, and something they can bill clueless clients for…
### Moving from Revue to other platforms for editorial publishers
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2023/01/moving-from-revue-to-other-platforms/
Last updated: 2023-01-06T13:44:10.000Z
We've known it was coming for a while, but the Muskian iteration of Twitter is killing the venerable Revue newsletter platform [it acquired a little under two years](https://guce.techcrunch.com/copyConsent?sessionId=3%5Fcc-session%5Fc3276a1c-0393-48e0-80be-5289f535664e&lang=en-US&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) ago. In less than two weeks, the [platform gets shut down](http://help.getrevue.co/en/articles/6819675-we-ve-made-the-difficult-decision-to-shut-down-revue?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and all its data deleted.
If you have a newsletter there, it's time to move.
Here's my personal recommendation of three platforms you should consider. There are many other platforms that do newsletters, and which will allow you to migrate from Revue. For example, WAN-IFRA's Vincent Peyregne has moved [his newsletter](https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/38F1EEB876B72593?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) to [eLink](https://elink.io/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). But many of them are focused on newsletters with little or no significant web presence.
These three are, to my mind, the most suited for running an editorial publication with a strong focus on newsletters. They don't just provide you with a newsletter system, but a competent web CMS, at varying levels of sophistication. All three have robust Revue importers. All three are worth consideration.
Here's the pros and cons of each.
---
## Revue to Ghost
If you're reading this, you're experiencing Ghost. It's the platform I've used to publish my blog and newsletters for the past few years. I'm clearly a fan — that's why I'm still using it. Unlike the other two platforms discussed below, it started life as a web publishing platform, and gained member and newsletter support. The others started as newsletters and moved towards better web presences.
**The Good**: Bootstrapped and open source. That means there's no VC money behind it, and no single corporation to pull the plug on you. Relative easy to move between hosts. Is in very active development, with [new and improved features emerging](https://ghost.org/changelog/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) all the time. Great community of [publishers in a Discord channel](https://ghost.org/resources/community/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Flat rate for hosting either through [Ghost(pro)](https://ghost.org/pricing/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), [other hosts](https://bironthemes.com/blog/ghost-hosting-options/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), or [self-hosting](https://ghost.org/docs/install/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
There's a [good directory of Ghost publishers](https://ghost.org/explore/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), too.
**The Bad**: There's pretty much no way to get Ghost for free. You can get a basic account from Ghost(pro) for $9 a month, or, if you have the tech skills, you can self-host an instance for about $5 a month.
### How to move
[Official guide: How to migrate from Revue to GhostEverything you need to know about working with the Ghost professional publishing platform.Ghost - The Professional Publishing Platform](https://ghost.org/docs/migration/revue/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Examples of a Revue to Ghost move
[Andy Marshall’s Genius Loci DigestAndy Marshall is documenting his travels in his time-travelling camper van 🚐📸🏛Andy Marshall's Genius Loci DigestAndy Marshall](https://www.digest.andymarshall.co/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
[Everything in Moderation by Ben WhitelawAll you need to know about content moderation and the policies, products, platforms and people shaping its futureEverything in Moderation](https://www.everythinginmoderation.co/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
[TVdags med Kjell HäglundEtt känslostormande frosseri i tv-kultur levererat till långfrukost varje söndag.TVdags med Kjell Häglund](https://tvdags.ghost.io/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## Revue to Beehiiv
Beehiiv is the new kid (relatively) on the newsletter block, created by [former *Morning Brew* staffers](https://www.socialleverage.com/blog/2022/4/25/tyler-denk-profile?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), with VC backing behind them. It's very newsletter-focused, and has great tools for growth. This is a platform *really* built for newsletters as a business — there is a free plan, but you can't do key things like add your own domain name, until you step up to [the grow plan](https://www.beehiiv.com/pricing?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), which is $42 a month if paid annually, $49 month to month.
The team are out there on social media, always ready to jump into conversations…
> Might be tough considering all the limitations Substack has, most folks are moving to beehiiv [pic.twitter.com/XLz2So67zi](https://t.co/XLz2So67zi?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — EJ from beehiiv 🐝 (@ej\_beehiiv) [January 4, 2023](https://twitter.com/ej%5Fbeehiiv/status/1610608607074177026?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
**The Good**: The most comprehensive set of email and promotion tools of any platform. Enthusiastic team with deep newsletter knowledge, pushing the platform forwards fast. Improving web presence for the newsletters. Flat rate for the platform rather than a percentage cut of your revenue. They [sell crewnecks](https://shop.beehiiv.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
**The Bad:** VC-backed company. Pricing is high and quite a step to get over, unless your subscribers convert to paid well. Some, uh, quirky choices in the HTML of the web version of the platform, that could have an SEO impact.
### How to move
There's [a guide on the Beehiiv blog](https://blog.beehiiv.com/p/how-to-migrate-from-revue-to-beehiv?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
*(Why isn't there a fancy bookmark card here, like for the other two? That's the quirky Beehiiv html at work…)*
### Examples of Revue to Beehiiv moves:
Two must-reads for me have both moved to Beehiiv in recent days.
- [The Media Roundup](https://themediaroundup.beehiiv.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- [Kevin Anderson's newsletter](https://kevins-newsletter-ad1cdb.beehiiv.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## Revue to Substack
Substack has been the absolute master of dominating the conversation about email newsletters for the past few years. It's been an aggressively-growing, VC-backed business — but we've seen it slowing down in recent months, and the [supply of money dried up](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/08/substacks-growing-pains/). There's plenty of product innovation still happening, but that development work is both boosting community features around the newsletters while simultaneously making it [harder for you to move away from it](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/03/substacks-app-building-the-vc-moat/).
**The Good:** Completely free to use, and the platform take a percentage of any subscriptions you sell. Great community features, including cross-newsletter recommendation, and exclusive chat areas in the Substack app. Big community of Substack writer.
**The Bad**: The best features are locked into the Substack app, and you'll lose them if you ever migrate away. Heavily VC-backed company, which means a pivot or change in financial terms could just be around the corner. Have turned off double opt-in for new subscribers, which means your list *will* fill up with spammy subscribers.
> I’ve confirmed that [@SubstackInc](https://twitter.com/SubstackInc?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) has quietly removed its double opt-in option (there have been no news reports or faq updates about this). This means I have a subscriber spam problem on my list, as I am getting spambots signing up every day. What am I supposed to do about that?
>
> — Richard MacManus (@ricmac) [December 29, 2022](https://twitter.com/ricmac/status/1608390429090750466?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### How to move
[Move from Revue To SubstackLearn how to import your mailing list, writing, and podcast episodes from Revue to Substack in around 5 minutes.Substack](https://substack.com/revue?utm%5Fsource=menu-dropdown)
### Example of a Revue to Substack move: Fair Warning
One of my former Interactive Journalism students, Sophie Warnes, has moved her excellent data journalism and visualisation newsletter to Substack:
[Fair WarningData journalism, data vis, and storytelling, by a British journalist and nerd. Click to read Fair Warning, by Soph, a Substack publication with thousands of readers.Fair WarningSoph](https://fairwarning.substack.com/)
---
Have you moved from Revue to one of these platforms — or another one entirely? Let me know in the comments below.
### One Man & His Blog’s top 10 posts of 2022
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2023/01/adam-tinworth-top-10-posts-of-2022/
Last updated: 2023-02-10T14:11:31.000Z
Today’s my first day back at my desk after an extended Christmas break with the family. And the first thing I like to do in the new year is… look back at the old one.
2022 was a pretty good one for this venerable blog. Traffic and subscribers both up, and certainly disproportionally so, given the effort I’ve been able to put in. The real surprise is how many of the posts in the top 10 are from this year. Traditionally, my top traffic posts have tended to be evergreen posts from previous years – but in 2022 I’ve apparently caught the Zeitgeist a little more.
Maybe it shouldn't be a surprise: the two big stories that dominate the top posts are on some of my areas of professional expertise: newsletters and social media. And it’s been *very* busy years for both of them.
Enough waffle. Let’s look at the 10 posts that got the most traffic last year, in reverse order:
## 10: Elon Musk acquires Twitter: translating the press release
*April 2022*
Pleased to see this in the top 10: I love doing this sort of thing. Picking apart a press release to uncover the issues glossed over or what the issuer is *really* saying feels both fun and worthwhile. And you lovely readers clearly agreed.
[Elon Musk acquires Twitter: translating the press releaseElon Musk has acquired Twitter. Let’s look at what he — and Twitter’s current CEO — had to say about the deal.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/04/elon-musk-acquires-twitter-translating-the-press-release/)
## 9: Facebook’s long, slow breakup with journalism is underway
*July 2022*
I’m vaguely surprised that this isn’t higher. It was very well-shared in journalism circles – but that’s a good reminder to me that my wider “creator economy” readership is probably now much bigger than my traditional journalism one. That’s something I need to spend some time thinking about in 2023.
[Facebook’s long, slow breakup with journalism is underwayMeta is putting Facebook’s journalism-related features on the back burner. The social network’s on and off relationship with news is finally over.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/07/facebooks-long-slow-breakup-with-journalism-is-underway/)
## 8: Social media isn’t dead — it’s regenerating
*November 2022*
As if to prove the point that I just made, this more general piece trying to counter the media narrative that social media is dead did significantly better than the Facebook/Journalism one. For nearly 20 years (yes, 2023 will see the 20th anniversary of this site, terrifyingly) I’ve always tried to bring outside context to the business of journalism, rather than getting caught in the ever-growing navel-gazing that many metamedia sites get lost in. I’m *really* going to focus on that in 2023.
(I also enjoyed the almost Belam-esque gratuitous *Doctor Who* reference here.)
[Social media isn’t dead — it’s regeneratingDespite Twitter and Meta’s troubles, humanity’s desire to create and share will not diminish. They’ll just find new ways of connecting. And they already are.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/11/social-media-isnt-dead-its-regenerating/)
## 7: Websites rising from the ashes
*October 2022*
This is a wee bit of a mystery: shedloads of traffic, but from “dark” sources, ones that analytics packages can’t track. Best guess? It’s something to do with the fact that, amongst other things, this post talks about the ultimately fruitless attempt to bring down Kiwifarms, and the lack of follow-up from the journalists who covered it.
[Websites rising from the ashesFast Company is back up after its hack — but so are the Kiwi Farms. Today’s all about follow-ups (and the following-up that isn’t happening)One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/10/websites-rising-from-the-ashes/)
## 6: Substack’s hard yards: building a business when the cash dries up
*August 2022*
Substack has been a PR juggernaut for the past few years, so when it suddenly starts making less positive moves, and not talking about them? Well, that’s news to me – and to a chunk of readers, too. Incidentally, they’ve turned off double opt-in for email subscriptions quite over Christmas. That’s great for goosing subscriber numbers upwards, but terrible for filling your lists with spam subscribers. It took me ages to clean my member list of spammy subscribers from the period when my sign-ups didn’t have double opt-in.
Tsk.
[Substack’s growing pains: surviving the VC droughtAs VC cash grows scarce, staff are laid off and big names start exiting the platform, Substack can ill afford PR blunders like cutting off an editor from work, because one of his clients left the platform.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/08/substacks-growing-pains/)
## 5: Life in the Instagram engagement farming mines
*July 2017*
A lovely piece of accidental evergreen content from five years ago. Turns out that people are finally wising up to the bullshit that is much “influencer content” on the ‘gram.
Subscribe to me to be five years ahead of the curve, folks.
[Subscribe to be ahead of the curve](https://onemanandhisblog.com/#/portal/signup/free)
[Life in the Instagram engagement farming minesHere’s a look at life inside the Instagram “influencer” bubble\[http://behindthequest.com/instagram-created-a-monster/\] — and it’s not pretty: > Unfortunately most of these brands and companies are clueless about the factthat some of these numbers they look at are incredibly inflated by the tricks…One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2017/07/instagram-influencer-bullshit/)
## 4: The future of newsletters
*May 2022*
A set of live-blogged notes from the [Newsrewired](https://www.newsrewired.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) session on the future of email. Some good, useful content in here — and a real sign of how important newsletters have become over the past few years. Look how many newsletter-related posts are in this top 10.
[The future of newslettersThe newsletter boom of the last few years shows no sign of abating. What’s next for this critical auidnce tool, asked a panel at news:rewired.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/05/the-future-of-newsletters/)
## 3: What today’s Twitter layoffs could mean for journalists
*November 2022*
Ugh. I don’t like revisiting this. Several friends and former students lost their jobs in Twitter’s Musk-driven mass cull of staff. It makes me a combination of angry and mournful just thinking about it. I tried to put the horrible news in some form of context, and think I succeeded, mainly by being measured. Many of the “Twitter will go down in flames” apocalyptic predictions have proven to be rather over-heated in the time since, although there are clearly signs of problems around the technical edges of the platform.
But yes, a grim week.
[Twitter’s layoffs: what they mean for journalistsElon Musk is busy gutting Twitter’s staff — and where he chooses to cut will tell us what the platform’s future relationship with news will look like.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/11/what-todays-twitter-layoffs-could-mean-for-journalists/)
## 2: Mastodon servers for journalists
*November 2022*
As Twitter suddenly became a new, Muskian beast overnight, journalists started seeking alternatives. And the relatively mature open-source competitor Mastodon looked like a good bet. Will that be significant in the long term? Too early to say. There was a period where plenty of people left Facebook for Google+, and look how that turned out.
That said, it could well be that the Twitter exodus gave Mastodon enough users that the network effect will start kicking in. Expect more from me on Mastodon in the coming weeks.
The irony of this one is that I’m increasingly of the opinion that Mastodon servers that are specifically for journalists are an awful idea. I should get around to writing the piece that explains why…
[Mastodon servers for journalistsLooking for a Mastodon Instance to begin your journey in the fediverse as a journalist? You’ve come to the right place!One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/11/mastodon-servers-for-journalists/)
## 1: Substack’s app: building the VC moat
*March 2022*
I’m slightly surprised that this piece topped the traffic chart for the year. I stand by it completely — Substack is clearly moving away from open platforms (web/newsletters) to closed (its own app and chat features). And that’s creating the sort of “moat” (barrier to people leaving) that VC-backed companies love.
Nearly half the traffic to this one is “dark” as well; from untraceable sources. I’m guessing that it got passed around a fair bit in chat apps, but that’s inevitably just a guess.
[Substack’s app: building the VC moatSubstack has launched a reader app for iOS, turning itself from a newsletter company into a platform one. Publishers — beware.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/03/substacks-app-building-the-vc-moat/)
---
Well, that was 2022\. What should I be writing about in 2023?
Let me know your thoughts.
### Musk disbands Twitter Trust & Safety Council
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/12/musk-disbands-twitter-trust-safety-council/
Last updated: 2022-12-13T12:02:17.000Z
Blimey. Just last night, [I wrote](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/12/five-things-we-learnt-from-the-twitter-files/):
> The Musk-driven Twitter drama is only just getting going, it seems.
And this morning I wake up to this news:
> Members of Twitter’s Trust and Safety Council received an email with the subject line, “Thank You,” that informed them the council was no longer “the best structure” to bring “external insights into our product and policy development work.”
Yes, Musk has [disbanded Twitter’s Trust and Safety Council](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/12/12/musk-twitter-harass-yoel-roth/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Here’s the full message they received:
> Twitter has dissolved the Trust & Safety Council [pic.twitter.com/R2wS9BsqA2](https://t.co/R2wS9BsqA2?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Anthony DeRosa (@Anthony) [December 13, 2022](https://twitter.com/Anthony/status/1602463355565907968?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## The great Twitter dictator
It really does look like Musk’s ruling Twitter by diktat. It’s only six weeks since Musk said this:
And yet, he’s been reinstating people willy-nilly, and using Twitter polls to make decisions. Given that he’s disbanded one of the most prominent external advisory boards, how likely is it he will actually even convene that decision-making committee?
At least some council members could see the writing on the wall, and quit a few days ago:
> Three of us resigned from Twitter’s Trust & Safety Council today: [@eirliani](https://twitter.com/eirliani?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [@podesta\_lesley](https://twitter.com/podesta%5Flesley?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) and me. Here’s why [https://t.co/h05TblfGIO](https://t.co/h05TblfGIO?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [pic.twitter.com/iqcHvhbgms](https://t.co/iqcHvhbgms?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — annecollier (@annecollier) [December 8, 2022](https://twitter.com/annecollier/status/1600889250761027585?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Closing himself to contrary opinions
Musk isn’t one for seeking contrary opinions, or at least [so suggested council member Larry Magid to the *Washington Post*](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/12/12/musk-twitter-harass-yoel-roth/?utm%5Fcampaign=wp%5Fmain&utm%5Fsource=twitter&utm%5Fmedium=social):
> “By disbanding it, we got fired instead of quit,” he said. “Elon doesn’t want criticism, and he really doesn’t want the kind of advice he would very likely get from a safety advisory council, which would likely tell him to rehire some of the staff he got rid of, and reinstate some of the rules he got rid of, and turn the company in another direction from where he is turning it.”
Historically, Twitter has been perceived as an unfocused company with wooly leadership. Those days are clearly over. It’s now the plaything of a highly opinionated billionaire. And the only opinion he’s really considering is his own.
### Five things we learnt from The Twitter Files
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/12/five-things-we-learnt-from-the-twitter-files/
Last updated: 2022-12-13T12:02:50.000Z
The self-named “[Twitter Files](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter%5FFiles?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)” revelations are a set of strategic releases to friendly Substack writers from Elon Musk. The new owner of Twitter is trying to prove that the old management was stuffed with people on the “woke” (whatever that word means these days) left who were unfairly censoring right-wing voices.
The “revelations” have stoked the US culture war nicely while, frankly, not really exposing much that was either shocking or surprising about the pre-Musk Twitter, with a single possible exception.
I’ve put some links to more in-depth reading on them at the end of this post, but these are the five main takeaways:
## 1\. There’s only one worrying revelation in the Twitter Files
It’s in this tweet:
Revealing personal location information about controversial figures is bad. It's bad if you agree with their politics. And it's just as bad if you disagree with their politics. “It’s OK to dox the bad people,” is a slippery slope for a company to get involved with because the definition of “bad people” can shift quickly, as one [former Twitter-employee is discovering](https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/12/tech/twitter-files-yoel-roth/index.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), horrifyingly.
## 2\. Moderators gonna moderate
The majority of the “revelations” are just the humdrum emails that fly back and forth when you’re making moderation decisions. Every community of any size has to make moderation decisions. Back when I was running RBI’s blogs, we had moderation decisions to debate, and similar chains of email discussions followed, but in a lower stakes environment.
And, while there’s clear disagreement in the emails, these decisions are inescapably political. Each of us has a range of political views we consider acceptable, and consider views outside that range to be dangerous. In other words, we all have our own personal [Overton Windows](https://www.mackinac.org/OvertonWindow?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Companies and societies have the same, and these discussions were fundamentally about what views were acceptable and which were unacceptable to the company.
Every community with moderation responsibilities has to go through that. It’s not a conspiracy to silence dissent. It’s a left-leaning company deciding its own Overton Window and enforcing that. Twitter is a private sector business, and is under no obligation to allow every viewpoint equal attention.
*(It’s arguable that what we’re seeing now is a sharp expansion of that window by the company to the right, thanks to its acquisition by Musk. At the same time, we’re seeing a contraction of the window away from the left, not directly through the company’s policies, but because those further to the left are starting to leave the site).*
For the foreseeable future, Twitter’s new Overton Window will be defined more by Musk’s diktat than a central policy team, I suspect.
## 3\. Access journalism gets everywhere
Well now, two “independent” journalists have let themselves become access journalists. They’ve been given access by a billionaire with an agenda, and are building the foundations of the political edifice he wants, and which he’s willing to build crazy edifices of assumption and extrapolation on top of.
Entering into the sort of deal that Taibbi and Weiss (does that sound a little like a long-forgotten 70s cop show to anyone?) have with Musk inevitably erodes their credibility. This isn’t independent investigative reporting — this is being handed a bunch of documents by an insanely wealthy man with an agenda. And then servicing that agenda.
I’ve never been readers of the pair – they’re too deeply embedded in the American cultural paradigm to be of much interest to me. And this doesn’t exactly incentivise me to sign up…
Now, let's be fair. Taibbi has pointed out that the [co-ordination between the FBI (and other federal bodies) and Twitter](https://taibbi.substack.com/p/link-to-the-twitter-files-part-3?r=5mz1&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=web) is the heart of this. And that is a point. But it's a deeply American one, which brings us to…
## 4\. The US culture wars ruin everything
Twitter is a truly global service. The first time we became aware of its potential significance was [during the Arab spring](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/feb/25/twitter-facebook-uprisings-arab-libya?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Yet, bizarrely, these revelations are incredibly US-centric. If you really wanted to prove a systemic bias of the old Twitter against right-wingers, then surely you’d pull examples from elsewhere, too? Was Twitter suppressing good news about Brexit (if there is any)? Are right-wing voices and stories in other parts of the globe being deboosted, too?
We don’t know, and these files do nothing to tell us. Musk’s Twitter is beginning to feel like a company with global reach, but a US agenda.
## 5\. We’ve learnt a lot about Musk from the Twitter Files
But they have helped clarify for us *exactly* the type of man Musk is, as they’ve help build an atmosphere where Musk feels happy tweeting this:
What does this tell us?
1. He’s just damn rude. It’s perfectly possible to be a full-on gender critical activist, and still respect people’s chosen pronouns. Mocking pronouns, given their importance to many trans people, is mocking the very concept of being trans.
2. He’s going to use Twitter to advance his own rather worrying political ends. That’s aligning himself pretty explicitly with a conspiracy movement that’s [currently harassing Dr Fauci’s wife and children](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-63895762?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
The Musk-driven Twitter drama is [only just getting going](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/12/musk-disbands-twitter-trust-safety-council/), it seems.
## Further reading
[The Transparency Theater of the Twitter FilesFar from exposing the nefarious inner workings of the platform, the files reveal an ethos of “transparency for thee, but not for me.”WIREDCondé Nast](https://www.wired.com/story/twitter-files-elon-musk-shadowbanning-censorship/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
[The ‘Twitter Files’ Is What It Claims to ExposeThe purported exposé of Twitter’s political bias is itself an attempt to weaponize control of Twitter for political purposes.IntelligencerEric Levitz](https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/12/twitter-files-explained-elon-musk-taibbi-weiss-hunter-biden-laptop.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### An Alternative Take
[The Twitter Files just got a lot more interestingAs I wrote earlier, last week Matt Taibbi, the journalist chosen by Elon Musk to reveal what really happened behind-the-app during the 2020 presidential election, published the first instalment of the ‘Twitter Files’. He did it as a long Twitter ‘thread’ which showed various panicky corporate commun…The SpectatorFreddy Gray](https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-twitter-files-just-got-a-lot-more-interesting/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### The end of Future
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/12/the-end-of-future/
Last updated: 2022-12-06T10:51:05.000Z
[Future](https://future.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) is dead. No, not the Bath-based magazine publisher, the brand tech magazine from venture capitalists Andreessen Horowitz. Launched with some fanfare last year, it was designed to be a positive, future-looking tech publication, that countered the growing negativity around the tech industry in the mainstream press.
As [*Techcrunch*’s Matthew Panzarino put it](https://techcrunch.com/2021/06/15/andreessen-horowitz-goes-into-publishing-with-future/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> The publication will initially focus on topics related to areas that the firm invests in but will expand over time using a mix of full-time staff, paid contributors and industry operators like founders, academics and entrepreneurs. And yes, they did get the dot com.
So, how did that work out, with the financial might of the powerful tech VCs behind it? *[Insider](https://www.businessinsider.com/a16z-future-closes-staff-exit-2022-11?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)*:
> Future hasn’t published a new article in months, most of its editorial staffers have left, and its newsletter is defunct. A source familiar with Andreessen Horowitz’s content strategy confirmed to Insider that Future is shutting down.
The last piece published was actually quite interesting: it explored the role of [machine learning in biology](https://future.com/why-applying-machine-learning-to-biology-is-hard-but-worth-it/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). But the featured post sums up everything wrong with the title: it’s more crypto hype, that seems hopelessly dated only months later:
Oh, well. As [Charles Arthur](https://theoverspill.blog/2022/12/06/europe-airplane-mode-5g-allow-start-up-1916/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com#a79c59e11b4a9e0f737565ee39cd8b11) put it in his morning newsletter:
> a16z wanted its site to be the tame teller of all the good news about its investments. But for a lot of VC investments, the news isn’t good: like all startups, VC-funded or not, they run into trouble and things go wrong.
This isn’t the first time that VCs have fiddled around the edge of tech media. The late, not very lamented *Pando Daily* [launched with a slew of VC backers](https://techcrunch.com/2012/01/16/tc-alum-sarah-lacy-launches-new-tech-blog-pandodaily/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and drifted to an unremarkable end. *Pando* at least attempted to bite the hand that was funding it, but the world clearly had no time for puff pablum from venture capitalists when we’re all grappling with the native consequences of the tech boom.
📚
Here’s a gratuitous link to Charles’s [excellent book *Social Warming*](https://amzn.to/3gYfCpr?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) on the impact of social media on society as a “thank you” for bringing this story to my attention.
As the recession bites, we’ll most likely see a weeding out of tech titles. Between the end of the startup hype and the ad dollars that went with it, and that fact that tech coverage is becoming horizontal (built in to a range of coverage) rather than vertical (a specific beat), there’s a rough few years ahead.
### 7 things I learned from the Media Moments 2022 report
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/11/7-things-i-learned-from-the-media-moments-2022-report/
Last updated: 2022-11-30T17:00:16.000Z
The annual [*Media Moments* report](https://voices.media/mm22/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), published by *What’s New in Publishing*, written by the [*Media Voices* team](https://voices.media/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and sponsored by [Poool](https://poool.fr/en?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) this year, is out.
I’ve had access to an advance copy since last night, and here are my highlights:
## Ad volume reductions mean a better user experience
This is an interesting observation about decreasing ad volumes on some pages:
> At the Press Gazette’s Future of Media Technology Conference both the UK’s Independent and Telegraph newspapers said that they have been reducing the number of ads appearing on their web pages. Increased regulatory scrutiny and the threat of tighter privacy rules contributed to the moves. But concerns over user experience are at the heart of the shift. The Independent’s chief data and marketing officer, Jo Holdaway, said that putting less ‘weight on the page’ improves site performance and respects user data.
I suspect the motivations are different here. *The Telegraph* has moved to a membership model, and so is motivated to increase reader experience by decreasing ad load. *The Independent*, on the other hand, is still largely ad-driven. My suspicious soul suggests to me that this might be more to do with the penalties Google now applies for a shitty ad-driven user experience, and a desire to recover from them.
## Newsletters are at the centre of a local news renaissance
Local newsletters are the foundation stone of a reborn local media:
> 6AM City co-founder Ryan Heafy told Media Voices in March that they had reached 1 million newsletter subscribers across the 24 cities they covered, and were on track to exceed $10 million in revenue this year. That’s pretty good going for a 6-year-old hyper-local business.
And there are other examples in that section of the report. If somebody gave me a bunch of cash to start a local title today. I’d absolutely start it as a newsletter with an accompanying web presence, and see search and social as vital acquisition channels for acquiring new newsletter subscribers.
And I’d build it on Substack or Ghost because there’s no justification for building your own tech and subs stack when those two are both driving forward so fast.
## And B2B should be taking them seriously, too.
25 years ago, a good proportion of the paying readers of *EGi*, the original name for the online version of *Estates Gazette*, saw their sub as buying them a twice daily newsletter. A *quarter of a century* later, people are still failing to learn that lesson.
*Quartz*, one of the early innovators in the new wave of newsletters, is slowly waking up to it, abandoning its paywall in favour of more focus on its newsletters.
> CEO Zach Seward explained: “We found that 75% of Quartz members read us primarily through email, so we’ve been putting more of our best stuff directly in their inboxes.”
## The jury’s still out on newsletter as a renovation technique
Interesting to hear how things are going at *The Atlantic*:
> Recent reporting has described initial subscriber acquisition targets as ‘too ambitious’ and The Atlantic is said to be reassessing its position. However, Nicholas Thompson has said the company will extend the contracts of its newsletter writers until they develop a better understanding of the impact newsletters have on subscriber retention.
I have faith that newsletters could be great for retention. I have slightly less faith in the selection of newsletters that *The Atlantic* has chosen.
💻
The Interhacktives (my students on the MA Interactive Journalism at City, University of London) live-covered [the launch event for Media Moments 22](https://www.interhacktives.com/2022/11/30/media-moments-2022-live-blog/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
## But new forms of feedback are emerging in a post-open rate world
People are still clinging to open rates as a core metric for newsletter, but Apple’s changes mean that most open rates are now, basically, a lie. Anyone using an Apple device with email tracking protection turned on looks like they open your newsletters as soon as they get it — even if they never really open it.
I’d argue there’s still some value in looking at variance in open rate, but we clearly need more than that. And that’s what the *FT* team is up to:
> To maximise response rates and make survey results as useful as possible, they created a one-click feedback mechanism embedded at the bottom of the newsletter, letting readers give feedback as they finished reading. This rated satisfaction on a scale of one to five and was used as the basis for an overall satisfaction score of -100 to +100.
Those of you who got this post via email can do a more primitive version of that and the end of the email…
An explosion of 2022's media moments
## People are paying for podcasts
I first wrote about the potential of paid podcasts, based on China's experience —*checks notes —* [over three years ago](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2019/01/chinas-paid-podcast-model/). But now it’s here in the western world…
> Tortoise, for instance, is using Apple Podcasts’ Subscriptions tool to allow users to gain access to gated podcasts – without paying for a full membership10\. It is a more considered approach to using audio, one that doesn’t simply rely on pointing at huge audience numbers.
## Outrage isn’t the only emotion
It’s a fact that people react to things that trigger emotions in them on social media. The more reaction, the more signals to the algorithm that this is “good” content, and so the more it spreads. But this has gone rather wrong in journalism:
> Feeding the outrage engine with emotive headlines in pursuit of short-term traffic gains is having a negative long-term impact on the media’s ability to engage with audiences. It is also adding to the polarisation that has defined public debate recently; another major reason given for news avoidance (17%) was that discussing the news stoked arguments.
This is what happens when the horrible old maxim “if it bleeds, it leads” meets social media. Folks, let’s start experimenting with emotions that aren’t just outrage…
## And one sentence I disagree with
Cringe:
> The larger organisations fell into the digital publishing trap of SEO and clickbait, which has degraded the quality of the audience.
“The digital publishing trap of SEO”? *Really?* C’mon now. SEO at its best is about identifying a reader need for information and delivering on that need. Lumping it in with clickbait without any sort of qualifier is doing a fundamental audience engagement technique a massive disservice.
📓
Download [your copy of the report here](https://voices.media/mm22/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
### It’s really time to stop embedding tweets in articles
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/11/its-really-time-to-stop-embedding-tweets-in-articles/
Last updated: 2022-11-17T07:50:12.000Z
*Techdirt* will [no longer embed tweets in its posts](https://www.techdirt.com/2022/11/15/new-techdirt-policy-no-more-embedded-tweets/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) because Musk’s dramatic changes at Twitter make it less and less likely that the tweets will persist:
> In response, I’ve asked everyone on the team that if they want to include tweets going forward that they should post screenshots of the tweet (which can link back to the original tweet) and then include the text (or a clear description) of the tweet in the text of the article.
I embedded a couple of Tweets in [yesterday’s post](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/11/social-media-isnt-dead-its-regenerating/) – and I wonder if I should have done that. A little while ago, John O’Nolan of Ghost introduced me to [Poet.so](https://poet.so/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), which makes lovely Tweet-based graphics like this:
I expect to be using it more in the future, and you should consider doing so, too. It’s a shame, but we need to deal with the reality of what Twitter is becoming, not what it has been. As *Techdirt*’s Mike Masnick put it:
> I’m disappointed that we need to do this, as embedding is a nice feature, and a core part of how the internet should work. And while I’m not expecting Twitter to just disappear overnight (or, really, disappear at all), the odds of it happening have jumped up to a degree that we need to plan ahead, and this is how we’ll be doing it going forward.
### Social media isn’t dead — it’s regenerating
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/11/social-media-isnt-dead-its-regenerating/
Last updated: 2022-11-15T19:53:49.000Z
As chaos engulfs Twitter (Musk is [firing people on Twitter](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/15/musk-fires-twitter-engineers-after-critical-posts-on-twitter-and-slack.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) now), and Meta slashes staff, there's a whiff of decay around the long-established social media giants. Is their era finally over?
Things are certainly changing. Euan Semple, author of *[Organisations Don't Tweet, People Do](https://amzn.to/3g9aka8?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)*, is [deleting his social media accounts](https://euansemple.blog/2022/11/15/deleting-my-social-media-accounts/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), bar Mastodon. (It's entertaining that his blog will both pre-date and outlast his social media accounts…)
However, the best summary of the mood is probably [Ian Bogost's piece in *The Atlantic*](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/11/twitter-facebook-social-media-decline/672074/?utm%5Fsource=pocket%5Fsaves):
> It’s over. Facebook is [in decline](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/30/facebook-scrambles-to-escape-death-spiral-as-users-flee-sales-drop.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), Twitter [in chaos](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/10/elon-musk-twitter-nightmare-scenarios/671906/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Mark Zuckerberg’s empire has [lost](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/meta-stock-down-earnings-700-billion-in-lost-value/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) hundreds of billions of dollars in value and [laid off](https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-parent-meta-to-cut-11-000-jobs-11667992427?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) 11,000 people, with its ad business in peril and its [metaverse fantasy](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2021/10/facebook-metaverse-name-change/620449/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) in irons. Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter has caused [advertisers](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/04/technology/twitter-advertisers.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) to pull spending and power users to shun the platform (or at least to tweet a lot about doing so). It’s never felt more plausible that the age of social media might end—and soon.
The core of his argument was that this is a *good* thing, that humans are just not meant to communicate this much, with such frequency:
> It was never a *terrible* idea, at least, to use computers to connect to one another on occasion, for justified reasons, and in moderation (although the risk of instrumentalizing one another was present from the outset). The problem came from doing so all the time, as a lifestyle, an aspiration, an obsession.
The problem is that this isn't really an argument for the death of social media, just for the subset of platforms that have dominated it since the mid-2000s. The decade and a half defined by Facebook and Twitter are coming to their end, but “social media” as an idea will outlive those services.
For a start, some services are still growing well. While Bogost mentions TikTok, his argument ignores the ongoing rise of the platform - which continues to expand globally at a fair old clip:
[](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1327116/number-of-global-tiktok-users/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
In Bogost's terms, it's social media, without really being a social network. It does very little in the way of creating a social graph between users. But then TikTok is often under-estimated by largely words-centric journalists. This should be exactly what we're weaning ourselves off — but we're not.
What should scare those of us in the words business is that it's text-centric social media that's in decline. Nobody's worrying about the future of TikTok — or YouTube.
## Social media is born of social creatures, not technology
But more to the point, I see very little indication that people will suddenly give up creating content online and sharing it with others. It's so deeply ingrained into human nature that we've been doing it since the internet began. From e-mail discussion lists to newsgroups to forums to blogs to social media, the one constant of internet culture is people creating things and trying to share their works with others.
But *where* and *how* we do it is likely to change. and here, Bogost is spot-on:
> To speak less, to fewer people and less often—and for them to do the same to you, and everyone else as well.
What he's described is something we've already seen happening: people are shifting to chat apps, hiding away in smaller discussions between more limited groups of like-minded people. Mastodon has small, local servers, as well as the ability to follow people globally. Slack and Discord have both been great successes.
Social Media in the 2010s sense is in decline. There's very little doubt about that. But new things will emerge, new communities will form, and new ways of sharing our thoughts and creativity will follow.
We are, fundamentally, social creatures, and we will use any connective technology to communicate. Human nature doesn't change much, we just express it in different ways as technology evolves.
🐘
Interested in Mastodon, the Twitter-like service many are shifting to? I compiled a list of places you can [set up an account as a journalist](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/11/mastodon-servers-for-journalists/), and published it last week.
And I have my own Mastodon Instance, if you want to start an account in a small, friendly space. [Register here](https://follow.onemanandhisblog.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
## Facebook submits its divorce papers in its split with journalism
[*Nieman Lab*'s Sarah Scire](https://www.niemanlab.org/2022/11/metas-layoffs-make-it-official-facebook-is-ready-to-part-ways-with-the-news/?utm%5Fcampaign=The%20Media%20Roundup%20from%20Media%20Voices&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter):
> The Meta Journalism Project Accelerator’s [David Grant](https://twitter.com/DW%5FGrant?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), a program manager, and [Dorrine Mendoza](https://twitter.com/dorrine?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), who led local news partnerships for the platform, were both laid off. Other journalism-adjacent positions eliminated include the [head of news partnerships for South East Asia](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexfenby/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), [a program manager for news](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/janieoctia%5Fmetalayoffs-meta-activity-6996316299064672256-msLU/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fios), [two program managers](https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinealexander09/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)[for news integrity](https://www.linkedin.com/in/cbmilez/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and [multiple](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6996108958260240384?commentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Acomment%3A%28activity%3A6996108958260240384%2C6996171463003119617%29&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)[news communications](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6996172144648814592/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) jobs.
Totally [called it](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/07/facebooks-long-slow-breakup-with-journalism-is-underway/).
## We don't talk enough about aggregators
I was aware that news aggregators were becoming a bigger slice of publisher traffic than many people realise, but I wasn't conscious of the fact that [they'd become this big](https://digiday.com/media/news-aggregators-arent-growing-like-they-used-to-but-publishers-still-see-their-value/?utm%5Fcampaign=UA-39227834-1&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter):
> Traffic driven by news aggregators — as a percent of total traffic referred by social, search and links — has gone down from from 18-20% in 2020 to about 14% in 2022, according to Chartbeat data, which analyzed aggregators including Apple News, Google News, SmartNews, Yahoo News, News360, Newsbreak, Flipboard, Upday, MSN, Feedly, NewsNow, Newzit, Drudge Report, Press Explorer, Inoreader, Ground News and Pocket.
The small decline is a relative one: it's the result by the growth of search as a referrer. Looks like I need to do more aggregator content in the Audience Strategy module at City…
This is an intriguing quote, and a good place to start our thinking:
> Nicholson from Chartbeat agreed: “One of the things these aggregators actually do for some sites is awareness. You don’t need Apple News to tell you what The New York Times is, but usually I am seeing smaller metro newspapers surfacing on these aggregators too … it might be a good way to start me on my loyalty journey,” she said.
## The Twitter Regeneration
Talking of social media regeneration, this two pieces make an interesting comparison:
[Exclusive: Twitter is losing its most active users, internal documents showThe heaviest tweeters, vital to its business, have been in “absolute decline” since the pandemic began, an internal researcher wrote. It underscores a challenge for Elon Musk.ReutersSheila Dang/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/GQJHMYFXSRNV3P7SKG3TGKP3TM.jpg)](https://www.reuters.com/technology/exclusive-where-did-tweeters-go-twitter-is-losing-its-most-active-users-internal-2022-10-25/?utm%5Fcampaign=UA-39227834-1&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter)
That was *before* the Musk take-over. And now?
> Recent trend is promising [pic.twitter.com/0q7UdxSkbM](https://t.co/0q7UdxSkbM?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) [November 14, 2022](https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1592228299337760768?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
I rather suspect that the nature of the Twitter community is changing. And I suspect it won't be in a direction many people like.
## Twitter perfection
> Elon Musk right now is like if Elmer Fudd bought a website of Bugs Bunnies
>
> — Ken(neth) (@disasterlaster) [November 6, 2022](https://twitter.com/disasterlaster/status/1589404424086355968?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Quickies
*Swift links that you might find interesting.*
- Buzzfeed's [attracting less audience time](https://pressgazette.co.uk/buzzfeed-time-spent-falls-losses-rise/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and is deepening losses. It's dropping out of the online discussion in quite a remarkable way.
- More [newsletter awards on their way](https://voices.media/media-voices-adds-to-its-awards-lineup-with-a-programme-recognising-excellence-in-publisher-newsletters/?utm%5Fcampaign=The%20Media%20Roundup%20from%20Media%20Voices&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter), this time from the Media Voices team.
- In the “No shit, Sherlock” category: [Negative, emotionally manipulative news headlines have skyrocketed since 2000](https://bigthink.com/the-present/negative-media-headlines-skyrocketed/?utm%5Fcampaign=The%20Media%20Roundup%20from%20Media%20Voices&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=pocket%5Fmylist)
- Impress-regulated publishers are [getting tiny numbers of complaints](https://pressgazette.co.uk/impress-complaints-2021-2022/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- More [Americans are getting their news from TikTok](https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/10/21/more-americans-are-getting-news-on-tiktok-bucking-the-trend-on-other-social-media-sites/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). I'm sure that will be fine, and the app's Chinese ownership won't create any problems at all.
- Oh, and TikTok's [getting into the e-commerce game](https://www.axios.com/2022/10/11/tiktok-chases-amazon-fulfillment-centers?utm%5Fcampaign=UA-39227834-1&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter).
- Elon's pay-for-verification plan [went as well as you would expect](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/11/11/twitter-fake-verified-accounts/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
> [#verifiedbycoffee](https://twitter.com/hashtag/verifiedbycoffee?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Adam Tinworth ☕️ (@adders) [November 12, 2022](https://twitter.com/adders/status/1591335145176719361?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## Remembering Lyra
Lyra McKee was a friendly acquaintance, and a terrible loss to the journalism work. I can't quite believe she's been gone [for over three years](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2019/04/investigative-journalist-lyra-mckee-shot-dead-in-derry/). But I'm really glad to hear that her life is being celebrated in a documentary:
[‘It’s better to go down fighting’: the extraordinary life of murdered journalist Lyra McKeeAn intimate documentary on the writer, who was shot dead at a riot in Derry, is released this week – tracing her impact on those around her and the fury that followed her killingThe GuardianRory Carroll](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/nov/03/lyra-mckee-murdered-journalist-documentary-alison-millar-riot-derry?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## And finally…
### No, you're not entitled to your opinion
This is just… \* *chef's kiss*\*:
> The problem with “I’m entitled to my opinion” is that, all too often, it’s used to shelter beliefs that should have been abandoned. It becomes shorthand for “I can say or think whatever I like” – and by extension, continuing to argue is somehow disrespectful. And this attitude feeds, I suggest, into the false equivalence between experts and non-experts that is an increasingly pernicious feature of our public discourse.
Read and enjoy, good people:
[No, you’re not entitled to your opinionEvery year, I try to do at least two things with my students at least once. First, I make a point of addressing them as “philosophers” – a bit cheesy, but hopefully it encourages active learning. Secondly…The ConversationPatrick Stokes](https://theconversation.com/no-youre-not-entitled-to-your-opinion-9978?utm%5Fsource=densediscovery&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=newsletter-issue-211)
### Mastodon servers for journalists
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/11/mastodon-servers-for-journalists/
Last updated: 2023-02-10T14:12:12.000Z
With Twitter's well-publicised problems post-Musk takeover weighing heavily on many users' minds, [huge numbers of people](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/nov/01/mastodon-twitter-elon-musk-takeover?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) are starting to explore [Mastodon](https://joinmastodon.org/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), an open-source community platform, as an alternative.
Unlike Twitter, it's not centralised — so you need to find a server to be your “home base” — even if you can follow people from any server once you have an account. *The Guardian* has a pretty [good explainer on the service](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/nov/08/mastodon-what-is-it-how-do-i-join-use-find-best-server-list-change-elon-musk-twitter-leaving-social-network-alternative?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
Here's the servers specifically for journalists that I've found so far:
## Federated.press
A server for people who are willing to follow a code of journalistic ethics, specifically [the Society of Professional Journalists one](https://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Not just for journalists, but anyone willing to follow the code while doing any form of reporting.
[MastodonA Mastodon server for all who pursue the journalistic ethic. Please click “Learn more” and read our rules and Code of Ethics before applying.Mastodon hosted on federated.press](https://federated.press/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Journodon
Flagged up to me by [Richard Collins](https://twitter.com/richardwcollins?s=21&t=1RRg0cjNIlwHqqheS0Gosg&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) (thanks!), it's “run from the UK and aimed at working journalists, following the core principles and values of public service journalism.” It was set up by [Matt Deegan](https://twitter.com/matt/status/1593522729466068992?s=61&t=YgbfgkS9EWs%5Fv%5FbyccOpdA&ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
[JournodonA place to join Mastodon, if you’re a journalist or someone who works for a recognised media organisation.Mastodon hosted on journodon.com](https://journodon.com/explore?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Journa.host
An instance setup by [Adam Davidson](https://twitter.com/adamdavidson?s=21&t=etZXAoUh7SVgXe6HZx3M0g&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), former *NYT* journalist and current Substack newsletter writer. For working journalists and academics only — and with a fairly intense verification system that can involve filling in several forms.
It's reportedly having some issue with other Mastodon instances defederating from it, as [this toot from the founder](https://journa.host/@adamdavidson/109310563104625930?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) shows. *(A “toot” is the name for a post on Mastodon.)*
[MastodonAn experimental server to help onboard journalists to Mastodon.Mastodon hosted on journa.host](https://journa.host/about?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Mastodon server for verified journalists
Another server for verified journalists, which defaults to using your email address for proving your identity and eligibility. This one was set up by [Matt Karolian](https://twitter.com/mkarolian?s=21&t=bsQuZsIopuAtuuZU%5FY-X3w&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) of the *Boston Globe*.
[MastodonMedia.XYZMastodon ServerFor Verified JournalistsMastodonMedia.XYZMastodon Media](https://mastodonmedia.xyz/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Newsie.social
A server aimed at journalists and publishing folk, which is run by the people behind [Fourth Estate](https://fourthestate.org/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
[Newsie SocialNewsie is the place for journalists, news-people and comms pros.Signups open to the industry.Server operated by the Fourth Estate® team.Mastodon hosted on newsie.social](https://newsie.social/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## The Audience Instance
My own, newly-launched server, designed for people working in audience strategy, social media and SEO within journalism and the creator economy.
[The Audience InstanceA Mastodon server for discussing audience strategy, digital journalism and the creator economy.Mastodon hosted on follow.onemanandhisblog.com](https://follow.onemanandhisblog.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## Mastodon verification for journalists
Dave Lee of the *Financial Times* has set up a service to verify journalists are who they say they are:
[PressCheck.org - HomeHome.svg.png)](https://www.presscheck.org/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
Know of any more? [Drop me a line](mailto:adam@onemanandhisblog.com) to let me know.
### What today’s Twitter layoffs could mean for journalists
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/11/what-todays-twitter-layoffs-could-mean-for-journalists/
Last updated: 2022-11-04T12:48:00.000Z
Frankly, it's a bit of a difficult morning.
The tone of today in audience circles is very different to last week, when the news of Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter hit. There's rather fewer jokes, and rather more sympathy, as we start to see UK-based Twitter employees losing their jobs. Their US colleagues will be going through the same experience in a few hours, and the expectation is that [up to half of Twitter's staff](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/11/03/elon-musk-twitter-layoffs/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) will be laid off.
I'm going to devote much of this post to what we in the journalism business should be watching for in these layoffs, but first I want to take a moment to acknowledge the humans at the heart of this.
## The personal cost
These are just a few tweets I've seen from personal friends or online acquaintances who've been fired this morning:
> What a wild ride.
>
> Thank you to tweeps past and present who made my time at Twitter so special.
>
> And the biggest thank you to Curation - it is a damn privilege to have led such an incredible team of rockstars.
>
> 🫡💙 [https://t.co/lBWEGi1ISC](https://t.co/lBWEGi1ISC?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — J Geary ⚡️ (@JoannaG) [November 4, 2022](https://twitter.com/JoannaG/status/1588419374150750208?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
> It is done.
>
> I’m incredibly proud of the [@TwitterDev](https://twitter.com/TwitterDev?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) team(s), and the folks I’ve worked with across nearly 9 years to keep the API and developer platform vibrant.
>
> To those in our developer community: thank you. It was my honour to serve you.
>
> — Andy Piper (@andypiper) [November 4, 2022](https://twitter.com/andypiper/status/1588453008597196800?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
> So grateful to have had the opportunity to work with so many amazing people [#LoveWhereYouWork](https://twitter.com/hashtag/LoveWhereYouWork?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [pic.twitter.com/UBMtfxrJna](https://t.co/UBMtfxrJna?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Nic Keaney (@NicKeaney) [November 4, 2022](https://twitter.com/NicKeaney/status/1588375925468852224?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
They're all talented folks, whom I hope and expect will land on their feet, but seeing work they've invested the best part of a decade in dismantled, while being told they're personally surplus to requirements, can't be emotionally easy. My very best wishes to all of them.
Now, what does this mean for the rest of us?
## The canaries in Twitter's coal mine
A million years ago and, at the same time, a week ago, when Musk took over Twitter, I realised that there were four major things to watch as Musk reshaped Twitter. If some or all of them changed, the relationship between the platform and journalism would be reshaped for ever.
Here they are:
1. Major changes to verification
2. Changes to the publisher relationships in Twitter Blue
3. Dismantling of the Curation/Moments team
4. Dismantling of the News Partnerships team
And how do things stand now? Two have happened, one looks likely to have happened *(UPDATE: Now confirmed — see below)*, and we're waiting to hear about the last:
1. ✅ Major changes to verification
2. ✅ Changes to the publisher relationships in Twitter Blue
3. ✅ Dismantling of the Curation/Moments team
4. ❓Dismantling of the News Partnerships team
### Verification
Look, I have my [issues with how Twitter runs verification](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2019/07/messy-verification-process-leave-blue-ticks-open-to-abuse/) and, in particular, how it creates a [two tier system for journalists](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2019/04/social-media-verification-still-a-crapshoot/). But there's no doubt that being a proven, verified journalist goes some way to helping you stand out amidst the misinformation noise on the platform. Musk's move to make verification for all available for a fee will fundamentally dilute that ability. That's our first canary expired.
### Twitter Blue
The publisher relationships that allowed subscribers to have access to ad-free articles via Twitter Blue, the subscription service available in some parts of the world, was [killed unexpectedly by Twitter](https://9to5mac.com/2022/11/01/twitter-chaos/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Musk clearly wants to renegotiate those relationships:
> And paywall bypass for publishers willing to work with us
>
> — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) [November 1, 2022](https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1587500624098246656?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
But it's hard to trust someone who kills — on a whim, with no notice — something you put development work into supporting, isn't it?
### Moments & Curation
The curation team was (and yes, it looks like the past tense *is* appropriate) the internal journalistic part of Twitter, curating the best news and Tweets in a way that brought value to the platform — and traffic to publishers. It was led by friend-of-the-blog Joanna Geary, late of the *Birmingham Post*, *The Times* and *The Guardian*.
She was the first of the “personal cost” tweets above.
If, as it looks like, this team is essentially gone, it will make it that much harder for news publishers to stand out from the noise on Twitter.
**Update — 12.15pm, 4/11/22**
Yup, the Curation team is gone:
> So Twitter’s Curation team is no more.
>
> This site 👇 was recently launched to tell the world about our work. Give it a look for two reasons:
>
> 1) to see how it will impact your experience
> 2) if you want to hire the people behind it, get in touch via DM[https://t.co/vGdlDSYh8r](https://t.co/vGdlDSYh8r?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Andrew Haigh (@AndrewHaigh) [November 4, 2022](https://twitter.com/AndrewHaigh/status/1588468986596859904?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### News Partnerships
The major social platforms have long had news partnership teams, whose job it its to build closer relationships with major publishers. That's why journalists seem to get special treatment for things like verification — it's handled between the social teams of major publishers and the news partnership folks.
If this team gets dismantled in the layoffs today — and I've seen no evidence either way yet — then truly Twitter, [like Facebook before it](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/07/facebooks-long-slow-breakup-with-journalism-is-underway/), is planning to leave journalism behind.
Today will be an interesting day.
---
## Newsletters: Revue is dead
Big news from the well-sourced Casey Newton last night:
> Some Twitter news as we wait for layoffs to hit:
>
> \- Its Revue newsletter product will be sunset by end of year
> \- ‘Notes’ longform writing product is on indefinite 'pause'
> \- Details on the Vine reboot
>
> Subscribe to read ➡️ [https://t.co/CoIClOB6vh](https://t.co/CoIClOB6vh?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Casey Newton (@CaseyNewton) [November 3, 2022](https://twitter.com/CaseyNewton/status/1588302344176816128?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
That's bad news: some publishers use Revue, and there are some great journalism-relevant newsletters on there too, not least those of [Vincent Peyregne](https://www.getrevue.co/profile/vincentpeyregne?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), [Kevin Anderson](https://www.getrevue.co/profile/kevglobal?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) and the [lovely Media Voices team](https://www.getrevue.co/profile/MediaVoices?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
I'm working on a post about exit options for publishers using Revue. Look for it on the site later today, or early tomorrow.
---
## In other news
Despite our obsession with the bird app, other things are happening in the journalism world.
### Member models aren't just about news
This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone paying attention, but it's nice to see it confirmed again:
[News alone is no longer the driver of New York Times subscription growth - PoynterThe company’s quarterly financial report follows what has become a trend: an operating profit margin of around 10%PoynterRick Edmonds](https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2022/news-alone-is-no-longer-the-driver-of-new-york-times-subscription-growth/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
This was one of the major conclusions of the [INMA Light Readers](https://www.inma.org/report/light-readers-digital-subscriptions-next-growth-path?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) report that I worked on a couple of years ago. And yes, that does mean that your editorial leaders need to concentrate just as much on lifestyle and service journalism as the exciting breaking news stuff.
For example:
[Cost of living journalism is being welcomed by readers, research revealsTrusted journalism is playing a vital role for society through its coverage of the cost-of-living crisis, a new study has revealed today.Behind Local News UKBehind Local News](https://medium.com/behind-local-news-uk/cost-of-living-journalism-is-being-welcomed-by-readers-research-reveals-2e98a7d655f1?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Solidarity to my features, lifestyle and business journalism brethren. We matter!
### Where should we use AI?
The *Toronto Star* is making a good fist of figuring this out:
[What types of local news stories should be automated? The Toronto Star is figuring it outIn the case of break-and-enter stories, “everybody recognized that a poor execution of the idea would be a problem.”Nieman LabHanaa’ Tameez](https://www.niemanlab.org/2022/11/what-types-of-local-news-stories-should-be-automated-the-toronto-star-is-figuring-it-out/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
I agree [strongly with Kevin on this](https://www.getrevue.co/profile/kevglobal/issues/newspaper-publishers-lay-out-their-investment-priorities-by-damianradcliffe-from-newspaperworld-plus-which-products-are-hot-and-which-products-are-not-amongst-publishers-1439599?utm%5Fcampaign=Issue&utm%5Fcontent=view%5Fin%5Fbrowser&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Digital+Media+Products%2C+Strategy+and+Innovation):
> As I have said before, I would much rather have a robot write a basic, formulaic report than treat a reporter like a robot.
(Full disclosure: the *Star* is a current client)
### Apple News really matters
This is a little bit of “I told you so” but quite a bit more “what you should do about this”:
[Why you can’t afford to ignore Apple NewsDespite all the early scepticism, Apple News is now the most used UK news app. Time to stop ignoring it.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/11/why-you-cant-afford-to-ignore-apple-news/)
### Why you can’t afford to ignore Apple News
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/11/why-you-cant-afford-to-ignore-apple-news/
Last updated: 2022-11-03T15:51:14.000Z
[*Press Gazette*’s Aisha Majid](https://pressgazette.co.uk/most-popular-news-apps-uk-apple-news/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> The Apple News app held its top spot as the most popular news app in the UK in September and now reaches almost one in three people, according to data from Ipsos iris.
It’s remarkable the power that being the platform maker has when you’re committed to a product, isn’t it? Remember — every single Apple device sold for the last few years has News built in by default, and advertising its presence subtly on the notifications screen.
It's fair to say that a lot of people were sceptical about Apple News when it launched. The time for that now over. It's established itself as part of people's reading habits, as Apple has remained committed to developing it as part of ist services offering.
It’s no wonder, given the power of Apple, that it has eclipsed things like the BBC news app.
> The second most popular app BBC News was used by 12 million people. Only the Apple News app reached more than a quarter of UK internet users aged 15 and over (31% reach) while the Apple News and BBC News apps were the only ones with an audience reach in the double figures.
*One third* of the UK online population? That’s a huge audience surface, and so, if you don’t have an Apple News strategy, you probably need one. If you’re not there, you need to understand why, and make sure that you know what you’re missing out on, and that you’re comfortable with that. If you *are* there, you need a strategy for “top-slicing” the best readers from the service and bringing them into a more direct relationship with you (newsletters?).
Now, yes, there are some complications here. For example, these figures give us no sense of how much of this activity is in the base Apple News, and how much is in Apple News+, the paid version of it. But, again, the fact that this number of people are looking at the app means that it’s worth as paying as much attention to it as we do search, social and the other forms of audience acquisition we use.
You *really* can’t just ignore Apple News any more.
- [Apple News integration is coming to the Weather app](https://9to5mac.com/2022/11/03/apple-news-integration-appears-in-weather-app-on-ios-16-2-beta-with-relevant-regional-stories/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), of all things, in iOS 16.2, which will probably be out later in the year.
_This post is for subscribers only._
### What you missed while distracted by MuskTwit
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/10/what-you-missed-while-distracted-by-musktwit/
Last updated: 2022-10-31T12:05:30.000Z
So, what a week that was. Not only did the UK get a new Prime Minister, but another social media platform fell into the hands of a billionaire sociopath. It’s frightening that so much of our public discourse is now essentially the plaything of two men: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk. It’s a really quite terrifying concentration of power.
That said, change is in the air. Facebook is clearly struggling, and Instagram is hell-bent on committing acts of self-sabotage in pursuit of TikTok. It feels like we’re about to hit one of those phases where the social media balance of power starts to shift, for the first time in over a decade. But do we really want that power to shift to a platform controlled by China? TikTok's growing dominance is both inescapable — and concerning.
I touched on this in my post about the [impact of MuskTwit on journalism](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/10/five-quick-thoughts-about-what-musks-twitter-means-for-journalism/), but this is a great time to evaluate how dependent you are on the existing social platforms. And then you need to start building exit strategies that help you build closer relationships with readers, rather than just helping them follow you on other platforms.
I’ll come back to that theme in the coming days. Meanwhile, let’s look back on…
## One Week on OM&HB
Last week, for the first time in a very long while, I posted every day on *OM&HB*. I intentionally didn’t send any of the posts out via email for reasons I’ll discuss below, but here’s what you missed:
### The advent of MuskTwit
Story of the week, in three parts…
[How two guys trolled reporters outside TwitterIn the rush to cover “breaking news” live at Twitter, journalists fell for a fairly simple hoax.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/10/how-two-guys-trolled-reporters-outside-twitter/)
[Five quick thoughts about what Musk’s Twitter means for journalismFive fairly practical thoughts about what the coming weeks could bring for a Musk-owned TwitterOne Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/10/five-quick-thoughts-about-what-musks-twitter-means-for-journalism/)
[The Week in TweetsA landmark week in a number of ways, caught in a handful of Tweets…One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/10/the-week-on-tweets/)
### Cancel Culture
Graham Norton is asked the impossible question, and ends up having to delete his Twitter account. There’s something at work here — but it’s not “cancel culture” OR “accountability culture”. It’s all about new forms of power:
[Graham Norton and the impossible questionWhen a celebrity gets asked about cancel culture, there is no right answer. It is the impossible question — and we need to ask better ones.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/10/graham-norton-and-the-impossible-question/)
### Journalism in practice
A couple of stories about how journalism is changing through experimentation with digital formats.
[The hourglass: a potential replacement for the inverted pyramid?Could the Inverted Pyramid be defunct in the age of paywalls, with the more profitable Hourglass taking its place?One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/10/the-hourglass-a-potential-replacement-for-the-inverted-pyramid/)
[The alternative podcast realities of politics magazinesPodcasts have become central to many publishers’ strategies — with sometimes bizarre results.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/10/the-alternative-realities-of-politics-magazines/)
### Tech
RSS is *back,* baby.
[The quiet renaissance of RSS FeedsAfter a quiet decade, we’re finally seeing some innovation in the RSS space, and the old school blogger in me is delighted.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/10/the-quiet-renaissance-of-rss-feeds/)
## Why no emails?
I’ve been struggling with this blog for a while now. I’d clearly lost my blogging mojo. When this has happened in the past, it’s often been the case that I’m suffering from *audience paralysis*: the sense that if I’m going to publish something, and bother people’s busy in-boxes with it, it had better be both *important* and *good*. And that self-imposed pressure was stopping me writing.
So, I took a week off emailing you, and (largely) a week off promoting my writing on social media. And it worked. The dam is broken, the torrent of creativity unleashed, and I’m *enjoying* writing here again.
So, here’s a question for you: do you prefer getting “batched” round-ups of what I’ve posted here, like this one? Or would you prefer to get every post, as I post it, in real time?
Please let me know. I have my own ideas, but I’d like to know how much they blend with yours.
### The Week in Tweets
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/10/the-week-on-tweets/
Last updated: 2022-10-31T11:24:44.000Z
Well, when those of us who work in the media look back on this week, I suepct Musk's acquistion of Twitter will be the defining event. I've already written about it twice this week, but certainly everything felt different from Friday morning onwards:
> \*sniff\*
>
> Is it me, or is there a strange new musk around Twitter this morning?
>
> — Adam Tinworth (@adders) [October 28, 2022](https://twitter.com/adders/status/1585860217279238144?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Yes, Twitter had become the main characters of Twitter, and while the spicy takes, [especially this one from *The Verge*](https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/28/23428132/elon-musk-twitter-acquisition-problems-speech-moderation?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) which has “confirmation bias” written all over it spread far and wide, some insightful comments didn't get quite the exposure:
> Musk and Twitter: Contracts do matter it seems. All those commentators adamantly saying he’ll get out of the deal or a big discount look a bit naive today.
>
> — Antony Slumbers (@antonyslumbers) [October 28, 2022](https://twitter.com/antonyslumbers/status/1585887613835444227?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
And people watching the Twitter website closely saw some interesting changes:
> Twitter has removed “Our Company” page, which used to list Twitter’s leadership team[https://t.co/lMXV7DX2xy](https://t.co/lMXV7DX2xy?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [pic.twitter.com/tQgFSriwjq](https://t.co/tQgFSriwjq?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) [October 28, 2022](https://twitter.com/wongmjane/status/1586068250424578048?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Our profession has not covered itself in glory, either, with some basic mistakes in both fact-checking and also terminology:
> A reminder comrades: employment is terminated rather than people. [https://t.co/WhQZGlheRX](https://t.co/WhQZGlheRX?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Paul Wiggins 🍺 (@paulwiggins) [October 28, 2022](https://twitter.com/paulwiggins/status/1585861449976803330?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
And this was interesting (and somewhat under-reported): a lot of the impetus for the uptick in racist language on Twitter came from 4chan, a site well able to test the limits of the acceptable *en masse*:
> Evidence suggests that bad actors are trying to test the limits on [@Twitter](https://twitter.com/Twitter?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Several posts on 4chan encourage users to amplify derogatory slurs.
>
> For example, over the last 12 hours, the use of the n-word has increased nearly 500% from the previous average. [pic.twitter.com/mEqziaWuMF](https://t.co/mEqziaWuMF?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Network Contagion Research Institute (@ncri\_io) [October 28, 2022](https://twitter.com/ncri%5Fio/status/1586007698910646272?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Beyond Twitter
Meanwhile, the ascension of Rishi Sunak poses a problem for both *The Times* and *The Spectator*, because they both publish James Forsyth. He's the political editor of the *Speccie* — and Sunak's best mate.
> I try to be fair, but I do just think it is professionally dubious to write a glowing column about the PM in the Comment pages of the Times without mentioning he’s your best friend and was best man at your wedding. [pic.twitter.com/iiq7U3Z7GZ](https://t.co/iiq7U3Z7GZ?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Jamie Susskind (@jamiesusskind) [October 27, 2022](https://twitter.com/jamiesusskind/status/1585740150713229312?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Forsyth has taken to vaguely mentioning the relationship in podcasts, but both titles need to be much more up-front about this on the web, too.
And guess which UK site breached the Editors' Code of Practice way more than any other?
> Mail Online breached the Editors’ Code of Practice more times than any other newsbrand in 2021, according to IPSO’s annual report [https://t.co/WmnRgRS16R](https://t.co/WmnRgRS16R?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [pic.twitter.com/wHcUW5vvcR](https://t.co/wHcUW5vvcR?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Press Gazette (@pressgazette) [October 23, 2022](https://twitter.com/pressgazette/status/1584152660470599681?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Five quick thoughts about what Musk’s Twitter means for journalism
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/10/five-quick-thoughts-about-what-musks-twitter-means-for-journalism/
Last updated: 2022-10-31T10:56:07.000Z
## 1\. Don’t expect the layoffs to come immediately
It seems pretty certain that Musk will want to reduce overheads, and push Twitter towards profitability as soon as possible, so he can start managing the massive debts he’s incurred. So, yes, people will go.
But the skill is in cutting people who aren’t critical to the functioning of the site. That takes time. He apparently has Tesla engineers in the building, and my bet is they are figuring out who is critical and who isn’t.
Once that’s done, the layoffs will start.
## 2\. If you use Revue, Moments — or even Spaces — plan an exit strategy
One place that he could make savings pretty quickly without deeply impacting the core product is some of Twitter’s more recent additions or acquisitions. Much as it pains me to say so, given how much traffic they can generate for news sites, the [Moments](https://help.twitter.com/en/using-twitter/twitter-moments?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)/curation team could be an easy cut. I know people in that team, and it does not make me happy. [Revue](https://www.getrevue.co/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), the newsletter platform Twitter acquired, has also stagnated and, unless it's revenue making, I imagine it could also be a good place to cut.
[Spaces](https://help.twitter.com/en/using-twitter/spaces?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)? I don’t know. It depends on whether Musk sees that as a valuable part of what Twitter does. But, right now, I wouldn’t bet on anything that isn’t part of Twitter’s core functionality, and doesn’t have a clear path to revenue.
## 3\. The banned won’t be straight back
This was a fairly safe assumption when Musk tweeted out his [letter to advertisers](https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1585619322239561728?s=61&t=7oXJPzBQZsybr%5FdbuouDbA&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), but then he confirmed it himself:
> Twitter will be forming a content moderation council with widely diverse viewpoints.
>
> No major content decisions or account reinstatements will happen before that council convenes.
>
> — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) [October 28, 2022](https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1586059953311137792?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Of course, the nature and composition of that board will be fascinating to watch…
## 4\. Twitter will change less in the short term, and more in the long term
Despite the [worst elements of Twitter’s user-base already feeling emboldened](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/10/28/musk-twitter-racist-posts/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), I imagine for most of us, the experience won’t change much in the short term. Expect a slash and burn of peripherals services, but changes to the core service to be fairly conservative.
Where I would expect changes is where he can generate more cash in the short term: I wouldn’t be surprised if we see [Twitter Blue](https://blog.twitter.com/en%5Fus/topics/company/2021/introducing-twitter-blue?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) made more widely available pretty quickly, possibly even with some functionality changes to make it more attractive.
Could he even make verification a perk of the service? 🤔
## 5\. You need to know how exposed you are to Twitter
Now is a good time to dive into your analytics and figure out how much of your traffic is coming from Twitter. How much impact would losing a proportion of that traffic have on you? Figure out some mitigation strategies now. Twitter’s going to be unstable for a while, and this could be an existential threat to the platform. At the very least, try to convert Twitter-first readers to newsletters or other more direct audience engagement techniques as soon as you can.
And don’t forget you and your journalist’s contacts — how dependent are they on Twitter to maintain those contacts? Can they get them into messaging apps, or even just get email addresses instead?
This is just good discipline for any platform you use but don’t own — but if you’ve neglected it, it’s time to act.
### How two guys trolled reporters outside Twitter
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/10/how-two-guys-trolled-reporters-outside-twitter/
Last updated: 2022-10-31T09:58:01.000Z
This morning I had plans to write some quick thoughts about the [Musking of Twitter](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/10/27/twitter-elon-musk/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). But events at City overtook me and, in the end, I’m just writing this up now as I wait for a train home. I’d initially planned to suggest we’d see a few days before we saw waves of layoffs because Musk is smart enough to know not to cut too fast in departments critical to the site’s functioning.
And so, I was more than a little surprised to see reporters saying that an entire team of data engineers was gone:
At first glance, I thought it was a good thing that I hadn’t posted this morning — I wasn’t expecting staff layoffs to start *that* quickly. But it looked like they had. And the tweets supporting the story kept coming:
[Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-28/musk-starts-cutting-jobs-at-twitter-staff-leave-with-boxes?srnd=premium&sref=ExbtjcSG&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) and [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/28/musk-first-day-owning-twitter-leads-to-havoc-and-possible-hoax-.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) had written it up. It must be accurate, right?
## Remember double-sourcing, anyone?
But the more I looked at it, the more odd it seemed. Just two people, no corroborating sources — was this what it seemed. Others were raising questions, based on contacts within Twitter:
And then the climb-downs started:
And then I saw the give-away on the Reuters Live Stream:
Ligma. *Ligma*? Oh, boy.
## Ligma was a clear signal this story is balls
It’s part of an [old internet joke](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/ligma?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), where, if you get it, you reply “Balls”. Try it. Say “Ligma Balls” out loud (preferably not in an open-plan office). You’ll see the (rather juvenile) joke.
*It’s a fake.* Those reporters outside Twitter have been trolled by two guys with a sense of humour and some boxes. And they ran the story without independent corroboration. That’s ending up on my verification slides…
Journalists with a little more awareness of internet culture quickly [debunked the story](https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/28/23428775/twitter-fake-employee-layoff-rahul-ligma-elon-musk?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> There are plenty of problems with what these two men say to reporters. The most glaring is that one man identifies himself as a software engineer named “Rahul Ligma.” *The Verge* has confirmed that name does not exist in Twitter’s Slack or email system. There is also no evidence that the employee exists on LinkedIn.
## The apology you would rather not make
Stories were quickly edited, and the journalists who had jumped too quickly had to start climbing down. This is not a tweet anybody wants to have to send:
However, it’s rather terrifying that at least two major news outlets, without any other sources, reported that there were Twitter employees being laid off.
This is the real danger when live reporting and social media intersect. Caught up in the excitement of the moment, Bosa tweeted out an essentially single-sourced story with no qualifications or caveats at all. I’ve used a screen grab above because I assume that this tweet will eventually be deleted, but it’s still live now:
> It’s happening
>
> Entire team of data engineers let go. These are two of them[#TwitterTakeover](https://twitter.com/hashtag/TwitterTakeover?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [pic.twitter.com/gNSl6qSCKU](https://t.co/gNSl6qSCKU?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Deirdre Bosa (@dee\_bosa) [October 28, 2022](https://twitter.com/dee%5Fbosa/status/1586042389851820034?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
> It’s happening.
No, it’s not. It might, and probably will. But you were trolled. And basic journalism practice would have saved embarrassment.
## Shitposter-in-chief
Inevitably, Twitter’s new “Chief Twit” had to have the final word:
And that, folks, is the sense of humour of the new guy in charge of Twitter.
This is going to be a ride…
### The alternative podcast realities of politics magazines
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/10/the-alternative-realities-of-politics-magazines/
Last updated: 2022-10-27T22:42:10.000Z
It has been, to put it mildly, a busy few weeks in UK politics. This is not a political blog, and as my readership has grown every more international, I've avoided talking too much about UK-specific issues recently, but the podcasts I listened to today while cooking and washing up (oh, the glamourous life of a middle-aged Dad at half term…) were amusing. It was like they slipped through into our reality from two entirely seprate ones.
First up was the *New Statesman* podcast:
It doesn't make comforting listening for the new Prime Minister. The general thesis is that he can't win the next election — just mitigate the damage already done to the Tory party's reputation.
Meanwhile, over at the *New Statesman*'s right wing counter part, *The Spectator,* their *Edition* podcast takes a very different tone*:*
It's almost upbeat, given the utter chaos that has enveloped the party over the last couple of months. They cheerfully predict more difficult times ahead for the Labour Party, as even a small recovery in the polls will put more pressure on Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer, apparently.
Listening to the two in quick succession is like drifing between alternative universes. And given podcasting's quite intimate nature, the way listening to them makes you feel like you're listening in to people chatting around a table, it's like being teleported between two different, incompatible yet affable world.
To use the terrible old feature-concluding cliché, only time will tell which is right. But it's great that both are putting so mucu effort into podcasts.
## Podcasting: the 15 year overnight success story
Indeed, it's exciting to see that podcasting has become such an essential part of the magazine mix now, a mere 17 years after I was first fussing around with Firewire cables and my original iPod to keep up with the format in the earliest days.
It's a salutary reminder of how long technologies can actually take to hit the real mainstream, propelled, in this case, by the rise of the mobile phone app making the whole cable/syncing business utterly redundant. And some businesses are even finding that podcasting may be their future.
### Tortoise is a podcast network now?
Which businesses? Well, [hello, *Tortoise*](https://pressgazette.co.uk/tortoise-podcasts/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> “The audio team within Tortoise was profitable within 12 months,” Vanneck-Smith (pictured) said. “Tortoise is not profitable currently because news doesn’t really pay its way.”
The long-form journalism isn't paying — but the podcasting *is*. And, as we [first heard earlier in the year](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/05/subscriber-revenue-what-the-future-and-the-limit/), podcasting is becoming a major customer acquistition tool, too:
> Podcasting is now the primary way that Tortoise distributes its investigative journalism, with the average age of listeners down to 29 which Vanneck-Smith said “means that actually we’re building a brilliant funnel for future members”.
Podcasting central to publisher strategy? [RSS making a come-back](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/10/the-quiet-renaissance-of-rss-feeds/)? It's like the dreams of the mid-2000s have suddenly come true…
### The hourglass: a potential replacement for the inverted pyramid?
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/10/the-hourglass-a-potential-replacement-for-the-inverted-pyramid/
Last updated: 2022-10-28T16:52:54.000Z
A couple of weeks ago, a new audience-centred agency called [the Audiencers](https://theaudiencers.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) launched. Like a good little Audience Engagement boy, I signed up to [their email](https://theaudiencers.com/our-newsletter/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — and the first issue arrived this morning.
And, wow, do I disagree with it. One central plank of the issue is the idea of the Hourglass format for news, which is, the author argues, the natural successor of the [Inverted Pyramid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted%5Fpyramid%5F%28journalism%29?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
[Here’s Eric Le Braz](https://theaudiencers.com/operations/the-hourglass-technique-how-to-write-for-your-paywall/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> But in an hourglass, the publisher only specifies the angle from the title, often in the form of a question, but never provides readers with the answer before the paywall. They’ll outline the who, what, where and when whilst reserving the main answers to the premium part of the content – why, how, and what next?
So, in essence, the top part of the hourglass is a tease that tells you the piece ahead has what you’re looking for. Then, the narrow neck is the paywall, and the bottom half of hourglass is the bulk of the content.
This makes perfect sense, if you’re just looking to convert browsers to paying members. And yet…
## Audience Engagement = Audience Respect
I’m really not convince that this is a good idea as a universal format for journalism. There’s a fundamental problem, in that this behaviour benefits the publisher far more than the reader. And so, it risks alienating and annoying readers as they keep stumbling across articles that hint at the information they want or need, but lock it away behind a subscription. There’s a fine line between intriguing the reader and pissing them off, and using this universally would push deep, deep into “pissing them off” territory. It’s a dangerous land, from which few customers ever return.
I’ve worked with many hard paywalled sites, with no free content at all, and we’ve *always* ended up building a layer of completely free content to let people see what they’re getting before they pay. Or, in some situations, switching to a metered paywall instead. Most people just won’t pay for content without a good idea of the sort of thing they’re getting.
This approach risks a highly transactional relationship with readers — they subscribe to get to a particular piece of information, and then they unsubscribe when that need is met. Now, this might be the perfect approach if your model is all about micro-transactions of the sort that [Axate](https://www.axate.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) facilitates. But those models have struggled to get off the ground, and often work best as additive revenue on top of subscriptions from more committed readers.
## A format isn’t an audience strategy
Beyond that, if this is going to work, you need to be *really* sure that the information you’ve put below the tease isn’t easily available elsewhere because then the whole sell just collapses. And even if you have unique content, you need to make sure you have a complete audience engagement strategy in place to follow up that purchase. You need it to make sure you convert that impulse (at best) and duress (at worst) purchase into a loyal reader through showing off the range of journalism you offer.
So, use the hourglass sometimes? Sure.
Always use the hourglass? No.
### There’s life in the inverted pyramid yet
I disagree with this statement strongly:
> And what about the inverted pyramid? It won’t likely have the same fate as the one of Cheops (which remains largely intact), more likely it’s destined to be forgotten like the festoons of the copyist monks or the Nokia 3310.
The inverted pyramid will survive because it’s a great, efficient format that communicates information effectively. The hourglass only works when you have a paywall tease on every article — that’s just one style of membership model. There are many others.
I might well end up using the hourglass here on certain pieces — *Ghost* can show a writer-determined extract of an article, and define where the paywall kicks in. It might be a useful device to covert new members on particular pieces. But there will always be some completely free to air content on most site — and there will always be some content completely locked behind paywalls.
Forcing those news stories into the Hourglass model when the Inverted Pyramid model works better in that context would be a mistake.
## In conclusion
In essence, I don’t disagree with the concept of the Hourglass Model. But I see it as just one tool in your format toolbox, in which also sit the Inverted Pyramid, and the Explainer, and the Liveblog, and an ever-growing range of formats. My problem with the Audiencers’ piece is not the heart of it, but the framing that the Hourglass is the true successor of the Inverted Pyramid.
### The quiet renaissance of RSS Feeds
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/10/the-quiet-renaissance-of-rss-feeds/
Last updated: 2022-10-27T22:09:19.000Z
A lot of people assume that RSS Feeds died with [Google Reader back in 2013](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2013/06/my%5Fgoogle%5Freader%5Freplacement%5Ffeedly/). (That's nearly a decade ago… How did that happen?) But technology like that doesn't just vanish. It still underpins podcasting, for example. And given that a large percentage of the web is powered by WordPress, they often do have RSS feeds, even if they're not aware of it.
However, there have been some rather more significant moves towards making it a useful technology for readers on the web again. Unexpectedly, [Substack added RSS reading](https://on.substack.com/p/new-web-reader) to its reading app on the web and iOS, which had been limited to reading Substack publications (we're [not allowed to called them newsletters](https://on.substack.com/p/please-stop-calling-it-the-newsletter), apparently) before then:
> Want to add a publication from outside Substack? No problem—just select “Add RSS feed” from the left sidebar.
That's cool. A good move on their part.
## Welcome to Feedland
Meanwhile, Dave Winer, one of the genuine pioneers of blogging and one of teh instagators of RSS, is working on a new product, [Feedland](http://feedland.org/??ref=onemanandhisblog.com). It's an experiement in building a new form of RSS reader, one that has a social element to it. I've not yet had time for a detailed play with it, but I will do so, and report back. In particular, his idea of [News Products](http://scripting.com/2022/10/26/144400.html?title=newsProductsFromFeedland&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) could be *really* handy.
One thing did catch my eye, though, is that Dave is sharing his own [feed reading using the service](http://scripting.com/2022/10/25.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com#a120920):
> I am subscribed to 470 feeds. You can view [my feed list](http://feedland.org/?username=davewiner&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) as a feed reader, because of a feature I added late in the development process.
And I had to have a nosey. What sites was this blogging innovator following. One of them caught me by surprise:
Now, that's flattering.
### Graham Norton and the impossible question
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/10/graham-norton-and-the-impossible-question/
Last updated: 2022-10-28T17:27:17.000Z
🐦
This post started life [as a Twitter thread](https://twitter.com/adders/status/1582322752026857472?s=61&t=v53ImYRhfizyLv5VhCByAA&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), recreated and expanded here for posterity.
It’s depressing to see another [public figure driven from Twitter](https://metro.co.uk/2022/10/17/graham-norton-deletes-twitter-account-after-cancel-culture-comments-17579187/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) for the crime of trying to find a tactful answer to the impossible “CC” question. There is no answer to that question that does not get at least one group of highly online, highly ideological people angry at you.
It’s becoming a totemic issue to the degree that I’m not even using the phrase in my thread because I know from experience that there are people searching for the term, who will happily [sealion](https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/sealioning-internet-trolling?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) into the conversation.
The reality, of course, is that it’s all about power.
## The power of the highly organised, highly political online
Public social media, like Twitter, like Facebook, delivered highly organised ideological groups extreme power to make other people’s lives difficult. Occasionally, this is good. Often, this is bad. It’s not new, though. It dates back to *at least* 2009:
[The Day Twitter Destroyed a Gagging OrderA gagging order designed to target mainstream news titles has been undone by the concerted efforts of Twitter users.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2009/10/the%5Fday%5Ftwitter%5Fdestroyed%5Fa%5Fgagging%5Forde/)
At some level, though, we have to acknowledge there’s a good reason that we don’t use angry mobs as a system of justice in most civilised parts of the world. It doesn’t seem like a great idea to make it a routine form of justice in the online world.
This is not a politically partisan point: once a gun is invented, it can be used to shoot anyone, both those we detest and those we admire. Online power does not respect politics, it only respects numbers and commitment.
## This is a discussion about use — and abuse — of power
We’re on a dark path, and our discussions about it are woefully trivial right now.
Perhaps the only bit of good news that is that *finally* our traditional systems of justice are beginning to work on online abuses. Alex Jones is on [the verge of bankruptcy](https://www.npr.org/2022/10/12/1128522569/alex-jones-ordered-to-pay-nearly-1-billion-to-sandy-hook-families?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). [Alex Belfield is in prison](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-63349036?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
(Probably some people not called Alex, too. But Alexes of the internet — you’re on notice… 😉)
But meanwhile, online, people continue to find new ways to exercise their new power. And we really, badly, need to have a conversation about how to manage that. And I have zero faith that the current — or aspirational— social media platform owners are up to that.
How do we preserve social media’s ability to give voice and power to the powerless and the oppressed, while also curtailing the power of online mobs to ruin lives? That’s a much more interesting discussion than the highly loaded impossible question.
---
### Reactions
Charles Arthur wrote a long piece following up on these ideas on his Substack:
> However, this isn’t how Twitter functions. The prevalence of Angry Mobs essentially keyword-surfing to find things to be angry about is a serious problem. What makes it worse is that this sort of activity rewards obsessive people with too much time on their hands who REALLY WANT YOU TO KNOW THEIR OPINION, and why yours is wrong, as this is usually their reason for engaging with you. I’m sure you know what I mean: the tedious sealion who just won’t stop, who once you mute or block them, and take a look at their tweets, you find has moved on to the next person or [Twitter canoe](https://www.prnewsonline.com/twitter-canoe-update?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) in order to air their views.
The whole thing is worth a read (and a subscribe!):
[Graham Norton, JK Rowling and the standing mob rulesAlternatively, you could vote to be ruled by an AI in Denmark?Social Warming by Charles ArthurCharles Arthur](https://socialwarming.substack.com/p/graham-norton-jk-rowling-and-the)
Suw had this to say on Twitter:
> The platforms don't care, and indeed, their use of trending topics rather indicates that they want to whip up the furore because it means more clicks and engagement. The whole foundation of their business model is rotten and will always lead to rotten outcomes.
>
> — Suw (@Suw) [October 18, 2022](https://twitter.com/Suw/status/1582324050197479425?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### tl;dr: the Facebook is burning issue
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/10/tldr-the-facebook-is-burning-issue/
Last updated: 2022-10-07T17:51:50.000Z
[tl;dr](https://onemanandhisblog.com/tags/tldr/) was very popular when I started it back in the early part of the year. Then events rather overtook me, and it dropped off my agenda. Well, now it’s back, should be weekly — and with [Ghost’s new analytics](https://ghost.org/changelog/newsletter-clicks/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), it should be a really useful source of information about what my audience really carer about — while also being useful to you.
This is a bit of a tab-dump issue. There are stories here going back over the last few months — but doing that has drawn out some interesting narratives, not least that Meta’s Facebook and Instagram are clearly losing their way. We’ll get to that towards the end, but for now — enjoy these links. Hopefully, there should be something here for everyone. If not, I recommend whisky and *She-Hulk…*
---
### Analytics
- ☠️ If you’re not aware, the current Google Analytics is going away, to be replaced by GA4\. Here’s the Government Digital Service on how [they’re handing the migration](https://insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2022/08/24/how-were-preparing-for-the-migration-to-google-analytics-4/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 👨💻 How [*The Economist* became a data-led title](https://www.inma.org/blogs/newsroom-initiative/post.cfm/the-economist-moved-from-a-legacy-newsroom-to-a-data-influenced-one?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 📈 How to [build a data team](https://www.inma.org/blogs/smart-data-initiative/post.cfm/3-media-companies-share-3-paths-to-building-data-teams?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) (that’s audience data, not data journalism)
### Audience Engagement
- 🗣 *The Information* is [planning a social network for subscribers](https://www.axios.com/2022/07/12/exclusive-the-information-launching-social-network-for-subscribers?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Great. Building a community around a subscription product is a great retention move. It does make me want got scream, though, because this is what I was working in *17 years ago*, for some B2B titles. Before my time, clearly.
- 🤖 Reach using [AI to create reading recommendations](https://pressgazette.co.uk/reach-ai-content-recommender/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Good idea. Likely to work much better than the standard “related content” picks.
- 👦🏼 Where do UK teens get their news? Yeah, [video-based social media](https://variety.com/2022/digital/global/instagram-tiktok-youtube-uk-teen-news-1235321760/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🧪 How the *NYT* [A/B tests headlines](https://blog.tjcx.me/p/new-york-times-ab-testing?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 🧑🏽🎨 How [“product thinking” helps *The Local*](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/how-the-local-sweden-uses-product-thinking-to-remain-useful-to-readers/s2/a968261/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) in Sweden.
- 💃 How the [*Mail* wins at Snapchat](https://pressgazette.co.uk/daily-mail-snapchat/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🏘 Interesting initiative [connecting local journalists with their communities](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/want-to-save-local-news-get-the-locals-involved/s2/a968558/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
### Business Models
- 🤖 **[How the *New York Times* uses machine learning for its paywall](https://open.nytimes.com/how-the-new-york-times-uses-machine-learning-to-make-its-paywall-smarter-e5771d5f46f8?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).** Good: better conversion. Uncomfortable: people become aware that different people get different amounts free.
- 💰 Another business aiming to sell journalism [an article at a time](%28https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2022/a-26-year-old-entrepreneur-takes-a-fresh-shot-at-selling-news-one-story-at-a-time/%29). If Apple or Google did this, it might take. I am sceptical that any one business will get the traction.
- 🎯 [SoGlos has a new model](https://pressgazette.co.uk/soglos-revolutionise-regional-media-membership-model/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), based on targeting readers via expressed preference — thus making them more valuable to advertisers. Their new CMS sounds intriguing, too.
- ☕️ [Coffee with readers](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/how-coffee-meetings-with-users-brought-reality-checks-and-culture-change-to-sweden-s-public-broadcaster/s2/a947921/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) FTW. [Fika](https://visitsweden.com/what-to-do/food-drink/swedish-kitchen/all-about-swedish-fika/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) as audience engagement. LOVE IT.
- 📚 [News is online, magazines are in print](https://pressgazette.co.uk/print-vs-online-newspapers-magazines/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — research that backs up my experience. I’m reading more print magazines than I was five years ago.
### Creator Economy
- 🦄 Some great principles for [running your site, newsletter, or blog](https://www.cjchilvers.com/personal-publishing-principles/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
### Internet Culture
- 🦾 Was the “grassroots” campaign for the Snyder cut of *Justice League* [driven by bots](https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/justice-league-the-snyder-cut-bots-fans-1384231/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)?
- 🕵️How all sides are [trying to influence journalists](https://www.niemanlab.org/2022/09/you-dont-know-which-side-is-playing-you-the-authors-of-meme-wars-have-some-advice-for-journalists/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) online.
### LinkedIn
- 👩🏻🔬 Boy, have they [been running experiments on their users](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/24/business/linkedin-social-experiments.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)…
### Newsletters
- 📉 Disagree with the headline of this one. The [newsletter boom is not over](https://www.vox.com/recode/23289433/newsletters-substack-subscriptions-bari-weiss-semafor-peter-kafka-column?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — but the hype is. And that’s a good thing. That’s where productivity starts.
- 🏘 Who’ll be the hardest hit by Facebook shuttering its newsletter product? [Local journalists](https://www.niemanlab.org/2022/10/facebook-will-shut-down-bulletin-its-newsletter-service-by-early-2023/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Again.
- 📧 What Casey Newton learnt from [his first two years on Substack](https://www.niemanlab.org/2022/09/what-i-learned-in-my-second-year-on-substack/?ref=refind&utm%5Fcampaign=UA-39227834-1&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter)
- 𝌡 The best [alternatives to Substack](https://www.wired.com/story/best-substack-alternatives/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 🤥 [Why your open rates are a lie](https://whatsnewinpublishing.com/your-email-newsletter-open-rates-havent-really-gone-up-heres-why/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)… (I’m coming back to this one.)
- 🤓 Should we [personalise newsletter content](https://digiday.com/media/publishers-test-personalizing-newsletters-with-varying-degrees-of-success%EF%BF%BC/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)?
- 🧑🏼🏫 National World [building a newsletter team](https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2022/news/jobs-created-as-publisher-launches-dedicated-newsletter-team/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
### Photography
- 🤑 Unsplash now has a paid offering — [Unsplash+](https://unsplash.com/blog/contribute-to-unsplash/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 🪦 [Eamonn McCabe dies aged 74](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/oct/03/guardian-observer-photographer-eamonn-mccabe-dies?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — I’ve been a fan of his work for about 35 years now. Such a loss.
### Podcasting
- 👨🏻💻 A great, robust defence of [RSS as the basis of podcasting](https://medium.com/@albertobeta/innovation-in-podcasting-a78c12878a4b?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). If you work in or around podcasting, you *need* to understand this.
- ⛔️ Here’s a good look at the [complex reasons that Spotify might be trying to undermine the standard](https://blog.james.cridland.net/the-standards-innovation-paradox-is-it-real-a1987188c5e9?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
### Journalism
- 👾 Reach has [a gaming editor now](https://medium.com/behind-local-news-uk/first-gaming-editor-appointed-at-reach-ahead-of-new-launches-a73e346428c2?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🕸 [Q&A with internet beat journalists](https://www.cjr.org/special%5Freport/internet-online-culture.php?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). I’m not quite sure what it says that at least two of the journos mentioned here are controversial.
- 👩🏽💻 An interesting [breakdown of live-blogging](https://www.formatsunpacked.com/p/formats-unpacked-the-live-blog?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). (They’re wrong about when the format was created, though. It dates back to the late 90s.)
- 📝 How the [UK’s community reporters covered the Queen’s death](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/how-facebook-community-reporters-covered-the-queen-s-death/s2/a971155/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 👩🏾🎨 How *The Guardian* [visually differentiates news and analysis](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/sep/08/guardian-digital-readers-analysis-news-design?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
### Meta problems: the Insta Implosion
- 🆕 Back in July, Instagram announced [a big overhaul of its UI](https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/03/instagram-test-full-screen-video-home-feed/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- ↩️ [Wait, maybe not.](https://www.platformer.news/p/-instagram-walks-back-its-changes?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — this is rare for Meta. Normally, they push forward with changes even if people dislike them. Are they losing sight of what their users will actually tolerate?
- 🤦🏽 This piece from Taylor Lorenz has aged *really* badly: [why you don’t want the old Instagram back](https://taylorlorenz.substack.com/p/you-dont-want-the-old-instagram).
- 👮🏼♀️ Meanwhile, the EU is [fining Instagram big money for privacy violations](https://9to5mac.com/2022/09/05/instagram-400-million-fine-violation-eu-children-privacy/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 😩 And its push to imitate [TikTok is failing](https://www.wsj.com/articles/instagram-reels-tiktok-meta-facebook-documents-11662991777?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 😰 In fact, both [Facebook and Insta are stumbling](https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/new-report-highlights-the-decline-of-facebook-and-ig-as-tiktok-becomes-the/631694/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- ☔️ Zuck tells his staff to [brace for stormy weather](https://www.theverge.com/23277797/mark-zuckerberg-meta-facebook-employees-pressure?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — and suggests that he’s happy for some to go overboard…
Based on the links above, Meta’s future is looking more uncertain than I can ever recall. As [Nick Heer puts it](https://pxlnv.com/linklog/instagram-walkback/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> But look at the past few weeks of Meta news and it seems like the company has zero idea of what to do or why people use its products. It made drastic unlikable changes to Instagram; its leadership is panicking over TikTok; its latest public demonstration of its metaverse future is embarrassing and its educational value is less justified than the VR headset in a thirty year old Simpsons clip. Do these decisions look like the product of a focused company that has near-term goals for its future and innovative ideas beyond that?
### SEO
- 💰 Some useful details on how [different forms of subscription models impact SEO](https://whatsnewinpublishing.com/paywalls-impact-on-seo-how-publishers-can-minimize-risk-and-maximize-value/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
### TikTok
- 🇨🇳 Has TikTok’s owner used other apps to [push Chinese propaganda](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emilybakerwhite/tiktok-bytedance-topbuzz-pro-china-content?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)?
- 🕺🏽Should we be [creating journo-influencers on TikTok](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/should-journalists-be-influencers-and-if-so-how-/s2/a950240/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)? Certainly — if we want to be on TikTok. The question that needs answering first is whether we should trust TikTok, given its ownership…
- 📱 How to [train your TikTok algorithm](https://www.ft.com/content/7a85f1a8-9cfb-4f17-9632-cbb46e0b885a?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). (I *really* need to do this because it just doesn’t “get” me yet.
### Trust
Nice little video from the BBC:
### Twitter
- 🤬 Bad tweet [costs a columnist their job](https://pressgazette.co.uk/iain-macwhirter-herald-column-tweet/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🤖 Bots that [remind you to do your accessibility](https://www.niemanlab.org/2022/07/two-new-bots-can-help-newsrooms-prioritize-accessibility-and-alt-text/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Cool.
- ❤️ Twitter is still where publishers are [getting the largest followings](https://www.axios.com/2022/09/13/twitter-publishers-social-media?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
> If you dare to be female while writing about the countryside, this is what you get. A group of men speculating about your pubic hair. Anyway off to do my job - yes, women are allowed to have those nowadays! [pic.twitter.com/qYiqzalyXZ](https://t.co/qYiqzalyXZ?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Helena Horton (@horton\_official) [October 7, 2022](https://twitter.com/horton%5Fofficial/status/1578291956093898752?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## A quote to think on
> But the internet is still here and there might come a day when things get decentralised again. I don’t know if that might ever come to pass, but for now, we can take back the internet by going back to creating our own websites and blogs and even newsletters and relying less, far less, on the cursed social networks.
— [Rebecca Toh](https://rebeccatoh.co/the-old-internet/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## The Big Read
This is, admittedly, a couple of months old, but i finally got around to reading it this week, and it does make some very compelling arguments. Do you agree?
[Yes, Social Media Really Is Undermining DemocracyDespite what Meta has to say.The AtlanticJonathan Haidt](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/07/social-media-harm-facebook-meta-response/670975/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## The Difficult Read
Journalists love news. It's axomiatic, really. But our readers don't tend to love news as much as us. Our obsession with chronicling every detail of the rolling waves of crises over the past five or six years initially helped drive sales up — but is now becoming a problem.
We need to address this, but without abandoning our core mission.
[When tragedy becomes banal: Why news consumers experience crisis fatigueThe sensitivity involved in attending to crises can be a double-edged sword.Nieman LabRebecca Rozelle-Stone](https://www.niemanlab.org/2022/09/when-tragedy-becomes-banal-why-news-consumers-experience-crisis-fatigue/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## And finally…
1994's view of the internet…
[via Boing Boing](https://boingboing.net/2022/09/27/watch-the-bbc-try-to-explain-the-internet-in-1994.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
### Websites rising from the ashes
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/10/websites-rising-from-the-ashes/
Last updated: 2022-10-06T12:02:55.000Z
## Fast Company is back up
Last week, the tech business [site got hacked so hard](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/09/morning-coffee-reading-hacked-ignored-and-artificially-created/) that the publishers had to pull it down. After eight days, *Fast Company* and associated sites are finally back up, presumably having cleaned out their CMS database of any nasties left behind by the hackers, and hardened their systems.
Of note: they moved into “zero click” publishing — platform publishing — while the site was down:
> So last Wednesday, we began to publish new articles on various platforms, starting with LinkedIn (our first article: the scoop that Everette Taylor had been named Kickstarter’s new CEO), and then on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Medium. The following day, we launched Fast Company Daily, a LinkedIn newsletter that quickly reached 103,000 subscribers. When news broke that Elon Musk plans to buy Twitter after all, we covered it in real time via Twitter Spaces. It was all Fast Company, just not on our owned and operated site.
Will they build on that, or just revert to the way they were publishing before?
[Fast Company is back onlineThank you for your patience and understanding during our darkest week.Fast CompanySarah Lynch](https://www.fastcompany.com/90793062/fast-company-is-back-online?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## So is Kiwi Farms
So, remember all the pieces from a few weeks ago about how Kiwi Farms —the notorious site where its users obsessively cyberstalk and mock (“milk” in their parlance) “lolcows”, the internet micro celebs they find amusing — had been taken down by a concerted campaign spearheaded by Twitch stream Keffals?
Well, the site has been back up for the best part of a week. No, I'm not going to link it. If you really want to go there, you can find it yourself.
I find the lack of follow-up on this story rather disturbing, not least because many people will be happily assuming that the site is gone, while its users go on merrily doing their thing.
### Background reading
[‘It’s not that hard’: Does kicking Kiwi Farms off the internet prove tech firms can act against hate speech?The extent to which private companies should be held responsible for online content is a global issue yet to be resolvedThe GuardianJosh Taylor](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/sep/20/its-not-that-hard-does-kicking-kiwi-farms-off-the-internet-prove-tech-firms-can-act-against-hate-speech?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
This one, in particular, has not aged well…
[The End of Kiwi Farms, the Web’s Most Notorious Stalker SiteUsers harassed people for a decade. Then they messed with the wrong woman.WIREDCondé Nast](https://www.wired.com/story/keffals-kiwifarms-cloudflare-blocked-clara-sorrenti/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
😱
Shock of the week: [Facebook killing its newletter product](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/facebook-to-shutter-substack-rival-bulletin-by-early-2023-1235232884/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) by early next year.
Oh, wait, that's not a surprise, that's [entirely predictable](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/07/facebooks-long-slow-breakup-with-journalism-is-underway/).
## A more co-operative Canary
I wrote on Tuesday about the left-wing campaigning site *The Canary* reforming as a workers' co-operative:
[The Canary becomes a workers’ co-operativeThe politics site’s former management is gone, and the staff are now collectively running the title. Can they align their business model with their values?One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/10/the-canary-reforms-as-a-workers-collective/)
It's fair to say that some of its former leaders are not delighted…
> Just wanted to say thankyou for the private & public messages of support.
>
> I won’t be making public comment because I’ve done nothing but give my heart & soul to The Canary, at great personal cost.
>
> I’m proud of the fight & sad to be used as a fundraising stunt. But life goes on
>
> — Kerry-Anne Mendoza 🏳️🌈 (@TheMendozaWoman) [October 4, 2022](https://twitter.com/TheMendozaWoman/status/1577322707460521984?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## SEO Tips
[Ghost's new click analytics](https://ghost.org/changelog/newsletter-clicks/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) show that you lot just can't get enough SEO stories, so…
### Writing SEO heads in 2022: keeping them short, and don't stuff them with keywords
Handy little round-up of the shifts in the way Google respects or rewrites your SEO headline, based on how crappy it is…
[What should the title tag length be in 2023?Optimizing title tags is vital for boosting your visibility in Google’s SERPs. But you don’t have to worry about character limits. Here’s why.Search Engine LandSara Taher](https://searchengineland.com/title-tag-length-388468?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Image optimisation for search
This is handy, but I'd quibble with the first recommendation: smaller is no longer better on image size, given that Google Discover seems to favour larger, higher-quality images.
[How To Optimize Images for the WebDon’t let text get all the SEO love. Follow these optimizing tips so your images shine in the eyes of search engines. – Content Marketing InstituteContent Marketing InstituteIsaac Justesen](https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/articles/optimize-images-seo/?utm%5Fcampaign=UA-39227834-1&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter)
\[via [Kevin Anderson](https://www.getrevue.co/profile/kevglobal/issues/the-indy-s-a2k-anonymous-to-known-strategy-part-of-publishers-shift-from-scale-to-connection-plus-1392869?utm%5Fcampaign=Issue&utm%5Fcontent=view%5Fin%5Fbrowser&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Digital+Media+Products%2C+Strategy+and+Innovation)\]
## Quickies
- 🔎 [Spotify has acquired Kinzen](https://www.reuters.com/technology/spotify-acquires-firm-that-detects-harmful-content-2022-10-05/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), the Dublin-based company that's been working to identify misinformation. Kinzen was [founded by Áine Kerr and Mark Little](https://www.kinzen.com/company?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), who were two of the people behind the verification agency [Storyful](https://storyful.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🍿 It does look as if Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter might be back on. Both sides' lawyers are working to [wind down the court case](https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/6/23390603/elon-musk-twitter-deposition-delayed-negotiations-deal-acqusition?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 😵 Facebook offering [users options to tweak their news feed](https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-to-allow-users-to-customize-what-comes-into-their-timelines-11664979588?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). In other news, deckchairs being re-arranged on the Titanic…
- 📨 Substack has acquired [an email marketing startup](https://www.axios.com/2022/09/29/substack-acquires-yem?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), which helps authors grow their lists.
---
## 📚 I've got a book coming out… 📚
Late last year, and early this, I spent a lot of time chasing interviews with key chief marketing officers, from a huge range of businesses. Along with my [*NEXT Insights*](https://nextconf.eu/blog/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com#gref) collaborator, Martin Recke, we pulled together [a book](https://nextconf.eu/books/next-level-cmo/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) that I'm really very proud of. It's a beautiful object with some great information inside.
It's notionally a book about the way the chief marketing officer role has changed, but in reality, it's actually a book about the digital transformation of businesses.
Why, yes, you *should* pre-order it. Thanks for suggesting it!
#### NEXT Level CMO
A book about how business is changing, through the words of 22 CMOs on the cutting edge of the change.
[Pre-order on Amazon](https://amzn.to/3ehx3Qd?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## And Finally…
I feel very seen by this, as the young people say…
[The Six Stages of Having Too Many BooksWhat happens when a mere shelf will not do.The New YorkerCondé Nast](https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/the-six-stages-of-having-too-many-books?utm%5Fsource=nl&utm%5Fbrand=tny&utm%5Fmailing=TNY%5FHumor%5F100522&utm%5Fcampaign=aud-dev&utm%5Fmedium=email&bxid=5be9c67c2ddf9c72dc161e3b&cndid=52735577&esrc=bounceX&utm%5Fterm=TNY%5FHumor)
Receipts:
### The Canary becomes a flock: left-wing site reforms as a workers’ co-operative
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/10/the-canary-reforms-as-a-workers-collective/
Last updated: 2022-10-04T10:14:01.000Z
In a move that feels *incredibly* on-brand, left wing politics and news site *The Canary*’s editorial team have executed a coup, and taken over the title as a worker’s cooperative. From [their post announcing the move](https://www.thecanary.co/feature/2022/10/03/for-the-first-time-ever-the-canary-is-under-workers-control/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> The reason we’re still here is because we all believe in the need for a radical media that isn’t afraid to speak truth to power, amplify the voices of the oppressed, and envision a world beyond capitalism and the state. However, radical media needs to be a microcosm of the world in which we want to live. It needs to be worker-run and truly democratic.
> The bosses are gone! We are relaunching today as the Canary Workers' Co-op. Keep an eye out for updates throughout the day as we share the story of what came before, who we are now, and where we go from here.
>
> Get the full story at [https://t.co/CzUpNKnsEV](https://t.co/CzUpNKnsEV?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [#CanaryWorkersCoop](https://twitter.com/hashtag/CanaryWorkersCoop?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [pic.twitter.com/LsIQrHlMU4](https://t.co/LsIQrHlMU4?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Canary (@TheCanaryUK) [October 3, 2022](https://twitter.com/TheCanaryUK/status/1576914896213753857?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
They’ve run a series of posts examining the problems within their own organisation under the previous management which led to this move. [Some allegations](https://www.thecanary.co/featured/2022/10/03/weve-had-to-investigate-the-canarys-own-toxic-environment/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) are, well, eyebrow-raising:
> Not only was the Canary being run as a corporate capitalist entity with directors receiving far more in wages and benefits than other staff members, it was also being done incompetently, with potentially multiple breaches of companies law.
How did that management failure manifest? As *Press Gazette*’s Bron Maher [reported this morning](https://pressgazette.co.uk/canary-staff-overthrow-directors-co-op/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> The 15 staff now in control of the business say they have been left owing “tens of thousands of pounds in unpaid VAT” and £14,000 in employer’s national insurance payment liabilities.
## Managing a publication with sociocracy
So, how does a workers’ cooperative manage a news title?
> Because we’re registered as a cooperative within UK law, our primary rules need to be written in a certain way, and meet certain criteria. However, we want the way we operate in practice to mirror a deeper radicalism and militancy. As such, the way that the Canary operates as a co-op – and a sociocracy – will be an unfolding process defined by the decisions we make day to day as a collective. We will work hard to ensure that what we create is an empowering expression of our collective vision.
What, you may ask, is a sociocracy? [Here’s a definition](https://www.sociocracyforall.org/content/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> Sociocracy combines consent decision-making, a decentralized system of authority and intentional processes to improve our decisions and processes over time into a governance system that supports effective and efficient process while increasing connection, listening and co-creation among members.
And here’s a video explainer:
It’s one of a new breed of corporate management styles that eschew traditional hierarchies for other organising principles. For example, there’s also [holocracy](https://www.holacracy.org/explore?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), which was really popular about a decade ago.
## A canary in the alternative business model coal mine
Will this work? I have no idea. For this to work, they need to marry their internal reorganisation with a business model — presumably a better-run version of their existing membership approach — to deliver something that’s sustainable. That’s no easy task, especially with debts from the former management hanging over them.
But it’s interesting to see a media outlet adopting a management and ownership style that reflect its political ethos. And, even if you don’t share the site’s politics, it’s hard not to be excited by a brave and public move like this.
More power to them.
### A little respect (just a local bit)
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/10/a-little-respect-just-a-local-bit/
Last updated: 2022-10-03T14:25:57.000Z
## Don't diss local journos
There's a worrying tone developing in local politics in the UK. Back in the summer, Bristol Council started [banning local democracy reporters](https://www.nuj.org.uk/resource/bristol-city-council-bans-local-democracy-reporters-from-press-briefings.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) from its meetings. And now we have this:
[Councillors rebuked for insulting messages about hyperlocal news website editorA councillor has been told to apologise and another is facing formal censure after calling a journalist ‘pea-brained’ and ‘grubby.’Behind Local News UKBehind Local News](https://medium.com/behind-local-news-uk/councillors-rebuked-for-insulting-messages-about-hyperlocal-news-website-editor-52fe96614157?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
This growing feeling that politicians can openly disdain and dismiss those whose job it is to hold them to account is not a great sign for British democracy.
Something to keep an eye on…
---
## Will iOS16 make your iPhone a better journalistic tool?
Marc's now annual review of the journalism-relevant features in the new iPhone operating system is well worth your time. One to brew yourself a tea and kick back with.
[#53 What’s new and useful in iOS 16? (by Marc Blank-Settle)Preface Last year, I hosted for the first time an article on this blog that wasn’t written by myself but by BBC Academy mobile journalism (“MoJo”) trainer Marc Blank-Settle whom I…smartfilmingFR](https://smartfilming.blog/2022/10/02/53-whats-new-and-useful-in-ios-16-by-marc-blank-settle/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
🤐
Today's recommended phrase to block on Twitter: [MSM](https://twitter.com/adders/status/1576854939808444416?s=21&t=ew63se6Po6kvffuzNRuuiQ&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Have you ever seen it used positively? *Exactly*.
## A rough September for SEO
Here's a good round-up of news SEO developments from Barry Adams. The visibility hits taken by news publishers is one to watch, in particular. It looks consequential, and it's something I'm hoping to come back to later in the week:
[The Latest Developments in News SEOInstead of the usual single-topic exploration, this SfGN edition is a roundup of recent developments and interesting content.SEO for Google NewsBarry Adams](https://www.seoforgooglenews.com/p/news-seo-latest-developments-sept22?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
I'm glad I'm not running SEO at *Mail Online*, though:
😱
📷
Forgot to share this last week: here's some [images from my time in Hamburg](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/09/images-of-hamburg/) — my first trip overseas since the pandemic begain…
## Quickies
- 💃🏻 What [publishers can learn from the creator economy](https://digitalcontentnext.org/blog/2022/09/29/what-publishers-can-learn-from-the-creator-economy/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — it's a huge, free R&D lab, basically.
- 🎤 Getting [attention for a new podcast](https://voices.media/we-need-to-talk-about-podcast-listener-numbers/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) is hard. The attention economy is everywhere, folks.
- 🔎 More SEO: here's a [good explanation of the “Core Web Vitals” thing](https://rjionline.org/news/making-sense-of-your-core-web-vitals/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) your SEO team or audience editor might be getting worked up about…
- ✉️ [Five things you should include inna newsletter](https://whatsnewinpublishing.com/publishers-5-things-you-should-always-include-in-a-newsletter/?utm%5Fcampaign=UA-39227834-1&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter) — all pretty straightforward, but amazing how many people forget the basics.
- 🏎 Axios has a “[30 seconds to win the reader's attention](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/how-axios-is-reinventing-text-journalism-with-smart-brevity-/s2/a966845/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)” axiom. Personally, I think more about the first 10 seconds. Maybe “10 seconds to win it, and 20 seconds to keep it”? However you slice it, we need to pay more attention to the reader experience as soon as people land on a page, or open an email.
---
## Job Alert
> 🚨 back at it again! insider is hiring for its january intake of fellows! if social media is your thing, come work with me in the uk!
>
> weekdays (mon-fri): [https://t.co/OJ77iXxzwD](https://t.co/OJ77iXxzwD?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
> weekends (thurs-mon): [https://t.co/DFmoUNR07H](https://t.co/DFmoUNR07H?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> spread the word, and dm for any questions! [#journojobs](https://twitter.com/hashtag/journojobs?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Pavan Mahal (@pavan\_mahal) [October 3, 2022](https://twitter.com/pavan%5Fmahal/status/1576877148593213440?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## And Finally…
Now, *this* is how you write an announcement that your print newspaper now has a page-turner digital edition:
[A newspaper – without the ink | From the editorGet the Advance, The Times Book Review and Washington Post WeeklysiliveBrian J. Laline | lalinesiadvance.com](https://www.silive.com/news/2022/10/a-newspaper-without-the-ink-from-the-editor.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Morning Coffee: hacked, ignored and artificially created…
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/09/morning-coffee-reading-hacked-ignored-and-artificially-created/
Last updated: 2022-09-29T10:14:57.000Z
## Fast Company gets hacked — and makes Apple News racist
Oh, this isn't a tweet anyone wants to send — or be the subject of:
> An incredibly offensive alert was sent by Fast Company, which has been hacked. Apple News has disabled their channel.
>
> — Apple News (@AppleNews) [September 28, 2022](https://twitter.com/AppleNews/status/1574935109630918661?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Yes, somebody managed to hack into *Fast Company*'s Apple News account. A few minutes later, the title sent their own tweet on it:
> We are investigating the situation and have suspended the feed & shutdown [https://t.co/U9iS8QOhkW](https://t.co/U9iS8QOhkW?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) until we are certain the situation has been resolved.
>
> — Fast Company (@FastCompany) [September 28, 2022](https://twitter.com/FastCompany/status/1574938173708201985?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
That first tweet seems to be slightly inaccurate. [As *MacRumors* reports](https://www.macrumors.com/2022/09/28/apple-news-offensive-alerts-fast-company-hack/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), the whole website was compromised (as, indeed, the second tweet in the thread implies):
> Before it disappeared, **Fast Company*'s website included a message from the hackers "postpixel" in which they described how they had been able to execute the attack by infiltrating **Fast Company*'s WordPress back-end, and ridiculed the publication's efforts to secure its publishing tools and administrator portal.
Another reminder that *any* system that you use to publish to a high volume of people is a potential target of hackers, and you need to be really careful about security. And WordPress, in particular, is a target, because it's so widely used that it's worth figuring out its vulnerabilities. People's reliance on plugins and themes to make it operate the way they want it to can also introduce so many extra vulnerabilities. The core of WordPress tends to be fair secure. It's the bad add-on choices you make that put you at risk.
At the time of writing the *FastCompany* website is still down and showing this message:
A notice on the Fast Company website after it was hacked.
Nobody can really afford to lose over 24 hours of traffic, can then?
---
## Parse.ly gets to the bottom of your traffic
Anyone who has been on one of [my analytics courses](https://www.journalism.co.uk/vocational-skills-study/analytics-for-journalists/s43/a555836/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) knows how much I value the bottom end of the traffic figures. Knowing what content *isn't* working is so useful — but is pretty hard to find out in most packages. And that makes this [great news](https://www.parse.ly/help/kb/bottom-listings-report?utm%5Fsource=onemanandhisblog) for Parse.ly users:
> The Bottom Listings Report shows a list of potentially underperforming posts. It can be repeated (weekly, daily, monthly) or generated once, in either HTML format or PDF format, which is the same as any other report in the Parse.ly dashboard.
The analytics package can now deliver scheduled reports on under-performing content on a schedule you choose. Such a great opportunity to revise, improve and — most importantly — learn from what went wrong.
---
## A few Google announcements
Some things to keep an eye on in here:
- Discussions and forums being pulled out as a separate listing item
- More focus on visual content
- In particular, the auto-translation of local and international news is *very* interesting.
[10 biggest announcements from Google Search On 22Here’s a recap of the biggest updates from Google Search On 2022 event, including Multisearch, Lens, autocomplete, search filters and more.Search Engine LandBarry Schwartz](https://searchengineland.com/google-search-on-22-recap-388296?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## The AI-powered creative
[Kris Kashtanova](https://www.kris.art/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) is a graduate of the journalism BA at City whom I had the pleasure to teach a few years ago, and is one of the most talented creatives I know. They shot a bunch of excellent headshots for me, which remained my defaults for years until I aged beyond the images, alas.
They've now gone one step further, creating an entire graphic novel whose art was generated in [Midjourney](https://www.midjourney.com/home/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), one of the new breed of AI image generators. And Kris has successfully obtained copyright on it:
[Artist receives first known US copyright registration for latent diffusion AI artRegistration of AI-assisted comic comes amid fierce online debate about AI art ethics.Ars TechnicaBenj Edwards](https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/09/artist-receives-first-known-us-copyright-registration-for-generative-ai-art/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
This field is moving forward at an incredible pace. I was lucky enough to catch an interview with the creator of another AI system, Stable Diffusion, while I was at [NEXT in Hamburg](https://nextconf.eu/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) last week:
[AI: the future of creativity? - NEXT ConferenceAI-generated art and text are exploding in use — and quality. What does this mean for the future of artists and creativity? The NEXT Creative Stage explored this…NEXT ConferenceAdam Tinworth](https://nextconf.eu/2022/09/ai-the-future-of-creativity/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Are there ethical issues? Yes. Is this tech going away? No.
### Images of Hamburg
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/09/images-of-hamburg/
Last updated: 2022-09-29T12:34:23.000Z
I used to share a lot of photos on this blog. I'd like to get back into that habit, so here's a whole bunch of images for my first trip overseas since the pandemic.
## Arrival in Hamburg
In 2019, I took my last flight for three years. It was a quick, almost routine hop back from Hamburg after NEXT19\. The only significance I attached to the flight was the fact that it might be the last time I could use the EU queue at passport control.
And then the pandemic hit.
Three years later, I flew back to Hamburg, by first flight in three years. While NEXT21 did happen, the numbers were severly restricted, so I did my live coverage remotely. But, this time I was back in Hamburg. And it felt great to be back in another country after so long. I took the time to wander through the centre of Hamburg once I'd checked in.
Arrival: 21st September
## NEXT22: Day 1
Up an at ’em early: registration opened at 7.30am, and I wanted to get there good and early to snag a perfect liveblogging position. I walked with my camera out, just to make the most of the experience of *finally* being in another country.
Day 1: 22nd September
Despite a pretty full-on day of blogging, I still had some energy left at the end of the day, so grabbed a few more images while on the walk home, through the Reeperbahn Festival, which was just getting going in the early evening.
Day 1: Evening
## NEXT22: Day 2
A full-on day. Eight separate posts about talks from the main stage, as well as a session that Martin and I co-hosted, about our new book *[Next Level CMO](https://amzn.to/3CsYL69?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)*. No wonder I didn't have much time for photography.
Day 2: 23rd September
### What happened to a quiet summer?
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/09/what-happened-to-a-quiet-summer/
Last updated: 2022-09-05T13:47:50.000Z
Today is a real “back to school” day. It's literally so for my daughters, who went off to start year 3 and year 6 this morning. And it's figuratively so for me, as I've got my first full working day for a long time.
My eldest enjoying the campfire.
We're just back from a lovely week camping in the woods — with even less internet access [than our earlier trip](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/08/newsletters-and-other-decades-long-overnight-success-stories/). So, yes, this is another catch-up thread. The summer really has failed to live up to the old “silly season” moniker — there's been plenty happening while many of us have been desperately trying to escape our screens…
*(Summer holidays: a period of time when parents try to escape screens, and children try to get time on them.)*
Hang on to your hats, folks. We'll be looking at some interesting moves in local news, SEO, Twitter and more.
## Putting the “local” in local news
There's so many bad stories about local news in the UK that I rarely bother to link to them any more. At some point, I'll gather them together and write something longer, but at the heart of my thoughts is that there's still too much “doing journalism” and not enough “doing journalism that people *really* care about”. Here's Ian Carter making exactly that point:
> We are getting the best response from the stories that involve detailed reporting on the issues that really matter to people, ideally offering solutions and conclusions.
Don't focus on abstract news values: focus on what people really need in their daily lives.
[Being betterI was reading the memoirs of former Q editor Ted Kessler on holiday when I stumbled across a passage that had me nodding so vigorously that the woman on the adjacent sun lounger must have thought I…Ian Carter blogiancarterblog](https://iancarterblog.wordpress.com/2022/09/01/being-better/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
In the meantime, the picture looks grim for a lot of the regional press. Reach's journalists have been on strike, and the cost-of-living crisis has been making their salaries inadequate:
_This post is for subscribers only._
### Some helpful content for you
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/08/some-helpful-content-for-you/
Last updated: 2022-08-25T21:32:31.000Z
It's one of those scary days on the web for journalists and publishers — Google is rolling out a major new update. The Helpful Content update (I miss the days when Google gave major updates cutesy names like “Panda” or “Hummingbird”) started rolling out this morning, and will take around two weeks to fully implement.
I've written some initial thoughts about [how to cope](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/08/major-google-update-incoming-the-helpful-content-update-is-imminent/), and what to watch, and will write more about it when we know more about how it's impacting publishers.
Do bear in mind that we won't know its true impact for some weeks, because Google will be constantly tweaking it as it rolls it out. These sorts of updates always have some unexpected side-effects that the search giant will be trying to correct as quickly as possible. That might be why they've chosen to roll it out in what's the dog days of summer for many of us in the English-speaking world. By the time traffic picks up again in the autumn, they should have it sorted and working well.
🤞🏻
_This post is for subscribers only._
### Substack’s hard yards: building a business when the cash dries up
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/08/substacks-growing-pains/
Last updated: 2022-08-23T18:36:39.000Z
Substack’s at the centre of controversy again. The free speech promoting newsletter service has often been the centre of storms but, for once, it’s not about the culture war issues, which have [dogged the platform](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/05/substacks-founders-dive-headfirst-into-the-culture-wars?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) for over a year now. No, it’s about how they behave towards people who leave the platform.
The newsletter [*Forever Wars*](https://foreverwars.ghost.io/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), mostly written by Spencer Ackerman, which had recently switched from Substack to Ghost, revealed that Substack had fired its copy editor from his other contracts with Substack writers:
> In July, Spencer took this blog off Substack immediately after his contract with the newsletter company expired. He explained his decision in what can only be reasonably described as a mild post, which I edited, [here](https://foreverwars.ghost.io/forever-wars-off-substack-on-ghost/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Substack responded by ending my contract to edit their other freelance writers, telling me, in writing, that they were doing so because of Spencer’s explanation. Twice.
It’s fair to say that the tweet by Sam Theilman, the editor in question and author of the piece, did #numbers:
The emails he provided as receipts are quite something:
> [pic.twitter.com/o9ZufdWDLR](https://t.co/o9ZufdWDLR?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — CHOAM Nomsky (@samthielman) [August 15, 2022](https://twitter.com/samthielman/status/1559295377412706304?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Tough times for VC-funded businesses
Now, after a day or so of relentlessly negative publicity, Substack did backpedal:
Despite this, the crappy decision will have a lasting PR impact for the company. And the fact that they made this poor and rather petty call may well be indicative of a business suddenly finding itself under stress for the first time. We’re all more snappy when we’re stressed.
These will be difficult times for Substack and, indeed, all content subscription businesses. They lack the venture capital money runway they had a year ago, and getting people to pay for subscriptions is going to be hard with inflation raging. The cost of living taking a dramatic turn towards the “oh, fuck” end of the scale just adds to the challenges.
We already knew that Substack has had to tighten its belt, through a lack of available VC funding. It [laid off staff](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/29/business/media/substack-layoffs.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and its prominent comms person is on her way out of the door:
And, more quietly, some of its big initiatives from the last couple of years are being quietly wound up. For example, their [health offer for US writers](https://substack.com/health?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) is gone:
> I am grateful that Substack offered me a healthcare subsidy for the last 2 years as I launched my Substack. Last week, they announced they were cutting the program to focus on "other projects."
>
> — Anne Helen Petersen (@annehelen) [August 11, 2022](https://twitter.com/annehelen/status/1557866013563166724?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
In these financially straightened times, we should expect to see far fewer big, flashy initiatives from the platform. Which means less buzz around the brand.
## No longer comics’ superpower
Indeed, many of the creator funding initiatives they launched — with that now-scarce VC money — are now coming to an end. Their big expansion into comics is now in its make-or-break phase. As [*Bleeding Cool*’s Rich Johnson reports](https://bleedingcool.com/comics/chip-zdarskys-substack-year-two-plans-are-reduced-fees-no-founders/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> As the initial Substack Pro comic book creators hit the second year of their subscription deals, they no longer get a grant from Substack, instead, they get 90% of their subscription fees. Some are doubling down, some are going all free, some are dropping the highest premium level, some are reducing costs.
Now, many of the creators they attracted to the initiative already had big names and significant followings themselves. They’ll be fine. But more and more Substack looks like a place where people who have existing big names can go independent, rather than a place where newcomers can make a sustainable business.
And nothing makes that clearer than the quiet end of the Substack Local initiative.
## Whatever happened to Substack Local?
16 months ago, Substack announced it would help save local news with a program called Substack Local. They invited applications from local news startups, offering grants and editorial mentoring — largely from people who had no experience of local journalism, as [I noted at the time](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/04/six-thoughts-about-the-substack-local-initiative/).
Of the [12 Substack Local winners](https://on.substack.com/p/announcing-the-winners-of-substack), which were announced back in June 2021, two have closed down already. For example, Sarah Baird’s [*Goldenrod* wound up last month](https://thegoldenrod.substack.com/p/hail-and-farewell-from-the-goldenrod):
> After all this, though, I’ve made the decision to close up shop—and the why is pretty easy to guess. (Hint: it’s funding.) Despite a very robust number of free subscribers, our paid subscriber list never even came close to the level necessary to sustain the full-time (and then some) work that goes into making The Goldenrod, and the start-up capital allotted through the Substack Local program isn’t being renewed.
[*Paulicéia* has also shuttered](https://pauliceia.substack.com/p/pauliceia-carta-final-da-editora). A few others appear to be on life support, punishing [only a couple of times a month](https://westafricaweekly.substack.com/p/flutterwave-the-african-unicorn-built) — [or less](https://theatlantaobjective.substack.com/p/why-we-cant-have-nice-things). And, as [The Fine Print reported last month](https://thefineprintnyc.com/article/what-went-wrong-with-substack-local/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), even the most successful are still struggling:
> They’re making up the difference with side hustles. “I clean pools,” said Stephenson. “I used to do it when I was a kid and then I always used to joke that I was going to quit journalism and go back to cleaning pools, because the pay is better and the stress is less. And then, I started actually doing it just as a side gig and now I’ve got enough pools that it keeps me busy one day a week, and I’m trying to grow that and hire somebody out eventually.”
This isn’t sustainable local journalism, and so far the initiative doesn’t seem to have had a break-out success. Clearly, more needs to be done to help readers become paying subscribers. And, to be fair, the platform does seem to be working on that.
## The community play: Substack threads
Substack's new threads community feature
In among the kerfuffle about *Forever Wars*, Substack start piloting [a new community feature](https://on.substack.com/p/threads-pilot):
> With Threads, we hope to make it simpler than ever to connect with the people who care the most about your work—all in an intimate, controlled, and private space. You can interact casually with subscribers and cultivate a vibrant paid community without having to compete in a news feed algorithmically optimized for engagement.
Now, this is a *great* feature for community development. People have been already doing something like this by, for example, bringing their subscribers into exclusive Discord servers. [Sidechannel](https://www.platformer.news/p/announcing-sidechannel-a-new-community?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), set up by a bunch of prominent early Substackers, is the best example of this. Now people can have that sort of community without any extra effort. Or, indeed, any technical know-how. That, after all, is the promise of Substack, it’s a subscription technology stack that hides all the complexity from the writer, allowing them to get on with creating.
This idea extends that to community hosting. However, there are two *really* big drawbacks:
- It creates lock-in. If you leave Substack and migrate to another newsletter platform, you have to find some way of replicating that community experience.
- At the scale of community you need to make a Substack publication profitable, you’re probably going to need community management expertise to keep that community healthy. A platform alone is not enough — you require the skill. At least one successfully Substack writer has had to [keep turning off comments](https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/p/comments-are-off-for-one-month).
Community management is a definite skill set and it doesn’t always overlap with the skills needed to build a thriving content business. If you’re going to build a business that mixes content and community, you better be certain your community management skills are good enough to carry you through until you pay for a dedicated community management person.
This is the fundamental challenge for Substack. All they can deliver now is the platform. You need to bring the editorial, commercial, and community skills to make it all work. And that’s a rare combination to find in one person. And the Substacks that are making enough to support three people are even rarer.
Perhaps one of the things that’s most worrying about the abrupt firing of Theilman is that it makes some emergent jobs around newsletter platforms look precarious. You could share individuals with editing, commercial and community skills with other creators. Substack could facilitate that. News like this will make people think twice.
## The platform game
That said, despite the drawbacks of threads, adding new features is generally good, and there’s always some feature loss when you swap platforms. No platform is perfect in that regard. For example, the platform I use to publish OM&HB, Ghost, has just [launched native comments](https://ghost.org/changelog/native-comments/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). That’s exciting — but there’s no import or export currently, so there’s no way to take the comments with me if I ever leave Ghost.
But what is great is that there is plenty of competition in this space. There’s Substack, there’s Ghost, and there are other challenger platforms emerging like [Beehiiv](https://www.beehiiv.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and I’m sure there are others out there. And that’s why the behaviour the Substack team showed over the departure of *Forever Wars* is so damaging.
We have multiple different platforms competing for what will be a finite pool of profitable creators. Some creators will switch around, or even, as Isabelle Roughol put it, [”boomerang” between platforms](https://twitter.com/iroughol/status/1559541199974924289?s=21&t=us%5FHDEz953%5FPtdpM5wWB2g&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), as *Exponential View* just did, [returning to Substack after a year on Ghost](https://www.exponentialview.co/p/announcement-move-2022?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> Ultimately, EV was doing well but we were wasting time tweaking an open-source publishing platform to our needs. So we knew we needed to move. When that time came, we evaluated several alternatives. Substack came out on top, first and foremost, because the product rocks. And rocking products always have committed teams behind them.
### Books on Substack
The publishing world could do with a sustainable, profitable Substack. And I don’t just mean journalism. We’ve mentioned comics above, but now we have some authors choosing it as a way of publishing their book with reader support. [Ted Gioia is just the latest](https://tedgioia.substack.com/p/10-reasons-why-im-publishing-my-next):
> So I’ve decided to publish my next book on Substack. Maybe I’ll later do a deal with a traditional publisher to issue physical books, but I’ll worry about that in good time. (That’s the downstream stuff and, blessedly, I can defer all that for now). My subscribers will receive the book in installments. And I will continue to do lots of other articles too—so this is a plus for them.
And the more people who do this and succeed, the more interested others get. [As Alan Jacobs put it](https://blog.ayjay.org/the-publishing-monoculture/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> I tell you, Ted’s post makes me fret — and not for the first time — about all the money I might be leaving on the table by not moving to Substack.
### Musicians on Substack
And it’s not just the writers. As *The Guardian* reported, [musicians are getting in on the act](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/aug/18/in-the-streaming-era-substack-helps-indie-rockers-pay-the-bills-can-it-last?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), too:
> Morby is among a growing number of mostly indie rock artists who’ve joined Substack in the past two years: headliners include Patti Smith, Jeff Tweedy, Perfume Genius’s Mike Hadreas, Neko Case, Tegan and Sara, Thao Nguyen, Incubus’s Brandon Boyd, and The Decemberists’ Colin Malloy. Each of these musicians now essentially serves as the editor-in-chief of a niche online publication about themselves.
Of course, Substack didn’t create this phenomenon. Patreon has allowed direct support of artists for a decade now. But it does mean that the platform has plenty of different creator groups to keep happy — just as things get so very much harder for it.
## Substack’s growing pains
The [collapse in tech stocks](https://www.ft.com/content/00f6f7de-3d84-419f-bd05-07583a3345c7?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), the [paucity of venture funding](https://sifted.eu/articles/tech-downturn-european-startups-2022-h1/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) and the [general downturn in the global economy](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-23/chip-sales-set-to-ease-further-as-global-recession-fears-mount?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) are going to make the next couple of years hard for Substack. It’s not going to have the same level of cash to subsidise new creators on the platform, and that means it’ll be harder to generate the same sort of buzz that they’ve profited from in the past.
The steady drip of Substack exits heading for other platforms is both raising awareness of those competitors, and making the newsletter renaissance seem less like a Substack-centric phenomenon. Subscribers will be tightening their belts, and some creators will see their incomes start to trend downwards.
These are the hard yards for Substack, and their brash, upbeat and often arrogant online voice will have to change with them. Maybe a new head comms person will help. Or perhaps there’s an arrogance baked into the culture that will be difficult to shift. The Theilman shambles certainly shows that to be a possibility.
I suspect either a leaner, tighter and more focused Substack will emerge from the current crisis — or one led by different leaders. Certainly, if I were one of the funders supporting the site, I’d be looking at this [unforced PR error](https://boingboing.net/2022/08/16/substack-fires-editor-in-retaliation-for-working-with-high-profile-writer-who-switched-to-rival-ghost.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) with a worried eye. Either way, I hope it survives the turbulent period ahead.
### Major Google update incoming: the helpful content update is imminent
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/08/major-google-update-incoming-the-helpful-content-update-is-imminent/
Last updated: 2022-08-19T13:27:43.000Z
Hang on to your hats, folks: we have a big content-centric update to Google coming our way. The search giant has just announced the [helpful content update](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2022/08/helpful-content-update?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and will be rolling it out the week commencing 22nd August. That gives you, well, days to prepare.
So, should you be worried? What’s this update trying to do? Here’s the key paragraph in Google’s announcement:
> The helpful content update aims to better reward content where visitors feel they've had a satisfying experience, while content that doesn't meet a visitor's expectations won't perform as well.
But what does that *actually* mean?
### Writing content for search, not for people, is bad, m’kay?
*Search Engine Land* [summed it up well](https://searchengineland.com/googles-new-helpful-content-update-targets-sites-creating-content-for-search-engines-first-387237?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> Content written for the purpose of ranking in search engines – what you might call “search engine-first content” or “SEO content,” has been frequently written about lately and discussed across social media. In short, searchers are getting frustrated when they land on unhelpful webpages that rank well in search because they were designed to rank well.
In short: Google is trying (again) to penalise pages that look useful, but aren’t.
> Next week, we will launch the “helpful content update” to better ensure people see more original, helpful content written by people, for people, rather than content made primarily for search engine traffic. Learn more & advice creators should consider: [https://t.co/fgf2TPNIqD](https://t.co/fgf2TPNIqD?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [pic.twitter.com/xOuX2iVk2d](https://t.co/xOuX2iVk2d?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Google Search Central (@googlesearchc) [August 18, 2022](https://twitter.com/googlesearchc/status/1560296241212301312?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Building useful pages with search in mind
If Google gets this right — and that’s not always guaranteed — this shouldn’t have an impact on most journalism businesses, simply because few of them actually write SEO-first content.
People often use what I call the “pixie dust” model of SEO, that looks like this:
The "pixie dust" approach to SEO
I try to guide people towards the audience strategy model:
The audience-first approach to SEO
What this update is trying to do is minimise the success of content that’s generated this way:
Danger Will Journalist! Danger!
The more often you’ve generated content strictly on the say so of an SEO advisor, based on their keyword research (if they’re behind the curve) or intent research (if they’re suing this decade’s techniques…), the more exposed you are to this update.
Here’s the problem, though: Google typically doesn’t get things right first time out with these sorts of algorithm changes. And if you’re about to be collateral damage, you need to know as soon as possible.
## Advice: monitor your search traffic for the next month
Here are some steps to take:
- August is an odd month for traffic for many titles. Look at your average weekly traffic for the final half of the month over the last few years. That’s good reference information.
- Early next week, look for notable declines in search traffic compared with this week, and last week. That’s going to be a danger sign.
- Set up a watchlist of pages that have high volumes of search traffic, but low time on page: these are good candidates for pages that could be panellised under this. If any of them see precipitous declines in traffic, then you might well be being hit.
Honestly, I suspect most people reading this will be just fine. And, indeed, some of you might see traffic increases, as deceptive competitors are weeded out.
But if something’s niggling at the back of your head, if you’ve been writing content for search that doesn’t seem to have much reader value, if you’ve been commissioning pieces based on keywords rather than editorial values…
…well, you could be in for a bumpy ride.
### Worth noting:
A couple of other things to note:
- The helpful content update is in English only initially. If you write in other languages, you can afford to watch and see how it plays out in the English-speaking world.
- Google will be iterating on the update in the coming months, so you’ll need to keep monitoring things.
### Newsletters and other decades-long overnight success stories
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/08/newsletters-and-other-decades-long-overnight-success-stories/
Last updated: 2022-08-16T13:13:45.000Z
I'm back after a very pleasant couple of weeks largely away from digital devices, and feeling so much better for it. More on that later on, should you care, because I have a couple of things I want to draw your attention to first:
## One man on a podcast
Just before I scurried away on my holiday, Charlotte Henry was kind enough to invite me on her podcast to discuss [Facebook's break-up with journalism](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/07/facebooks-long-slow-breakup-with-journalism-is-underway/), which I wrote about a couple of weeks ago here.
You can enjoy me in audio format here:
[Facebook And News Breakup. Again.Listen now (38 min) | Will Facebook’s move away from news be permanent this time?The AdditionCharlotte Henry](https://theaddition.substack.com/p/facebook-and-news-breakup-again#details)
It was an interesting chat, which strayed into talking about Apple News+, which Charlotte went on to explore in another post:
[What’s Next For Apple News?Big tech is trying to sort its relationships with publishers.The AdditionCharlotte Henry](https://theaddition.substack.com/p/whats-next-for-apple-news)
## Inkcap Journal: a mini niche media business in development
I'm one of the judges of the [*Press Gazette* Future of Media awards](https://awards.futureofmedia.co.uk/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) this year. Among the categories I'm judging is the newsletter of the year, and an entry we shortlisted has been profiled by the team:
[How nature newsletter Inkcap Journal nurtured a 70% open rateLong-form nature publication Inkcap Journal sprouted in response to a lack of opportunities for environmental feature writing in the UK compared to the US.Press GazetteTwitter](https://pressgazette.co.uk/inkcap-journal/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
If you're interested in nature and the environment, *[Inkcap Journal ](https://www.inkcapjournal.co.uk/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)*[is a great subscribe](https://www.inkcapjournal.co.uk/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). (It's run on [Ghost](https://ghost.org/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), just like this site.)
I was initially disappointed to see the *FT*'s Stephen Bush appear to have a pop at it in a poorly worded tweet, which he then deleted. I'm a great admirer of both *Inkcap* and Stephen's work, so it's not pleasant to see them apparently at odds…
> Well, this is a fairly cynical take on a publication I set up at the start of a pandemic and have built through eight months of pregnancy while also freelancing, with no external funding until a few months ago. 🤷♀️ [https://t.co/JdavpCeRJy](https://t.co/JdavpCeRJy?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Sophie Yeo (@some\_yeo) [August 15, 2022](https://twitter.com/some%5Fyeo/status/1559117974145216512?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
To his credit, Stephen realised that he'd worded the tweet badly, deleted it, and tried again to make the point rather clearer. Here's the revised version:
> This is a newsletter that has got people to pay for it without having a legacy media behind it or a big name, yet PG thinks that its open rate (which I could tell you, without having to click, is down to its list size) is the story here. [https://t.co/opLkzWn4II](https://t.co/opLkzWn4II?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Stephen Bush (@stephenkb) [August 15, 2022](https://twitter.com/stephenkb/status/1559125832769146880?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
He actually explained his point better in a reply to the now-deleted tweet, though:
> It's such 'the Internet? What's that?' reporting to see a new, non-legacy media, non-bigname writer newsletter that has managed to get 600 people to \*pay\* for it and to pull out literally its least revealing stat for the write-up.
>
> — Stephen Bush (@stephenkb) [August 15, 2022](https://twitter.com/stephenkb/status/1559123905788403712?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
And, well, he has a point, doesn't he? My judging notes for another category in the awards actually contain the phrase “the late 2000s called, they want their innovation strategy back”. One of the reasons that *Inkcap Journal* made the shortlist was that it's clearly a nascent niche media business that is successfully persuading people to part with their cash, with no major company or high-profile online presence to use as a launchpad.
It is literally *a* future of media being created, and so makes perfect sense in the context of the awards.
But it's worth *also* remembering that email newsletters are over three decades old at this point. In the late 90s and early 2000s, the business magazine I worked for at the time was getting a large chunk of its traffic from the two daily newsletters it sent out.
This is a *regenerating format*, not a new one…
Digital is no longer anything new. We have well over a quarter of a century of doing things in online formats, and some early lessons learned still have value. Treating everything as *new* and *exciting* all the time tends to play down the role of experience, iteration and a stubborn adherence to quality in building lasting, profitable digital products.
---
## The Personal Bit
I'm a much more chilled person than I was when I last put finger to keyboard.
I've just been on an enforced digital detox for the past couple of weeks, which was the perfect antidote to a hectic late spring and early summer. My wife has an uncanny ability to pick campsites with little to no connectivity (notional wifi that doesn't actually work, no mobile phone signal to speak of…). While it's stressful at first, it soon becomes something of a balm to the soul.
Even though we're back home, work's going to be a bit irregular for the next few weeks. As the self-employed half of a couple with primary-school age children, I'm shouldering the majority of the childcare until the schools go back.
However, I have some news to share shortly which will change that dynamic a little by next summer, if all goes to plan. But more on that in a future post…
---
When you discover that a neighbouring town to your home has apparently moved to the Isle of Wight.
### Facebook’s long, slow breakup with journalism is underway
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/07/facebooks-long-slow-breakup-with-journalism-is-underway/
Last updated: 2024-09-30T15:44:38.000Z
To anyone who has been paying attention, the latest “bombshell” from Facebook about its relationship with journalism shouldn’t be a surprise. It’s been advancing on us for four or five years, and it’s finally here, [as the *WSJ* reported](https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-shifts-resources-from-news-tab-and-bulletin-to-focus-on-creator-economy-11658250433?utm%5Fsource=substack&utm%5Fmedium=email):
> Meta Platforms Inc.’s Facebook is reallocating resources from its Facebook News tab and newsletter platform Bulletin, as the company focuses more on the creator economy, senior executive Campbell Brown told employees in a memo.
So, Facebook clearly no longer sees Substack as a threat, so its [newsletter platform](https://www.bulletin.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) is heading for mothballs, barely a year after [its launch](https://about.fb.com/news/2021/06/introducing-bulletin-a-platform-for-independent-writers/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). (Has anyone actually ever read or subscribed to a Bulletin newsletter?)
Campbell Brown is a former journalist and long-term head of the company’s media partnerships team (see [posts *passim*](https://onemanandhisblog.com/tags/campbell-brown/)). As the *WSJ* piece makes clear, this was a decision above her pay grade:
> The decision was made at the product level, not by the partnerships team that Ms. Brown is a part of, according to a person familiar with the matter.
At a corporate level, Meta has finally decided that journalism is more trouble than it’s worth.
## This has been a toxic relationship for too long
Back in 2018 I wrote a long, long piece about the [clear evidence that the relationship between Facebook and news publishers](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2018/02/facebook-never-loved-journalism-time-break/) was, at very best, a marriage of convenience. Publishers needed the traffic hose from Facebook, but never truly liked or trusted it. And Facebook had seen news as increasingly troublesome since it was hauled over the coals for its role in the electoral shocks of 2016.
The signs have all been there that this was coming. Meta has been less than enthused about [renewing Facebook News deals](https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-rethinks-news-deals-and-publishers-stand-to-lose-millions-in-payments-11654812251?mod=article%5Finline&ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Referrals from Facebook are [on their way downwards](https://www.adweek.com/media/facebook-traffic-publishers-changed/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
### Hunting for attention in all the wrong places
Meta is just going where the attention is — and where the competition lurks. Facebook pretty much owns the market for angry middle-aged people arguing over news stories in groups. It doesn’t need to devote any more time to that because it’s got a big enough moderation issue on its hands already.
No, its problem is the younger folks, the folks who don’t want to go “where their racist uncle is” as one student put it to me, and who consume increasing volumes of content in video. They’re not on Facebook, and Meta needs to get them back onto its products — with Instagram the focus of that work.
There are some potentially serious consequences for this shift of focus. The Meta money tap might well get turned off. We could well see some projects funded by Facebook suddenly find themselves without income, including [high-level revenue work being done by WAN-IFRA](https://wan-ifra.org/2021/09/how-three-publishers-leveraged-the-funnel-to-grow-reader-revenue/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) and other organisations. I’d be feeling a little nervous about the future of the scheme where [Meta funds local journalism training](https://www.facebook.com/formedia/blog/community-news-project-expands-100-reporters), too.
## Broken Trust
Lucy's dress is even the correct colour for Facebook…
MG Siegler makes the obvious point that most publishers seem to miss: Facebook keeps [pulling this bait-and-switch on us](https://mgs.blog/good-grief-publishers-d08a1fc9bef8?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> Publishers: when Facebook approaches you to sign on to a new service they’re launching to “help” you, ****do not sign up**. At best, it will be a huge waste of time. At worst, it will actually damage your business.
Do you think we might learn the lesson this time?
## What you should do about this
This doesn’t mean, however, that we can strike Facebook from our audience strategies, though. It’s still worth taking the time to make sure you’ve got great Open Graph data for a story you think has potential on Facebook (that’s largely the headline and lead photo). Why? Well, so that if others share your content, you’ll do well out of it. And Groups remain the principal source of activity on the platform, and are well worth exploring.
But in the medium term, getting your social video skills up to speed, through training, experimentation — or hiring talent — is likely to become ever more important to getting attention from Meta’s existing platforms. Meta’s own focus is drifting away from them, as it tries to skate to where the puck might be: the [metaversal future it’s hoping to own](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/feb/15/meta-mark-zuckerberg-facebook-metaverse?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
Those skills are worth developing in-house because they’re portable across Facebook, Instagram (which is [no longer a photo app](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/07/instagram-hasnt-been-a-photo-app-for-a-long-time-now/), folks), Snapchat and, of course, TikTok.
⌨️
*The growing language of news video is something I really must write more about, but I need to spend more time watching and analysing what’s working first. But then, I have to do that before the new academic year kicks in anyway.*
Some people are actively doing this. I’ve been enjoying the work one *OM&HB* reader and former colleague, Kate Woods, has been doing building social video for [her business Salondipity](https://salondipity.co.uk/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), for example:
> [ View this post on Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/reel/CfoDTcwIlYT/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)
>
> [A post shared by Kate Woods (@salondipity)](https://www.instagram.com/reel/CfoDTcwIlYT/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)
And David Knowles’ team at *The Telegraph* is doing good work:
> [@thetelegraph](https://www.tiktok.com/@thetelegraph?refer=embed&ref=onemanandhisblog.com "@thetelegraph")
>
> Your global news update, 28.6.22 [#ukraine](https://www.tiktok.com/tag/ukraine?ref=onemanandhisblog.com "ukraine") [#russia](https://www.tiktok.com/tag/russia?ref=onemanandhisblog.com "russia") [#kremenchuk](https://www.tiktok.com/tag/kremenchuk?ref=onemanandhisblog.com "kremenchuk") [#jordan](https://www.tiktok.com/tag/jordan?ref=onemanandhisblog.com "jordan") [#texas](https://www.tiktok.com/tag/texas?ref=onemanandhisblog.com "texas") [#sanantonio](https://www.tiktok.com/tag/sanantonio?ref=onemanandhisblog.com "sanantonio") [#news](https://www.tiktok.com/tag/news?ref=onemanandhisblog.com "news")
>
> [♬ News Background (loopable) - SharpFourStudio](https://www.tiktok.com/music/News-Background-loopable-7063463440320301092?refer=embed&ref=onemanandhisblog.com "♬ News Background (loopable) - SharpFourStudio")
## Let’s get the Meta divorce over
In the end, though, the relationship we once “enjoyed” with Meta properties *is* over. The divorce is underway and, perhaps, once it’s finalised, we can renegotiate a new relationship, that’s more like casual acquaintances than and deeply unhealthy relationship with co-dependence and toxic power relationships.
Facebook may be dumping us — but eventually, we’ll be glad it did.
### Obesity of experience
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/07/obesity-of-experience/
Last updated: 2022-07-21T11:49:25.000Z
This is an interesting insight from the [latest *Dense Discovery* newsletter](https://www.densediscovery.com/issues/197?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> It’s fair to say, we ‘suffer’ from an [obesity of experience](https://www.dw.com/en/climate-change-is-ecoguilt-changing-the-way-we-travel/a-57528407?ref=onemanandhisblog.com): travel is so abundantly available to the privileged, it’s lost much of its original meaning and appeal. Every time I open Instagram, I’m in the middle of some oversaturated, stylised travel spectacle. What used to be about broadening one’s horizon and enriching one’s worldview is now more about looking sophisticated or adventurous on social media or momentarily escaping the gruelling reality of the modern job world.
Now, Kai’s writing in the context of travel, but consider this: what’s the role of experiential journalism, when we’re bombarded with experiential writing, imagery and video vis social media?
The obvious answer: look for the sorts of experiences that the shiny, happy world of commerce-driven influencers aren’t ever going to do. Think if reporting those experiences brings value, and if it is likely to be of interest to enough people to make it worth your time.
And then get on and do it.
### Site note: search is back
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/07/site-note-search-is-back/
Last updated: 2022-07-21T11:45:16.000Z
Everything old is new again.
I've never regretted [moving this blog to Ghost](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2018/04/the-haunting-of-one-man-his-blog/), where it's been happily publishing for four years now. But one thing that has always bugged me was the lack of search support. Given that all the many platforms I'd used in the past had supported search, the lack of it in Ghost seemed, well, eccentric.
I explored some other options, including a theme that I used for a while that had hacked together a form of search using [Ghost's content API](https://ghost.org/docs/content-api/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). It slowed down the site too much, though, and I moved on months ago.
Well, as of a recent release, [Ghost now has search](https://ghost.org/changelog/search/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and you can explore the 19 years of archives here at will.
Searching OM&HB for that critical content you need!
Enjoy!
### Instagram hasn’t been a photo app for a long time now
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/07/instagram-hasnt-been-a-photo-app-for-a-long-time-now/
Last updated: 2024-09-30T15:43:21.000Z
Instagram sure ain't what it used to be. Even Google says so. What do I mean? Just have a read of these two pieces. Take your time. I'll just chill out here with a coffee while you do so.
☕️
## Shot:
[Google exec suggests Instagram and TikTok are eating into Google’s core products, Search and Maps – TechCrunchThe TikTok threat to Google’s business isn’t just limited to YouTube, as it turns out. Core Google services, including Search and Maps, are also being impacted by a growing preference for social media and videos as the first stop on younger users’ path to discovery, a Google exec …TechCrunchSarah Perez](https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/12/google-exec-suggests-instagram-and-tiktok-are-eating-into-googles-core-products-search-and-maps/?guccounter=1&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Chaser:
[Instagram’s trying to make it easier to find nearby businessesLike Snap Map but for places to eat.The VergeMitchell Clark](https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/19/23270510/instagram-searchable-map-nearby-business?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
See what's happening here? Instagram has long shifted from a place where you share and enjoy photos, to a place where you consume advertising and buy products and services.
As Sarah Perez [wrote for *Techcrunch*](https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/12/google-exec-suggests-instagram-and-tiktok-are-eating-into-googles-core-products-search-and-maps/?guccounter=1&ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> The TikTok threat to Google’s business isn’t just limited to [YouTube](https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/15/youtube-shorts-tops-1-5b-logged-in-users-monthly-users-touted-as-feeder-to-long-form-content/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), as it turns out. Core Google services, including Search and Maps, are also being impacted by a growing preference for social media and videos as the first stop on younger users’ path to discovery, a Google exec acknowledged today, speaking at an industry event.
Search is, amongst the younger generations at least, increasingly being relegated to more complex and informational-based serches, while people are turning to their social networks to discover services and products. The map view reported above is just another step in the same direction.
## Instagram is for selling stuff
As Om Malik put it, in the subtly titled [*Instagram is Dead*](https://om.co/2022/07/18/instagram-is-dead/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> What’s left is a constantly mutating product that copies features from “whomever is popular now” service — Snapchat, TikTok, or whatever. It is all about marketing and selling substandard products and mediocre services by influencers with less depth than a sheet of paper.
And then, he goes in with the killer 🔥:
> It has become QVC 2.0.
Which is a shame, because those of us who loved it for its photography need to look elsewhere now. But, clearly, if you're using Insta as part of your audience engagement mix, then you need to respond to this new, video-and-sales centric reality.
If you're still doing the same on the 'gram you were five years ago, you're in trouble.
### Grabbing a newsletter reader’s attention
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/07/grabbing-a-newsletter-readers-attention/
Last updated: 2022-07-21T10:16:16.000Z
While tidying up my laptop, I just came across this video I took of a *Quartz* email that arrived a month ago:
0:00
/
1×
Why did I find this memorable enough to screen record it? Well, people obsess a lot about open rates, but they are really just the web hits of the newsletter analytics game. Hits in web analytics mark *interest* in the ides of teh article, not any sense of *delivery of value against that interest*. One of the challenges on the web is about turning that hit into a read — and in a newsletter, it's about turning an open into a read.
Given that most people are, in essence, triaging when. they go through their email — *“delete, delete, ugh, need to act on this, quick reply, delete…”* — you need to persuade them to switch from triage to read mode. And what you do with the hero image, with the headline, with the newsletter intro all contribute to that process.
This *Quartz* newsletter did a great job of that just by coming at the visual idea laterally, rather than trying to give me a literal intepretation of social security numbers, and by giving me something I rarely see in my inbox: animation. So yes, it’s a trick, an attention hack if you like, and one that won't work for everyone.
But the underlying point, that you need to deliver a great experience right at the start of the newsletter, just after they've opened it, remains crucial. Go and look at your newsletters. How well do they deliver on that?
### Why the Streisand effect could hit The Times’s bottom line
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/06/why-the-streisand-effect-could-hit-the-timess-bottom-line/
Last updated: 2022-06-24T13:49:04.000Z
Journalism publishers are not good at hanging onto institutional knowledge. People come and go, and sometimes skills or understanding go with them. And the interplay between *The Times* and the government over the past week has been a perfect example of that. The newspaper has made an odd decision, and one that’s caused a storm of controversy that might actually impact the paper’s bottom line.
Through [pulling a story about Boris Johnson trying to get a government job for his now-wife](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jun/19/carrie-johnson-and-the-curious-case-of-the-vanishing-times-story?utm%5Fsource=POLITICO.EU&utm%5Fcampaign=7c1af914e3-EMAIL%5FCAMPAIGN%5F2022%5F06%5F20%5F06%5F01&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fterm=0%5F10959edeb5-7c1af914e3-190481045) back when he was Foreign Secretary, *The Times* and, by extension, the government, fall foul of the Streisand Effect. A few pieces mentioned this in passing, including *The Guardian*’s. For those who are unaware, it’s a name for the way that attempting to censor anything in the internet age tends to have the effect of calling attention to it.
The BBC did [an excellent explainer on it](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18458567?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) a decade ago.
## The origin of the Streisand effect
It was named *17 years ago* (when did I get so old?) by Mike Masnik of *Techdirt*. He [was calling back](https://www.techdirt.com/2005/01/05/since-when-is-it-illegal-to-just-mention-a-trademark-online/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) to a 2003 case involving Barbra Streisand’s beachfront property:
> How long is it going to take before lawyers realize that the simple act of trying to repress something they don’t like online is likely to make it so that something that most people would never, ever see (like a photo of a urinal in some random beach resort) is now seen by many more people? Let’s call it the Streisand Effect.
And that [goes back to 2003](https://www.techdirt.com/2003/06/24/photo-of-streisand-home-becomes-an-internet-hit/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) when he wrote:
> One thing seems clear these days. If you want to hide something from the internet – you’re only likely to make it more widely available, so you’re often better off not stirring the hornet’s nest. Barbara \[sic\] Streisand is apparently finding that out the hard way.
It’s slightly ironic that a government whose many assumed were masters of the dark art of social media influence, thanks to the rumours around the Brexit campaign, seems so deeply unaware of how the internet can actually work. By [reaching out](https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/number-10-intervened-to-have-carrie-johnson-story-pulled-from-the-times-83096?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) and persuading *The Times* to drop the story, they turned a story that was buried a few pages back into the talk of social media for the first few days of the week. Without that additional attention, it would have flown under most people’s radar.
## ”Yes, Prime Minster”
There seems to be little convincing suggestion that the story was untrue — the most straightforward reason for pulling a story. For what it’s worth, one of the people whom many assumed was behind the more manipulative aspects of the government’s social media work has confirmed the story:
What’s baffling to me, though, is why *The Times* acquiesced to a request to pull it. It’s been dependent on a [membership model for years now](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2010/11/on%5Fthose%5Ftimes%5Fpaywall%5Fnumbers/), and once you make that leap, you have to treat your paying subscribers as member, not just customers. And in this case, they haven’t been doing so.
Even *The Spectator*, whose generally positive view of Johnson has been in rapid decline, had [noted it was… odd](https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/is-there-a-carrie-cover-up-?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). And even [followed it up for a while](https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/is-there-a-carrie-cover-up-?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
It’s bizarre, simply because, by continuing in silence, the senior editorial team of *The Times* have made it clear that the wishes of an unpopular prime minister are more important to them than those of their paying readers.
## The subscribers are revolting
I first noted growing problems among the *Times* subscriber base on Monday:
*Press Gazette*’s Born Maher [dug more deeply into the story](https://pressgazette.co.uk/times-carrie-subscribers/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) the following day:
> Readers are complaining en masse in The Times’ subscribers-only comment section after revelations the paper spiked an unflattering story about Boris and Carrie Johnson after its initial publication. Comments criticising The Times on its own articles have received hundreds of up votes from other subscribers.
The critical point is in the first sentence: only paying subscribers can participate in the comments on the site. By pulling something like this without comment, *The Times* is playing a risky game. And it’s a game that might have financial implications for it. If it’s seen as a willing accomplice to a prime minister whose popularity is in steep decline among its core market, it loses the trust that binds people to the brand emotionally.
That might easily translate into cancelled subscriptions — especially with people looking to cut costs as the price of living rises.
## Don’t just pay lip service to “members”
A timely reminder that a membership model is not just a fancy way of describing a paywall: it’s a commitment to member-centric publishing. And that carries with it an implicit sense of relationship that the paper has violated with this move.
In reality, the Streisand effect is kicking in on two levels here:
- It’s drawn greater attention to Johnson’s tendency to gift financially lucrative employment to his inamoratas.
- It has drawn attention to the often uncomfortably cozy relationship between the higher levels of journalism and the higher levels of politics.
And the people paying the bills are less than happy. It's to the credit of the audience team at *The Times* that they've let the comments stand, and let the member vent. But the lack of a clear explanation will lurk in the minds of many for the foreseeable future.
### Newsletter — news:rewired rebooted
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/05/newsrewired-what-we-learnt/
Last updated: 2022-05-25T12:34:08.000Z
For the first time in over two years, yesterday I went to an actual, [real-world conference](https://www.newsrewired.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). It couldn’t quite escape the touch of Zoom: one speaker had to use it to join her panel, due to a dose of COVID-19\. But it was great to sit and listen to people talking intelligently about journalism again.
Of course, as with so many conferences, the “lobby con” was one of the best parts. It was great to catch up with people like [Sarah](https://twitter.com/SarahMarshall?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), [Greg](https://twitter.com/g%5Fpiechota?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), [Nic](https://twitter.com/nicnewman?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), [Alistair, and](https://twitter.com/ajreid?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) many others, including a couple of people who might be reading this now… I also got to meet [MoJo mastermind Robb](https://twitter.com/videojournalist?s=21&t=QqvScCpbmPV-apVRnKWpUA&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) in person for the first time.
Ironically, I’m fairly sure the last event I attended before the pandemic hit was also in News UK’s building by London Bridge. So, it was nice to be back above London, hearing *Times* editor John Witherow call this a “golden age for serious journalism” to what I think it would be fair to call a mixed reaction.
That’s one thing you miss when a conference is on Zoom. The whispered discussions, the intakes of breath, that distinct feeling of stillness when a speaker has everyone’s attention — and the feel of the room when they disagree with what you’re saying.
_This post is for subscribers only._
### Training and retaining the journalists of the future
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/05/training-and-retaining-the-journalists-of-the-future/
Last updated: 2022-05-25T11:51:32.000Z
We’re at an inflection point: the pandemic has reshaped our working lives, many companies are employing hybrid working, and many people are looking for more out of their careers, leading to the Great Resignation. How do we both hire and retain the best staff? The closing panel at [news:rewired](https://www.newsrewired.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) set out to find out…
### The Panel
- [Chandni Sembhi](https://twitter.com/chandnisembhi?s=21&t=QqvScCpbmPV-apVRnKWpUA&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), founder, [*So You Want To Be A Journalist*](https://www.instagram.com/SoYouWantToBeAJournalist/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- [Dr Zahera Harb](https://twitter.com/harbz1?s=21&t=QqvScCpbmPV-apVRnKWpUA]&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), leader of the international journalism studies cluster, City, University of London
- [Jonathan Paterson](https://twitter.com/patersonjon?s=21&t=QqvScCpbmPV-apVRnKWpUA&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), head of news, [*The News Movement*](https://thenewsmovement.com/index.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- [Emily Sexton Brown](https://twitter.com/esextonbrown?s=21&t=QqvScCpbmPV-apVRnKWpUA&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), assistant managing editor, *Insider*
- **Chair**: [Kim Fletcher](https://twitter.com/kimfletcher?s=21&t=QqvScCpbmPV-apVRnKWpUA&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), chairman, NCTJ
💻
Warning: liveblogging. Prone to errors, omissions and howling crimes against grammar and syntax. Post will be improved over the next 24 hours.
Do we actually have a recruitment problem? Our chair pointed out that if you advertise a journalism job, you’ll have a queue of people out the door. Well, here’s a big issue with diversity, and many people don’t feel that roles are available to them, says **Chandni**. There are so many ways of describing jobs in the trade that some people might not know they are journalism roles. If people don’t need a degree for entry-level roles, say that! She has no family connections to rely on, but she was lucky enough to be able to do a degree. Not everyone can do that.
*Insider* is seeing a more diverse pool of applicants, says **Emily**. They’re more interested in the people themselves, their interests and their hoped for career than they are qualifications. And full hybrid working is opening up the pool of people they can hire. For example, graduates of Stirling University are ecstatic that they can be hired without moving to London.
There are still issues around class and place to be dealt with, though, says **Jonathan**. We need to challenge ourselves — and retention is part of that. There’s no point in getting people through the door if you can’t keep them.
## How accessible are degrees?
To get on a City Masters, students need a 2:1 and at least 2 weeks of experience in journalism, says **Zahera**. They need to prove they are interested. This can be at any level — even starting their own blogs. They’re also accepting in people with over a decade of experience in journalism, who come back to get a graduate degree.
Is journalist a craft or a profession? Zahera believes it’s the latter, and tries to equip students with both the skills and the understanding to know what their role is in society.
**Jonathan** suggests that the most important quality is curiosity — to the point of wanting blind CVs, removing academic qualifications and schools. He wants curious, creative people — and they are not the exclusive preserve of academic success. They’re also searching for people with a specific understanding of social media, because of the nature of their business.
People with a natural flair and no formal training have been some of the best hires that **Emily** has brought on board. So much of journalism is about how you interact people, says **Chandni**. Being able to get on with people, to network, can be as vital as the qualification. But people do need to research their jobs before they go for interview. Do more in-depth research than just scrolling the website and having a quick peek at their social media.
## Starting and building a journalism career
What writers or journalists do they admire? Be prepared for that question, suggests **Emily**. Looks at the people two to three years ahead of you, and think about how you get there, recommends **Jonathan**.
What’s the role of the NCTJ? Well, **Kim** finds that people who join an accredited course get jobs… The philosophy is that they want them to be qualified in the sense that they understand that journalism is a serious business, of truth and consequences. You can get into journalism without a qualification — it’s not a monopoly. *Insider* has partnered with the NCTJ diversity fund and that’s been hugely beneficial to the students, but also to *Insider*.
Jonathan thinks it’s important that there are accrediting bodies, but it’s also important that they acknowledge the world as it is now, particularly around social and digital.
Hilary from the University of Northampton points out that we lost training on the job decades ago — but it’s not all NCTJ or London or nothing. And you’re missing out if you require NCTJ.
> The panel seem to be missing the point. It's not either nctj or no degree. There are dozens of other accredited degrees, and let's face it, the industry abdicated responsibly for training it's own a decade ago [#newsrw](https://twitter.com/hashtag/newsrw?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Hilary Scott (@nosylocaljourno) [May 24, 2022](https://twitter.com/nosylocaljourno/status/1529126436715520001?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
**Jonathan** is about to publish a job ad, without a requirement for NCTJ or a degree. They do want some experience, though — and social media skills.
## Why do we lose people?
Why do people leave journalism? A lack of clear career progression is one reason, suggests **Chandni**. **Emily** says that *Insider* thrives by listening to their people, by checking in with them once a quarter and where they see themselves going. And now they’re doing individual career progression conversations.
> Thanks to [@KimFletcher](https://twitter.com/KimFletcher?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) for tolerating my non-question rant. [#newsrw](https://twitter.com/hashtag/newsrw?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
> But really, if you can, give our grads in the regions a chance.
> Oh, and please pay more than 17k for a grad. Or they'll go to PR.
> And understand they couldn't GET office based experience for the last two years.
>
> — Hilary Scott (@nosylocaljourno) [May 24, 2022](https://twitter.com/nosylocaljourno/status/1529129936694517760?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
💡
Check out other posts from the [news:rewired conference](https://onemanandhisblog.com/tags/newsrewired/).
### Subscriber revenue: what's the future — and the limit?
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/05/subscriber-revenue-what-the-future-and-the-limit/
Last updated: 2022-05-25T11:09:51.000Z
The pivot to audience revenue has been a dramatic trend over the past decade, accelerating during the pandemic. But with the cost of living on the rise, will readers start cutting back?
A panel at [news:rewired](https://www.newsrewired.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) explored strategies for staying ahead in a falling market.
### The Panel
- [Tara Lajumoke](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-lajumoke-40aa29/?originalSubdomain=uk&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), managing director, FT Strategies
- [Paul Kanareck](https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-kanareck-b06492/?originalSubdomain=uk&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), chief customer and commercial officer, Guardian Media Group
- [David Taylor](https://twitter.com/geordiedav?s=21&t=nQfgyQToik-e8Z1tNSLLiQ&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), news editor, *Tortoise*
- [Amy Lewin](https://twitter.com/amyrlewin?s=21&t=nQfgyQToik-e8Z1tNSLLiQ&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), editor, *Sifted*
- **Chair**: [Dr Clare Cook](https://twitter.com/cecook?s=21&t=nQfgyQToik-e8Z1tNSLLiQ&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), head of journalism and media viability, International Media Support
💻
Warning: liveblogging. Prone to errors, omissions and howling crimes against grammar and syntax. Post will be improved over the next 24 hours.
### Paul Kanareck, *The Guardian*
*The Guardian* is 201 years old, but is seven years into a reader-revenue first strategy – which was met with scorn and derision when it was announced. The original calculation was that if you reach mass digital reach, then the higher the volume of people you have, the more chance you have of monetising them. That’s gone really well. They did 16bn page impressions last year, and they’re converting well into supporters. They have multiple reader revenue products, from in-app subscriptions, to contextual marketing. Are people becoming numb to that? It varies globally. A lot of art and science goes into those marketing boxes – they A/B test everything.
They hit the 1m club of recurring supporters, and about 0.5m one-off supporters. And half the support base is outside the UK. Will the cost of living crisis impact subscriptions? Yes. People will probably go on a subscription diet – and the costs of using social to get customers are growing, too.
### David Taylor, *Tortoise*
*Tortoise* is built on a slow news ethos, but also with a focus on deep community with their readers. They reach out to them through events like [ThinkIns](https://www.tortoisemedia.com/watch/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), which bring *Tortoise* members into face-to-face meetings, and online ones. They try to understand issues with a mix of expert voices and the readers. Furthermore, *Tortoise* is only three years old — a startup — and they survived the pandemic, which they’re proud of. Membership is built into the model from the start, it’s not an add-on.
[Sweet Bobby](https://www.tortoisemedia.com/listen/sweet-bobby/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), a podcast series they did, was an incredible success for them globally. When you have 8m people download that globally, some of them will become members. So, they’re seeing more and more members come in through Apple because of that. The podcast brought in people who had never heard of *Tortoise*. They’re not dependent on big hits — but 4k of their 55k came in through that route.
People are feeling the pinch — if they’re not using something, they will unsubscribe. The more transient the relationship, the more easily they’ll leave. *Tortoise* is responding with multiple ways to contact the title, a couple of newsletters and a podcast, for example, make a difference. Make them feel part of something.
### Tara Lajumoke, *FT*
Over the past decade, the *FT* has transformed from an advertising and print model, to a digital and reader-revenue model. In 2010, over half their revenue was ads, and by 2020 it was down to a third. They’re trying to diversify their revenue, not just replace advertising with reader revenue.
As their revenue has grown, they’re reinvested in the business, on issues like first party data. They’re moving on from a scale-based North Star target of 1m subscribers, and switching to looking at value, and making more from their engaged readers. But are still continuing to grow. So, they’re trying both to reach new audiences and to deepen their relationship with existing readers.
*[FT Edit](https://help.ft.com/faq/the-edit/what-is-the-edit/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)* is a curated selection of hand-picked content at £4.99 – this is to reach more price sensitive readers, who won’t pay even £30 monthly for the standard offer.
### Amy Lewin, *Sifted*
*Sifted* is a small, 13 journalist team, backed by the *FT* but independent of it, so they’ve been out there in the world of VCs seeking money. They’ve added a paywall, which has been a real learning journey.
“FOMO works amazingly. If people are worried their competitors know something they don’t, and it’s behind a paywall, they will pay for that,” Lewin says.
They have monthly and annual memberships — but they think about the style of articles that keep people subscribing. Most revenue is still newsletter and events sponsorship – membership revenue is small but growing. They have a premium offering, which is a more negotiated fee per corporate customer.
## What content wins subscribers?
The Guardian tries to avoid the word subscriber — they’re *supporters*, who value special moments and investigations. **Paul** thinks that the market has been hooked on volume, rather than value. Now, the market is finally wising up to that. For the last decade, Netflix subs have been subsidised by Wall Street debt, but that’s coming to an end now.
**David** certainly believes that the free content does convert to members. The beating heart, though, is the [community network](https://www.tortoisemedia.com/community-network/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), which brings a plurality of voices into the mix.
**Amy** thinks that membership growth is dependent on getting close to the readers, and working out what they want, not just what they say they want.
Why does the FT “relax” its paywall? Simple, says **Tara**: the best way to sell your journalism is through your best journalism. Subscribers can “gift” articles to other people.
Investigations are increasingly more important, thinks **Paul**. Holding power to account is increasingly expensive – but ever more essential. It’s about making the news, not just waiting for it to happen. When they do stories like that, they try to launch them across the newsletters, the podcast, the app and so on…
## Strategies for economic headwinds
- **Amy:** Tech stocks have crashed – so there’s loads for us to report! So, we have to find the information no-one else has, and set up the membership offers around that.
- **Tara:** Churn management, and increasing share of wallet. Understand what drive churn, using as broad a set of data as you can — and be more proactive at reposting to that.
- **David:** Great stories, told as well as we can. As we launch more multi-parters and “always on” podcasts, you multiply your download audience, and even a small percentage of them could make a difference to your membership numbers.
- **Paul:** Price is a dangerous lever — you can offer £6 for six months, m but at the end of that, they’re gone. Every supporter is important to us, wether they donate $1 or $100\. Focus on a relationship, it’s much harder to break up when you’re in one…
💡
Check out other posts from the [news:rewired conference](https://onemanandhisblog.com/tags/newsrewired/).
### The future of newsletters
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/05/the-future-of-newsletters/
Last updated: 2024-09-30T15:44:25.000Z
For a decades-old technology, newsletters have been incredibly successful at becoming the hot new thing. But where are they going next? Not to Substack, whose representative was unable to attend due to a combination of jet lag and COVID… A news:rewired panel of experts explores what comes next to your in-box.
💻
Warning: liveblogging. Prone to errors, omissions and howling crimes against grammar and syntax. Post will be improved over the next 24 hours.
### The Panel
- [Aaron Coultate](https://twitter.com/acoultate?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), senior newsletter editor, *The Economist*
- [Nimo Omer](https://twitter.com/nimsaden?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), assistant editor, First Edition — *The Guardian*
- [Sarah Ebner](https://twitter.com/sarahjebner?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), head of newsletters, *Financial Times*
- Chair: Olivia Crellin, acting editor, journalism.co.uk
## How do you set newsletter strategy?
At the FT, the North Star is lifetime reader value, says **Sarah**. Newsletters feed into that brilliantly — people on trials are 134% more likely to sign up for a subscription, if they sign up for a newsletter. Their newsletters have exclusive content from their best journalists, which you can only get as a premium standard. They can use key people to attract younger readers to standard subscription. And yes, they’re very good commercially.
**Nimo** is more focused on deepening reader relationship — and so it focused on First Edition as a product in of itself. And so, she’s focused on making the content really wonderful. At *The Economist,* they provide a consistent source of readership and engagement, says Aaron. They’re also subs-focused, so the newsletters tend to fall into the “acquisition” or “retention” buckets.
## Opening up on open rates
What’s a good open rate? **Sarah** thinks open rates are dead. But Apple’s changes mean that open rates are artificially inflated. Some places are counting then as opens, some are not. Substack claims a good open rate is 55%, but the FT is doing less than that. However, it’s more useful to compare newsletters within an organisation. They’re working on new metrics for examining the success of emails. For example, they’ve added a survey at the bottom — and they have had the most incredible response: over 20,000 responses in a month. The comments left are particularly useful.
**Aaron** agrees: “As open rates became less useful, reader feedback becomes more important.” Tracking interaction and list growth is essential.
**Nimo**’s newsletter is still very new. They do reader call-outs for feedback, and change the newsletter based on that. For example, people complained about the lack of a sport section — or asked for business news. It can be over-whelming, though, and you need to be discerning about what you take on. A lot of it is about keeping the tone as conversational as possible. It’s your mate in the pub telling you about a topic you don’t know about. That’s how you build a community around them.
## Newsletters as community
We’re still experimenting, figuring out what community looks like, says **Aaron**. *The Economist Today* is a snapshot newsletter, but the Sunday edition has an intro written by one of the senior editors – and they included a feedback email and switch the sender name to his name: Adam Roberts. That’s been interesting – the level of thoughtful response they got was a positive surprise. People request topics, and Adam incorporates some of them, and all are considered.
At *The Guardian,* there’s an ongoing discussion about using the author name as the sender name, says **Nimo**. People would recognise The Guardian name more quickly, but she suspect they’d be more likely to scroll past it. It’s another part of deepening the relationship, making it clear it's a person and not an amorphous organisation contacting you.
Sarah recommends that people remember that it’s a news*letter* — don’t forget that letter part of it. It’s personal. They have numerous people wanting to write newsletters, so she has a pitch document to assess the suggestions. Doing a Substack is very difficult because you have no back-up if you go on holiday. [Swamp Notes](https://www.ft.com/swamp-notes?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) has a particularly strong sense of community.
## The personality issue
*The Economist* does not have a personally anchored newsletter, but the newsletter aim to have personalities. And yes, they have photo bylines. So, you can see The Economist journalists writing personally in the newsletters, which makes it a unique attraction within the title. [*Off The Charts*](https://www.economist.com/newsletters/off-the-charts?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) is written by a rotating cast of the data journalism team.
Teams are important – it’s not just about the individual. There are designers, who can be critical to the success of a newsletter, to the editing and fact-checking resources needed to make sure they are up to standard. And yes, product teams are part of it, too. **Aaron** says that communication is vital, and that you have to get everyone around the table when the newsletter is still in an embryonic stage.
Newsletters are not just an editorial product, says **Sarah.** You need to be able to take sign-ups, to send them, to market them. You need all these other departments, and they are finite resources, so it can be a battle. Getting *your* thing prioritised is a challenge, which people miss. That’s why some people like things like Substack because they handle so much of that.
Organisations have the advantage of being a bundle – people can get a group of newsletters for one subscription price. They can also add other context and voice to major stories. It’s all part of the subscriber offer.
## What’s next for newsletters?
There will be much more personalisation, predicts Sarah. Could that be an entire newsletter, or a module within a more conventional newsletter? Sarah rather fancies the latter. And she thinks metrics are going to get more and more interesting.
Aaron also thinks the balance between personality and personalisation will be exciting. Many publishers have invested in this over the last year and a half. Are we near saturation? People can manage their in-boxes, says Aaron. People can keep on top of them, as long as you make it easy to unsubscribe.
Many at *The Guardian* think that the US is several years ahead of the UK on newsletters. The “too many” conversation has happened with podcasts, and it will continue to happen, and **Nimo** doesn’t think that saturation is going to happen. They’re not going anywhere, and will just become another part of the newsroom. She also thinks more original reporting will come to newsletters.
They’re very similar to a newspaper, a fixed publication at a fixed moment of time, and Nimo thinks people appreciate that.
## Hints and tips for your newsletters
- Lunchtime is not well-served by newsletters, **Sarah** suggests. A newsletter she did at the *Jewish Chronicle* did very well in that time slot.
- Template your newsletters to make them easier to maintain.
- Crowdsource the contents of the newsletter can help smaller newsrooms — get everyone to make suggestions, recommends **Aaron**.
- Find someone with a personality and a following in your newsroom — and give them the newsletter, suggests **Sarah**.
💡
Check out other posts from the [news:rewired conference](https://onemanandhisblog.com/tags/newsrewired/).
### Can news tackle polarisation and mend democracy?
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/05/can-news-tackle-polarisation-and-mend-democracy/
Last updated: 2022-05-24T16:52:56.000Z
Is it inevitable that news will stoke polarisation? Or can great reporting help bring communities together? A panel of experts from diverse parts of journalism explore the problems — and some solutions.
### The Panel
- [Vicky Gayle](https://twitter.com/vi%5Fgayle?s=21&t=PNsNWFnilanXXzBBVF84bA&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), Bureau Local reporter, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism
- [Rob McNeil](https://twitter.com/oncegingerboy?s=21&t=zJC6wx3bRQGFFQmHYsv%5Flg&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), deputy director, [Migration Observatory](https://twitter.com/migobs?s=21&t=zJC6wx3bRQGFFQmHYsv%5Flg&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- [Emily Kasriel](https://twitter.com/ekasriel?s=21&t=zJC6wx3bRQGFFQmHYsv%5Flg&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), head of editorial partnerships and special projects, BBC World Service
- **Chair** [Stephen Harris](https://twitter.com/swjharris?s=21&t=PNsNWFnilanXXzBBVF84bA&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), news editor, *The Conversation*
💻
Warning: liveblogging. Prone to errors, omissions and howling crimes against grammar and syntax. Post will be improved over the next 24 hours.
Our chair took the podium first, outlining (as one would expect from *The Conversation*) some useful research on polarisation:
1. People perceive more polarisation than there is
2. News might not be that significant in the polarisation process
3. People don’t just live in news bubbles – but exposure to contrary views tends to harder views, not change them.
## What are people doing to reduce polarisation?
Each of the panelists presented their ideas and experiences:
### Rob McNeil, Migration Observatory
How recent is the media’s focus on migration? People will give you a range of answers from centuries ago, to 2015\. But we have evidence in petroglyphs from 10,000 BC that people were talking about boats and migration. Well, probably. We’re not quite sure what it is exactly showing.
However, the *Dead Sea Scrolls*? They contain stories of migration, as does the whole Bible. We’ve been telling stories about migration for centuries, and that creates polarisation. Why?
- Group identity and otherness
- religious, cultural and ethnic distinctions
- land ownership and territorial rights
- conflict over resources or power
- exoticness versus normality
At the heart of all of this, is a series of stories and concepts that sit under our storytelling about something highly polarising that has been part of the human condition for pretty much forever. If we know this is happening, we can address by starting to bring the “them” into the “us” more.
### Emily Kasriel, BBC World Service
Stories that media tell have a two-way relationship with polarisation. We’re all primed to tell stories about danger and enemies. We love to tell stories of conflict, and we constantly do it. But we also know that this is creating news avoidance.
One of the BBC’s remit is to build social cohesion. So, she’s been working on telling stories of people coming together across divides. She talked to psychologists and mediators and other experts to understand this. And then they started doing deep listening training, for 1000 people from 119 countries.
When people are disconnected from their communities, they become more susceptible to extreme propaganda. Deep listening is about silence, understanding and reflecting back.
### Vicky Gayle, Bureau Local
The Bureau Local specialises in doing something that just sounds like good journalistic practice: they spend time in and among the communities they’re reporting on. They build links and listening to them. And that level of connection is important in reducing polarisation. It’s not as easy as it sounds. We’re not the people we’re reporting on, and we have to be aware of our privilege and limitations.
People often feel let down by and patronised by local journalism, and that they don’t speak for their communities. Indeed, they’re afraid of their communities being misrepresented by journalism. And so collaborative working and education about how journalism works are critical to building trust — but then so too is seeing palpable results from the journalism.
They co-create local impact strategies with the communities they’re working with. And they make sure they create publicly available resources as part of their work, so people can take the reporting they’ve done and move it forwards to advocacy.
## Depolarising our reporting
It’s very easy for journalists to cleave to tired narratives, and to merely quote spokespeople, says **Emily**. Most people have multiple identities, and a range of views even within an identity groups. We need to show that more. We need to show people engaging across divides more. Likewise, we’re culpable of excluding nuance, and we have to tell more complex, complicated stories.
**Rob** researched why journalists report on migration. One UK journalist said that they don’t get guided toward reporting something in a particular way — but they’re keenly aware of what the boss really wants. The more cartoonish versions of the stories they assume editors want to see end up getting told.
There was a story last week on the BBC about the fact that the majority of new nurses in the UK were from overseas. It was a balanced, well-told story — but it avoided the word migration completely. But the stories appearing at the same time about boat arrivals DID use the word migration. And so, the conversation about migration becomes about a very particular kind of migration. A neutral word has become loaded.
## Hug the system
As investigative journalists, we try to look at the systemic picture. When a story is complicated, well, that’s the point of us, says **Vicky**. You need to be working with the people you’re talking about from the outset. They really must be involved from the start because they’ll guide the narrative, not you.
**Emily** suggests that we make assumptions about how simple that our audiences want their stories, which are not always accurate. They don’t always want the “cartoonish” simplification. And **Stephen** pointed out that Vicky’s style of community engagement would help address that. **Emily** does think that more two-way conversations with audiences will build trust — but so will pandering to readers’ prejudices. Challenging their perspective can lead to distrust.
**Vicky** points out that you can counter that by dialogue and involving people in your work, by being open that they’re trying to get better.
Balance is not two sides shouting at each other. Is there a role for media organisations in funding more quality analysis, asks Rob?
💡
Check out other posts from the [news:rewired conference](https://onemanandhisblog.com/tags/newsrewired/).
### Platforms and Publishers: the best of frenemies?
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/05/platforms-and-publishers-the-best-of-frenemies/
Last updated: 2022-05-24T16:54:25.000Z
The relationship between news publishers and the social platforms has been growing ever more tense. Is the Australian model a solution? Or is regulation inevitable? A news:rewired panel discussion.
### Panel
- [David Knowles](https://twitter.com/djknowles22?s=21&t=PNsNWFnilanXXzBBVF84bA&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), head of social media, *The Telegraph*
- [Sumaiya Omar](https://twitter.com/snap%5Fsumaiya?s=21&t=PNsNWFnilanXXzBBVF84bA&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), co-founder and editor-in-chief, Seen
- [Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana](https://www.newsrewired.com/speaker/lexie-kirkconnell-kawana/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), head of regulation, IMPRESS
- **Chair:** [Edward Roussel](https://twitter.com/edwardroussel?s=21&t=bZDsiozHKdPPZA7ema83PA&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), head of digital, *The Times* and *The Sunday Times*
💻
Warning: liveblogging. Prone to errors, omissions and howling crimes against grammar and syntax. Post will be improved over the next 24 hours.
## Should the platforms pay for news?
Does **Lexie** agree with the regulation in Australia that compels platforms to pay publishers? She points out that the legislation never came into force. The platforms did a deal with the big publishers behind closed doors to prevent it. The publishers in Australia who got the value would say it’s a good idea — but it was a failure for independent publishers. It was also a failure for the public because it didn’t deliver funding for issues like news deserts. The Australian legislation aimed to lift the veil on the value that news delivers to platforms. Let’s see if the UK will follow – can we do it and mitigate the worst consequences?
**David** thinks it was fantastic for the big publishers, but he echoes the concern about the exclusion of smaller publishers, and its risk of calcifying the UK media landscape. You need media at all scales, from the village newspaper to global titles.
As a small company with little to no bargaining power, Australia’s model wouldn’t help, says **Sumaiya**. There is something to be said for editorial independence outside of algorithms, but who is deciding who is getting the money? Platforms? Government? It reinforces the monopoly of big media companies around the world. It goes against the democratisation of social media. The only reason they could start their company was that they required little to no capital to do what they did.
Snapchat is Seen’s main platform, and Snap has an equity stake in the company, but no editorial oversight. They don’t get any special treatment or insight into the algorithm. However, Snapchat Discover is a walled garden, built that way to prevent the spread of misinformation.
## Who should regulate social media?
Should Trump be allowed back on Twitter. Sumaiya swings wildly back and forwards on this. Today, he thinks no — but he notes that the platforms have ended up as the arbiters of free speech. So, he completely sees the reason they shouldn’t have that power.
**Lexie** thinks that regulation is inevitably coming. It’s been a deregulated space until now, but bills are coming forward to deal with that, and the platforms will have to cede some authority and control. Is Ofcom the right body to make these decisions? How will journalism react to this? Currently, the platforms get to decided who is a journalist — and what platform can be seen or not. That’s a real concern for journalists that platforms and big companies will be deciding what is public interest journalism.
**David’s** team at *The Telegraph* have been doing war reporting on TikTok, and they’ve had videos just pulled by the service. They won’t tell you *why* they pulled it. Some examples are explicable in the terms of the rules, but others seem to just bar you from showing the results of bombardment. They’re seeing fewer issues now, but it’s still very much a grey area.
## Regulating the platforms
Snapchat is one of the few platforms left that isn’t run by Mark Zuckerberg, explains **Sumaiya**. Facebook is going after VR, Snapchat AR. Should Facebook be broken up? She’s not sure — Lexie thinks that it would be one way of dealing with it, but there are numerous other tools in the toolbox they could use to regulate the platforms. Regulation can foster growth and innovation, but levelling the playing field and protecting smaller players so that they can grow. That’s missing from the discussion at the moment.
The discussion needs to be broadened up beyond just restricting or breaking up the companies, she argues.
**David** points out that there’s often a big difference between what the platforms tell you will work, and what actually works. People want good stories, wherever they are. Their job as a social team is to get their great journalists’ stories out there. Doing it in ways the platforms don’t recommend may be playing on hard mode — but it’s their job.
Making content is not an easy or a cheap job, says **Sumaiya**, so there is a genuine value exchange, news add things to the platforms. But she’s seeking less platform dependence than they have now — and that’s probably true for most media organisations. Build audiences on social, but then make them loyal in an owned and operated way.
Some platforms have been better than others in working with publishers: TikTok is notoriously bad, YouTube has done much better. In the end, though, from a business perspective, we should rely less on them. **David** agrees. They work out how to use a platform first, before they open a conversation with the publisher for advice or guidance. They need to do the organic work first.
💡
Check out other posts from the [news:rewired conference](https://onemanandhisblog.com/tags/newsrewired/).
### Building resilient newsrooms
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/05/building-resilient-newsrooms/
Last updated: 2022-05-24T16:53:56.000Z
There’s always been a problem with stress in newsrooms. The pandemic thrust us all into an apocalyptic situation, and use of user-generated content in our work has brought the sorts of trauma only experience by war reporters in the past into our newsrooms. It’s time to fix this — and a panel at news:rewired discussed how to build resilience in our journalists.
💻
Warning: liveblogging. Prone to errors, omissions and howling crimes against grammar and syntax. Post will be improved over the next 24 hours.
### Panel:
- [Cristina Nicolotti Squires](https://twitter.com/skynewsgirl?s=21&t=PNsNWFnilanXXzBBVF84bA&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), director of content, Sky News
- [Yasir Khan](https://twitter.com/khanundrum?s=21&t=PNsNWFnilanXXzBBVF84bA&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), editor-in-chief of the Thompson Reuters Foundation
- [Meera Selva](https://twitter.com/meeraselva1?s=21&t=PNsNWFnilanXXzBBVF84bA&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), deputy director of the Reuters Institute
- John Crowley, consultant and co-founder of the Headlines Network
- **Chair**: [Catherine Edwards](https://twitter.com/cjredwards?s=21&t=PNsNWFnilanXXzBBVF84bA&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), acting editor at journalism.co.uk
## Why does journalism have a resilience problem?
Our children are taught resilience, says **John**. Why aren’t our journalists? How can journalists do good work in toxic environments?
**Meera** points out that resilience is the ability to absorb shocks, and adapt usefully when crisis hit. You need to innovate and change. You need to manage morale. But you need diversity of thought and opinion in the newsroom, to avoid groupthink and open yourselves to innovation. You require spare capacity to be resilient, be that money or time.
**Yasir** was told that it takes a village to raise a child — well, it takes a village to raise a resilient journalist. Resilience doesn’t just happen in the newsroom, it happens in HR, it happens at senior editorial level, it happens at the C Suite level. He’s only been asked four times in his career if he’s OK – despite covering wars. In the hamster wheel of doing more and more with less and less, taking care of people is being lost. What should our newsroom look like in five years? In 10 years. We need to start thinking about that, and planning for it.
**Cristina** was surprised to see that the need for resilience was high up in the job description from her current role. Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from difficulties. The pandemic really showed us a different side of things: many of us were living the same story we were reporting. We were going home and not finding food on the shelves, or having to home school our children.
## How do we create resilient journalists?
**John** thinks the role of HR is important in this, but so is the role of managers. And they’re just not trained in it. We need to acknowledge that journalists aren’t robots, that they require care and support. Managers need skills around language, how to start conversations about how people are coping.
It’s essential for senior people in the industry to model this, says **Christina**. Ask how people are, and then ask how they *really* are. If you’re asked how you are, and you’re struggling, say so. Being open as a leader and talking about your own difficulties is crucial. Once upon a time, a few journalists would go into war zones, and their therapy would be getting drunk in their hotel bar. But now we have people in London, looking at horrible images from war zones, without the flak jacket and armoured cars of the war correspondent. How do we help people deal with vicarious trauma? We need mental first aid courses, just as we train war journalists in physical first aid.
## Pandemic trauma
**Yasir** points out that our sense of all being in this together was pulled out from under us by the pandemic. Every conversation became deliberate, scheduled over the internet. There was no casual conversation. His job became to cold call people and check how they are doing; to offer walks with this who lived nearby. We all have our own traumas. We all have our own kids of risks. But while he was looking after his staff, his bosses were demanding that he got everyone back in the office. Nobody was supporting him. All of a sudden, we were all in a major apocalyptic event. We had no idea how to deal with it. We gave plaudits to those who covered wars and natural disasters, but we never knew how to support them.
**Meera** worked with Professor Feinstein in the early stages of the pandemic, and found that journalists covering the pandemic were [showing signs of post-traumatic stress disorder](https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/covid-19-hurting-journalists-mental-health-news-outlets-should-help-them-now?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). They were reporting on a tragedy, but had no ability to change it. In the pandemic, we were part of the story. Women in particular struggled, with their triple workloads, of how, family and work. They were expected to do the emotional labour of holding teams together. Some, large, well-resourced organisations could offer therapy to journalists, and it made a significant difference.
This is the exception, rather than the norm, argues **John**. Where it exists, it’s often threadbare. Younger journalists are coming into the news environment, and are shocked by the lack of support. Newsrooms are realising that they need to change — but there is a cost value in that. You will lose the young, talented people if you don’t address this. Is anyone in your organisation measuring the cost of mental health, through days of work lost?
## Giving journalists space for resilience
Give people staff jobs, argues **Yasir**. Show the core people that level of commitment, so they’re not living with that insecurity. We’ve put journalists in the position of chasing between propaganda and poverty, as well=paid state actor enter the market.
Journalists are the most precious resource in newsrooms, points out **John**. There’s so much short-termism in how we think about things. **Cristina** argues that this is being done at Sky, but **John** was clear that this isn’t universal across the industry. People talk the talk more than walk the walk. They leave people on Ukrainian liveblogs for week after week, without worrying upon the impact on them.
Having networks on every level is key, says **Meera**. Networks within the newsroom, and between newsrooms. Networks based on role, or race, or sexuality, or identity. Good newsrooms facilitate that through mentoring and buddy systems, but you need to be careful of making them too exclusionary: you end up just networking with people like you. It’s important to open up space for journalists to speak with each other.
## Building editorial structures for resilience
Editors used to lead from the front, says **Yasir**. They might have to lead from the back now, so they can let the strongest people in the newsroom lead from the front, and they can support those who need more assistance. Making time for 15 minute chats about life and the universe was vital, says **Christina** — but that needs to be peer-to-peer as well as hierarchical boss-to-staff. **Meera** found herself valuing her teenagers’ screen time for the first time because it allowed them the social contact and envelopment they were otherwise being denied. Journalists know how to make people talk: it’s time to turn those skills inwards.
“We’re only as strong as our weakest link,” says Yasir. “We’ve learnt thought the pandemic how interdependent we are. To ask journalists to be individually responsible for their resilience is way off the mark. We’re all responsible.”
Meera strongly suggests bringing in people with relevant professional skills — and making sure to remove the stigma of taking advantage of those services.
💡
Check out other posts from the [news:rewired conference](https://onemanandhisblog.com/tags/newsrewired/).
### Zaina Erhaim: how to respect local journalists in crisis zones
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/05/zaina-erhaim-how-to-respect-local-journalists-in-crisis-zones/
Last updated: 2022-05-24T16:53:23.000Z
*[Zaina Erhaim](https://www.newsrewired.com/speaker/zaina-erhaim/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) is a Syrian journalist and activist who has won multiple international awards for her work on conflict reporting and training citizen reporters. Erhaim directed the documentary series Syria’s Rebellious Women, and has worked with the BBC, Alhayat, Orient TV, the Guardian, the Economist, and Die Zeit. She opened 30th news:rewired with her keynote.*
💻
Warning: liveblogging. Prone to errors, omissions and howling crimes against grammar and syntax. Post will be improved over the next 24 hours.
## The objectivity myths
You hear wherever you go that local journalists cannot be objective. She thinks that’s a myth — it cannot be justified. Conversely, she also thinks it’s a myth that foreign journalists are actually and completely objective.
Should we really take the “same distance” from all sides of a story? Should we take the same distance from a proven criminal and dictator as from the people whom he tortured and pressed? Should we give the same microphone to someone who can shout as to someone who has no voice at all?
She and her partner have lived right by a war, in a city where it was hard or impossible to do journalism, because of the constant danger. She took a call from the BBC to appear as a witness, and she cried on the call. Was that puncturing her independence? No. Seeing kids bombed during their exams is *not* a casual event, to be reported without emotions. Terms that become abstract for others like refugees and displaces, are not abstract for people living amidst a crisis.
Being part of that — losing friends, classmates, a home — doesn’t make you biased, its makes you closer to the story and so better able to give context.
## The dangerous assumptions in our reporting
The Ukrainian war has proven many of our assumptions about reporting are just wrong. They are driven, in her mind, by colonial white supremacy, rather than ethics and journalistic standards.
Ukraine is the second social media war, after Syria — but people keep referring to it as the first in print, earning what happened in Syria. Ukraine is the first TikTok war, maybe, but not the first social media war. That was Syrian.
The Ukrainian coverage has been about the mechanisms of war, and about elites, not the victims. The glorification of foreign fighters heading to Ukraine was deeply shocking to her. Contrast the coverage of [Shireen Abu Akleh’s death](https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2022/05/14/unravelling-the-killing-of-shireen-abu-akleh/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) and that of [Brent Renaud](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/13/obituaries/brent-renaud-dead.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Why are the words “clashes” and “tense” used about Shireen’s funeral, when there is clear, live-streamed video of shots being fired into the crowds?
### Disrespecting local journalists
Local journalists face having their professionalism and testimonies questions. They are quoted more than they are bylined. They are being asked to challenge their internal biases. And they are often expected to work for free for the “benefit” of working for a big media name.
They even face focused, targeted disinformation campaigns to discredit them. Or disinformation conduits are given a platform on major media channels so, the show can appear to be “objective”.
So, what to do?
The journalist’s role is to knock down the polarised world. But how?
## Fixing our global reporting
The three steps Zaina recommends are:
- Challenging the bias in all of us
- Be biased towards human rights and humanity
- Fair reporting *is* objective reporting.
### 10 steps to better reporting
Some more detailed advice:
1. Local journalists are not just free sources. Byline them.
2. The security of local journalists is more important than any story. It’s expensive to relocate then and their family if you’ve put them at risk.
3. Listen to the locals; don’t impose your international perspective on them.
4. Ask the people who you interview/work with how they are, before going for the quote. She experienced this — or the lack of it — in Aleppo.
5. Your translator and interviewees may be at risk for working with you. Be considerate. Treat your journalists and translators as people first and foremost.
6. You are not the story.
7. People don’t need journalists to be their voice - they need representation
8. Help local journalists with pitching their stories
9. Invest in local journalism development
10. And remember that local journalists *are* the experts
💡
Check out other posts from the [news:rewired conference](https://onemanandhisblog.com/tags/newsrewired/).
### Five great reads from the online content mines
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/05/five-articles-worth-your-time/
Last updated: 2022-05-07T21:41:14.000Z
All the best people — and you, my friends, are clearly the *best* people — like to spend their weekends catching up on digital cultural trends.
So, here's some exquisitely curated links from the last few weeks to deepen your understanding of the cultural zeitgeist this fine weekend.
## People doing serious things on TikTok shocker
So, **gasp*, TikTok is being used for *serious* things. Yes, people are doing actual useful, in-depth content there. Gosh, this is *so* surprising, isn't it?
No, of course it's not. This *always* happens. Twitter was just for people talking about their lunch, Instagram was for photos of people's lunch… We start off trivialising a social media service, and end up [accusing it of destroying democracy](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/05/social-media-democracy-trust-babel/629369/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). TikTok is just on the same trajectory as every other service over the past two decades.
[The hottest trend on TikTok? In-depth analysis.These creators have theories for everything on the internet, from celebrities to fashion trends.VoxTerry Nguyen](https://www.vox.com/the-goods/23021836/tiktok-analysis-commentary-creators?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Facebook kills its podcasting support
This is also so unsurprising that it almost hurts. Podcasting becomes big, Facebook adds some half-hearted support, just in case it turns out to be a threat. It doesn't meaningfully build engagement, and podcasting generally hasn't proved a threat to Meta's business.
The plug gets pulled.
This is the future awaiting Facebook's [newsletter initiative Bulletin](https://www.bulletin.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), too.
[Facebook Pulls the Plug on Podcast Business After a YearBloombergAshley Carman](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-02/facebook-is-planning-to-leave-the-podcast-business-after-a-year?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Some nuance on YouTube radicalisation
Interesting piece from a *NYT* email, pointing out that the YouTube radicalisation spiral has been exaggerated. If you start searching for extremist content, you'll get shown more of it. If you're just watching cute cat videos, you're unlikely to ever see it.
So, it tends to push people already on a radicalisation journey further along the path, but it doesn't start them on that journey.
[On Tech: The YouTube rabbit hole is nuanced](https://messaging-custom-newsletters.nytimes.com/template/oakv2?campaign%5Fid=158&emc=edit%5Fot%5F20220421&instance%5Fid=59104&nl=on-tech-with-shira-ovide&productCode=OT®i%5Fid=99052261&segment%5Fid=89882&te=1&uri=nyt%3A%2F%2Fnewsletter%2F99e0cbcf-e283-54f4-a0a0-9e33a4023fc5&user%5Fid=78ab332e965e5b7b10bc9c4d0a01817b&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Never underestimate the trades
Remember the huge Post Office IT scandal? (If the answer's “no”, the BBC has a [good explainer for you](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56718036?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).) The story was actually broken years before it came to wider notice. It was in the pages of *Computer Weekly,* and the young journalist who broke it was Rebecca Thompson. And the nationals completely failed to pick it up until years later.
There's a horrible snobbery in journalism about anything that doesn't come from the nationals — or, at a pinch, the consumer mags — but sometimes B2B titles do some of the most important reporting. This *Times* profile of Rebecca (whom I was working with back when she broke the story) is a reminder that there's talent and great stories in **all** parts of journalism:
[Rebecca Thomson exposed the Post Office scandal — and nobody listenedRebecca Thomson was a 26-year-old reporter on a niche computer magazine when she first revealed a national injustice in the Post Office ScandalThe Sunday TimesSabah Meddings](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rebecca-thomson-exposed-post-office-scandal-latest-xd6v6z6fw?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## The sweet seduction of SEO myths
This is here as a reminder to myself more than anything. There are so many SEO myths sloshing around out there, with little or no evidence to back them up, and no clear source, but endless SEO blog linking to the same few unsourced, unproven statements.
I'm deep in a couple of SEO consulting projects right now: this is a great warning to make sure what I do is based on experimentation and evidence.
[Why we’re hardwired to believe SEO myths (and how to spot them!)Uncovering the rationale behind this phenomenon, with examples, and five questions to ask yourself when you sense SEO mythsSearch Engine WatchJonas Sickler](https://www.searchenginewatch.com/2022/04/28/why-were-hardwired-to-believe-seo-myths-and-how-to-spot-them/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## Jobs Alert
A whole bunch of jobs at Thomson Reuters — and the deadline is Sunday 8 May. If you left reading this newsletter until Monday, you're too late…
> \*\*We. Are. Hiring\*\*
>
> 1\. Senior editor, SEO[https://t.co/Y5G9MhvEHL](https://t.co/Y5G9MhvEHL?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
> 2\. SEO producer [https://t.co/qlH6Yv24od](https://t.co/qlH6Yv24od?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
> 3\. Audience producer [https://t.co/S1fGrv4IQl](https://t.co/S1fGrv4IQl?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
> 4\. Newsroom analyst [https://t.co/pGuUYXBogL](https://t.co/pGuUYXBogL?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
> 5\. Newsletter editor [https://t.co/yKaBKxQzSa](https://t.co/yKaBKxQzSa?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> Read the thread for details 1/11
>
> — Nick Petrie (@petren) [April 27, 2022](https://twitter.com/petren/status/1519222858865598468?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## Tip of the Day
How to use Google Trends in your story or blog post in a more useful way than just grabbing a screenie:
> How to embed [@GoogleTrends](https://twitter.com/GoogleTrends?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) realtime charts:
>
> 1\. Click ‘< >’ on the visual you want to embed. (You’ll see a pop-up like below.)
>
> 2\. Click ‘Keep data updated’ if you want the visual to keep updating, or uncheck it if you want to freeze it.
>
> 3\. Copy the embed code for your CMS! [pic.twitter.com/T4cQhEaDwi](https://t.co/T4cQhEaDwi?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Google News Initiative (@GoogleNewsInit) [April 21, 2022](https://twitter.com/GoogleNewsInit/status/1517154978401452033?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## And finally: Karl Lagerfeld's dated iPods
Nearly 11 years ago, I was at the long-gone LeWeb conference in Paris. I live-blogged a talk by, of all people, Karl Lagerfeld, who talked about his use of iPads in his work:
[Le Web: Karl Lagerfeld on iPads and technologyIt’s a surprise to have a tech conference kicking off with an icon of fashion. But Karl Lagerfeld has some surprises for us. He sees himself as very “different from the marionette he has become for the rest of the world”. Despite being a self-proclaimed “paper freak” when itOne Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2011/12/le%5Fweb%5Fkarl%5Flagerfeld/)
But there was one interesting little revelation:
> He has hundreds of iPods with different compilations of music he creates, and he annotates them with the date so he can go back to a particular period.
Well, Lagerfeld has since passed away, and now those iPods are [up for auction](https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/karl-karl-lagerfelds-estate-iii-evening-sale/a-lot-of-fifty-ipods-7th-generation-apple?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). And, sure enough, they're dated:
### Elon Musk acquires Twitter: translating the press release
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/04/elon-musk-acquires-twitter-translating-the-press-release/
Last updated: 2022-04-25T21:12:57.000Z
After the weeks of rumour and speculation, it finally happened. I did actually mange to get my previous post out first, but less than an hour later, it became official. [Elon Musk has bought Twitter](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/25/twitter-accepts-elon-musks-buyout-deal.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and is [taking it private](https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/25/23028323/elon-musk-twitter-offer-buyout-hostile-takeover-ownership?scrolla=5eb6d68b7fedc32c19ef33b4&ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
Let’s unpick what he had to say in the [press release announcing the deal](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/elon-musk-to-acquire-twitter-301532245.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
🌶️
WARNING: Spicy hot take incoming…
## Interpreting Elon Musk’s statement on his Twitter acquisition
Here we go, working through Musk's PR-approved statement clause by clause:
> Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy,
This is true, but the devil is in the detail: how you define free speech makes all the difference. Almost no-one is a free speech absolutist. There’s a massive range of views on where you should draw the line that marks acceptable free speech. All too often, it’s “I defend free speech for people like me. Other people are hateful and should be silenced.”
Moreover, being kicked off your Twitter account in no way actually removes your right to free speech, any more than me not allowing you to make a political statement in my living room does. There are plenty of other places you can talk — but you might struggle to get the same reach. Free speech and free reach are related, but seperate, concepts.
(Also, kicking you off Twitter does not reduce your risk of standing, painfully, on Lego, which kicking you out of my living room does. You're welcome.)
> and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated
I’d agree with this statement — if he’d said “**a** digital town square” rather than “**the** digital town square”. Twitter still attracts a much smaller slice of humanity than, say, Facebook.
What is true is that it attracts more politicians and journalists as regular users than most other platforms. So, in that sense, he’s correct.
> I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features,
Well, yes, this is the most anodyne and obvious statement in the release.
What I think it hides is that Musk is almost certain to re-engineer Twitter’s business model. He may be a Category A shit-poster on Twitter, but he is a businessman, and I’m unconvinced by the hot takes that he has no business plan for the company.
He’ll use the free speech stuff as an attention magnet, while getting on with changing a lot of the economic plumbing of the company. Ben Thompson had some [great suggestions as to where he might go](https://stratechery.com/2022/back-to-the-future-of-twitter/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)…
> making the algorithms open source to increase trust
Eh. The problem with making algorithms open source, is that you make it much, much easier for people to manipulate them, since they know *exactly* how they work. Which puts this clause in opposition to the next one…
> defeating the spam bots
That’s an arms race. You will never will a true victory, only small temporary ones. See: spam email, spam comments, spam likes etc…
> and authenticating all humans.
This is actually a good idea. I’ve long maintained that the issue with the Twitter verification system is that it’s not actually a verification system, it’s an *importance* system. You’re not verified, you’re marked as more significant than others. Like anything that conveys status, that makes verification desirable.
You change the status dynamic by making verification available to all. Instead of the important and the less important being the two strata, it become the known and those who have chosen to remain anonymous. There will still be good reasons for staying anonymous for many, but that choice will carry some consequence.
That consequence will fall unevenly: those who choose to stay anonymous will be the marginalised and threatened, who end up lumped in with the shit-posters, trolls and misinformation agents. Resolving that is not beyond the wit of man, but is it beyond the wit of a Musk-run Twitter?
## Translating Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal’s statement
Two sentences is all Agrawal got:
> Twitter has a purpose and relevance that impacts the entire world.
“Oh, fuck.”
> Deeply proud of our teams and inspired by the work that has never been more important.
“It was nice working with you all, and I’m open to job offers.”
## My take on the coming months on Twitter
### It’s time to stop embedding tweets in news stories
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/04/its-time-to-stop-embedding-tweets-in-news-stories/
Last updated: 2022-04-25T18:41:19.000Z
It is slightly bizarre to think that, by the time I press publish on this post, [Elon Musk might own Twitter](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/04/25/business/elon-musk-twitter?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). I’m not going to join the legion of people claiming they will quit Twitter if that happens. I’ve been on the platform for over 15 years, and have seen plenty of drama come and go. I'll stick around with some popcorn, and watch him [repeat the mistakes of the past](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/mar/22/twitter-tony-wang-free-speech?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
> The odds of anyone with a blue tick and a very substantial following actually, truly deleting their Twitter account should Twitter be Musked must be astronomically small. A habit like that is terribly hard to kick.
>
> — Adam Tinworth (@adders) [April 25, 2022](https://twitter.com/adders/status/1518641632467378176?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
But there will be some consequential risk for those of us who embed tweets in articles, like I just did right above this paragraph, if others do both quit AND delete their accounts.
### The rules of embedding
The rules have always been pretty simple: you should, wherever possible, use tweet embeds rather than screenshots of tweets. Of course, you should keep a screenshot of the tweet if you think there’s a serious risk of the originator deleting their tweet, and it’s a critical part of the story.
The exception is, of course, outlets who tend to attract enough opprobrium that people will change their usernames to obscenities, if they find that they’ve been embedded in an article on, oh, say, *MailOnline*. They go straight to the screenshot to minimise that risk.
However, for the rest of us, the screenshots weren’t strictly necessary, as the embeds gracefully fell back into blockquotes. So, this:
> Rule No. 1 about leaving Twitter: If you feel compelled to tweet about leaving, you're probably not leaving
>
> — Alex Kantrowitz (@Kantrowitz) [April 25, 2022](https://twitter.com/Kantrowitz/status/1518607416161677312?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Would become this, should Alex leave the platform and delete his account:
> Rule No. 1 about leaving Twitter: If you feel compelled to tweet about leaving, you're probably not leaving
>
> — Alex Kantrowitz (@Kantrowitz) [April 25, 2022](https://twitter.com/Kantrowitz/status/1518607416161677312?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
However, as [noted by Kevin Marks earlier this month](http://www.kevinmarks.com/twittereditsyou.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), this recently changed. For a while, an embedded tweet that’s been deleted looked like this:
That’s a significant regression in the usefulness of embeds in journalism. The words you’re quoting are no longer available to the reader. They might well still be in the source of the page, but the javascript at work is obscuring them. You could go in and edit the embed source HTML to create the older quote effect demonstrated above — but that's slightly technical and presupposes that you're aware the tweet is gone.
In effect, those publications who have done the right thing — embedding — rather than the wrong thing — screenshooting — looked like they were being penalised for it.
## Why did Twitter do this?
Kevin was able to winkle an explanation out of Twitter:
> Hey Kevin! We're doing this to better respect when people have chosen to delete their Tweets. Very soon it'll have better messaging that explains why the content is no longer available :) my DMs are open if you'd like to chat more about this
>
> — Eleanor Harding (@tweetanor) [March 29, 2022](https://twitter.com/tweetanor/status/1508876355873738752?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
And yes, that does make sense. But it also had the effect of breaking all sorts of news stories, not least the ridiculously large number of articles from the late 2010s based on the tweets of one now-ex-president Donald J Trump. However much you might despise the man, there’s no doubt that his tweeting was part of the historical record of the era, and that’s now getting ever harder to access.
However, thankfully, for the time being, Twitter has [reverted to the old behaviour](https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/9/23018126/twitter-reverts-change-left-blank-spaces-websites-embedded-tweets?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> “After considering the feedback we heard, we’re rolling back this change for now while we explore different options,” Twitter spokesperson Remi Duhé said in an emailed statement to **The Verge*. “We appreciate those who shared their points of view — your feedback helps us make Twitter better.”
They're still exploring “different options”, though, and they're rolling back the change “for now”, so change is probably still coming (Musk allowing). And this is a sobering reminder that, when you embed something on your site, you lose control of that element of your page.
## So, what do we do?
It’s worth considering changing your house style to quoting Tweets rather than embedding them. So, in effect, you treat something on Twitter like anything else you want to quote from the web: use the text in the body of your article, in inverted commas or in a blockquote, and then link to the original source.
So, for example, I could take Kate’s tweet:
> comment pages are just endlessly bloody recycling the current outrages. "My hot take on why yesterday's bad thing is bad."
>
> — Kate Bevan 🇺🇦 (@katebevan) [April 25, 2022](https://twitter.com/katebevan/status/1518606519306272773?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
And just render it thus:
> comment pages are just endlessly bloody recycling the current outrages. "My hot take on why yesterday's bad thing is bad."
— [Kate Bevan on Twitter](https://twitter.com/katebevan/status/1518606519306272773?s=21&t=cbN%5FIQgWulC-mvAdQIiISg&ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
That's all on my server, so if Kate does choose to delete her tweet, my story still makes sense, whatever Twitter decides to do.
If it’s anything mildly controversial, I’d also keep a backup screenshot, just in case it was needed as evidence of the original tweet. But with a tweet like the above, no need.
## The risk of embeds
Embedding content in your site is always risky, especially when it’s critical to the story. You are, in effect, extruding a bit of that platform into your site. And with that extrusion comes the risk of the content changing in ways beyond your control, as well as allowing little elements of the tracking that these platforms use onto your pages.
I’m going to be quoting more and embedding less here in future. Yes, that does mean I’ll have to put a little more effort into breaking up text into readable chunks, and generally making my pages look pretty. The quick visual hit of a pretty embed is something I'm going to be less trusting off in future. But the trade-off for that is content whose future I control, faster page loads times and less tracking of you, dear reader.
It’s time to consider if that’s the right approach for you and your site, too.
### WhatsApp for war reporting, Reddit for search and Twitter for GIFs…
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/03/whatsapp-for-war-reporting-reddit-for-search-and-twitter-for-gifs/
Last updated: 2022-03-23T13:07:17.000Z
## 1\. Messaging apps are becoming a critical part of our reporting infrastructure
There's been plenty of discussion of the Ukraine as the [first major TikTok conflict](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/mar/19/tiktok-ukraine-russia-war-disinformation?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) but, as Joel Simon writes for *Columbia Journalism Review,* for journalists it's all about the messaging apps:
> What’s changed, says Cameron Barr, Senior Managing Editor at *The Washington Post*, is both the “scale and severity” of the Ukraine conflict. The *Post* relies on a WhatsApp group with about two dozen reporters, editors, and security consultants to manage the reporting teams on the ground.
WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram are all becoming essential tools in the journalism toolbox when you're trying to co-ordinate with journalists in the field. If your newsroom doesn't already have a security-conscious policy on this, it's time to get one.
[For journalists, Ukraine is a WhatsApp WarLindsey Hilsum, a correspondent for Britain’s Channel 4 News, is one the most experienced conflict reporters covering the Ukraine war. But she never heads out without an electronic tracking device that allows editors to monitor her every move. She is in constant and nearly instantaneous contact w…Columbia Journalism ReviewJoel Simon](https://www.cjr.org/business%5Fof%5Fnews/for-journalists-ukraine-is-a-whatsapp-war.php?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
It's also worth remembering, that you can evaluate any digital tool against three main roles:
- Content promotion
- Story-finding and research
- Networking and communications
While some interesting work is being done with messaging apps and the first of those (promotion), it's for the latter two that they really shine.
## 2\. Reddit: your new SEO challenge
Have you given any thought to your Reddit search strategy? Any at all? No? Well, you might need to. The site we once called a “social bookmarking” service, but which is probably better regarded as a platform for niche communities, is becoming [a star for certain searches](https://dkb.io/post/google-search-is-dying?utm%5Fsource=tldrnewsletter):
> So how can we regain authenticity? What if you want to know what a genuine real life human being thinks about the latest Lenovo laptop?
> You append “reddit" to your query (or hacker news, or stack overflow, or some other community you trust).
> Google is dead.
> Long live Google + “site:reddit.com”.
While that's more about the weakness of Google (and the outsize success of search marketers on certain query categories), Reddit certainly seems to be leaning into the idea:
[Reddit Continues the Process of Refining Its Search ResultsThe first iteration of its new mod notes feature was released.AdweekDavid Cohen](https://www.adweek.com/media/reddit-continues-the-process-of-refining-its-search-results/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
I suspect Reddit is due a serious re-evaluation in audience strategy circles.
## 3\. GIFs. GIFs everywhere.
Let's face it: GIFs are a prehistoric format. Those of us who remember the 1990s web will recall when they were the *only* viable way of putting any video or animation on your homepage. They are old, clunky and bandwidth hogs:
> GIF is a \*very\* inefficient file format for video.
>
> — Paul Ockenden (@PaulOckenden) [March 23, 2022](https://twitter.com/PaulOckenden/status/1506604435136561154?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
And yet, they're still a central part of the way we communicate online (for a certain subset of “we” at least. [Apparently they're *passé* amongst Gen Z](https://www.vice.com/en/article/z3nzb4/gifs-are-for-boomers-now?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).) And so, Twitter, which has long supported really modern video formats, now allows you to create them within the app:
> Ok GIFs aren’t new but what \*is new\* is the option to capture your own using the in-app camera on iOS. [pic.twitter.com/3Hl6q78e6s](https://t.co/3Hl6q78e6s?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) [March 22, 2022](https://twitter.com/TwitterSupport/status/1506346203310612490?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Why would you do this, rather than just create a short video clip? Well, you might experiment with it for the reusability and viral potential of the GIF. But, as always, the true potential of new functionality only becomes clear when people start playing with it. It'll be interesting to see if they unleashes another wave of viral creativity on Twitter, or quickly becomes another forgotten piece of functionality buried in the app.
I image you can come up with better than this:
> adamreaction.gif [pic.twitter.com/mvCyKkB43X](https://t.co/mvCyKkB43X?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Adam Tinworth (@adders) [March 23, 2022](https://twitter.com/adders/status/1506609260540608517?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### tl;dr: the Facebook-lite edition
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/03/newsletters-facebook-audience-engagement/
Last updated: 2022-03-11T15:10:05.000Z
For once, Facebook doesn't seem to be the centre of attention, with big shifts like TikTok expanding to 10 minute videos, Twitter making more changes and some eye-opening moves from Reach dominating the news. Onwards to the links!
## Audience Engagement
- 🧪 The [periodic table of community management](https://guild.co/blog/periodic-table-community-strategy/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 😤 Metaverse [community management is going wrong already](https://www.vice.com/en/article/7kb7w4/being-a-facebook-metaverse-community-guide-seems-like-a-nightmare-job?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 📹 Using [social video to boost engaged time](https://whatsnewinpublishing.com/52-uptick-in-time-spent-on-site-why-one-millennial-publisher-turned-to-short-form-vertical-video/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)…
- 👹 A journalist [engages with a troll via email](https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2022/news/journalist-confronts-troll-over-click-baiting-scumbag-jibe/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). This is absolutely NOT a scalable — or safe — approach. But it can be surprisingly effective. Twitter’s Joanna Geary did this years ago [in her *Birmingham Post* days](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/apr/12/noel-edmonds-day-i-met-troll?CMP=gu%5Fcom&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and it made a difference.
## Business Models
- 💸 Former client the [*FT* hits 1 m digital subscribers](https://pressgazette.co.uk/ft-hits-1m-paying-digital-subscribers/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), with journalism now their biggest revenue stream.
- 🔮 Three [very interesting predictions](https://www.ftstrategies.com/insights/top-three-predictions-for-the-news-publishing-industry-in-2022/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) for news business models from the *FT*.
- 👩🏽💻 Reach has a mixed bag of results, but is doing well in [getting readers to register](https://pressgazette.co.uk/reach-2021-results/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 💰 Did Australia’s attempt to make [Google and Facebook pay publishers](https://www.wired.com/story/australia-media-code-facebook-google/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) work?
- 🛍 YouTube, king of monetisation, offering new ways to [make money from Shorts and shopping](https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/10/22925936/youtube-creators-feature-shopping-live-streaming-gifted-memberships?s=09&ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🌋 Are we at [peak subscription](https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2022/03/why-subscriptions-are-hard-to-cancel/623885/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)? (Probably not — but people will keep asking this question.
- 👂🏼What podcasting’s best listeners [think of ads](https://tomwebster.media/what-podcastings-best-customers-think-of-podcast-ads/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
## Facebook
- 👥 New tools for [managing groups](https://9to5mac.com/2022/03/09/facebook-groups-easier-to-manage/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). QR codes could work very well for local groups — or even in *whisper* print publications?
- 🚦 Facebook giving exemptions to Ukraines [urging violence against Russian invaders](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/exclusive-facebook-instagram-temporarily-allow-calls-violence-against-russians-2022-03-10/?taid=622a703727d3f20001e221cf&utm%5Fcampaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm%5Fmedium=trueAnthem&utm%5Fsource=twitter).
## Journalism Practice
- 💨 Useful information from *The Guardian* about [their liveblogging approach](https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/tips-guardian-live-blogging-and-covering-breaking-news-ukraine?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 📈 Reach [setting page view targets](https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2022/news/publisher-launches-new-minimum-page-view-targets-for-reporters/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) for its staff (again). I have a post in progress about this one.
- 🤑 Newsquest says that [“hundreds” of its journalists are getting page view bonuses](https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2022/news/publisher-says-hundreds-of-reporters-receive-page-view-target-bonuses/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🛑 Reach [carries on killing its offices](https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2022/news/publisher-closes-regions-last-working-newsroom-in-meeting-space-plan/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 🏨 Some publishers using hoteling software to [manage how their workforce use office space](https://digiday.com/media/how-publishers-are-using-hoteling-software-to-manage-their-hybrid-workforces/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🧠 Reporting [sensitively on neurodiversity](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/how-to-report-on-neurodiversity-accurately-and-ethically/s2/a901381/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
## Newsletters
- 📧 Five tips for [making newsletters that stick](https://whatsnewinpublishing.com/5-tips-for-creating-newsletters-that-stick%EF%BF%BC/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) (eeeew…)
- 🎙 Interesting [Media Voices interview with Ryan Heafy](https://voices.media/designed-marketing-engine-cities-6am-city-hits-milestone-1-million-newsletter-subscribers?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) of newsletter-based local media company, 6am City.
- 🔎 The Manchester Evening News launches a newsletter looking to [highlight stories which might get missed](https://medium.com/behind-local-news-uk/newsletter-aims-to-put-spotlight-on-issues-getting-lost-in-daily-news-cycle-f822eb4cff03?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🔥Substack under fire *again* — this time for [profiting from COVID-19 misinformation](https://pressgazette.co.uk/campaign-group-chief-says-substack-profiting-from-misinformation-deaths/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 🌍 How publishers are [using newsletters to reach international audiences](https://digiday.com/media/how-publishers-are-using-newsletters-to-reach-readers-and-attract-subscribers-internationally/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 👓 I don’t know if you’ve heard, but [Substack has a reader app now](https://www.niemanlab.org/2022/03/substacks-google-reader-esque-app-is-part-of-media-ecosystem-based-on-different-laws-of-physics-company-says/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). I wrote [about it](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/03/substacks-app-building-the-vc-moat/), too…
> Don't take on The Mill 📉📉 [pic.twitter.com/eSqJa5QyiR](https://t.co/eSqJa5QyiR?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Joshi Herrmann (@joshi) [March 1, 2022](https://twitter.com/joshi/status/1498682652915814405?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Platforms
- 🐣 The *NYT* looks at how [Twitter is reinventing itself](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/02/technology/twitter-platform-rethink.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🎉 Here’s a round-up of the [new Twitter features coming](https://www.interhacktives.com/2022/02/16/new-twitter-features/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 💪🏼 And this is a surprisingly useful guide to [actually using Twitter](https://thezvi.substack.com/p/how-to-best-use-twitter?s=r) better.
- 🌅 [Social Media Image sizes](https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-image-sizes-guide/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) cheat sheet
- 🙈Trump Social, sorry, *Truth Social* [struggling out of the gates](https://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-truth-social-launches-with-glitches-11645528246?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🍿 [TikTok is going long](https://www.wired.com/story/tiktok-wants-longer-videos-like-not/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), if you like it or not…
- 🎦 Don’t [give up on Reels](https://bigtechnology.substack.com/p/its-way-too-early-to-count-out-instagram) just yet.
> 1/ Stop saying TikTok is “usually just an app for memes and dancing, not serious issues.” Remember when TikTokers supposedly trolled a Trump rally? That was 21 months ago.
>
> TikTok's been a political tool for as long as it's been used by people who care about political issues.
>
> — Abbie Richards (@abbieasr) [March 7, 2022](https://twitter.com/abbieasr/status/1500956943728451589?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## SEO
- 👨🏻💻 Setting up [Google Publisher Centre](https://whatsnewinpublishing.com/how-to-set-up-google-publisher-center-news-and-discover-podcast-for-publishers/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 🕵🏻♀️ Why does all the really interesting stuff end up on [the later pages of search result](https://christianheilmann.com/2021/12/20/the-web-starts-on-page-four/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)s?
- 💻 The [desktop version of the Core Web Vitals](https://whatsnewinpublishing.com/the-desktop-rollout-of-core-web-vitals-is-complete-how-can-publishers-optimize-site-performance/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) rollout is done.
## Verification
- 🔎 A nice summary of how journalists [are verifying Ukraine videos](https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2022/03/02/ukraine-visual-forensics/?utm%5Fcampaign=When%20the%20Going%20Gets%20Weird...&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter)
- 🤥 Scam pages are trying to capitalise on the [attention generated by the Ukraine invasion](https://www.inputmag.com/culture/ukraine-russia-war-pages-instagram-meme-scams?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- ✋🏻 Facebook [blocking new Crowdtangle sign-ups](https://www.reuters.com/technology/meta-pauses-new-users-joining-analytics-tool-crowdtangle-2022-01-29/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 🔬 Useful guide from the ever-excellent Bellingcat to [archiving content from Telegram](https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/how-tos/2022/03/08/how-to-archive-telegram-content-to-document-russias-invasion-of-ukraine/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
> The lack of attention in big tech companies like [@Meta](https://twitter.com/Meta?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [@Twitter](https://twitter.com/Twitter?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [@Google](https://twitter.com/Google?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) in terms of content moderation, verification and overall better signalling of trusted actors in smaller countries - in this case European - makes it that much harder to verify claims during this crisis.
>
> — Sofia Diogo Mateus (@sofiadmateus) [February 26, 2022](https://twitter.com/sofiadmateus/status/1497507893419065347?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## The Big Read: We’re not storytellers
Journaolism lecturer lazy cliché #378: “We are storytellers!”
Well, maybe we're not, Maybe journalism is something different…
[Why journalists should think twice about calling themselves “storytellers” in today’s partisan environmentJournalists often brand themselves as “storytellers” to signal their reporting expertise. But in new research, Brian Calfano, Jeffrey Blevins and Alexis Straka find that because of the …USAPP](https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2022/02/25/why-journalists-should-think-twice-about-calling-themselves-storytellers-in-todays-partisan-environment/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Chaser:
[Should journalists call themselves ‘storytellers’?Plus: On the ground with journalists in Mexico, the digital divide among investigative journalists, and why ESPN became politicizedRQ1Mark Coddington and Seth Lewis](https://rq1.substack.com/p/should-journalists-call-themselves?r=2hwy&s=r&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=email)
---
## The Big debate: do paywalls create a moral problem?
This one really isn't going away any time soon. The more membership models we have, the more people are excluded from the high-quality news ecosystem. But there won't *be* a high-quality news ecosystsm without membership models.
[The moral dilemma of paywalls: Why journalism will increasingly move into two different worldsBy Alexandra Borchardt, Medieninsider.comMediumMedieninsider](https://medieninsider.medium.com/the-moral-dilemma-of-paywalls-why-journalism-will-increasingly-move-into-two-different-worlds-95c2e1ddc552?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## Every “high petrol prices” news package
This made me chuckle. Not quite as good as the [old Newswipe parody](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHun58mz3vI&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), but getting there.
### Substack’s app: building the VC moat
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/03/substacks-app-building-the-vc-moat/
Last updated: 2022-03-09T17:38:02.000Z
It was almost inevitable that, eventually, Substack would build an app. From the moment the [beta version of its web-based reader](https://on.substack.com/p/new-reader-homepage?s=r) appeared, you could pretty much start the countdown to the arrival of the mobile app.
[Today, it arrived](https://on.substack.com/p/substackapp?s=r):
0:00
/
1×
What is it? It’s basically like Google Reader was, a reading app for a diverse range of sites (or newsletters, in this case) and, indeed, one of Substack’s founders makes [that very point](https://twitter.com/hamishmckenzie/status/1501561280796135425?s=21&ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> I remember Google Reader. I remember how good it felt to be a thinking person who liked to read on the internet. I remember being able to follow my favorite writers and read them at length, where their arguments could be made calmly, where there was a point in aiming for beauty.
However, there’s one massive difference he’s just glided over: instead of being for *any* blog or site with an RSS feed, his app is just for Substacks. Yeah, they’re Substacks now, rather than newsletters. And let’s look at why.
🌶️
Warning: this is a spicy hot take. This app has only been out for a few hours, so this post is based on early impressions and some quick extrapolation of the strategy behind it.
## Substack moves beyond newsletters
One of the most interesting things in the initial set-up workflow is this:
Turning off emails in the Substack app
Once you turn on app notifications, the app lets you turn *off* emails. Yup. The hot newsletter platform lets you turn off the very thing it made its name with. All of a sudden, instead of being an email service, Substack becomes a content app on your phone or iPad.
That’s a huge paradigm shift — and a big gamble for Substack. We all go to our email inboxes regularly, even if we don’t really want to. But this option turns your Substack-based newsletters into yet another app competing for your attention. Not everyone will turn this on. Not everyone will download the app. But, for the regular newsletter reader, it's a seductive option.
For what it’s worth, I immediately switched to app notifications. I’m excited to have a slightly cleaner in-box, and not waste so much time filing emails into my (badly neglected) To Read folder…
## Life in the notifications
It does mean that app-only users are probably going to be highly dependent on notifications to bring them into the app. Sure, the notifications are good:
Substack notifications on my lockscreen
But they do run the risk of people see their newsletters less, if they're busy or not paying attention when their favourite “newsletters” arrive. It also makes the app much more dependent on the skill of the writers in crafting headlines that will grab attention in push notifications, which will be an interesting challenge for some. Probably not gonna tap on that second one up there…
However, there’s also a lot to be gained here. If — *if* — this works out for Substack, it becomes less a newsletter company, and more a generalised content platform. It becomes less open, as it sucks people’s available attention into the app. If the notifications work, people might slip into a habit of opening the app, and just reading there, much as they do with Facebook.
But these are all big “ifs”.
## Building an attention moat
It always seemed unlikely the VCs backing Substack would be happy with it existing mainly in an open ecosystem like email. Well, now it has its app, and the beginnings of its own platform. That’s going to make the VCs happy.
Why? Because if your audience is in their in-box, you can switch to [Ghost](https://ghost.org/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) or [Revue](https://www.getrevue.co/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) or [Buttondown](https://buttondown.email/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) or [Beehiiv](https://www.beehiiv.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) seamlessly, and lose nothing. If your audience is in Substack’s app, as a writer, you risk losing that audience’s attention by shifting. You are disincentivised to do so. It's a soft form of lock in, that will grow as the app usage grows — if it does.
And so, as positive as the initial buzz is about the app, there are some *really* big questions in the air. Will it make the writers happy? Will it work for readers?
It’s going to be interesting finding out.
---
You can download the app for [iOS or iPad](https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/substack-reader/id1581650857?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), or register for information about the [forthcoming Android version](https://8g5zau8cti6.typeform.com/to/YPiI2mMg?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
### Six journalists you should follow on International Women’s Day
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/03/six-journalists-you-should-follow-on-international-womans-day/
Last updated: 2022-03-09T14:54:03.000Z
I always feel uncomfortable posting on [International Women's Day](https://www.un.org/en/observances/womens-day?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Surely, of all the days of the year, this is one where we chaps should just shut the hell up?
And then, when I saw [this work by my current students at City](https://twitter.com/interhacktives/status/1501183343932710915?s=21&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), I realised what should have been obvious all along: I should use the day to amplify female voices. There are far too many intelligent, skilled and insightful women on Twitter that aren't followed by nearly enough people, and whom you should follow *straight away*.
Best of all, of course, this is a format that I can replicate every year.
---
### The rules
- They must work in or around journalism.
- I must find what they are doing genuinely inspiring or interesting
- They must have fewer Twitter followers than me.
♀️
There are so many great women I can include on this list. Part of me feels terrible about having to pick just a selection — but time is short, I have to press publish sometime, and I have so many candidates for next year…
---
## Beth Ashton
Beth was one of the very first students I taught at City, back in 2012, and she's gone on to a stellar career at the *Manchester Evening News*, *The Telegraph* and now as head of audience at *The Independent*.
One thing that I've learnt in my near decade lecturing is that there's no better feeling that knowing one of your former students has eclipsed you; Beth has certainly done that.
Not a high volume Tweeter, but she's worth following for a mix of audience stuff, rugby and general politics.
[Follow @BethAshton](https://twitter.com/BethAshton?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Dr Glenda Cooper
This is dangerously close to a suck-up, because I lecture for Glenda in some of the teaching I do at City, but she's one of the many women at City doing great work right now (including the head of the journalism department [Professor Mel Bunce](https://twitter.com/meljbunce?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)).
Glenda's a researcher, head of the undergraduate course at City, the director of the [European Journalism Observatory](https://en.ejo.ch/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and is involved in initiatives like [News on Stage](https://newsonstage964645559.wordpress.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). And [she's a novelist](http://www.creativewritingmatters.co.uk/2020-exeter-novel-prize.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), too.
I suspect she doesn't actually sleep.
[Follow @glendacooper](https://twitter.com/glendacooper?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Isabelle Roughol
Isabelle has only come to my notice over the last couple of years, after she left LinkedIn, and started making waves as [a media artisan](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/11/17-years-as-a-media-artisan/). She's unfailingly thoughtful, generous and interesting, and her work gets ever better.
She's absolutely worth your time on Twitter (she's one of two people on this list I assumed were followed by more people than me, until I checked.)
And, in particular, right now she's looking for a job:
> My gift to myself this IWD is getting over my social conditioning to toot my own horn and tell you I've decided to look for full-time employment again and you should definitely hire me. I'm really quite good at what I do. 👇 [https://t.co/sVpiXeZHJn](https://t.co/sVpiXeZHJn?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Isabelle Roughol (@iroughol) [March 8, 2022](https://twitter.com/iroughol/status/1501211655526572038?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
I sincerely hope she'll be snapped up quickly by some lucky organisation.
[Follow @iroughol](https://twitter.com/iroughol?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Pavan Mahal
Another former student on the list, Pavan recently became distribution editor for *Insider*. She's been generous with her time with more recent generations of students, at least two of whom have gone to work with her.
Follow her for good audience stuff, and the best of the work they're doing at *Insider*.
[Follow @pavan\_mahal](https://twitter.com/pavan%5Fmahal?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Esther Kezia Thorpe
I genuinely can't believe more people aren't following Esther. Both on her own, and as part of [the Media Voices team](https://voices.media/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), she's one of the most interesting emerging voices in media commentary, and you really should just click the follow button below RIGHT NOW.
I'll be honest. I don't always agree with Esther's takes — but they're *always* smart and insightful enough that they challenge me to refine and develop my own arguments.
[Follow @EstherKeziaT](https://twitter.com/EstherKeziaT?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Erika Marzano
I can't remember how I came across Erika and her work at Deutsche Welle, but she's consistently interesting, insightful, useful and fun on Twitter. Look, for example, at [this thread contextualising an interesting new hire](https://twitter.com/erika%5Fmarzano/status/1501226350136688641?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) from Twitter.
And she's part of a panel on TikTok versus Reels at this year's International Journalism Festival:
[TikTok vs Instagram ReelsTikTok is probably the biggest social media success story of the last few years, especially among young users. Few platforms have had the immediate impact that TikTok has among the Gen Z audience; they’ve taken to TikTok to be entertained, to interact with each other and to get the news.In a clear…International Journalism FestivalYasmina Al-Gannabi audience development manager Deutsche Welle](https://www.journalismfestival.com/programme/2022/tiktok-vs-instagram-reels?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
[Follow @erika\_marzano](https://twitter.com/erika%5Fmarzano?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Report the Ukraine war – but give people an escape route from relentless horror
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/02/balancing-the-war-in-ukraine-with-other-journalistic-priorities/
Last updated: 2024-09-30T15:44:09.000Z
*Be warned: I’m about to commit what some people might regard as journalistic heresy.*
It’s impossible to ignore the situation in the Ukraine right now. Like most other people, I’m watching the events there with a mix of horror and fear, and with support for the Ukrainian people fighting for their freedom. But, like so many others, there’s little I can actually *do* with that information. I can throw a little money their way. But beyond that? I’m not even [a member of Anonymous](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/27/anonymous-the-hacker-collective-that-has-declared-cyberwar-on-russia?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
There’s a problem with overwhelming people with frightening news that they can’t actually act on. And that’s what I want to talk about in today’s post. And then, for reasons I’ll get into below, we’ll move on to other topics for the rest of the week.
---
## Times of crisis can’t be all about the crisis
The Ukrainian war is undoubtably a crisis. It’s brought us closer to a global war — and a nuclear one — than we’ve been in decades, and that’s some pretty scary shit right there. Numerous journalists are doing some great work reporting it — some at aignificant risk of losing their lives in the pursuit of truth. Even those sat safely at their desks outside Ukraine are having to process difficult, dark and often horrifying news.
I don't envy them — but I'm glad this vital work is being done, and generally done well. I’ve compiled some of the guidance that’s been published to help journalists reporting on it below.
But I want to discuss the rest of us. Those whose beat isn’t politics, or global diplomacy or war. The majority of journalists, in fact. Should we drop everything and focus on the war?
No. In fact, we need to continue on as we were before, both for ourselves and for our readers. Now is the time to prove that we’ve [learnt one of the biggest lessons](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/03/why-we-need-more-than-just-good-coronavirus-reporting-right-now/) from the pandemic. Nobody — except, perhaps, a handful of journalists — can handle bad news constantly. And we’ve got a surfeit of bad news right about now.
Just as the pandemic was easing off in some parts of the world:
- Russia invaded the Ukraine
- The IPCC issued its [bleakest warning yet on climate change](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/28/ipcc-issues-bleakest-warning-yet-impacts-climate-breakdown?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
In an ordinary week, the latter of the two would be enough to dominate headlines on its own. But, thanks to the former, it will fall somewhere down the agenda. Imminent nuclear apocalypse beats out less imminent environmental catastrophe. There’s an argument that things should be the other way around, but with a notable exception, that news priority judgement call has been made.
> This is very interesting (thx [@andorand](https://twitter.com/andorand?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) for the ht).
>
> NRK (National broadcaster in Norway) has been featuring three articles about the UN Climate report above the war in Ukraine:
>
> Obviously the story about Ukraine is very important, but climate change is the bigger story. [pic.twitter.com/tLPefE1wwn](https://t.co/tLPefE1wwn?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Thomas Baekdal (@baekdal) [February 28, 2022](https://twitter.com/baekdal/status/1498294822666440711?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
These are not slow news days. This is more news than people can handle.
Twitter has been a bit harrowing for the last few days, as the algorithm seems to be ignoring anything that isn’t Ukraine-related. This feeling of impending apocalypse hanging over is deeply familiar to some of us.
## Balancing awareness with the price of fear
Those of you of an age with me — and by that, I mean deep middle age — will remember the 70s and 80s, and growing up feeling that nuclear annihilation could be only hours away. It’s a damn shame we’re back in that territory after a couple of decades away from that fear. I really hoped my daughters would be able to grow up without it, but it is what it is.
You had, in the end, to push away the feeling that planning for the future was pointless because you could be dead in hours, and get on with life. There is no point in obsessing over something we can’t change and can’t impact.
Today, we’re bombarding readers with repeated stories about the danger we’re all in with little effective route to countering it. It’s a great way to create some serious mental health issues.
We already know that this feeling of a lack of agency has created mental health issues out of everything [from Brexit](https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/news/millions-have-felt-powerless-angry-or-worried-because-brexit-results-our-new-poll?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) to [Climate Change](https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/news/2021/jul/climate-change-and-mental-health?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). The return of an immanent threat of nuclear war *will* fall into the same category.
So, my fellow journalists, let’s not make that worse than it needs to be.
## Routes to different stories
Let me be clear: I’m not arguing that there shouldn’t be very significant amounts of reporting on Ukraine, and that it should top the news agenda. *It should*. And that reporting must be done. It’s an inescapable reality of the war that there’s a major story out there that needs telling. As I said above, there are plenty of journalists doing that right now.
But those of us doing audience work, editorial priority work and who are designing homepages and newsletters, need to act with caution and empathy.
### To push or not to push
In particular, those who hold the keys of push notifications and email alerts, have to think a little more deeply before pressing “send”. Is this a piece of news that people *require* shoved in their face *right now*?
Let’s look at two examples. This, from *The Guardian*:
Very much an “oh, shit” notification. Something very scary, with not much context — but, at least, a call to action for more information.
Compare with this from the *New York Times*:
Informative, clear and with less of an adrenaline-generating approach.
I’m not saying one is right and one is wrong — but I am saying that one *will* scare people more than the other. Now yes, scaring people generates traffic — but it also [generates news avoidance](https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/initial-surge-news-use-around-coronavirus-uk-has-been-followed-significant-increase-news-avoidance?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), as we found out during the pandemic.
### Balance your newsletters
How about newsletters? While I was writing this, an email arrived from *The Telegraph*. Chris Evans, the editor, [highlighted six stories](http://m.email3.telegraph.co.uk/nl/jsp/m.jsp?c=%40EWY7qhpLoXss6T9tWARIA7FKYCsrDftURCbW%2BHVoo%2BA%3D&WT.mc%5Fid=e%5FDM1548338&WT.tsrc=email&etype=Edi%5FEdi%5FNew%5FReg&utmsource=email&utm%5Fmedium=Edi%5FEdi%5FNew%5FReg20220228&utm%5Fcampaign=DM1548338&ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
- Four about Ukraine
- One about the cost of living crisis
- One about spring day trips
That’s five relentlessly difficult stories, and one almost ridiculously fluffy story. (It involves *lambs*…). That’s not only making Ukraine all but the *only* story in town, it’s depriving journalists on the team working on other stories the chance for attention on their work at exactly the time that attention will be hard to come by. A spread of three Ukraine stories, two other serious stories (nothing on the IPCC, Chris?) and one lighter one would have made for a more audience-friendly balance.
Despite that habitual drive in the newsroom towards throwing everything at the kind of story with the enthusiasm of [Chris Morris declaring “It’s war!”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3BO6GP9NMY&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), we still need to keep our eye on all the rest of the news and information people need.
### Build in escape routes
So, give people an option to switch to other stories.
If you’re a news publication, give readers clear routes to other parts of your site, rather than constantly pushing more variations of the Ukraine story at them. Make sure your recirculation links point to a range of stories, so you can keep people informed, without triggering news avoidance. Make it easy for them to take as much war coverage as they can manage — and then move on to other things.
If you’re a B2B or consumer publication, acknowledge the war where it impacts your readers, but carry on with the rest of your work. Don’t force references into your stories where they’re not needed. Remember, people can throw themselves into their jobs or their hobbies as a reminder that life is worth living, even in the face of existential threats.
Because, sometimes, giving people an escape is the most useful thing when news itself becomes nigh-inescapable.
---
## Resources for those covering the war in Ukraine
[Tips for reporting on Russia’s invasion of UkraineEarly in the morning of Thursday, February 24, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in what is the most significant military attack in Europe since World War II.International Journalists' NetworkDevin Windelspecht](https://ijnet.org/en/story/tips-reporting-russias-invasion-ukraine?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
[Tools and resources for journalists covering the Ukrainian warIn the age of information warfare, journalists must take extra precautions when reporting breaking news. We rounded up resources for fact-checking and trauma reportingJournalism.co.ukMarcela Kunova](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/tools-and-resources-for-journalists-covering-the-ukrainian-war/s2/a906371/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
[Some resources for following the invasion of UkraineLists, liveblogs, maps.Nieman LabLaura Hazard Owen](https://www.niemanlab.org/2022/02/follow-war-ukraine/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### A return, a warning, and a question
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/02/a-return-a-warning-and-a-question/
Last updated: 2022-02-28T12:19:24.000Z
It's been quiet around here for the last few weeks. Here's why.
## The return
It happened. Inevitably, as my wife has been warning me for years would happen eventually (and as a medical genomics lecturer with a PhD in immunology, she should know…), I got COVID-19\. In fact, my entire family got Covid, and have been isolating for a good part of the last fortnight. And yes, that means no children in school, and back to the lockdown-era days of trying to balance work and childcare.
Given that I'm double vaccinated AND boosted, I had pretty mild symptoms — consistent with a middling cold. It pretty much bounced off my yougest, but my eldest daughter and my wife had a tougher time of it. Thankfully, we’re all over it now, and the girls are happily back in school.
But it has meant that I’ve been working the bare minimum I needed to get existing commitments done for the last few weeks, and the blog fell by the wayside.
My apologies.
But that brings me to the…
## The Warning
To try to kick my brain back into gear after a fortnight of COVID fug, I intend to write a piece every day this week. Next week, I hope to be back on the normal three times a week schedule.
## The Question
Here’s my question for you: is there anything you’d like me to write about? Any aspect of media? Any question you’d like answered? Any recent news you’d like my analysis on?
Hit the comments section below and let me know if you have anything. Or you can [drop me an email](mailto:adam@onemanandhisblog.com) if you prefer.
While I have plenty of ideas of my own, it’s always more fun to write in response to a request from someone else…
### tl;dr: the “we don’t talk about audience” edition
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/02/tldr-the-we-dont-talk-about-audience-edition/
Last updated: 2022-03-09T09:43:57.000Z
My daughters first saw *Encanto* with the Brownies and Rainbows back in the tail end of 2021, and so this household has been [not talking about Bruno](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvWRMAU6V-c&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) (no, no, no) before it was cool.
What we *do* talk about is the new subscribers here, thanks to *OM&HB's* prominent place in journalism.co.uk's [list of blogs by journalists, for journalists](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/50-blogs-by-journalists-for-journalists/s2/a551846/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Hello, welcome aboard — and please do drop me a line to introduce yourself!
For newcomers *tl;dr* is a weekly-ish dump of links that might be useful to people in audience engagement, engaged journalism or social media roles. It's an eclectic selection of what I think is useful — and some of the links may be weeks old. It just depends on how much time I've had to catch up on my reading.
I hope, as ever, that you find them useful…
---
## Audience
> When you ask the question “why do you spend time with our journalism?” thousands of times (& really listen to the answers), the results are rich.
>
> With examples of how we reflect these needs at [@TheAtlantic](https://twitter.com/TheAtlantic?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [@IsabelFattal](https://twitter.com/IsabelFattal?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [@mimbsy](https://twitter.com/mimbsy?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [@da\_fallon](https://twitter.com/da%5Ffallon?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [@nicolesjchung](https://twitter.com/nicolesjchung?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [https://t.co/lPozHMNzzF](https://t.co/lPozHMNzzF?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [pic.twitter.com/Mo97YQbxqC](https://t.co/Mo97YQbxqC?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Emily Goligoski (@emgollie) [January 18, 2022](https://twitter.com/emgollie/status/1483526724272988164?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
x
- 👩🏻🔬 Some great insights from [audience work done by *The Atlantic*](https://building.theatlantic.com/weve-spent-two-years-studying-readers-listeners-needs-of-the-atlantic-2a84ff9a57d1?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 😮💨 Avoiding [community manager burnout](https://www.commsor.com/post/community-manager-burnout?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Useful for anyone in an audience-facing role.
- 👷🏼Here’s what it’s like as [a publisher’s online safety editor.](https://www.niemanlab.org/2022/01/this-is-what-its-like-to-be-a-media-companys-first-ever-online-safety-editor/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) This feels like a job role more publishers should be exploring.
- 😔 Some rather depressing research into [how little audience thinking has actually made its way into newsrooms](https://journalismresearchnews.org/professional-logics-in-journalism-and-the-role-of-social-media-audiences/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 👩🏻🔬 Maybe [a data-centric approach](https://wan-ifra.org/2021/12/how-a-data-centric-approach-helps-increase-audience-engagement/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) might help?
## Business
- 🤑 Brian Morrissey points out the obvious, but really well: it’s [much easier to target wealthy niches](https://therebooting.substack.com/p/the-rich-niche) than less well-off ones. (I am beginning to think that targeting folks in journalism might have been a strategic error.)
- 😹 A nice piece of satire about the [clichés in use about entrepreneurial journalism](https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/01/14/journalism-industry-entrepreneurial-spirit-cliche-527113?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 👍🏻 So, it’s nice to see *The Markup* explicitly trying to [reach out to readers outside the niche of the rich](https://www.axios.com/the-markup-nonprofit-tech-news-2021-revenue-9bb7a79e-afca-4b30-a791-1deed46b1eb4.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)…
- 👮NewsGuard — which rates websites by trustworthiness — [is profitable, it claims](https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/16/media/newsguard-startup-profit-expands/index.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). I must take another look — I remember playing with it when it launched, but haven’t touched it since.
## Facebook
- 🙄 Oh, look, [another former Facebook exec is raising concerns](https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebooks-former-elections-boss-now-questions-social-medias-impact-on-politics-11641648561?st=gd9au8ydlsg1397&reflink=desktopwebshare%5Fpermalink&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) about the company.
- 🤪And it appears to be becoming [a wasteland of reposted trivial memes](https://newsletters.theatlantic.com/galaxy-brain/618ad9942e822d00205a26b3/facebooks-vast-wasteland/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
> videos are doing so badly on FB that it's almost not worth posting them
>
> — A Ukrainian troublemaker 🙋🏻♀️ (@Val\_Voshchevska) [January 13, 2022](https://twitter.com/Val%5FVoshchevska/status/1481627048430997504?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Instagram
- ↕️ Instagram now [testing cloning TikTok’s vertical scrolling](https://9to5mac.com/2022/01/12/instagram-testing-stories-redesign-with-vertical-scrolling-in-its-app/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)…
- 💰It’s also [trialling creator subscriptions](https://techcrunch.com/2022/01/19/instagram-launches-early-test-of-creator-subscriptions-in-the-u-s/?utm%5Fcampaign=UA-39227834-1&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter&guccounter=1) in the US.
- 👴🏼 Why BBC News is [focusing on Instagram, and not TikTok](https://pressgazette.co.uk/bbc-instagram-strategy-tiktok/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
## Newsletters
- 🏦 Axios launches [Pro newsletters for $599 annually](https://www.adweek.com/media/axios-pro-deal-newsletters-launches-starting-at-599-annually/?utm%5Fcampaign=UA-39227834-1&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter). That’s entirely feasible if you’re targeting either wealthy individuals or, more likely, wealthy companies, who can absorb the cost.
- 📧 A quick guide to what [Apple’s email tracking prevention](https://www.omeda.com/impact-of-apples-mail-privacy-protection/?oly%5Fenc%5Fid=6567F6018945H0Z&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) has done to open rates.
- 🦠 Substack is proving [a lucrative home for anti-vaxxers](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jan/27/anti-vaxxers-making-at-least-25m-a-year-from-publishing-on-substack?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🤭 The above link might explain why Substack felt the need to publish this: [Society has a trust problem. More censorship will make it worse](https://on.substack.com/p/society-has-a-trust-problem-more?r=2hwy&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=email).
## Podcasts
- 🤫 Weird. Some of Spotify’s big name signings [basically never make shows](https://podnews.net/article/missing-spotify-shows?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🪲 Podcasts hosted on Anchor [may not play in some podcast apps](https://podknowspodcasting.co.uk/anchor-podcast-cant-listen/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🕵🏻♀️ More evidence that podcasts and investigative journalism go very well together — from [the UK local press](https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2021/news/journalists-legal-first-sparks-podcast-download-record/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Social Media
- 🎞 A handy guide to [image sizes for social media](https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-image-sizes-guide/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) from Hootsuite.
- 📌 You should [be paying more attention to Pinterest](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/why-publishers-should-pay-attention-to-pinterest/s2/a893449/?utm%5Fcampaign=UA-39227834-1&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter). I’ve been saying this for at least five years.
## Twitter
- 📼 Who can record their Spaces? [Anyone can record their spaces](https://www.imore.com/twitter-now-letting-everyone-record-their-spaces?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)!
- 🎙 This is how [newsrooms are experimenting with them](https://www.niemanlab.org/2022/01/how-newsrooms-are-experimenting-with-twitter-spaces/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Well, *US* newsrooms, at least.
- 😳 Spaces are attracting [the wrong kinds of users](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/12/10/twitter-turmoil-spaces/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)…
- ✔️🛑 And freelance journalists have had enough of [Twitter according them second class status](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/new-campaign-challenges-twitter-to-explain-its-arbitrary-verification-of-freelance-journalists/s2/a884966/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🔍 Research into the behaviours of US adults on Twitter. Of note:
> the most active 25% of U.S. adults on Twitter by tweet volume produced 97% of all tweets
## Video
- ✋🏽 [YouTube shuts down most of its original content efforts](https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/youtube-original-content-group-shutdown-1235156299/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Oh, I’d love to know the politics of this. Who thought this was a good idea? What did they think they could achieve that their user content couldn’t? Did someone have ambitions to turn YouTube into Netflix? There’s such a good long-form feature to be written about this.
---
## Want more?
Five more links I published to demonstrate something to my Audience Strategy students at City.
[News Review: Instacash, more cash less dash for Tortoise, and Substack gets into videoSix stories from around the web that will inform your audience strategy.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/01/news-review-instacash-more-cash-less-dash-for-tortoise-and-substack-gets-into-video/)
---
## The Big Read: The Fall of Politics For All
Perhaps it's something about the people who I choose to follow on Twitter, but I laregly missed the Politics For All phenomenon. It was a popular Twitter account that tweeted out politics stories, with a sensational first tweet, and a link to the original story in the second tweet of the short thread.
That was, most likely, to work around Twitter's new habit of down-ranking tweets with links in them, but it led to accusations that the account was basically stealing attention from the reporters who did the work in the first place.
But it was incredibly popular in the interesection of journalism and politics Twitter, in the UK in particular. And then, one day Twitter killed the account. Here's what happened:
[Why Did Politics For All Get Suspended? Inside the UK News Twitter AccountTeen admins, shady ads and an origin story that begins with Alex from Glasto – how exactly did PFA get so big, only to disappear so dramatically?Moya Lothian-McLean](https://www.vice.com/en/article/jgmjex/what-happened-to-politics-for-all?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Bonus link
Here's the founder of Politics For All's view on what happened:
[What really happened to Politics For All | The SpectatorOn 2 January I woke up late to the sound of my phone buzzing continuously and a sense that something had gone badly wrong. The first message was from a friend. ‘Having a nice holiday?’ he wrote, above a screenshot of my political Twitter account covered in block letters: ‘Suspended.’ My reaction was…The SpectatorNick Moar](https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/what-really-happened-to-politics-for-all?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
🤔 If nothing else, this suggests that you don't really need to understand *how* a network operates to be incredibly successful at farming attention from it.
---
Until I grace your inboxes again, have fun — and do [send me any links](mailto:adam@onemanandhisblog.com) you think I should include.
### News Review: Instacash, more cash less dash for Tortoise, and Substack gets into video
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/01/news-review-instacash-more-cash-less-dash-for-tortoise-and-substack-gets-into-video/
Last updated: 2022-02-01T15:19:50.000Z
A quick round-up of the week's audience strategy news, as presented to my students at City, at the first in-campus session with me of the year…
## Instacash
The ‘gram wants in on that sweet creator economy revenue, following Twitter’s Super Follows, Substack, etc…
[Instagram launches early test of creator subscriptions in the US – TechCrunchInstagram is giving creators more ways to make money with today’s launch of Instagram Subscriptions. The feature, which was spotted hitting the App Store back in November, is now officially in early testing with a small group of U.S. creators who will be able to offer their followers paid acc…TechCrunchSarah Perez](https://techcrunch.com/2022/01/19/instagram-launches-early-test-of-creator-subscriptions-in-the-u-s/?utm%5Fcampaign=The%20Media%20Roundup%20from%20Media%20Voices&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter)
## Slow Money
The “slow news” title takes £10m in additional funding. It made a loss of £8.5m last year, from 55,000 paying subscribers.
[Tortoise completes £10m funding round with plans to pivot to podcastingNews start-up Tortoise has completed a £10m series A funding round which it says will help fund a pivot towards creating more audio journalism and events.Press GazetteTwitter](https://pressgazette.co.uk/tortoise-funding/?utm%5Fcampaign=The%20Media%20Roundup%20from%20Media%20Voices&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter)
## Video killed the newsletter star
The newsletter platform launches native video for newsletters — following Ghost which [did the same before Christmas](https://ghost.org/changelog/video-cards/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
0:00
/
1×
[Exclusive: Substack adding video to lure new creatorsThe move comes as Big Tech platforms muscle in on the creator economy.AxiosSara Fischer](https://www.axios.com/substack-adding-video-lure-new-creators-00e7d88b-3187-41a2-9f95-120f00178489.html?utm%5Fcampaign=The%20Media%20Roundup%20from%20Media%20Voices&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter)
## Apple News News
Apple News is now the UK’s most used news app…
[Revealed: the most popular news apps in the UK rankedData from Ipsos iris reveals the most popular news apps in the UK for December. Apple News reaches the biggest audience; Mail Online has most engagement.Press GazetteTwitter](https://pressgazette.co.uk/most-popular-news-apps-apple-news-mail-online/?utm%5Fcampaign=The%20Media%20Roundup%20from%20Media%20Voices&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter)
## Illegal Analytics?
Austrian data regulator says that the cookies from Google Analytics can breach GDPR…
[Europe’s Move Against Google Analytics Is Just the BeginningAustria’s data regulator has found that the use of Google Analytics is a breach of GDPR. In the absence of a new EU-US data deal, other countries may follow.WIRED UKCondé Nast](https://www.wired.co.uk/article/google-analytics-europe-austria-privacy-shield?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Flocking NFTs
Twitter is playing with two more enhancements to its service: [NFT user icons](https://help.twitter.com/en/using-twitter/twitter-blue-fragments-folder/nft?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) (look for the hexagons which distinguish them from the normal circular ones) and a close circle feature called your Flock…
[Twitter’s experimental ‘Flock’ feature will let you share tweets with your closest friends – TechCrunchTwitter is still working on a feature that will give you a way to blast tweets that can only be seen by the friends you choose first revealed in July last year.TechCrunchMariella Moon](https://techcrunch.com/2022/01/25/twitters-experimental-flock-feature-will-let-you-share-tweets-with-your-closest-friends/?utm%5Fsource=The%20Audience%20Agency&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=12953503%5FDigital%20Snapshot%2026%20Jan%202022&utm%5Fcontent=Flock&dm%5Fi=1X0O,7PMZJ,3XQLYE,VFLPZ,1)
### Cummings and goings
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/01/cummings-and-goings/
Last updated: 2022-01-19T11:07:18.000Z
Two years ago, I predicted that one of the interesting aspects of the Johnson government was that his chief advisor Dominic Cummings was [blogging about his plan](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/01/dominic-cummings-blogpost-direct-dialogue-and-its-threat-to-mainstream-political-journalism/):
> Yes, Cummings is using his “personal blog” to make the job advert — but that’s giving him a control over the messaging that’s just not available through any other medium. He links extensively to his sources, and is direct about what working with him will be like — and the timescales involved. He is showing his working in public. He controls the narrative, and doesn’t have to depend on others to interpret and explain (or challenge) his ideas.
Changing government in public? That was *interesting*. Not necessarily good, of course, but intriguing nonetheless.
And then, he clammed up. In fact, he didn’t publish another post from the day I wrote that until he’d left government and [launched his own Substack](https://dominiccummings.substack.com/). And a very minor note in the [latest newsletter which is causing Johnson so many problems](https://dominiccummings.substack.com/p/parties-photos-trolleys-variants) is an explanation of why he clammed up. While explaining [the edited blogpost](https://fullfact.org/health/cummings-blog-coronavirus/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) that people mocked him for (more on that in a second), he said:
> I didn’t put a note on to this effect because the PM had asked me not to blog after Jan 2020 and I couldn’t face another stupid discussion with him, which is a good reminder to me of what I say so often to others: avoiding a tough discussion now will cause more problems later, grasp the nettle…
So, basically, Johnson told Cummings to STFU, and he did so. And then COVID-19 hit, and they had more important things to worry about.
Like eye tests. \[[1](#footnote1)\]
A pity, though, as having had their thinking captured publicly during those early days would have been a fascinating historical record — and might have even opened the way for more detailed and cogent challenges to that thinking.
## The editor’s husband still dislikes the media…
Most of the rest of the media is busy chasing around after the party allegations that comprise a substantial part of his post. I’ll leave that to them. What I’m interested in is his return to a favourite topic of his. He has a deep dislike of the media — rather ironically for a man married to *The Spectator*’s commissioning editor…
For example, the point about the edited post clearly still rankles:
> You will see many claims by the media that I altered what I wrote in one of my 2019 blogs. This is false. Not a single letter of what I wrote was edited. What I did was copy/paste over further information from the original Bulletin of Atomic Science piece on biolab safety that was relevant to covid.
This is all about fine gradations of meaning, though. He clearly altered the *post,* but not *what he wrote*. So, he’s right from a certain point of view.
And we have an explanation for why he didn’t flag the update, which would be considered good practice when doing something like this. It’s not the editing that’s the issue, it’s the lack of transparency. Note that Cummings is very much of the blogger school, though. The Substack post with the party revelations has also been updated with additional information a few times.
This is a clash of views. Most news outlets still publish and forget. When something new happens, they publish a new story, rather than updating an old one. That’s print thinking transposed to digital. And so, through that mindset, editing looks like an attempt to deceive because it’s changed what many perceive to be a piece of writing, caught in a moment of time. Cummings is, for good or ill, more digital-focused, and knows the power of a single piece kept updated, and accumulating both social shares and inbound links — and thus search ranking.
## In which I find myself in unexpected agreement with Dominic Cummings
He then goes on a short rant about the media coverage of COVID-19:
> I’ve been very critical of how the political media has covered covid. Its ignorance about how power really works, its operation via constant-lemming-emotional-waves, its low ethical standards, its determination to ignore MANAGEMENT and issues like procurement even in a pandemic — all this and more have encouraged our MPs to be foolish and lowered the standards of public debate.
And… well, I actually agree with him. One of the reasons I stopped watching the press conferences in the early days of the pandemic is that the questions were all, essentially, political. It took weeks before specialist reporters — the science journalists, the health system journalists, the medical and nursing press — got any airtime or chance to ask questions. Each organisation fronted its prominent political reporters, and so we got political questions.
A mix of political questions for the PM and more specialist questions for the advisors would have made those conferences much more useful and informative. But no, we need to keep putting our big political reporting starts front and centre, don’t we?
### Will Burn-Murdoch appreciate the praise?
However, Cummings does single out one journalist for praise:
> So it’s only fair to point out rare examples of an old legacy media organisation doing something right. @jburnmurdoch has been generally excellent. If you read the FT on politics, you will read nonsense — their hacks make stuff up as much or more than the tabloids they sneer at. But you should follow him on data and covid.
And that’s hard to argue with. John’s work has been superb. He’s a real credit to the [Interactive Journalism MA](https://www.city.ac.uk/prospective-students/courses/postgraduate/interactive-journalism?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) at City — he was a graduate from its very first year (2011/12) which was before I started teaching on it. Future Burn-Murdoch wannabes might want to consider my friend and colleague Glyn Mottershead’s [MA in Data Journalism instead](https://www.city.ac.uk/prospective-students/courses/postgraduate/data-journalism?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
Oh, and it's clear that Cummings reads at least one other graduate from City’s fine journalism degrees…
> The is SW1 code for: leadership contest is imminent, sign up early if you want a seat in Cabinet, am on phone to donors & getting office set up, there has to be one non-brexit nutter in last 2 [https://t.co/bXlK7RbQZM](https://t.co/bXlK7RbQZM?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Dominic Cummings (@Dominic2306) [January 18, 2022](https://twitter.com/Dominic2306/status/1483406854575120386?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
And one of the [few people he follows](https://twitter.com/Dominic2306/following?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) is City’s President, [Anthony Finkelstein](https://twitter.com/profserious?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)…
Who knew that City was living rent-free in his head?
## The Future of the DomBlog
It's clear that we can expect a steady drop of revelations from Cummings until Johnson is gone. And paying subscribers will probably continue to benefit from Cummings thinking for the foreseeable.
Here's one question, though: has the attention, reporting and coverage around these “DomBombs” put an end to the idea of government figures doing more thinking in public? Or, if Cummings returns to Government under a new Tory leader, might this all start over again?
---
1. Turns out that the Barnard Castle controversy actually earned [itself a full Wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominic%5FCummings%5Fscandal?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
### SEO Q&A: suggested links and microsites
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/01/seo-qa-inbound-links-microsite-authority/
Last updated: 2022-01-18T14:56:52.000Z
People spend a lot of time worrying about technical SEO, which is a complex and expansive subject. However, I often find that simple editorial and process decisions can have far more impact than playing around with metadata, and worrying about, say, crawl budgets. (If you don’t know what they are — don’t worry. You almost certainly don’t need to know.)
So, I’m going to do something new: a reader Q&A. Why? Because I’ve had a couple of interesting questions from a reader and from a course attendee that I thought it would be worth highlighting. Both of these questions look technical, but are actually much more about the human side of SEO: doing things in a way that is sustainable, by making smart, informed decisions, and not making bad decisions that make your life harder down the road.
Both questions have been lightly edited for clarity and to disguise their origin.
---
## Q: Should you add that link?
*We occasionally get emails from people suggesting that we insert particular links in certain articles. Occasionally, these are clearly from people working as consultants for companies trying to promote a page or product, but other times they appear to be legitimate sources of information on the topic at hand. Would you advise against adding in any links that are suggested by people we don’t know, in the sense that we’ve never interacted with or heard from them before, or am I being too suspicious?*
### A: Probably not
The danger here is that the request may be coming from an SEO link-builder. Building links to your site is still important in search, but as Google has clamped down on some of the more obvious ways of doing it, people are getting wilier. If you misjudge this, there is a risk you get penalised by Google for participating in link-building schemes. (You will be warned about this in search console, though.)
My own approach is to be hyper-sceptical about these forms of request. I get two or three of them a week, and I think I’ve added a link maybe once or twice in the past decade. Almost always these requests are SEO hacking, *unless*:
- they come within a couple of days of publication
- they’re from somebody who genuinely appears to be connected with the work
- the website they’re proposing you link to is clearly in your field.
For example, when I did my list of [podcasts worth listening to](https://onemanandhisblog.com/journalism-podcasts/), I did get a few people requesting to be added, who were genuine podcast producers with good products. So, I added them, after a quick listen to a couple of their episodes.
A rule of thumb would be, perhaps, if the page they asking you to add a link to is a resource directory or similar, then consider the request on its merits. If it’s a news story that’s missed a really obvious link to something useful — for example, if you’ve written about new research, but not linked to it — you’re probably OK.
If it’s a random older article, be very, very wary.
## Q: One site or many?
*I work for a unit within a university, with many subunits within our unit. The subunits often have their own funding and goals, and it is a challenge to work with them on a cohesive content strategy. My question is this: what happens to SEO when an entity has its own website versus setting up a sub-website on the university’s content management system? Does it have a better chance at visibility? Does it have a worse chance?*
### A: Keep it simple — as simple as you can
The answer to your question is… depends. And this depends less on technical SEO than on editorial and IT practice.
So, yes, we could dive into how SEO ranking accumulates. It accumulates across the site for particular subjects, sometimes called subject or domain authority. But it also accumulates to individual pages.
Broadly speaking, if you have the subunit’s site as part of the university’s site, served off the same CMS, you gain all the benefits of the main URL’s “default” ranking for a particular subject. And you benefit from all the technical things, like all the URLs being submitted to Google in one sitemap. As long as it’s within the same URL structure, and on the same platform, Google will see it as being part of the bigger site, even if it looks visually like it sown site.
Once you move to running something off two CMSes, you make your own life complicated. I can speak with some authority on this. On this site, the two operate areas — [onemandhisblog.com](https://onemanandhisblog.com/) and [microblog.onemanandhisblog.com](https://microblog.onemanandhisblog.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — are served from different CMSes — [Ghost](https://ghost.org/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) and [micro.blog](https://micro.blog/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) respectively. That forces me to keep on top of some technical issues might arise, like submitting two sitemaps to Google, for example.
If you go even further, and launch a site on an entirely different domain with different URLs, then the subunit will be at a disadvantage compared to the main site. It will be building ranking all on its own, and won’t benefit from, for example, the general subject authority of the university nor the in-bound links to the main site.
And it just stores up longer terms problems. Ate some point in the future, you *will* move CMSes. And the more different systems your site is split across, the more complex your life will be. And the more likely it is you hose your search ranking by doing something wrong in the move.
In summary, I’d generally try to keep everything together on one site, under one domain, to benefit from all the collaborative work that goes into it. If the subunit *really* feels the need for a distinct identity, may I suggest that perhaps a newsletter would be the way to go?
---
If your hunger for SEO insight is not yet sated, please consider joining us for a run of my Essential SEO course kicking off next month.
[Sign up here](https://www.journalism.co.uk/vocational-skills-study/seo-for-media-professionals-a-practical-guide-to-getting-your-work-found2/s43/a733090/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
If you have a question in the audience engagement and strategy field you'd like to me tackle, do drop me a line.
[Send me a question](mailto:adam@onemanandhisblog.com)
### tl;dr: the return of the links
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2022/01/tldr-the-return-of-the-links/
Last updated: 2022-01-13T13:37:30.000Z
A lot’s happened since I last did a tl;dr, so expect a mix of links from over the last six weeks below — and probably for the next couple of weeks as I play catch-up.
Thanks for all the great feedback about this format, by the way. It’s clear many people find it useful, and that gives me an incentive to keep on going.
---
## Audience Engagement
- 🤑 The power of [Audience Engagement for small publishers](https://whatsnewinpublishing.com/the-power-of-community-how-a-small-publisher-hit-50000-paying-members-through-audience-engagement/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 🗣 An *audience* and a *community* [are NOT the same thing](https://jacobsmedia.com/the-difference-between-an-audience-and-a-community-and-what-it-means-for-broadcasters/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)…
- 👩🏽💻 A [metrics-centric take](https://wan-ifra.org/2021/12/how-a-data-centric-approach-helps-increase-audience-engagement/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) from Australia.
- 📉 The Trump Slump — social media engagement with news [fell off a cliff in the US](https://www.axios.com/media-ratings-traffic-2021-a6be4d72-ba5f-4f8a-ae3e-0872ecd87677.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). If US titles didn’t take the opportunity to convert drive-by readers into loyal ones in 2020, they’ve missed the boat.
- 👥 Interesting, [holistic take on audience engagement from Scroll](https://wan-ifra.org/2022/01/audience-engagement-at-hybrid-model-digital-media-houses-tips-from-scroll/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) in India.
- 🔌 And we’re running my audience engagement course again soon. [Please sign up!](https://www.journalism.co.uk/vocational-skills-study/audience-engagement-strategies-/s43/a729370/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Business
- 🍆 [Why Metropolis bought *Viz*](https://pressgazette.co.uk/metropolis-viz-cyclist-fortean-times/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Fnar Fnar.
- 🎞 The AP is about to [start selling NFTs of historic photos](https://www.ap.org/press-releases/2022/ap-to-launch-nft-marketplace-built-by-xooa?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). I tend to agree with [Charles Arthur’s take on it](https://theoverspill.blog/2022/01/12/wordle-apps-app-store-copycats-start-up-1712/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com#cd1279ed45207d44501740a59312e537).
- 🧑🏽⚖️ Lots of news outlets are [suing the duopoly](https://www.axios.com/1-local-newspapers-lawsuits-facebook-google-3c3dee3a-cce3-49ef-b0a2-7a98c2e15c91.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
## Digital Culture
- 😢 The quiet masochism of [obsessing over unfollowers](https://i-d.vice.com/en%5Fuk/article/93b3v7/who-unfollowed-me?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 😡 John Naughton’s thoughts about [polarisation online are worth your time](https://memex.naughtons.org/wednesday-12-january-2022/35312/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🤓 I’ve been an enthusiastic Pocket user for years. [Here’s what you should know about the app](https://pressgazette.co.uk/platform-profile-can-read-later-app-pocket-help-publishers-reach-more-engaged-readers/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 👮🏻 Why [regulating algorithms is harder](https://themarkup.org/news/2022/01/04/why-its-so-hard-to-regulate-algorithms?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) than many assumed
- 🎭 I’m normally sceptical of articles calling for an end to online anonymity — it doesn’t solve the problems people think it will, and creates others — but this is [a good set of suggestions](https://aeon.co/essays/curtailing-anonymity-is-a-first-step-to-reducing-online-abuse?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), full of nuance. Ending anonymity would be bad — but I think the time might have come to put limits on it.
- 🦠 Trends are moving [more quickly than they used to online](https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22841564/internet-trends-tiktok-sea-shanties-bama-rush?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). But all your base are still belong to us.
## Instagram
- 💃🏼 The [2022 Instagram Trend Report](https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/instagram-trends-2022/?utm%5Fsource=The%20Audience%20Agency&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=12913614%5FDigital%20Snapshot%2011%20Jan%202022&utm%5Fcontent=Instagram%20Trend%20Report&dm%5Fi=1X0O%2C7OS7I%2C3XQLYE%2CVBZS7%2C1) — this makes me feel old. I mean, I *am* old, but this makes me *feel* it.
- ⏰ The return of the chronological feed [is in testing](https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/5/22868889/new-instagram-chronological-feed-algorithm-tests?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
## Journalism Culture
- 🤝 Some useful thoughts [about peer mentoring](https://ijnet.org/en/story/why-horizontal-mentoring-key-freelance-journalists?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) in an industry so dependent on freelancers.
- 💏 And some *really* clear ideas about addressing the [problem of trust in journalism here](https://ijnet.org/en/story/trust-me-im-journalist?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🏘 And, surprise, surprise people [trust news produced locally](https://pressgazette.co.uk/survey-people-more-likely-to-trust-local-news-produced-on-patch-pay-average-of-1-30-month/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) to them more than that from untouchable media figures elsewhere…
## Misinformation
- 👨🏼🔬 China made [a fake scientist to spread disinformation](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/china-based-disinformation-operation-pushed-fake-swiss-scientist-faceb-rcna7255?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🧑🏽🔬 The strange case of a Twitter scientist who died from COVID — [without ever existing in the first place](https://gizmodo.com/science-twitter-got-catfished-by-a-fake-professor-who-d-1844591277?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Podcasting
- 🎤 1 in 10 Brits [plans to launch a new podcast this year](https://podnews.net/press-release/acast-new-year?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). I am not one of them.
- 🎈 So, yes, it’s just possible that podcasting is a bubble. [Here’s how to cope](https://onaudio.mattdeegan.com/p/coping-with-podcastings-bubble?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
## Newsletters
- 📧 Substack gets a [number of small quality-of-life improvements](https://on.substack.com/p/new-tools-layout-options?r=2g5j8&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=email), including what any other platform would call a magazine theme.
- 🔮 The Revue newsletter gathers up [some predictions for the year ahead](https://www.getrevue.co/profile/the%5Fweek%5Fin%5Fnewsletters/issues/newsletter-predictions-for-the-year-ahead-933775?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🏘 Reach is doing interesting things with [local newsletters](https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2021/news/publisher-launches-new-political-title-after-revealing-newsletters-first-plan/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
## Twitter
Twitter using the ban hammer: actual footage
- 🛑 [Politcs for All is now politics for nobody](https://pressgazette.co.uk/why-twitter-has-suspended-news-aggregator-politiocs-for-all/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), as Twitter has permanently suspended the account. Sensationalist takes, suspicious levels of follower growth and an [account based on other people’s work](https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/polis/2022/01/05/global-journalism-reborn-what-difference-does-it-make/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)? Not to be mourned.
- 🤷🏻♀️ This is one of the more [interesting exploration of context collapse on Twitter](https://ravenmagazine.org/magazine/twitter-the-intimacy-machine/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) I’ve come across. I should write more about context collapse.
## Video
- 🤥 YouTube has a long way to go on [dealing with misinformation](https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2022/an-open-letter-to-youtubes-ceo-from-the-worlds-fact-checkers/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — according to professional fact-checkers.
- 🎙 I am in love with [the look of this microphone](https://www.rode.com/blog/all/introducing-the-videomic-go-ii?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Will I buy one and do a review? I will!
- 📺 [Social video time](https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/new-report-finds-social-media-video-now-sees-as-much-consumption-time-as-tr/616657/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) now equal to TV consumption time. US figures, but the trend is clear.
- 🕺🏽And [TikTok got more traffic than Google](https://gizmodo.com/tiktok-got-more-traffic-than-freakin-google-in-2021-1848252058?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
## Subscriber Bonus Links
### Not available to just anyone on the web.
## WTF
- 👣 If you’re a prominent woman in media, you might want to [avoid putting photos of your feet on Instagram](https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/my-strange-encounter-with-foot-fetishists?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)…
## Satire is not dead
Two men called Smith are off to [launch a new media venture](https://thefix.media/2022/01/10/ben-smiths-new-venture-and-the-deceptive-appeal-of-cosmopolitan-audiences/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). This isn’t the press release — but it might as well be:
> In so many ways, the global news industry is failing its audience. It’s time for a bunch of people currently occupying the highest echelons of that industry to reinvent it from the bottom up.
[Read it all](https://theap.substack.com/p/announcement-the-ap-alex-pareene). But you might want [to read this first](https://www.news-future.com/p/notes-on-project-coda-and-the-mad?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), to understand what’s being satirised…
And, finally, read [Charlie Beckett’s take on it all](https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/polis/2022/01/05/global-journalism-reborn-what-difference-does-it-make/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
## Just Enjoy
- 🇬🇧 Lovely [multimedia feature of Britain from above](https://news.sky.com/story/britain-from-above-in-2021-a-drone-photographers-view-of-life-this-year-12500578?ref=onemanandhisblog.com#article)
- 🦞 Whatever happened to [lobster guy Jordan Peterson](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/04/what-happened-to-jordan-peterson/618082/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)?
## And Finally…
> I recently went back to education and got a PhD in Virology from the University of Facebook.
>
> Delighted to work with them and share my experiences. [pic.twitter.com/RQaBl0EGH5](https://t.co/RQaBl0EGH5?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Cormac Moore (@TheCormacMoore) [December 15, 2021](https://twitter.com/TheCormacMoore/status/1471146647925231623?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Your favourite posts of 2021
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/12/the-most-useful-posts-of-2021/
Last updated: 2022-01-27T22:48:23.000Z
Some people like to end the year with long walks, time with family and a good wee dram of whisky. And I enjoy all of those things.
But I also like to dive into my analytics, and see what posts really ticked your intellectual fancy over the past year. Below you’ll find this year’s top 10, culled for the first time from [Fathom Analytics](https://usefathom.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). I made the decision a while back to remove Google Analytics, and just run more privacy-respecting analytics here, as I just don’t need Google’s level of detail for the way this site runs.
A few things that jumped out to me:
- For the second year in a row, the list is dominated by pieces published this year
- Only three posts from [last year’s top 10](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/12/the-top-om-hb-posts-of-2020-10-to-6/) appear in this year’s list
- Those are the only three posts that pre-date this year that appear in this list
That has actually been a major change over the past few years — my top 10 used to be much more dominated by evergreen posts. That traffic is still there, so this isn’t about a decline in search traffic. Indeed, the other outlet I write for regularly is [all about the search traffic](https://nextconf.eu/2021/12/the-most-useful-insights-of-2021/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)…
No, the change is driven by more spikes of traffic to individual pieces over the last couple of years than I've seen in a decade. In particular, much of this traffic came from social and largely from Twitter. I wouldn’t go as far to say that they’re going viral — but I’m certainly getting more focused on riding the wave of attention again.
## 2021's Top 10
### Counting down in reverse order…
## 10\. SEO: AMP’s days are numbered
This post is barely more than a month old, and yet ranking in the top 10\. AMP — Accelerated Mobile Pages — have been a thorn in the side of the technical web publishing for far too long, and their continued decline is nothing but good news for most of us.
Google News expert Barry Adams put its further decline as number one on his [list of predictions for 2022](https://www.seoforgooglenews.com/p/news-seo-predictions-for-2022?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), so I think we can start saving for the funeral…
[AMP’s usefulness to news publishers is overSince 2014, publishers have felt obliged to publish Accelerated Mobile Pages to get good news search traffic. Those days may well be over.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/11/seo-amps-days-are-numbered/)
## 9\. Apple’s much-needed MacBook Pro reverse ferret
Another recent post — Apple’s massive revamp of its laptop line has made countless people very happy. No wonder — for many of us a MacBook is *the* critical tool in our work, be we journalists, marketers, or developers.
The company many of us rely on making their products *substantially* better, by listening to users and reversing some poor decisions of the past, is just great news for so many creative people. No wonder this did well.
For those of an audience engagement bent, this is the *only* post in the top 10 where Facebook was my top source of traffic. All the rest are Twitter or Google — bar the number one spot. But we’ll come back to that…
[Apple’s much-needed MacBook Pro reverse ferretApple finally reverses the mistakes of half a decade of poor laptop design. And about bloody time.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/10/apples-astonishing-macbook-pro-reverse-ferret/)
## 8\. Ghost 3.0 has built-in membership and paywall tools to build engaged journalism sites
Our first older, evergreen post in the top 10, this piece from 2019 dug into the launch of Ghost’s membership features. The team’s timing was impeccable — they got these out the door mere months before the pandemic hit and the shift to reader revenue became real right across the industry. And they were ready and waiting when the controversy around Substack built later in 2020, giving people an easy exit route.
The platform, which is what I use to publish *OM&HB,* has reached version 4.32.0 since — after a *giant* [dump of new features](https://ghost.org/changelog/cardmas/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) earlier in the month. I really need to have a good chat with the team and publish an update in 2022.
[Ghost 3.0 is an elegant way of building membership sites for newsGhost 3.0 upgrades the content management system to a full membership platform, with the ability to easily add paid subscribers.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2019/10/ghost-3-0-has-built-in-membership-and-paywall-tools-to-build-engaged-journalism-sites/)
## 7\. Matt Yglesias leaves Vox for Substack: is he doing a Newton or a Sullivan?
We can’t make it through the top 10 without a Substack post, can we? If 2021 was the year of email, it was riding hard on the heels of the amount of publicity Substack managed to earn last year, though attracting big names to the platform.
In the year since, we’ve actually [seen a few exit Substack](https://birchtree.me/blog/galaxy-brain-is-moving-to-the-atlantic/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), so perhaps I should revisit the ideas in this piece.
[Matt Yglesias leaves Vox for Substack: is he doing a Newton or a Sullivan?Another writer mired in controversy leaves a Vox Media publication to start his own newsletter. What’s happening here?One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/11/matt-yglesias-leave-vox-for-substack-is-he-doing-a-newton-or-a-sullivan/)
## 6\. Why did some publishers gain traffic from the Facebook outage?
Ah, the great Facebook (and Instagram and WhatsApp…) outage of October 2021\. For some publishers, this was a bit of a nightmare, as their social traffic saw a catastrophic hit. But, for some publishers, their traffic actually crept up…
The tl;dr version is this: Facebook sucks up a vast amount of people’s free attention. When they can’t focus on that, that attention finds other places to go.
People need to remember: we *still* live in an attention economy, even if it’s not the buzzword it once was.
[Why did the Facebook outage help some publishers?And how to make sure you’re on the winning side next time…One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/10/why-did-some-publishers-gain-traffic-from-the-facebook-outage/)
## 5\. Marcus Rashford, The Spectator hoax and the power of confirmation bias
This is a bit of an odd one. Back in July, Marcus Rashford tweeted that *The Spectator* was about to do an exposé on him. That seemed… odd. *The Speccie* is many things, but an outlet for investigative journalism it is not.
And then, some sort of explanation emerged — unlike the notional story, which never appeared. It was all a setup by a comedian, it appears. And there ended the story. I notice that the comedian has [locked her account](https://twitter.com/danniegruff%20?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) since, and the Substack where she published the story [never put out a second issue](https://sunbeamsoutofcucumbers.substack.com/?utm%5Fsource=substack&utm%5Fmedium=web&utm%5Fcampaign=substack%5Fprofile).
And so, my post delving into what happened sits high in any Google searches for the situation. Interestingly, Rashford himself went on to [pen a piece for the magazine](https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/why-i-dont-stick-to-football?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
[Marcus Rashford, The Spectator hoax and the power of confirmation biasFor a story we know next to nothing about for sure, a Spectator piece that was never published has occupied a huge amount of media attention.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/08/marcus-rashford-the-spectator-hoax-and-the-power-of-confirmation-bias/)
## 4\. Want to read your iPad in the bath?
An absolutely gratuitous SEO-bait article from 2014, it’s still delivering the traffic seven years on. And it’ll probably stay in the top 10 until Apple starts water-proofing their iPads…
(Traffic picked up on this in March — I’m not quite sure why. I haven’t given it a freshness update since 2019\. Maybe it’s time…).
This is the highest ranked evergreen article. The top three are all this year’s posts.
[Want to read your iPad in the bath?Dropping your Apple tablet into the bath water is a lot more expensive that dropping a magazine. Does this sleeve solve the issue?One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2014/01/want%5Fto%5Fread%5Fyour%5Fipad%5Fin%5Fthe%5Fbath/)
## 3\. Rewarding good subscriber content is not the same as rewarding clickbait
This felt like 2009 all over again — with me disagreeing with something published in *The Guardian*. Admittedly, it wasn’t Roy Greenslade (who had [his own interesting year](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/roy-greenslade-i-cheered-on-the-ira-from-fleet-street-you-just-didnt-read-all-about-it-vc3zbl6n9?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)…) I was picking a fight with any more. But it was still me picking apart a story that couldn’t actually stand up the point it was trying to make: that *The Telegraph* was rewarding journalists for clickbait.
There’s a simple idea at the heart of this — rewarding journalists for producing content that boosts subscriber retention and/or loyalty is very different to “clickbait”, and suggesting it’s equivalent is not helpful.
Having had the chance to speak to the people behind *The Telegraph*’s Stars system since, I’m confident that I was right on this.
[The Telegraph’s approach to performance pay won’t reward clickbaitThe Telegraph’s plan to incentivise subscriber-friendly content doesn’t look like clickbait payments, whatever Twitter saysOne Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/03/the-telegraphs-plan-incentive-subscriber-friendly-content-doesnt-look-like-clickbait-payemnts-whtever-twitter-says/)
## 2\. Apple closes down open rate tracking
During Apple’s developer conference back in the early summer, a slide appeared that made me spit out my coffee. Apple was building email privacy into its products in a way that means that open rate tracking will become inaccurate.
It’s since emerged that their privacy protection essentially means that your open rate *goes up* because all Apple users who have turned it on show as having opened the email immediately. But it’s still eroding open rate as a core measurement of email success. That this post ranked *so* high this year is a real indicator of how important email has become to news businesses.
[Apple closes down open rate trackingApple is taking aim at one of the key newsletter metrics with software updates coming this autumn.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/06/apple-closes-down-open-rate-tracking/)
## 1\. Premature Blogging Death Notice
And the most-read post of this year? By a factor of seven, it’s a short, annoyed post I wrote while my daughters were doing their martial arts class. Appropriately enough, for a site that’s *still* called *One Man & His Blog* after 18 years of publication, it’s about people casually referring to blogging as dead. Which is clearly isn’t.
The reason that this post won so convincingly is simple: it got posted to Hacker News, where [a big conversation developed](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29277294&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)…
[Premature Blogging Death Notice #357Why do people keep trying to declare that blogging is dead?One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/10/premature-blogging-death-notice/)
## 2021 in retrospect
And that’s it for 2021\. This has been a consolidation year for the site. It got off to a slow, slow start, thanks to UK schools closing in the third lockdown. I had to pick up the majority of the home schooling, so both my work and this site suffered.
Since then, I've been consciously experimenting with formats, cleaning up my membership list — and I've been rewarded with a steady increase in members, open rates and traffic. I genuinely feel that the site is going into 2022 in a stronger position than it has been in years.
Thank you all so much for reading, and particular thanks to the small but dedicated crew who are supporting the site financially. You have my deepest gratitude.
I hope you all have a very Happy New Year. 🥳
See you in 2022!
### Happy Holidays
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/12/happy-holidays-2021/
Last updated: 2021-12-26T14:02:43.000Z
Once upon a time, I lived in blissful ignorance of whom most of my readers actually were. They came in anonymously, via RSS or Twitter, and I knew nothing about them.
Those days are long gone. Thanks to membership here, and increasingly sophisticated analytics packages (even if I use [privacy-protecting](https://usefathom.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [ones](https://plausible.io/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)), I know that I have readers all over the world — and that I can no longer assume that you're all celebrating Christmas.
So, wherever you are in the world, I'd love to wish you a happy holidays, and a merry Christmas to those who *do* celebrate it.
I'm grateful to all of you for taking the time to read what I publish here, and for the feedback and conversations that have come about as a result. I've never been someone who can just write to please themselves — feedback from readers is what motivates me most. Thanks to everyone who has hit “reply” to send me some thoughts, or who has chatted to me on Twitter.
### 2021's Endgame
I've been taking a few days off, but posting will kick off again before the end of 2021, with a review of the year, and a few other odds and ends planned.
I hope you're having a wonderful time with those you love.
Best wishes,
*Adam*
### What should your newsroom look like in the era of hybrid working?
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/12/what-should-your-newsroom-look-like-in-the-era-of-hybrid-working/
Last updated: 2024-09-30T15:43:57.000Z
Late last week, the news that Future was trying to insist that its staff came into the office at least two days a week raised a few eyebrows. It seemed to run counter to the UK Government’s instruction that people should work from home “if they can”. As *The Guardian* reported:
> The company said that working from home affected “business performance, creativity and teamwork”, despite beating its own forecasts and increasing revenues by almost a quarter in the last year. It “ideally” wants staff in at least two days a week from Monday to “benefit from collaboration”.
Future has won some deserved praise recently, for [turning its fortunes around](https://pressgazette.co.uk/future-profits-timeline/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and managing that holy grail of business development: successfully integrating titles and business they’ve purchased. This seemed like an odd misstep from an organisation that seems unusually well-run for a publishing business.
Worse, it smacked of “management by presence”, which is wholly unnecessary in publishing: if you’re not working, the lack of published pages (digital or physical) tends to be a dead give-away.
To nobody’s great surprised, the negative publicity [led to a rapid reverse-ferret](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/dec/10/uk-magazine-firm-tells-staff-they-must-come-into-the-office-despite-omicron-future-publishing?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> Future’s chief people officer, Hazel Boyle, wrote to all staff on Friday to “clarify that this is not a mandatory requirement”, in an email seen by the Guardian. She added that “if anyone does not feel comfortable coming in to work for whatever reason, then they are under no pressure to do so and should feel free to work from home instead”.
## Where should journalists work?
The move was ill-judged, to say the least. Journalists have always been key workers through the pandemic, and allowed to carry on working even in the most stringent lockdowns. Most companies saw those exemptions for what then were: allowing journalists who *couldn’t* work from home — like broadcasters and some beat journalists — to get out there and keep the information flowing.
However, the past 20 months or so have proven that we *can* produce newspapers, magazines, and websites remotely very successfully. We don’t *need* to come into the office at all to get the work done. Journalists are questioning, skeptical folks at the best of times. A company trying to lay down the law by forcing them to do something that is both unnecessary and, potentially, risky in the current climate was not a recipe for success.
Most journalists are also aware that some companies have largely abandoned offices, [including Reach](https://pressgazette.co.uk/most-reach-journalists-work-home-after-covid-19-mail-online-prepares-return-newsroom/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). There are plenty of ways of working successfully as a team without needing an office as the centre to hang that on. I profiled [a couple of such companies](https://nextconf.eu/2021/01/managing-without-presence-a-vital-skill-for-the-post-pandemic-world/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) earlier in the year. So, if you’re going to say to hacks that they *need* to come into the office for “performance, creativity and teamwork”, they’re well within their rights to say “prove it”.
## Offices for creative hybrid working
In the medium term, though, companies and managers who decide to hang on to office space, and want staff there most weeks, will need to rethink their approach. Getting people back in the office when the Omicron wave passes, as it inevitably will, needs to be more carrot than stick. Don’t tell people to come into the office, make them want to. It’s harder — but will build a much better relationship between you and your staff. And *that* produces “performance, creativity and teamwork”.
The psychology here is simple: if people *know* that they don’t *need* to be in the office, you need to find ways to make them *want* to be in the office. That means making an office they want to come to, and creating opportunities and events for people to gather that they want to attend.
And that might be easier than you think. Here are a few ideas from my past life as a real estate journalist to get you going:
### Design for interaction
Photo by [yann maignan](https://unsplash.com/@paris%5Finterieurs?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)
I’ve been a long-term home worker. A decade ago, I decided to become my own boss, and join the ranks of the self-employed. It has many things to commend it, but one of the major downsides is loneliness. I genuinely miss having a team to interact with regularly, and if anything eventually pulls me back into a “real” job, it will be that.
So, incentive one to bring people back into the office is **social interaction**. Now, most offices aren’t designed with social interaction in mind. It comes as a by-product of office layouts that are there to facilitate work. Given that most journalists can do their work with a laptop and a phone, the necessity of fixed desks and work positions is history. If you’re already accepting a hybrid working style, as even Future was, the need for assigned desks disappears.
In fact, if you want the innovation that comes from casual encounters and random chats, then redesign your office around that. Break down those serried ranks of desks, and offer a mixture of communal desk space, and more informal, “clubhouse” type spaces.
In essence, you’re inverting the standard model: design for interaction, with at-desk-work as a secondary consideration.
💡
Maybe — allow regular freelancers to use the space, too? If fewer people are coming in daily, allowing them to feel a part of the extended team might be good for everyone — and widen the pool of ideas for those creative interactions companies are seeking. (A quick, *ad-hoc* poll of people in the [Society of Freelance Journalists Slack](https://freelancesoc.org/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) showed considerable enthusiasm for the idea).
### Design for privacy
Photo by [Luca Bravo](https://unsplash.com/@lucabravo?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)
A couple of decades ago I was a property journalist, specialising in corporate real estate and innovation around that. One of the things that shocked me the most was how poorly some core ideas around open-plan offices were actually implemented.
In particular, the most thoughtful proponents of this approach to office design advocated three types of spaces in the same office:
- Open plan working areas
- Bookable meeting and team working space
- Ad-hoc private office space
Most implementations delivered the first, a little bit of the second, and none of the third, reserving private offices as a sign of status.
Many of the people you want to lure back into the office are badly lacking **quiet, private workspace**. Younger journalists are often in house share situations, and might be literally working from the end of their beds. Even some mid-career journalists might be trying to find a workspace among kids and clutter and the challenges of family life.
Offering truly private head-down-and-working space, where people can get a feature delivered, do interviews and edit hard will inevitably bring some people into the office. Some elements of journalism demand this sort of quiet focus. For decades, journalists have taken days working from home to facilitate that. Now, for some of them, the reverse needs to be true. Let’s give them quiet space to work when they need it — with the added attraction of more social spaces once they’re done.
### Design for cooperation
Photo by [ThisisEngineering RAEng](https://unsplash.com/@thisisengineering?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)
Big projects are part of the way we operate. From new launches, to major redesigns, to coverage of big, big stories or events. Your offices require spaces that can function as “war rooms” for these sorts of occasions. Spaces teams can book for weeks or months, but not in perpetuity.
These spaces need to be designed for creativity and expression, for physical manifestations of inspiration that make the experience so much better than yet another Zoom meeting. Whiteboards full of feature ideas and design concepts. Magnetic boards with images and lists and even page proofs. These need to be spaces where *good* managers can pull a team together, where they can co-create, and which, crucially, that they will *miss* when that particular project runs its course.
They’re going to be somewhere between a big meeting room and a small open-plan office. And yes, you *do* have space to create these, if your staff aren’t coming in every day.
Only once in my life have I experience a space like this. In was in the mid-2000s when RBI formed its editorial development team, and those early months of planning, coming up with ideas and working cross—functionally were some of the most inspiring in my career. I remember my wife’s amazement as I got up early to go to work early because I was *so* excited by what we were doing.
A combination of the right spaces AND the right management style can deliver this.
## Rethinking how you manage creatives
Journalism has become an oddity among the more creative industries. While you can find examples of many of the working styles I’ve just describe in agencies, marketing companies and creative studios, journalism spaces tend to be pedestrian — and all too often ruled by fear and diktat.
As Future has just found out, those diktats will be harder to enforce, and as some companies get their working space sorted out, it’s going to become a competitive advantage in a tight talent market.
This isn’t going to play out over weeks, but months and possibly even years. But already, the signs are there. I’ve done quite a bit of work connecting people in audience engagement with job opportunities recently, and pretty much every time, potential hires ask “how much remote working do they allow?”. And, if the answer is “none”, typically people just aren’t interested.
The relationship between creative work and place has changed fundamentally, thanks to the pandemic and the digital tools we now have. Trying to carry on much as before, but with fewer days in the office, isn’t the best way to take advantage of this shift. Rethinking what your office is *for* most certainly is.
### 5 tweets worth your attention this week
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/12/5-tweets-worth-your-attention-this-week/
Last updated: 2021-12-10T12:35:45.000Z
Happy news for me this week, as the Ghost platform that I use to publish this site finally gains the ability to [keep rich Twitter formatting in its newsletters](https://ghost.org/changelog/twitter-embeds/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). So, to celebrate, here are five tweets that caught my attention recently, that you might enjoy — or even \* *gasp\** find useful.
## 1\. The BBC won't cover this!
> Classic of the genre… [pic.twitter.com/IHXspyf9fH](https://t.co/IHXspyf9fH?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Paul McNamara (@PGMcNamara) [December 8, 2021](https://twitter.com/PGMcNamara/status/1468514193808760833?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
For many of us the “why aren't the BBC/MSM/Newspapers covering this?” tweet is an annoying itch that you can never quite scratch away. This, however, is an absolute masterpiece of the clueless form.
## 2\. Amazing what you can do with an iPhone and its (wired) headphones
> BBC reporter [@EmmaVardyTV](https://twitter.com/EmmaVardyTV?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) has had to do her PTC for her report in the midst of [#StormBarra](https://twitter.com/hashtag/StormBarra?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) for the main BBC TV6 news bulletin on her phone after her crew’s broadcast camera stopped working in the atrocious weather. [#mojoftw](https://twitter.com/hashtag/mojoftw?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [pic.twitter.com/aJIQ6TbxPq](https://t.co/aJIQ6TbxPq?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Marc Blank-Settle (@MarcSettle) [December 7, 2021](https://twitter.com/MarcSettle/status/1468288730054201346?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
A storm wipes out the normal broadcast camera kit. So an iPhone, a cable clip inside the jacket and some wired headphones with a microphone on them does the job.
## 3\. Anatomy of the story of the week
> Strongly advise [@cityjournalism](https://twitter.com/cityjournalism?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) students to listen to [@BBCRadio4](https://twitter.com/BBCRadio4?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)'s [#TheMediaShow](https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheMediaShow?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) where [@PippaCrerar](https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) & [@PaulBrandITV](https://twitter.com/PaulBrandITV?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) talk to [@BBCRosAtkins](https://twitter.com/BBCRosAtkins?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) abt the Downing Street party story. In-depth look at how stories are broken, protection of sources & ethical dilemmas [https://t.co/6uLlgZmaKw](https://t.co/6uLlgZmaKw?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Dr Glenda Cooper (@glendacooper) [December 8, 2021](https://twitter.com/glendacooper/status/1468668618254827521?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
As [Glenda](https://www.city.ac.uk/about/people/academics/glenda-cooper?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) says, an essential listen on the dynamics that led to one of the stories that's dominating UK headlines this week.
## 4\. Who owns the .media (the dot is not a typo…)
> I was curious, who actually owns the ".media" top level domain name? Well, turns out it's basically a bunch of opportunists ... and who has a partnership with Demand Media (Leaf Group) ... a company that doesn't really have a good reputation online. [https://t.co/RsFRTD60bX](https://t.co/RsFRTD60bX?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [pic.twitter.com/PMFkNcLCpr](https://t.co/PMFkNcLCpr?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Thomas Baekdal (@baekdal) [November 24, 2021](https://twitter.com/baekdal/status/1463504399951712261?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
If you buy a .media domain, who are you giving money to? [Baekdal](https://www.baekdal.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) decided to find out…
## 5\. Why you should always check crops on your Twitter cards…
> What’s a story for, she screams existentially.
>
> Thanks [@InPublishing](https://twitter.com/InPublishing?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) for humouring my (data-informed) musings 🤙[https://t.co/ywUqENkI15](https://t.co/ywUqENkI15?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Taneth Autumn Evans (@TanethAutumn) [December 9, 2021](https://twitter.com/TanethAutumn/status/1468975953783234561?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
The piece is worth reading. The Twitter card is… not exactly selling the story, now, is it?
## Bonus: Great story, amazing photo
> As Angela Merkel leaves office, I get to share my favourite photograph again.
>
> In November 1990, a 36-year-old Merkel campaigns on the Baltic coast in Germany's first election after reunification. She reportedly drank five schnapps with them.[https://t.co/iiVe9vyVxY](https://t.co/iiVe9vyVxY?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [pic.twitter.com/jDLkCfp14o](https://t.co/jDLkCfp14o?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Richard Hall (@\_RichardHall) [December 3, 2021](https://twitter.com/%5FRichardHall/status/1466840011467276297?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Substack targets the UK, and hires away Elle editor-in-chief
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/11/substack-targets-the-uk-and-hires-away-elle-editor-in-chief/
Last updated: 2021-11-30T10:30:06.000Z
In the wee small hours of this morning, an email dropped into my inbox. Substack's Hamish McKenzie announced a focus on developing [their pool of publishers in the UK](https://on.substack.com/p/tell-the-british-were-coming?r=2sg9&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=web&utm%5Fsource=copy):
> Today, we’re starting a concerted push to bring more U.K.-based writers to Substack, helped by our new head of writer partnerships for the region, Farrah Storr.
Storr, who is leaving her role as *Elle* editor-in-chief for the job, [is on Twitter](https://twitter.com/farrah%5Fstorr?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), where she hasn't posted in over a month, and Instagram, which is where she chose [to announce the move](https://www.instagram.com/p/CW5FVLzDxkE/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fweb%5Fcopy%5Flink). She mentions the difficulty of giving up a 22-year career in magazines, which included [a stint as editor of *Cosmo*](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/you-can-t-have-it-all-admits-cosmopolitan-editor-farrah-storr-kt89pqm37?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), but explains it thus:
> But those of you who know and have worked with me will understand why the pull of helping ALL writers to be published and make money from that work was just too important to pass up. So for all of you who I have taught over the last few years, those who have had a burning idea that may not have been right for magazines or any of you who just want to unlock the writer inside of you, Substack means you can do just that.
It's worth taking a moment to note that discussion of Substack in the US has tended to focus on the news/politics/opinion writer axis, but that the company's remit is much broader than that. Look, for example, at the [work they're doing in comics](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/substack-marvel-dc-comics-writers-1235009529/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) with ex-*Captain America* and *Amazing Spider-Man* writer Nick Spencer.
## Substack goes lifestyle?
Choosing an ex-magazine journo to lead their UK expansion suggests a very different approach to the often “culture war”-centric stable of writers that have earned them both attention and controversy in the States. Perhaps that her job might be as much about expanding the company's reach in the lifestyle, fashion and consumer sectors as in the UK specifically. It'll certainly be interesting to watch.
*The Times* is reporting that Storr has [already got a long list of people](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/writers-will-stack-up-says-new-british-boss-of-substack-c8867kfmt?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) she wants to lure to the platform:
> “My feeling is this is not going to be a hard sell,” she said, claiming that a number of writers were seeking independence and the chance to strike up a “very close, intimate relationship” with readers. She also will write her own newsletter.
And McKenzie confirmed to the newspaper that a pool of cash for Substack Pro type deals — essentially a big advance on the first year's likely profits — would be available to her. A few well-known British writers like [Laurie Penny were swift into the comments](https://on.substack.com/p/tell-the-british-were-coming/comment/3809376) on McKenzie's post to express interest.
2022 could be an interesting year in UK media circles. And it's also worth asking, where do Substack focus next? Other English-language markets like Australia, Canada and New Zealand? Or do they expand into different languages?
The newsletter boom is showing no signs of slowing down yet.
### Getting tone of voice right on social media
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/11/getting-tone-of-voice-right-on-social-media/
Last updated: 2022-01-13T13:51:39.000Z
There was an odd piece on *Vice* a couple of weeks ago, that claimed to explain [why tabloids talk so weirdly on social media](https://www.vice.com/en/article/4avz49/why-tabloids-talk-so-weirdly-on-social-media?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). It doesn’t, really. It gives the author’s *opinion* on why they do it, which is tangled up in a critique of previous poor behaviour from tabloids:
> Nowadays, rather than explicit judgment, the tabloids now exercise a weird distance from their own content. Rather than calling a woman “fat”, the Daily Mail will say she “nearly spills” from her outfit. Instead of actually stating the house stance that women are immoral for getting plastic surgery, the tabloids post on social media about how “UNRECOGNISABLE” they are afterwards. “She looks so different!” the social posts read. It’s a type of plausible deniability, like a written-down version of a bitchy comment from an aunt, where nothing nasty is actually said, but the intent is clear: “You’re wearing that, are you?”
A more honest headline on the piece would have been “Why I find the chatty tone of tabloids on social media uncomfortable based on their historical record of problematic attitudes”. But that won’t generate the same sort of click-through from social, will it? 😇
And, in fact, the piece doesn’t *actually* answer the question as to why they adopt this tone — because, knowing several people who work on, or who have worked on, social desks at the tabloids, they’re not doing it just to disguise some judgemental agenda, even if that might well still exist at the title as part of their editorial ethos.
There’s a short answer and a longer answer to why they *really* do it.
## The short answer
They’re doing it because *it works*.
## The longer answer
It works because *tone of voice matters on social media*. Remember, most people are on these platforms to interact with friends, family, contacts, or acquaintances. They may *follow* brands and influencers, but they’re there to *interact* with other people — and often people they actually know.
If you interrupt people’s scrolling experience with something that isn’t particularly human voice, they’ll keep on scrolling and just skip your post. It reads to them — at best — like an advert, and at worst like something irrelevant to their lives. We’ve seen this as a pattern again and again. It applies to Stories, too. Make them too slick, and people just swipe past them because they feel like adverts, not genuine content from other people.
You *have* to match your voice on social media to the voice of the people you’re trying to reach. As Lauren puts it in that *Vice* piece:
> There is, undoubtedly, something a bit off about it: the way the posts sound like they were written by a bot programmed with posts from the internet profiles of white Facebook mums and former Love Island contestants; the casual attempt at ordinary social media performance; …
So… they’ve matched the voice of the target audience? That’s their *job*.
In essence, the key part of this story is not that the social media accounts of the tabloids match the voice of their target audience. That’s just good Audience Engagement discipline. It’s that the author thinks that the tabloids are historically and currently bad, and that them talking like ordinary users doesn’t sit right with her. And that’s fair comment. This is squarely an opinion piece, which makes no attempt to explore the issue beyond the writer’s hot take on it. No social media experts or researchers were consulted in the preparation of that story.
## Focus on tone of voice
However, there’s a reason that the students on one of the modules I teach at City are asked to focus on tone of voice in their work, and provide evidence of that. The ability to switch registers and tones is important if you want to work in this field. I have one former student who has worked at *Mail Online*, *The Economist*, the *Evening Standard*, *The Telegraph* and the *New Statesman*. These are clearly publications with very different readerships and therefore need very different tones of voice in their social media profiles.
You’re likely to adopt a very different tone for register if you work on a national newspaper, instead of a consumer mag, or a B2B site. For the latter, you’re likely to be posting with a tone more akin to someone chatting to colleagues over a coffee. For the former, you want a tone of voice akin to the people you want to read your stuff. Even within a political spectrum, you’d expect a different tone of voice from *The Telegraph* and *The Express*.
## Being human
Talking like a human being is a critical skill to using social media — and one that journalists and marketeers are not always good at. Sometimes the way we are trained encourages us to remove human voice in our work — and then we come across as uncomfortable and stiff when we try to put it back.
But talking like the kind of human being you’re trying to reach is also a critical skill. You might not like what the tabloids produce — but there’s no doubt most of them are good at it. A quick glance at the Facebook pages of *The Sun* and *Vice* today and some back of the envelop maths shows an average engagement somewhat higher for the tabloid than for *Vice*.
Tone of voice matters. And finding the right one is a skill.
---
## Update: not just the tabloids
Amusingly, I logged into Facebook not long after posting this, and near the top of my feed was this post, which proves that this chummy/Facebook Mum tone of voice is far from exclusive to the tabloids:
Although, this is *really* just an excuse to stick the [late Nicholas Courtney](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas%5FCourtney?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) on my blog. A vital part of classic *Doctor Who*.
### tl;dr #5: the catch-up edition
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/11/tldr-5-the-catch-up-edition/
Last updated: 2021-11-24T13:45:59.000Z
Apologies for missing last week. A crunch point in my working life left me little time to do anything but prepare for, deliver and follow-up courses and lectures.
Things are *just* starting to ease off, so, without further self-flagellation, let's get on with the latest catch-up reading.
(I still have many, many browser tabs open awaiting my attention, so next week is likely to be a bumper edition, too.)
---
## Facebook
- 🤬A compromise led to people encountering [more racist abuse](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/11/21/facebook-algorithm-biased-race/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 🇦🇪 Think Facebook has moderation problems in English? [You ain’t seen nothing yet…](https://restofworld.org/2021/facebook-is-bad-at-moderating-in-english-in-arabic-its-a-disaster/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## SEO
- 🏡 Google News adding [more features for local news](https://searchengineland.com/google-ads-local-news-features-to-search-giving-publishers-more-exposure-376067?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🔎 Here’s [Google’s own announcement](https://blog.google/products/news/local-news-update-census-mapper/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🧑🏼💻 Author profile pages could be a [significant factor in what you rank for](https://thenextweb.com/news/google-news-thinks-i-cover-spiderman-because-algorithms-dumb?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) in Google News.
- 🤥 Did you miss [my piece on AMP](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/11/seo-amps-days-are-numbered/)? Shame on you!
## Social Networks
- 😵 Once [active Clubhouse communities](https://www.businessinsider.com/rise-and-fall-of-clubhouse-poster-child-pandemic-hype-2021-11?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) are shadows of their pandemic selves.
- 💼 How [*Harvard Business Review*](https://whatsnewinpublishing.com/harvard-business-review-harnessed-linkedin-to-become-its-most-powerful-social-media-channel-heres-how/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) used LinkedIn as an Audience Engagement tool.
- 🤩 The [most-followed accounts on social platforms](https://www.axios.com/most-followers-social-media-tik-tok-cf5f46c9-d26e-468e-b81e-cbc8fea2a763.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). The key take-away here is that the secret to success starts with “be famous already”…
## Twitter
- 🗣The top [25% of Twitter users produce 97% of all tweets](https://www.fastcompany.com/90697826/the-top-25-most-active-twitter-users-produce-97-of-all-tweets-while-most-of-us-just-lurk?partner=feedburner&utm%5Fsource=feedburner&utm%5Fmedium=feed&utm%5Fcampaign=feedburner+fastcompany&utm%5Fcontent=feedburner).
- 🙈 But journalists are pulling away from it — [or wish they could](https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2021/a-growing-group-of-journalists-has-cut-back-on-twitter-or-abandoned-it-entirely/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Interestingly, enthusiasm for the platform among the journalism students I teach declines year after year.
- 😜 Poor timing — the platform is *finally* [getting interesting again](https://onezero.medium.com/after-years-asleep-at-the-wheel-twitter-is-trying-again-bb36c2421b67?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
## Community Management
- 🔨 How to [build great communities](https://messaging-custom-newsletters.nytimes.com/template/oakv2?campaign%5Fid=158&emc=edit%5Fot%5F20211116&instance%5Fid=45527&nl=on-tech-with-shira-ovide&productCode=OT®i%5Fid=99052261&segment%5Fid=74526&te=1&uri=nyt%3A%2F%2Fnewsletter%2F6cd2ee64-e6a7-5aa1-afca-17e3116997a4&user%5Fid=78ab332e965e5b7b10bc9c4d0a01817b&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — it’s all in the admins and mods
## Misinformation
- 👩🏼🔬 Confronting misinformation head on works — [if you are a trusted source](https://www.niemanlab.org/2021/11/address-dont-sidestep-health-misinformation-to-debunk-falsehoods-study-finds/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 🦠 Social media creating [a “virus of lies”](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/18/social-media-creating-virus-of-lies-says-nobel-winner-maria-ressa?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Hard to argue with this. Her point about it creating alternative realities makes me wonder if we’re already living in a misinformation metaverse…
- 👺 Scammers [posing as guest editors to publish fake academic papers](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-03035-y?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 💸 How [Google and Facebook are funding misinformation](https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/11/20/1039076/facebook-google-disinformation-clickbait/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). No — it’s not intentional, but they’re creating the landscape that makes it pay.
## Podcasts
- 🎙How podcasting works — and [why we should value its open nature](https://blog.james.cridland.net/the-unwritten-contract-between-podcast-publishers-and-apps-2d3e324762fc?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🙄 Medium [buys an audio company](https://blog.medium.com/weve-acquired-knowable-to-accelerate-our-growth-and-bring-audio-to-medium-2b7898e06891?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). It should just rename itself “infinite pivot” immediately.
- 🎧 [Make podcasts very short or very long](https://thefix.media/2021/11/15/understanding-the-evolving-audio-landscape/??ref=onemanandhisblog.com). This is just the “audience attention state” idea, first expressed as [the Quartz curve](https://www.onlydeadfish.co.uk/only%5Fdead%5Ffish/2014/10/the-quartz-curve.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com): people like short, snappy, efficient information exchange, or in-depth, lean-back experiences.
## Research tips
- 👩🏽💻 How to [manipulate URLs to find more information](https://www.osintme.com/index.php/2021/09/30/osint-me-tricky-thursday-8-url-manipulation/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 📅 How to find the [creation date of Facebook accounts](https://www.getrevue.co/profile/craigsilverman/issues/how-to-find-the-creation-date-for-any-facebook-profile-845861?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Journalism practice
- ✈️ How a Brighton local journalist’s story [ended up on the nationals’ front pages](https://headlines-uk.medium.com/before-long-every-paper-in-the-country-was-running-my-local-front-page-story-27653a6a6b55?utm%5Fsource=onemanandhisblog&utm%5Fmedium=newsletter&utm%5Fcampaign=tldr&utm%5Fid=One+Man+%26+His+Blog)
- 💬 Is there a structural problem [with how we report politics](https://www.thebigsmoke.com.au/2021/11/21/christchurch-was-a-wake-up-call-our-media-slept-through/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)?
- 🖱 There might not be [a clear model of which headlines will work](https://journalismresearchnews.org/impact-of-headline-writing-approach/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) and which won’t…
- ✍🏽 Some ways to avoid [waster words in your stories.](https://johnemcintyre.blogspot.com/2021/11/wasted-words-controversial.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Business Models
- 🧾 Let’s be clearer about who is actually [a subscriber](https://www.niemanlab.org/2021/11/a-rose-is-a-rose-is-a-rose-but-please-please-make-it-clear-to-your-readers-what-a-subscriber-is/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🙏🏻 30 Ukrainian journalists whose title closed are launching their own site and [funding it via Patreon](https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/kyiv-post-new-publication-kyiv-independent/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🇦🇺 In Australia, a tycoon is helping small publishers get [deals from Google like the big publishers have](https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/australian-mining-billionaire-help-publishers-strike-content-deal-with-google-2021-11-21/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Such a flawed system.
- ☎️ In the US, pressure is growing on publishers to make it [as easy to unsubscribe as it is to subscribe](https://www.niemanlab.org/2021/11/the-end-of-click-to-subscribe-call-to-cancel-one-of-the-news-industrys-favorite-retention-tactics-is-illegal-ftc-says/?s=09&utm%5Fcampaign=The%20Media%20Roundup%20from%20Media%20Voices&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=pocket%5Fmylist)… (Looking at *The Times* in the UK, among others, who force you to call up to cancel your subscription.)
## Consequences
- 🧑🏻🚒 When the [social firehose gets pointed at you](https://www.garbageday.email/p/when-the-traffic-firehose-is-pointed?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)? Or… if it gets turned off.
- 👩🏻⚖️ Is there no escape from bad deeds in the past — even if [committed in the midst of a mental health crisis](https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/p/i-would-like-closure-but-ill-take)?
- 🎻 [Alex Jones loses by default](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/15/us/politics/alex-jones-sandy-hook.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) in remaining Sandy Hook defamation suits. No violin small enough for the Infowars guy.
---
## etc
- 📔[Do magazine covers still matter in the digital age?](https://www.cjr.org/analysis/magazine-covers.php?utm%5Fcampaign=The%20Media%20Roundup%20from%20Media%20Voices&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter) Doesn’t really nail the key point, which is that they can do, if they have the potential to go viral on social as essentially a form of meme image. That’s what I’d be doing with cover commissions in the third decade of the 21st century. (But it has been nearly two decades since I commissioned a cover, so…)
- 👨🏼🔧 Why publishers should [start experimenting with blockchain](https://whatsnewinpublishing.com/potentially-industry-changing-technology-why-publishers-should-start-experimenting-with-blockchain/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). (I’d wait — this is in danger of becoming a distraction while people figure out the use case for the tech. Unless you have cash to burn, in which case, go for it. And hire me to consult on it. 🤓)
---
## The thought-provoking read
###
The problem with the “creator economy”
[Nadia Eghbal](https://nadiaeghbal.com/creator-economy?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> When I imagine a cultural renaissance that inspires me, I think about working together to address unsolved questions, tugging on threads in conversations that need unraveling, creating enduring artifacts for generations to pore over and iterate upon. The “publish or perish” model that nudges people to rack up more followers is not the pinnacle of creative freedom; it’s indentured spiritual servitude.
Challenging, to say the least.
### SEO: AMP’s days are numbered
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/11/seo-amps-days-are-numbered/
Last updated: 2021-11-22T14:05:42.000Z
Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages: a must-have for news sites looking to get significant search traffic on mobile, right? Until now, sure. For much of the past decade they have been a virtual *pre-requisite* for appearing in the news carousel, the new stories area of the main search results page.
As Barry Adams [described it recently](https://www.seoforgooglenews.com/p/lets-talk-about-amp?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> Since its inception in 2015, AMP has been force-fed to publishers. The arrangement was simple: adopt AMP or forego most of your mobile search traffic. Without having valid AMP versions of your articles, your content would be extremely unlikely to be shown in Google’s mobile Top Stories carousels.
So, reluctantly, big publishers have had to throw resources at it, and smaller publishers have had to weigh the costs of implementation, versus the costs of losing that news search traffic.
## The beginning of AMP’s end
Two things have changed:
1. With the introduction of Core Web Vitals as a ranking signal, Google [no longer requires AMP for inclusion](https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/28/google%5Famp%5Fcore%5Fweb%5Fvitals/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) in the news carousel
2. It turns out that the [motivations for forcing AMP on publishers](https://searchengineland.com/google-throttled-amp-page-speeds-created-format-to-hamper-header-bidding-antitrust-complaint-claims-375466?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) may have been less than pure, after all… (All due credit to Malcolm Coles, then at *The Telegraph*, who I remember expressing deep scepticism about Google’s motivations and data justifying them at the time.)
The amount of traffic going to non-AMP pages has left from single digit percentages to over 25%, [according to Adams](https://www.seoforgooglenews.com/p/lets-talk-about-amp?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). That’s changing the equation for many publishers. Maintaining both a good set of traditional pages that are well mobile-optimised AND AMP pages is developer overhead they can ill-afford.
And with *good* mobile-friendly pages now ranking OK, it might be time to wind down AMP support, and reclaim that developer time and effort.
## Publishers abandoning AMP
Some other events have occurred which suggest that people are doing just that: quietly abandoning AMP:
- Twitter is stopping [showing the AMP version of webpages](https://searchengineland.com/twitter-rolls-back-amp-support-no-longer-sends-users-to-amp-pages-376168?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- *Search Engine Land*, one of the big SEO blogs, is [killing AMP support on its site](https://searchengineland.com/why-were-turning-off-amp-pages-at-search-engine-land-376228?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Here’s what triggered the change at *Search Engine Land*:
> But, this August we saw a significant drop in traffic to AMP pages, suggesting that the inclusion of non-AMP pages from competing sources in Top Stories was taking a toll. Our own analytics showed that between July and August we saw a 34% drop in AMP traffic, setting a new baseline of traffic that was consistent month-to-month through the fall.
When both a major social platform AND one of the biggest SEO blogs out there are saying “goodbye and good riddance” to the format, its days are clearly numbered. As [John Gruber put it](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2021/11/19/twitter-amp?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> It took four years, but support for AMP is suddenly collapsing. Good riddance.
## What should I do?
Simple advice:
### 1\. If you’re not publishing AMP
Cross AMP off your to-investigate list. Concentrate instead on making your site perform better under the [Core Web Vitals metric](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/07/why-google-core-web-vitals-update-is-going-to-squeeze-medium-sized-publishers-hard/) — something I will return to in the coming weeks.
There is *no* good reason to invest resources in developing out AMP if you don’t publish them on your site now.
### 2\. If you are publishing AMP
It’s analytics time!
Start carefully entering how your traffic to AMP pages is changing over time. If it’s on a downwards spiral, it’s time to think about removing support, and just switching to good, fast-loading mobile-friendly pages instead. And you are doing that already, right?
If it’s negligible, just rip those AMPs out immediately.
However, if your AMP traffic is both good and holding steady for now, leave things as they are, and maintain a watching brief.
### TL;DR Issue 4: Plagarism, Twitter goes blue, and a journalist gets punched in the face
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/11/seo-2/
Last updated: 2021-11-11T14:29:42.000Z
It's a busy week, so let's stay true to the mission, cut the waffle, and get down to the links…
## SEO
- 🛒 Google clearly feeling some pressure and trying to [recruit small businesses to defend it](https://www.nearmedia.co/does-the-gmb-rebranding-mean-more-or-less-than-google-say/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)…
- 👨🏼⚖️ Google wins a court case on privacy. [The Open Rights Group is not impressed](https://www.openrightsgroup.org/blog/google-vs-lloyd-uk-needs-collective-redress/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🗂 And it might end up [supporting IndexNow](https://searchengineland.com/google-is-testing-the-indexnow-protocol-for-sustainability-375932?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), a system for letting search engines know that there’s something new to index, which is used by Bing and Yandex. Shades of [PubSubHubub](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebSub?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) here.
## Instagram
- 💻 I forgot to highlight this at the time: [Instagram now allows posting from desktop](https://www.interhacktives.com/2021/11/09/instagram-rolls-out-desktop-posting/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Could we have the iPad app next?
- ⌛️It’s testing an [anti-doom scrolling feature](https://twitter.com/mosseri/status/1458468539812044803?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🤑 Are you ready to [pay your favourite Instagrammers](https://techcrunch.com/2021/11/08/instagrams-creator-subscriptions-nearing-launch-app-store-listing-reveals/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) for extra content?
## Facebook
- ‼️ It’s just [full of plagiarised content](https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-stolen-content-copyright-infringement-facebook-files-11636493887?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 👴🏽 And that might be contributing t[o its youth issue](https://www.platformer.news/p/how-plagiarism-explains-facebooks?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMTY1MzAsIl8iOiJpU3RHZCIsImlhdCI6MTYzNjYzNTg4NCwiZXhwIjoxNjM2NjM5NDg0LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItNzk3NiIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.0VmmRfYh-LZgZrg9FMp-fnWX4-z3-yBpgNpBzIPd-sk&ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
## Twitter
- 🌐 Twitter Blue is here — if your here is the United States, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
- 🦔 Buried within it is a [reborn version of the much-missed Nuzzel](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/09/technology/twitter-blue-news-articles.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🌆 It’s now showing [uncropped images on the web](https://www.imore.com/twitter-now-showing-full-sized-images-web?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 👨🏻💻 And it’s building out [a crypto/blockchain team](https://www.imore.com/twitter-dives-crypto-and-blockchains-new-hire-whole-new-team?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
## Content Strategy
- ✍🏽 *Vox* is [refining and refocusing its strategy](https://www.niemanlab.org/2021/11/vox-is-revamping-its-editorial-strategy-to-redefine-what-voxxy-means/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). This is fascinating — it feels like a title that has, naturally, become a little wooly on its focus over time, setting some clear strategy about what’s next for it. It’s all in the execution, though…
- 🤬 *The Verge* has had it with tech [off-the-record background briefings](https://www.theverge.com/press-room/22772113/the-verge-on-background-policy-update?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 👺 The truth is paywalled — but the [lies are so very free](https://www.currentaffairs.org/2020/08/the-truth-is-paywalled-but-the-lies-are-free/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🏴 [MyLondon seems to be working](https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2021/news/publisher-boasts-londons-most-visited-news-website-new-data-suggests/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Why?
## Audience Engagement
- 🦄 OpenWeb, a comments and community platform, [hits tech unicorn status](https://www.axios.com/nytimes-openweb-tech-unicorn-0a55d6ae-79e5-43f9-a050-55fe2f1b3ffc.html?utm%5Fcampaign=UA-39227834-1&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter). A combination of good tech and good community management might well be the future of news-based communities.
- 🙊 The [“comments good or bad” discourse](https://www.poynter.org/ethics-trust/2021/dont-read-the-comments-for-news-sites-it-might-be-worth-the-effort/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) is back on.
- 🤦 How NOT to do [customer service via social media](https://www.markwilson.co.uk/blog/2021/10/not-so-helpful-social-media-help.htm?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
## Podcasting and Audio
- 🎧 Short-form, personalised audio news [still struggling](https://www.niemanlab.org/2021/11/the-dream-of-customized-audio-news-isnt-working-out-at-least-not-yet/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Is this a solution searching for a problem?
- 🎙[Axel Springer seen the future in audio](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/axel-springer-is-betting-on-audio-for-long-term-sustainability/s2/a874646/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). But it’s podcasts and discovery-led.
- 🎤 Clubhouse might finally be finding its way as a community space for [recording audience participation podcasts](https://thenextweb.com/news/clubhouses-replay-feature-recording-analysis?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
## YouTube
- 👎🏻 [YouTube is hiding dislike counts by default](https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/10/22773299/youtube-dislike-button-hide-public-count-numbers-small-creator-protection?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Some people in social media circles are upset by this, but I think it’s the right call. They’ve been over-weaponised for political and culture war purposes. Defensive design is necessary on social platforms.
## Newsletters
- 📧 We haven’t [reached peak newsletter yet](https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/11/03/we-havent-reached-peak-newsletter-not-by-a-long-shot-519207?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). (Did people ever talk about peak magazine or peak newspaper?)
## Diversity and Recruitment
- 👨🏾🤝👨🏼 Interesting [interview with Eleanor Mills](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/eleanor-mills-/s2/a873471/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) about unbalanced news teams.
- 🧑🏻🔬 And the Reuters Institute [have a new report out](https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/changing-newsrooms-2021-hybrid-working-and-improving-diversity-remain-twin-challenges-publishers?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). (They sent me a preview copy — with about 15 hours until the embargo and a full day of lecturing ahead of me. Expect something tomorrow or over the weekend on it.)
## Life in Journalism
- 🇵🇭 Profile of *Rappler*, [the investigative news outlet in the Philippines, under extreme government attack](https://restofworld.org/2021/maria-ressa-won-a-nobel-prize-the-toughest-times-for-her-newsroom-are-still-ahead/?utm%5Fcampaign=When%20the%20Going%20Gets%20Weird...&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter).
- 😵 Meanwhile, the UK government is [slowly killing FOI](https://medium.com/behind-local-news-uk/is-the-government-condemning-foi-to-a-slow-death-with-41-cuts-in-real-funding-9e63fa646e47?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🔥 Poor hack punched in the face [for filming an illegal fire](https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2021/news/reporter-punched-in-face-for-filming-youths-illegal-bonfire/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🤗 Has closing Reach’s offices [brought journalists closer to their communities](https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2021/news/office-closures-have-made-reporters-local-voices-and-faces-says-editorial-boss/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)?
---
## Listen 👂🏼
Good podcast from Jacob at journalism.co.uk — I love the way he’s editing extracts from news:rewired sessions into these podcasts. This is a useful one on managing distributed teams.
[Improving communication in a virtual newsroom - Newsrewired specialWorking from home has left many journalists feeling burnt out, isolated, and unable to contribute to meetings on Zoom. Learn how to change online conversations so everyone feels heard and valuedJournalism.co.ukJacob Granger](https://www.journalism.co.uk/podcast/improving-team-communication-within-virtual-work-newsrewired-special/s399/a873447/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## Jobs
- RCNi / *Nursing Standard* looking for an [audience engagement assistant](https://www.cisionjobs.co.uk/job/104970/rcni-audience-engagement-and-social-media-assistant/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- And the *FT* is looking for a [Social Media and SEO editor in New York](https://ft.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/FT%5FExternal%5FCareers/job/New-York-40-hours/US-Social-Media-and-SEO-Editor%5FJR007653?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## &tc
- Cory Doctorow is [not here for your NFT grift](https://pluralistic.net/2021/11/08/tina-v-tapas/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com#spoilsports-r-us)
---
## And Finally…
This is an important story to me personally. The hotel that burned down was the place I was staying with my now-wife the weekend I proposed to her. But it’s also good to see organisations reflecting on coverage after the event.
[DevonLive mark five years on from devastating day Exeter’s Royal Clarence hotel burned downThe memory of Exeter’s illustrious Royal Clarence and the day it burned to the ground is forever etched in the minds of the cityBehind Local News UKBehind Local News](https://medium.com/behind-local-news-uk/devonlive-mark-five-years-on-from-devastating-day-exeters-royal-clarence-hotel-burned-down-6f0c8c62f387?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Phew. All done. Hope your week is going well.
### Coping with newsroom stress
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/11/coping-with-newsroom-stress/
Last updated: 2024-09-30T15:43:34.000Z
The pandemic has thrown a new spotlight on stress in newsrooms — and across journalism in general. Not every journalist works in a newsroom — and even among those who do, their “newsroom” might now be virtual. Many publishers are trying to figure out how to adapt now that it’s been proven that people can do their jobs working from home. Some, like Reach, have [got rid of many of their offices](https://pressgazette.co.uk/most-reach-journalists-work-home-after-covid-19-mail-online-prepares-return-newsroom/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Others are pushing everyone to return.
The majority of companies are muddling through with a hybrid model. But uncertainty breeds stress.
“How do we get it right for the people who come into the office that can meet and interact and work with each other?” asks John Crowley, director of the [Headlines Network](https://headlines-network.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), founded by [Hannah Storm](https://twitter.com/HANNAHSTORM6?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), which works for better mental health in the newsroom.
“And those days that they are in, how do we make sure that people who aren't in work aren't feeling any kind of FOMO by being left out?”
## Distributed, not remote
He’s not an advocate for remote working, preferring to consider it distributed working: choosing to work wherever’s most appropriate. It could be at home, or in the office, or wherever the story is. As a former digital editor at the *Wall Street Journal* and editor-in-chief of *International Business Times* UK, he’s had plenty of experience wrangling journalists.
“I think the proof that distributed working works is a boon, but we need to accept that we may need to go back into a place where we all congregate together. Why? For those moments of serendipity where you can sit down and sort things out — or come up with new ideas.”
But that tension isn’t just creating stress for staff, it’s creating headaches for newsroom leaders, too.
## Culture challenges
“How do we create a good culture for our staff who are in that particular day? How do we create a good culture for *all* our staff?” says John.
“This is incredibly stressful for the people coming back, but also for newsroom managers.”
This is one of the reasons the Headline Network is running a series of [workshops about improving mental health in the media](https://headlines-network.com/f/announcing-our-free-workshop-dates-for-journalists-nove?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), which start this week. They have been divided up into different cohorts, including newsroom leaders and new managers.
“We're also doing it for mid-career journalists," says John." You and I might call ourselves kind of mid-career, Adam. You might have kids. Likewise, you might have responsibility for your parents. You might have other things going on in your life.”
And the workshops need to acknowledge the different life circumstances people are dealing with.
## Transforming the newsroom
But there’s an underlying agenda here, one that’s more about allowing the industry to shift, rather than just aiding individual members.
“First and foremost, the pandemic is a health emergency, and it continues to be one,” he says. “But it's also an opportunity for journalism to look at itself, hit the reset button, perhaps, and reinvent itself for a new era.”
As with so many industries, it’s also accelerated digital transformation.
“Instead of having five years to change the way we worked, it happened in five months, so there's been a kind of big bang,” says John. “I think what we need to sort out the way of working we want, as the table which was flipped up in the air comes back down again.”
### The downside of home working
John Crowley
Working from home is no panacea, and for some people might actually be aggravating their stress.
“As a young working parent, it can be great — but it can also be an albatross around your neck. You’ve spent time with your children, they're gone to bed at 8:00, and suddenly, you find yourself thinking ‘I can now work from 8pm until 11pm and kind of catch up’.”
That’s not right. We need to be able to switch off.
We all hated our commutes, but they acted as a clear demarkation between our working day and the rest of our lives. In a hybrid work situation, you lose that.
“Commuting could actually be a signal that the day’s over, and it’s time to down tools, as we all used to when our parents and grandparents worked in factories” says John. “When the whistle blew, you knew it was the end of the day.”
We don't have that signal now. We're just mixing the work and play we’re doing on our phones.
## The abandoned freelancers
The stress on other groups is different. The pandemic abruptly deprived many freelancers of both regular social interaction and income, as they were stuck at home and contracts dried up. That was why John was one of the group that founded the [Society for Freelance Journalists](https://freelancesoc.org/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — an active Slack group for freelancers.
“It was a situation where many people’s work had fallen off a cliff in March 2020 and at least having someone else say I'm in the same boat made it slightly easier to bear.”
The past 20 months have been a brutal time right across the profession, with many journalists exposed to stress from failing business models, online harassment, vicarious trauma, job insecurity, and even macho news environments that were unsympathetic to people struggling with an unprecedented crisis.
“You know, one journalist said in [the report that I did last year](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KrkeWQdaAgXtIleWsYuuJctg3Qikk2Pj/view?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) that journalism in the time of COVID felt like they were stuck in a pandemic bubble. They just couldn't get any distance from it, and was working 12 hours days covering unremittingly bad news. It really took its toll.”
## A more sympathetic newsroom?
Terms like “burnout” and “depression” spring to mind, but they carry very negative connotations in many newsrooms.
“Being able to soak up pressure is seen as an integral part of being a journalist,” says John. “My colleague Hannah describes it as putting on an emotional flak jacket.”
But an ability to escape and decompress is still vital. Journalists whose work was pretty safe normally found themselves going out and speaking to people in the midst of a pandemic, at risk to their health. It was a challenge they were unprepared for, unlike, say, war correspondents.
“Look, we’re not comparing ourselves to first responders or anyone in health where they're actually treating people. But journalists are out there,” says John. “Do they elicit sympathy from the public? Probably not, and in some ways because of the actions of some of our so-called colleagues, that's justified.
“But we're not looking for sympathy. We do need to practise our own self-care and be supported in that. No-one else is going to do it for journalists apart from journalists themselves.”
## Rethinking journalism working practices for the digital age
Photo by [Hannah Wei](https://unsplash.com/@herlifeinpixels?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)
And, ironically, the same situation that has created so much stress might have planted the seeds of the solution.
“One of the unintended consequences of COVID is this kind of slightly strange hybrid situation, while it’s coming to an end, but lots of things are up for grabs,” explains John. “It's a real opportunity to wipe the slate, look at things and ask how we can do things better? “
One thing that does need to change is the excesses of newsroom culture. For generations, senior managers have instilled a certain aggressive culture in their staff, who then repeat the cycle. But that could be about to change.
### Newsroom bullying
“I've seen people so-called nice people go in and be changed by that culture. I'm not saying that they didn't have a role in that, but they've turned into bullies themselves. It was just kind of a given that the demands of a high paced work environment does that, and they wouldn't call it bullying.”
But the constant demand for copy, for exclusive, for explanations as to why competitors got the story first can very easily tip over into bullying.
“It’s a culture of getting to the story first, breaking the exclusive, and then the management style that supports that. The way that's done is very macho. Very in your face,” says John. “And the people who were doing that and got to the top have almost traumatised themselves.”
## The war for journalistic talent
The attrition of journalism businesses during the pandemic has not been as bad as many feared. And that means many businesses are recruiting again.
“A huge amount of money is being spent on attracting young, diverse talent into the newsroom,” says John. “So you have this bright, shiny shopfront to attach the talent to broaden the representation and diversity of people who commit journalism.”
Increasingly, though, as Gen Z enters the workplace, they’re not falling for it.
“Knowing their feelings around mental well-being, and without making huge sweeping generalisations, I would say they won't put up with it as much as perhaps my generation would have done,” admits John.
“They're going into, and they're saying well, no, there's that bright shiny shopfront that we walked in. And then inside, it's all horrible and toxic. And so, they leave. And go and do something more interesting.”
### Put your money where your opinion columns are
“We’re so ready to preach to people about mental health through our news pages, and yet we need to hold ourselves to a higher standard,”
And there’s a hard business reason for this, too. Hiring new talent is expensive. Retaining the talent you hired is much cheaper than having to keep hiring. And it almost certainly impacts the quality of the product in the long term:
“If you've got a toxic culture here and loads of people are leaving, or taking days off, you're not going to produce great content, and that's why you need to address it.”
---
## Join the workshops:
[Announcing our free workshop dates for journalists from NovemberHeadlines Network, a community for those who care about improving mental health in the media, is announcing the dates of its free workshops for UK journalists to support their wellbeing.Headlines NetworkHeadlines Network](https://headlines-network.com/f/announcing-our-free-workshop-dates-for-journalists-nove?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### TL;DR Issue 3: The “how the hell am I 50?” edition
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/11/tldr-issue-3-the-how-the-hell-am-i-50-edition/
Last updated: 2021-11-06T11:08:32.000Z
This is a week designed to make me feel old. On Wednesday, I hit my [20th anniversary of blogging](https://microblog.onemanandhisblog.com/2021/11/04/today-its-exactly.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) (but not this blog — it will turn 20 in 2023). It’s slightly disturbing to think that many of the students I’m teaching now were pre-schoolers when I started in this game…
And today, I hit my half century.
“How did you get old, Adam?”
“Slowly, and then suddenly…”
While I head off to celebrate with my family, while trying not to weep over the brevity of life and the futility of existence, you can find meaning in some fine, hand-crafted artisanal links…
---
## Newsletters
- 🐎*The Atlantic*’s new [stable of newsletters](https://www.theatlantic.com/subscriber-newsletters/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 🧠 One of them is [Charlie Wurzel’s *Galaxy Brain,*](https://warzel.substack.com/p/galaxy-brain-is-moving) which is leaving Substack for the magazine.
## Facebook
- 👯♂️ Big changes [coming to Groups](https://about.fb.com/news/2021/11/new-tools-in-facebook-groups/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🍼 Facebook is [losing a generation](https://www.theverge.com/22743744/facebook-teen-usage-decline-frances-haugen-leaks?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 👴🏻 Should it really be [trying to lure young people back?](https://voices.media/facebooks-obsession-youth-misplaced-key-success-aging-user-base/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 👺 The Big Blue is shutting down [its facial recognition system](https://petapixel.com/2021/11/02/facebook-is-shutting-down-its-photo-face-recognition-system/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🕵️ Is it just getting ahead of growing concerns [about face recognition](https://www.engadget.com/facebook-shuts-down-face-recognition-171737198.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)?
## Twitter
- 🔎 Improved [searching of a person’s Tweets](https://www.imore.com/twitter-rolls-out-improved-profile-searching-iphone?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), for your “finding off-colour tweets and cancelling people” convenience.
## Podcasts
- 🎤 DMGT buys [podcast company Entale](https://www.dmgventures.co.uk/portfolio/dmgt-acquires-podcast-innovator-entale?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 💷 The BBC [paywalling its podcasts (via Apple)](https://9to5mac.com/2021/11/02/apple-podcasts-bbc-partnership/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) outside the UK
- 🛑 And Apple debuts [a podcast that’s exclusive to its app](https://9to5mac.com/2021/11/03/apple-debuts-first-standalone-original-podcast-the-true-crime-series-hooked/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). The fragmentation of podcasting is proceeding apace, sadly. We *will* regret this down the line.
## Audience Engagement
- 📲 Battle for the lock screen: [India edition](https://www.niemanlab.org/2021/11/is-the-smartphone-lock-screen-the-key-to-reaching-the-most-casual-news-consumers-this-indian-company-says-yes/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 💼 Ben Green jumps from [JPIMedia to Reach](https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2021/news/editorial-boss-bids-farewell-to-publisher-after-16-years/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 💰 Engaged journalism is a [revenue strategy](https://medium.com/engagement-at-kpcc/engaged-journalism-is-a-revenue-strategy-heres-why-2a0372f08d2e?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## SEO
- 🇪🇸 Google News [returning to Spain](https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/3/22761041/google-news-relaunch-spain-payments-publishers-eu-copyright-directive?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 🤯 Google offering support for [indexing AND domain verification issues.](https://searchengineland.com/google-tool-for-reporting-domain-verification-and-user-management-issues-with-search-console-375714?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) \* *faints\**
- 🚨 Another cunning wheeze by [the spammy end of SEO](https://futurism.com/fake-harvard-students?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 📽 I thought we already knew this: [Google recommends giving videos their own page](https://searchengineland.com/google-recommends-placing-videos-on-dedicated-pages-for-maximum-exposure-375746?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
## Instagram
- 🤝 Wow. Instagram *finally* restores [Twitter preview support](https://techcrunch.com/2021/11/03/instagram-brings-back-twitter-card-preview-support-for-posts/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). No longer seen as a competitive threat?
- 💃🏼🕺🏻 New sticker: “[Join In](https://techcrunch.com/2021/11/01/instagram-rolls-out-an-add-yours-sticker-in-stories-to-create-threads-users-can-respond-to/?guccounter=1&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)”, which looks a lot like TikTok’s duets.
## Etc
- 🎞 Adobe working with news publishers on tools for [verifying image authenticity](https://www.niemanlab.org/2021/11/adobe-and-news-orgs-are-working-on-a-new-tool-that-could-identify-a-photos-origin-and-combat-misinformation/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 😡 Interesting [profile of Mike Taibbi](https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/10/what-happened-to-matt-taibbi.html?utm%5Fsource=pocket&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=pockethits#comments), which touches on the idea of what happens when the political world changes around a firebrand writer.
## The Big Read: Cancel Culture
No, not *that* cancel culture. This is a long, and fascinating, list of the reasons people cancelled subscriptions:
[Expensive, boring, and wrong: Here are all the news publications people canceled and whyFrom AdAge to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.Nieman LabLaura Hazard Owen](https://www.niemanlab.org/2021/10/expensive-boring-and-wrong-here-are-all-the-news-publications-people-canceled-and-why/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Links from Instagram Stories available to all
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/11/links-from-instagram-stories-available-to-all/
Last updated: 2021-11-29T14:15:18.000Z
It finally happened. *Anyone* can drive traffic from Instagram stories. Up until recently, only accounts with over 10,000 followers — a high bar for smaller titles to reach — could access the “upwards swipe to open a link” gesture in Instagram. The same held true for the link sticker that replaced it. And then, a couple of weeks ago, people started losing access to the link sticker.
Now we know why: Instagram was implementing a major transition — [it's available to everyone](Klaus Papenbrock). sFinally, smaller publishers have an option beyond “link in bio” to try and get some traffic out of the roach motel that is the 'gram.
And, based on my testing, it works…
From the referrers in the analytics on one of my side-projects
## Using the Instagram link sticker
So, head into Instagram and choose the stories option. Click on the stickers icon, and you get this:
Hit the link sticker, and you get an URL field:
Obviously, your best bet is copying and pasting from the url of the page you want to link. I found this process a little temperamental — hopefully that will be ironed out. And so you get:
Click “Done” and you get the link sticker. The text doesn't seem to be customisable right now — it always shows the root domain of the URL you're linking to. And it looks like this:
Obviously, you can combine it with other stickers to “sell” the click a little more:
And there we have it! A real genuine chance for those of us outside the 10,000 follow club to generate traffic from the ’gram — and, most importantly, a chance to take some of that community we've developed on the ’gram and bring it into owned and operated spaces.
### Cross-posting to Facebook
Cross-posting Stories to Facebook *does* work, with the link preserved in the Facebook version of the Story — in my experience at least. I've seen at least one report of it not working — so it might be worth double-checking. Sometimes when Meta (uggh) rolls out a feature like this, it takes time for all Facebook and Instagram accounts to be updated to support it.
Certainly, my expectation is that this *will* work cross-app, as that seems consistent with the company's approach of building a common backend to its platforms.
So, there we are. One of the biggest complaints about Instagram *finally* addressed. Would it be nice to have links in the grid? Of course! But this opens up the possibility of driving traffic from the 'gram to your site for everyone — and that changes the audience engagement dynamic considerably.
---
If you or your team do something particularly successful with the new link stickers, I'd *love* to hear about it.
### Will the Metaverse save journalism?
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/10/meta-nonsense/
Last updated: 2021-11-08T16:28:13.000Z
No.
---
Now we've sorted that, enjoy this Metaverse/journalism discourse from the internets:
> brb, pitching "Will the metaverse save journalism?" panels to all the media/journalism events of the next 18 months
>
> — Thomas Seymat (@tseymat) [October 28, 2021](https://twitter.com/tseymat/status/1453799102186246146?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Nobody would do this
> I’ll buy a beer for the first person who writes the “Will the Metaverse Save Journalism?” Medium piece.
>
> — Aron Pilhofer (@pilhofer) [October 28, 2021](https://twitter.com/pilhofer/status/1453799491300036624?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Oh, wait, they did
[Will the metaverse save journalism?No.MediumBrad Heath](https://medium.com/@bradheath/will-the-metaverse-save-journalism-c4a47201ddfd?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
And they made the same bloody joke as me. Is there nothing new?
### We heard you liked the internet, so we put an internet inside your internet
> Sorry but random metaverse thought - what's the future of journalism in the Facebook metaverse? Could it start recreating our news stories and articles in there via AR to enliven this vision of the metaverse as an "embodied internet"?
>
> — Liv McMahon (@liv\_mcmahon) [October 29, 2021](https://twitter.com/liv%5Fmcmahon/status/1454014279724773378?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Don't even joke about it
> Metaverse-Ethics-in-Game-Journalism-Full-Self-Driving-Crypto-Make-America-Great-Again-NFT™️
>
> — Eric (@ericmortensen) [October 28, 2021](https://twitter.com/ericmortensen/status/1453810591697670152?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Joke or accurate prediction?
> In the metaverse you get to kill off democracy and journalism and public health for golden points [https://t.co/HhvxTH9Zgm](https://t.co/HhvxTH9Zgm?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Chris Taylor (@christaylor\_nyc) [October 28, 2021](https://twitter.com/christaylor%5Fnyc/status/1453794860167794692?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### MetaListicles FTW
> Eight ways the metaverse could 'transform journalism'
>
> Seven metaverse tools for journalists
>
> my blog died so I'll have to make this exclusive email content. sign up now
>
> — Dave Earley (@earleyedition) [October 22, 2021](https://twitter.com/earleyedition/status/1451346108651692035?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Oh, God, another one
[Will the Metaverse save journalism?I’m writing this in the hope of winning a beer, But the answer’s easy. Because we’ve been here before.MediumThomas Seymat](https://medium.com/@tseymat/will-the-metaverse-save-journalism-a4ce044c948e?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### I almost hope this is true
> Hot take: we're already in the Metaverse and all of our "Will X Save Journalism?" pieces are already written, and we should just really be hoping that no one pulls the plug.
>
> — David Smydra (@smydrad) [October 28, 2021](https://twitter.com/smydrad/status/1453801903645728780?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
*(Enough Metaverse. Ed.)*
### TL;DR #2 — the plague house edition
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/10/tldr-2-the-plague-house-edition/
Last updated: 2021-11-08T16:28:02.000Z
I could have easily filled this issue with material about Facebook — but apart from a few brief mentions at the beginning, I’m not going to.
We know what we need to know:
1. Facebook is a bad company
2. Many of us still need it for reader acquisition, but we should be working hard to turn those relationships into direct ones, rather than mediated ones.
What more do we need to know?
## Facebook
- 👨🏻💻 The [Facebook Papers are largely from Workplace](https://www.platformer.news/p/the-facebook-papers-missing-piece?r=2g5j8&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=web&utm%5Fsource=) — the company’s internal version of its product. So, we’re not seeing formal internal memos. We’re seeing the company’s staff thinking aloud. I’m not sure if that makes the revelations better or worse.
- 📰 Living article listing [all the Facebook Papers reporting](https://www.protocol.com/facebook-papers?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🤴🏼 The [problem at the heart of Facebook](https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/10/kara-swisher-on-mark-zuckerberg-facebook-papers.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), through the eyes of someone who has interviewed him repeatedly.
- 🛠 [How to fix social media](https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/how-to-fix-social-media?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Long. Worth it.
## Newsletters
- 📧 Twitter now allows you to [subscribe to Revue newsletters](http://help.getrevue.co/en/articles/5652944-subscribing-to-your-newsletter-directly-from-tweets?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) directly from Tweets.
- 🦠 How newsletters ended up as [a central source of COVID information](https://whatsnewinpublishing.com/newsletters-the-key-to-covid-news-dissemination-and-why-advertisers-should-care/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
## Publishing strategy
- 🧓🏽 [Older Brits got more digital](https://www.inpublishing.co.uk/articles/44-of-brits-aged-60-plus-have-become-more-digital-during-the-pandemic-19002?utm%5Fcampaign=Vincent%20Peyregne%27s%20Newsletter&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter) during the pandemic. Time to revise your assumptions about the 60+ audience.
- 💸 [Dynamic paywalls](https://thefix.media/2021/10/18/dynamic-paywalls-for-publishers/?utm%5Fcampaign=The%20Media%20Roundup%20from%20Media%20Voices&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter). Off-the-shelf software is emerging to allow publishers too use them without having to build them in-house. But should they?
- 📱 [Should your title have an app?](https://thefix.media/2021/10/26/does-your-news-outlet-need-an-app/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) Probably not — getting people to open the damn things is *hard*. But there are some reasons why it might work.
## Audience engagement
- 📲 Four [non-Facebook strategies](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/forget-facebook-four-publishers-share-tips-on-growing-audiences-on-other-social-platforms/s2/a870285/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) for attracting readers.
- 💬 I *love* this. [Text chats with fact-checkers](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2021/10/26/join-text-chat-usa-todays-expert-fact-checkers/8551649002/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
## SEO
- 🚨 It's looking like [Google's motivations for pushing Accelerated Mobile Pages](https://www.theregister.com/2021/10/26/google%5Fdeliberately%5Fthrottled%5Fad%5Fload/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) were less than pure. This could be a big scandal — but has been buried by the Facebook news.
- 📰 [Best practices for syndicated content](https://www.seoforgooglenews.com/p/syndicated-content-seo?r=1fg2h&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=web&utm%5Fsource=)
- 👨🏾🔬 Good briefing on [topical (or *subject domain*) authority](https://wtfseo.substack.com/p/topical-authority-for-news-publishers?utm%5Fsource=substack&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcontent=share&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMTY1MzAsInBvc3RfaWQiOjQyNzU4NDgyLCJfIjoib2hZazciLCJpYXQiOjE2MzUxNTY2MzMsImV4cCI6MTYzNTE2MDIzMywiaXNzIjoicHViLTI3NjA0MCIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.EQND6v9VVHLtyaNO7jPThczrgDKfxPrB0LcVwPGYaIc). It seems likely that topical authority is increasingly more important than overall domain authority.
## Aggregators
- 🌆 Apple News gets local in [three more US cities](https://9to5mac.com/2021/10/26/apple-news-expands-local-news-coverage-to-three-new-cities-in-the-us/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Analytics
- 👨🏻🔬Reach bringing in external [analytics and data expertise](https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2021/news/john-lewis-data-chief-joins-publishers-board/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) \-– at board level.
- 📈 How to [overcome your metrics anxiety](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/overcome-your-metrics-anxiety-how-to-develop-a-healthy-relationship-with-audience-data/s2/a870883/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)…
- 🔌 Or, of course, you could always join my well-reviewed analytics course which [kicks off on Tuesday](https://www.journalism.co.uk/vocational-skills-study/analytics-for-journalists/s43/a555836/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)…
## Extremely Online
- 😠 [Cancellation does work](https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/p/short-week-my-cancelation-was-quite?r=q7o19&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=web&utm%5Fsource=) (until Substack comes calling…)
## Community management
- 🎭 Twitter makes the [case for online anonymity](https://blog.twitter.com/content/blog-twitter/common-thread/en/topics/stories/2021/whats-in-a-name-the-case-for-inclusivity-through-anonymity.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- ✋🏻 The design of comment sections [might be excluding female voices](https://www.fastcompany.com/90688891/comments-sections-have-a-sexism-problem-this-is-by-design?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🤬 Interesting look at the [co-ordinated hate campaign on Twitter](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ellievhall/bot-sentinel-meghan-markle-prince-harry-twitter?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) against the Duchess of Sussex.
## On Background
- 🤔 [Why the Metaverse is a bad idea](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2021/10/facebook-metaverse-name-change/620449/?ref=refind).
- 👗 [Magazines were screwing up teens’ self-image](https://voices.media/instagrams-firing-line-magazine-media-lot-answer-body-image-debate/?utm%5Fcampaign=The%20Media%20Roundup%20from%20Media%20Voices&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter) long before the ‘gram came along.
## 🤦♂️
- 💰 [Publishers still experimenting with NFTs](https://www.adweek.com/media/publishers-continue-experiment-with-nft/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). I’m sure the tech underlying them will prove useful in persistent virtual worlds, but this still looks fad-shaped to me.
## Quote of the Week
[Mic Wright](https://brokenbottleboy.substack.com/p/scoop-derangement-syndrome-journalists):
> That’s the natural end point of scoop culture: Breathlessly hyping your upcoming story as if it’s a trailer for a new TV show then announcing it’s about a woman’s violent death with a series of emoji.
### How do you tell Facebook and Google you’ve updated a story?
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/10/how-do-you-tell-facebook-and-google-youve-updated-a-story/
Last updated: 2021-10-27T08:08:59.000Z
So, I wrote this last week, ready to post on Monday. But then, as the Facebook Papers and the revelations from them started rolling out, I pulled it. It felt a little bit, well, tasteless. Google, too, was caught in some unpleasant revelations (which I’ll come back to in tomorrow’s TL;DR), but which were rather buried by the sheer onslaught of Facebook reporting (there’s a consolidated [list of stories here](https://www.protocol.com/facebook-papers?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). And it keeps growing.)
However, the reality is that search and social remain the two biggest discovery channels for most publications. To a first approximation, that equates to Facebook and Google for many titles. Should we be working to minimise our dependence on them? Sure. But that doesn’t change the reality of today’s situation.
If you’re developing your audience, you’re going to be intersecting with these sites, wether you like it or not - thus it’s good to have as much control as you can.
So, here’s one handy tool for each of them, which I always assume everyone knows about already, but which I have been repeatedly been proven wrong about.
## Facebook — Sharing debugger
When someone first shares a link to Facebook, the site goes off and scrapes the page searching for metadata, to construct a link box. If it finds its own metadata standard — Open Graph — it uses that. If not, it’ll fall back on other metadata.
And then it creates one of these:
However, and here’s the issue: it *caches* that data, and any subsequent shares will use that initial information. What if the story’s changed, or the headline, or the photo?
That’s where the [sharing debugger](https://developers.facebook.com/tools/debug/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) comes into play.
Stick the URL into the debugger and you get this:
To force an update, click scrape again — and the information gets updated.
In my experience, it can take a little while for the changes to appear everywhere, which is probably because of Facebook’s own caching infrastructure. But the link boxes *will* change.
It’s a handy wee tool to keep bookmarked.
## Google — Search Console URL Inspector
With Google, it’s a little more complicated. The tool you want is the URL Inspector. That’s part of Google’s Search Console. If you’re an independent creator, you’ll have to [register for it](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/beginner/get-started?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). If you’re working for a larger publication, you should be able to get access through whomever administered your site analytics, or similar.
Seriously, if you’re responsible for growing audience in *any* capacity, you want access to this tool.
Once you’re logged in, you can stick any URL from your site in the box at the top of the screen — and this is what you see:
Updated your story, and Google not picking it up? Hit this button:
Et voilà!
Now, the re-indexing isn’t instant. It will take a while. But, it’ll probably be faster than just waiting for Google to find the updated page, unless you’re a very high-volume site which Google is indexing very frequently.
(It can also serve as a useful hint that Google needs to be indexing you more frequently, and has served me well in that capacity more than once.)
There you go — two handy little tools to keep your reader acquisition fresh and up-to-date.
---
Looking for more advanced audience strategy guidance? why not sign up for the [audience engagement strategies course](https://www.journalism.co.uk/vocational-skills-study/audience-engagement-strategies-/s43/a729370/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), kicking off this week, and running for four weeks:
[Audience engagement strategiesThis online course taking place over four 90-minute Zoom sessions will bring you the latest thinking on audience development from across the journalism world — and beyond — in order to build a sustainable and realistic growth strategy for your publicationJournalism.co.uk](https://www.journalism.co.uk/vocational-skills-study/audience-engagement-strategies-/s43/a729370/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### TL;DR issue 1
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/10/tldr-issue-1/
Last updated: 2021-10-21T21:13:56.000Z
What is TL;DR? It stands for “[too long; didn’t read](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/tldr?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)”, and is ancient internet slang. But it also acknowledges that journalists and other publishing types are busy people who don’t have time for reading a lot of extraneous material.
I’ve experimented with a variety of aggregation formats here over the past couple of years, and the ones that get the most traction *tend* to be the short, snappy ones. Journalists do not want epic newsletters (even if they tend to write them). They're just too damn busy to read them.
Deadlines: spoiling *everyone's* fun. 😇
This first few TL;DRs will be open to everyone. For the rest of the year, it will be for subscribers only. From January, it will be for *paid* subscribers only. (All assuming that the format works and that people like it…)
I hope you enjoy it — and find it of value.
---
## Creator Economy
- 🤑 The creator economy is only [making a handful of people rich](https://www.axios.com/creator-economy-revenue-content-b704fef1-af40-467b-91d3-88ed7e200cec.html?utm%5Fcampaign=organic&utm%5Fmedium=socialshare&utm%5Fsource=twitter) — early days yet, but indications are that this could be another situation where only a handful of the biggest names make a living from this, and they make an exceptional living at that. And the rest of us scrabble around after the table scraps…
- 👷So maybe it [needs a middle class](https://hbr.org/2020/12/the-creator-economy-needs-a-middle-class?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 👾 Interview with [a Twitch streamer earning seven figures](https://www.fastcompany.com/90686794/pokimane-twitch-gamer-imane-anys?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)… I think she counts as one of the rich handful.
## Newsletters
- 🤥 Ozy Media was using [some dubious techniques](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/10/08/ex-ozy-media-employees-say-company-used-dubious-tactics-to-build-newsletter-following-raising-legal-questions/?sh=6c1283573dca&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) to goose its subscriber numbers… The worst is adding people back to lists *after* they unsubscribe.
- 📧 Quartz goes back to its roots — [betting on newsletters for revenue](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/quartz-focuses-on-newsletters-to-drive-its-membership/s2/a863260/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Reporting
- 🤔 A [weird social media rebuttal technique](https://adambienkov.substack.com/p/how-the-governments-fake-news-rebuttal) from the UK government…
- 🤦♂️ An American politician wants to prosecute a journalist [for viewing the source of a webpage](https://www.vice.com/en/article/jg8ynp/governor-wants-to-prosecute-journalist-who-clicked-view-source-on-government-site?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Really, these people are regulating tech, which they clearly don’t understand.
- 🛡[Online self-protection advice](https://ijnet.org/en/story/tips-help-journalists-protect-themselves-online?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) for journalists. It’s becoming clear that this needs to be part of *all* journalists’ training.
- 👻 What to do if an [editor ghosts you](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/what-to-do-when-an-editor-ghosts-you/s2/a867344/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). I hope I never behaved this way, back when I was a features editor.
## Audience Engagement
- 👨💻The [Community Engagement Ecosystem](https://www.feverbee.com/engagement-ecosystem/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — this is a useful guide from the ever-reliable FeverBee.
## TikTok
- ☢️ TikTok's algorithm leads users from [transphobic videos to far-right rabbit holes](https://www.mediamatters.org/tiktok/tiktoks-algorithm-leads-users-transphobic-videos-far-right-rabbit-holes?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- ☣️ Revealed: [anti-vaccine TikTok videos being viewed](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/08/revealed-anti-vaccine-tiktok-videos-viewed-children-as-young-as-nine-covid?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) by children as young as nine. We’re going to end up seeing the Facebook propaganda problem as “the good old days”, aren’t we?
## Platforms
- 🎧 [Facebook adds an audio hub](https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/11/facebook-launches-a-audio-hub-in-the-u-s-for-podcasts-live-audio-and-short-form-clips/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). It’s coming for podcasting…
- ✋ Twitter lets you [stop people following you *without* blocking them](https://9to5mac.com/2021/10/11/twitter-testing-the-ability-to-remove-followers-without-blocking-them/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). *Finally*.
- 👂 It’s also rolling out a tab for its Spaces Clubhouse cl… uh… [audio room feature](https://www.engadget.com/twitter-spaces-tab-ios-rollout-093543514.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 💥 The ‘gram will [let you know when it’s down](https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/12/22722118/instagram-outages-service-down-notification-explanation?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). A way of reducing pressure on the servers during outages?
- 👯♀️ It’s also adding [collaboration features for Reels](https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/19/instagram-is-adding-collabs-new-music-features-for-reels-desktop-posting-and-more/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 📲 Using the [Stories format in journalism](https://ijnet.org/en/story/how-leverage-stories-format-your-journalism?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 😂 Donald Trump’s new [social media platform](https://www.dailydot.com/debug/trump-truth-media-platform-shuts-down-trolling/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) is going well. Not.
- 😳 And a museum has opened [an OnlyFans account](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/oct/16/vienna-museums-open-adult-only-onlyfans-account-to-display-nudes?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). They’ll be posting nudes, obviously.
## Podcasts
- 🎧 Which countries have the most podcast listeners — [and why](https://thefix.media/2021/10/05/why-is-sweden-the-world-leader-in-podcast-listening/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)?
## SEO
- 📰 Google wants to [own more breaking news traffic](https://thenextweb.com/news/google-news-big-moments-breaking-news?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 👨💻 Updated guidance on [page titles](https://searchengineland.com/google-publishes-new-help-documents-on-controlling-titles-and-descriptions-in-search-375057?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — SEO headlines, by any other name.
- 📱 Google starting to roll out [endless scrolling for mobile search results](https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/14/google-modernizes-u-s-mobile-search-results-with-continuous-scrolling/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 😬 And search rankings seem to be shifting around [a lot this year](https://searchengineland.com/google-search-results-are-more-volatile-this-year-than-last-year-says-data-provider-375409?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
## CMSes
- 📽 WordPress [adds paid video hosting](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/08/revealed-anti-vaccine-tiktok-videos-viewed-children-as-young-as-nine-covid?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 💌 Ghost adds member filtering and the ability to send [emails without publishing posts](https://ghost.org/changelog/email-without-publishing/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Newsroom Management
- 🕵🏻♀️ [Getting agile to test theories](https://localmedia.org/2021/10/agile-methodology-in-the-newsroom-facebook-accelerator-case-study-with-native-news-online/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) in the newsroom.
- 🎤 Managing change — and [automating audio versions of articles](https://thefix.media/2021/10/12/digital-revolution-high-end-digitization-solutions-from-the-biggest-norwegian-daily/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🧑🏻🔬 The limits [of A/B testing](https://www.niemanlab.org/2021/10/how-a-b-testing-can-and-cant-improve-your-headline-writing/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
## WTF…
- …is [going on with Facebook’s PR guy](https://www.inputmag.com/features/facebook-public-relations-andy-stone-twitter-whistleblower-controversy?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)?
---
There you go. I hope you found that useful — feedback gratefully received.
### Apple’s much-needed MacBook Pro reverse ferret
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/10/apples-astonishing-macbook-pro-reverse-ferret/
Last updated: 2021-10-26T20:26:22.000Z
I’ve been playing close attention to what Apple is doing for over a quarter of a century now. And, in all that time, I can’t remember such a dramatic reversal of direction as we saw today.
The direction that the [MacBook Pro line took in 2016](https://daringfireball.net/2016/11/new%5Ftouch%5Fbar%5Fequipped%5Fmacbook%5Fpros?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) has been all but erased from the line-up. The [rightly maligned butterfly keyboard](https://www.wsj.com/graphics/apple-still-hasnt-fixed-its-macbook-keyboard-problem/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) was [already gone](https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/4/21246223/macbook-keyboard-butterfly-magic-pro-apple-design?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), but today’s Apple Event essentially did away with *everything* characteristic about the MacBook between then and now:
- The TouchBar: gone
- The Webcam: back to 1080p
- The Ports: HDMI and SD card slots back
- Charging: MagSafe is back
Today’s new announcements are not follow-ups to the last five years of laptops. They’re a return to, and modernisation of, the 2015 era-laptops. And that’s great news because the intermediate laptops were (with one exception) a fucking disaster.
Crappy keyboards. No useful ports for getting photos into your device — or getting presentations out of them to a screen. A TouchBar that added to the cost of the device, but which even Apple itself didn’t seem to know what to do with. This was the laptop line that did what everyone accuses Apple of, but which it rarely *actually* does: putting form over function.
## The MacBook Pro’s lost years
I kept my 2013 MacBook Pro as my main computer until late last year because I *really* didn’t want one of those laptops. I only gave in and bought one of the last of the old design — the M1-powered MacBook Pro — when it became clear that I really needed the extra power. The old workhorse was struggling to handle large Zoom training courses, which is how I make most of my money at the moment.
And, to be honest, while I’m jealous of the new laptops, I wouldn’t have wanted to endure the last year with my older laptop. So, I made the right decision. But I know that on Wednesday, when I have to use a dongle to connect my MacBook to City’s lecturing pods, it’ll smart that little bit more.
This matters: laptops are not design objects. They’re working devices that need to *perform*. When [Jony Ive resigned from Apple](https://www.wired.com/story/jony-ive-leaves-apple/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), many of us wondered if this marked the beginning of a decline in Apple’s design. It’s beginning to look like it was the beginning of a renaissance, instead.
## The post-Ive era looks good
This is pure speculation, but I think Ive *needed* Steve Jobs. He needed editing, and Jobs was the kind of brutal editor he thrived under. With Jobs gone, there was nobody left at Apple who could do that. And so, Ive’s worst instincts ran riot. With him gone, a talented but — crucially — less powerful design team are actually making products people like again.
And so, even if there was nothing announced today that will make me get my credit card out, I’m delighted. I’m a writer, trainer, and consultant. Apple devices are the tools of my job. And, today, they proved that they’re committed to providing me with the tools I need, after half a decade going the wrong way.
We’ll never get an apology from Apple — but in the end, it’s the kit that matters. And the kit is *finally* good again.
Hallelujah.
### Writing headlines for search: the latest changes
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/10/writing-headlines-for-search-the-latest-changes/
Last updated: 2021-10-18T18:53:59.000Z
What *is* Google up to with how it displays headlines in search results?
Hold onto your hats, folks: we're going to get a wee bit technical here — but you can just jump to the end if you prefere, for a quick summary of what this means for you, day-to-day.
Over the last couple of months, there have been concerns in SEO circles [that *something* was up](https://www.seroundtable.com/google-header-tags-instead-of-titles-31945.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> I am seeing numerous complaints this morning that Google is showing header tags, H1s and H2s, instead of the meta title tags, for its search result snippets. I am seeing some public complaints on Twitter, but also in some of the private forums and emails.
Rather than displaying the SEO headline people set in their publishing software (the page title) in search results, Google was showing headlines it pulled from other sources more often than it had been. This was a worrying development: it took away one of the few ways we can explicitly control how our work appears in Google search results.
However, things aren’t as bad as they seemed at first.
After a few days leaving us in the dark as to what it was up to, Google clarified what [was happening with a note](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2021/08/update-to-generating-page-titles?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> Last week, we introduced a new system of generating titles for web pages. Before this, titles might change based on the query issued. This generally will no longer happen with our new system. This is because we think our new system is producing titles that work better for documents overall, to describe what they are about, regardless of the particular query.
So, the first change is that Google is no longer using the query to help inform its choice of Link Title.
## Link Titles are your SEO Headlines
What the hell is the Link Title? Good question.
Here’s a quick illustration:
Clearer?
The majority of the time, the Link Title will be *exactly* what you put in the SEO headline field of your CMS.
However, if Google’s algorithm suggests that your choice of SEO headline (or absence of choice, if you don't bother filling in the SEO headline field) doesn’t reflect the subject of the article well, it will generate its own Link Title from a range of possible sources, including major subheads on the page, the text people use to link to you, and so on.
As Google put it:
> Also, while we've gone beyond HTML text to create titles for over a decade, our new system is making even more use of such text. In particular, we are making use of text that humans can visually see when they arrive at a web page. We consider the main visual title or headline shown on a page, content that site owners often place within
tags or other header tags, and content that's large and prominent through the use of style treatments.
So: if your page title doesn't reflect the content of the page to Google's satisfaction, it will source an alternative title. Not ideal — because we lose control — but not disastrous, either.
*An aside: this is another break between what you type into search results and what you see on the search engine results page, as Google shifts from keyword-driven search to machine-learning determined intent-based search.*
## Controlling your Link Titles
So, here’s the good news: Google is still displaying *exactly* what you put in your [element 87% of the time](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2021/09/more-info-about-titles?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
> Based on your feedback, we made changes to our system which means that title elements are now used around 87% of the time, rather than around 80% before.
Despite the worries that Google is respecting the set page title less than it once was, for most of us it’s only likely to emerge in edge cases. Those situations are, frankly, more likely in e-commerce websites than other forms of editorial.
The most probable case where this might kick in with journalistic content is if you create an SEO head that’s just too long. Then, Google is likely to step in and make its own determination of what it will display. While it’s hard to give an exact character count these days, due to the considerable variety of screen sizes in use, around 50 to 60 characters is a good rule of thumb to avoid this.
Where possible, *you* want to control what appears in search results, not Google. So, on pages where you think good SEO traffic is likely, it’s absolutely still worth writing great SEO title text. Just keep it short, snappy and accurate.
## How about Snippets?
Alongside the updated guidance on Link Text, Google also released [a new note about snippets](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/advanced/appearance/snippet?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Here’s the key clarification:
> Google will sometimes use the <meta name="description"> tag from a page to generate a snippet in search results, **if we think it gives users a more accurate description than would be possible purely from the on-page content**.
(Emphasis mine.)
Google will generally just generate the snippet from your page, but *might* use the Meta Description *if* its algorithms determine that it looks like a better result.
## What does this mean for me?
- **Link Titles** default to what’s in the <title> tag in the page HTML, but are generated from other sources if Google determines there’s an issue with the provided <title>. Avoid this by making your SEO heads short, accurate and attractive to searchers.
- Conversely, **Snippets** are generated from the text on the page by default, with Google only falling back on the <meta description> when the algorithm “feels” that it can’t generate something useful from the on-page text.
### **In short:**
Concentrate on writing *superb* **Link Titles** (usually supported in your CMS as the SEO Head or similar). Then you have maximum control over the way your site will display in search results, and your best opportunity to “sell” the piece to searchers.
The **Meta Description** *might* be worth filling in — but only if you have the time, and think that it might be hard for Google to extract relevant elements of the page. Generally: do it if you think this story is a great candidate for high or long-term SEO traffic, but it might not be worth your investment of time to do it on *every* story.
### Premature Blogging Death Notice #357
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/10/premature-blogging-death-notice/
Last updated: 2023-12-05T09:38:44.000Z
Oh, Lordy. Here we go again. This time it's Jacob Donnelly [of *A Media Operator:*](https://www.amediaoperator.com/newsletter/media-companies-looking-to-bring-newsletter-writers-in-house/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
> Blogging, unfortunately, died out as social media took off. Why write a short blog post when you can just tweet your thoughts?
This will be news to all the bloggers out there still successfully publishing things and getting read on the internet. This includes OG bloggers like [Gruber](https://daringfireball.net/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) or [Kottke](https://kottke.org/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). among more recent players in [fashion or the outdoors](https://www.bloglovin.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Hell, even sites like [Guido Fawkes](https://order-order.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) are still essentially blogs.
So, yes, it might not have gone through a podcast-style revival and reinvention into big business. But there's still plenty of blogging out there, and there's time yet for a revival.
After all, newsletters are *older* than blogging, and their revival is only just building up its head of steam.
Blogging may be less prominent than it was in the mid-2000s but, as people discover both the ownership problems inherent in social media, and the discoverability issues around newsletters, it's just about due for a revival, too.
As the current wave of newsletter expand into websites for the SEO and discoverability benefits, the two mediums might end up pretty much one and the same. Ghost is a web platform that has evolved to support newsletters, Substack is going the other way.
There's life in the old bloggers yet…
### Making climate crisis journalism better: the launch of the Oxford Climate Journalism Network
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/10/making-climate-crisis-journalism-better-the-launch-of-the-oxford-climate-journalism-network/
Last updated: 2022-01-13T13:51:23.000Z
The climate crisis is one of the biggest challenges facing journalism. It has the potential to be a story that behaves exactly like the internet has done: it starts as a niche story with niche reporters, and ends up as something that impacts everything we report on, and regularly makes the front page.
It took us far too long to adapt to digital to being an integral part of every beat. We can’t afford to make similar mistakes with the climate crisis because the stakes are so much higher.
And so, it's fantastic news that today the Reuters Institute is launching the [Oxford Climate Journalism Network](https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/oxford-climate-journalism-network?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), to help develop our coverage of this emerging crisis. Funded to the tune of £477,170 via a grant from the [European Climate Foundation](https://europeanclimate.org/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), the network will provide members with access to subject-matter experts, professional forums, and original research to support and inform their reporting.
## Leading the discussion on Climate Crisis journalism
As their press release puts it:
> The focus of the network is not on individual pieces of reporting, but on working with hundreds of journalists and editors from all over the world to help them rethink and develop how journalism and the news media approach one of the defining issues of our time. It is a global network because the issue is global and because journalists everywhere can learn from one another, but it will also help participants think through the specific national and local dimensions of a crisis that affects all of us, but in very different ways.
The project has two prominent co-founders:
- The Reuters Institute’s Deputy Director [Meera Selva](https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/people/meera-selva-1?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- Visiting Fellow and Advisory Board Member [Wolfgang Blau](https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/people/wolfgang-blau?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), who has been actively working on journalistic approaches to climate change
It’s not often I take the time to write a post here based on a press release, and little else. But I think this is an *incredibly* important initiative that has the potential to create a globally effective boost to the sophistication and breadth of our climate reporting, looking at how it impacts all areas of society.
Blau:
> The accelerating climate crisis poses questions to all verticals of a news organisation, whether that is in their science, politics, business, culture, health, lifestyle, technology or sports journalism.
And that’s the core point: this can’t be a niche story any more. It needs to be a factor inherent in the majority of our reporting.
## The structure of the Oxford Climate Journalism Network
To give you a sense of how broadly this is being targeted, they are planning four core elements to the network:
- Online courses for practising journalists that, over 6 months, will boost their contacts, networks, and understanding of the crisis.
- Leadership programmes for senior editors and newsroom managers looking to make to climate crisis reporting central to their publication.
- Journalist Fellowships for mid-career journalists to join the institute for specific research projects into the intersection of journalism and environmental factors.
- Original academic research, exploring how people find, share and consume news about the climate crisis.
### Joining the Network
Applications to join the Network are open to working journalists, both in-house and freelance.
- You can start [your application to join the Network](https://oxford.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/oxford-climate-journalism-network-application?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) on the Reuters Institute site.
- Learn [more about the Network](https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/about-the-oxford-climate-journalism-network?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
### Why did some publishers gain traffic from the Facebook outage?
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/10/why-did-some-publishers-gain-traffic-from-the-facebook-outage/
Last updated: 2021-10-29T11:24:44.000Z
Facebook went down. News sites depend on Facebook for traffic. Therefore site traffic went down, right?
Wrong.
Many publishers saw a significant spike in traffic last night. But many didn't. Some saw some substantal declines.
What's happening here? And what can you do about it?
Happily, the outage has provided you with the perfect way of figuring out what your existing relationship is with Facebook — and what you can do about it.
### The Facebook relationship is a complicated one
During the Facebook outage yesterday, I pointed out that it was [a big indicator of how dependent](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/10/single-point-of-facebook-failure/) we’ve let ourselves become on Facebook. However, Bostjan from Outbrain took issue with Jon’s summary of my piece:
> Wrong angle. Traffic to publishers went \*up\* during outage, demonstrating that net effect is one of parasite, not distributer.
>
> — Bostjan Spetic (@igzebedze) [October 5, 2021](https://twitter.com/igzebedze/status/1445250600636231680?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
We’re not, in fact, disagreeing. He’s just making a narrower point than I was. The rise in traffic to publisher sites doesn’t address, for example, the sudden silencing of WhatsApp as a comms tool. Nor does it account for people who lost access to internet services because they used their Facebook account as a login for other sites or apps.
More to the point, the fact that some — but not all — sites benefited from the outage with a surge in traffic shouldn’t be a surprise. It’s intuitively obvious once you think about the attention dynamics of the internet.
Remember: [content is no longer scarce, attention is](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2018/10/the-basics-of-digital-journalism-attention-and-atomisation/). When a whole bunch of people’s attention suddenly becomes free, it seeks a new outlet.
## The Facebook attention sponge
Facebook is a massive, sophisticated attention sponge. It’s a powerful aggregator of people’s interests and connections that uses both a combination of tools — personal profiles, groups, pages — and platforms — WhatsApp, Instagram — to suck up as much of your available free time as it can. It’s aim, as a business, is to make sure one of those three apps is on your home screen, and that you habitually click one of them when you have a little spare attention to spend.
If its algorithms are good enough, it can that capitalise on as much of that attention as it can by keeping you staring at your feed, while periodically showing you ads.
Facebook’s mantra over “[engagement growth over all](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2021/10/04/haugen-facebook-60-minutes?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)” is really just about claiming as much attention as it possible can from the rest of the internet. That’s why publishers seeing Facebook mainly as a distribution channel is so dangerous:
1. It’s not — the organic reach of news is declining all the time
2. By helping Facebook bring people into its platform, you’re effectively helping them take your readers’ attention away
## Free attention = more traffic to publishers
Yesterday, for six hours, that sponge suddenly disgorged its vast attention hoard back into the general internet. Some of it went offline, as people put down their phones in frustration. Quite a bit vanished into Twitter and alternative chat apps. But, as you would expect, quite a bit of it flowed into traditional publisher sites, [as Outbrain noted](https://www.outbrain.com/blog/traffic-surge-with-social-outage/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> Today, with readers looking for reasons why Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and other platforms are down, or maybe simply trying to get to their daily dose of news, many of these publishers are seeing more than 40% week over week increases in traffic volume. Either way, publishers will likely be happy with the outcome.
This shouldn’t be a surprise — because it’s happened before. Back went Facebook went down in 2018, [publishers also saw a surge in traffic](https://blog.chartbeat.com/2018/10/19/facebook-outage-reader-trends/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> What would the world look like without Facebook? Chartbeat had a glimpse into that on Aug. 3, 2018, when Facebook went down for 45 minutes and traffic patterns across the web changed in an instant. What did people do? According to our data, they went directly to publishers’ mobile apps and sites (as well as to search engines) to get their information fix.
What both pieces are vague about is precisely *which* publishers benefitted from this outrush of free attention. I know for certain that a few audience editors were sweating last night, as they saw traffic rapidly drop away. Some of that will be down to market sector. The mainstream news sites will have done well, as people sought news on the outage. Tech sites explaining the outage were being well retweeted, so they probably benefited too.
On the other side, B2B publications tend to be *much* less dependent on Facebook traffic, for example. I suspect many of them will have seen little impact one way or another. (I saw a surge in traffic, but that’s largely accountable to [yesterday’s piece](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/10/single-point-of-facebook-failure/) rather than the outage. I get very little Facebook traffic here, and so no discernible difference in the time between Facebook going down and my piece going up.)
We can categorise publishers into four distinct groups, each of whom needs to act differently based on what they see in their analytics:
## What you should learn from your traffic during the Facebook outage
### Publishers whose traffic went up
Good news: you are a **trusted brand**. You shouldn’t rest on your laurels, though. This incident shows that there is attention going to Facebook that could be coming to you instead.
This strongly suggests that further time spent on attracting readers from Facebook is likely to have diminishing returns. You need to look at either:
1. Better ways of converting Facebook “drive-bys” into loyal readers, via methods including newsletters, apps, and podcasts.
2. Developing out a broader acquisition strategy that includes other social platforms as well as search
Your task is now to capitalise on that evidenced trust by bringing readers into direct engagement with you, rather than Facebook-mediated engagement. You’re probably not going to break your readers of their Facebook platforms habit — but you can help install an additional, news-centric habit into their daily routines, too.
🏆 Your solution: **convert your readers to a direct relationship**
### Publishers whose traffic went down
Bad news. You are **Facebook-dependent**. You need to get a strategy in place to address that.
Likewise, you need to stop seeing Facebook as a distribution channel, and start seeing it as an acquisition channel. Focus on pages which are getting high levels of traffic from Facebook now it’s back up. How well linked are they to other pages on your site? Do you have prominent email capture calls-to-action on the pages?
Your job is to take the traffic you get from Facebook — and make it loyal traffic. You might also want to look at your SEO: could you be doing more to reduce your dependence on Facebook? Could you invest more time in diversifying your social traffic away from Facebook to a broader range of sites?
🏆 Your solution: **broaden your acquisition channels**
### Publishers who saw no significant impact
Congratulations! You are **Facebook-independent**.
You’re in the easiest position. Your relationship with Facebook platforms isn’t critical to your business model, and so you don’t need to do anything urgently. That doesn’t mean that there’s no room to explore Facebook channels as part of an acquisition strategy, but make sure it *is* an acquisition strategy. Does it bring people to your site, and allows you to capture a set of them to more direct relationships, via apps, newsletters, or podcasts?
🏆 Your solution: **look for ways of harvesting attention from Facebook**
### Publishers who were platform native
Terrible news. You only exist at **Facebook’s whim**. You are in the equivalent position as a YouTuber who has no source of income outside YouTube views: demonetisation or suspension of your account can kill your income.
I suspect that scarcely any people who read this will be in that position. This is where many influencers are, though, and we did have a spate of “instagram-only” news sites some years back. They look like a terrible idea right now…
YouTubers have known this for years — you need to built relationships with people which aren’t platform-dependent. Get your website sorted. Capture email addresses for newsletters. Anything you can do to evolve your relationship beyond a single platform must be yours priority.
😱 Your solution? **Diversification**.
---
*If you found this useful, you’ll find a whole lot more relevant advice on my forthcoming audience engagement strategies course. [Book now](https://www.journalism.co.uk/vocational-skills-study/audience-engagement-strategies-/s43/a729370/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)!*
### Single point of (Facebook) failure
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/10/single-point-of-facebook-failure/
Last updated: 2021-10-12T14:31:46.000Z
Just in case you haven’t noticed, [all the major Facebook services have been down](https://9to5mac.com/2021/10/04/instagram-facebook-whatsapp-down/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) for some hours now. Not just the big blue site itself, but also Instagram and WhatsApp, which not everyone realises is a Facebook property. Even my wife, who generally rejects all things social media, has noticed because she’s in several WhatsApp groups that have gone suddenly, blessedly quiet.
Twitter, which is still very much up, despite a few wobbles earlier, is full of memes and dunks on Facebook. In fact, for once, it's quite fun to be there. However, given that some publications depend *heavily* on Facebook for their traffic, this could actually be serious for them. As the hours tick by, and the traffic isn’t coming, they will be getting nervous…
Others rely on WhatsApp for co-ordinating journalists — this must be having a serious impact on their ability to communicate fluidly with remote staff. (I wonder how the hacks and politicians at the Tory Party Conference are managing with their central comms tools down…).
And because not everything in the world is about journalism (\* *gasp\**), let’s remember that in some countries, WhatsApp [pretty much *is* the internet](https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2019/07/18/how-whatsapp-is-used-and-misused-in-africa?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
> Not for nothing but in many places — including Israel and Palestine — WhatsApp is used as the de facto phone and text messaging platform. Ostensibly, a utility is down right now for millions of people. The billionth reason to break down and regulate Facebook. [https://t.co/tclzJVXkEZ](https://t.co/tclzJVXkEZ?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Abraham Gutman 🔥 אברהם גוטמן (@abgutman) [October 4, 2021](https://twitter.com/abgutman/status/1445124247005933573?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
There may be more serious problems in store for those countries, if this turns into a long-term outage — and early indications are that it might. It seems to be [a problem with Facebook's Boundary Gateway Protocol](https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2021/10/facebook-instagram-whatsapp-and-oculus-are-down-heres-what-we-know/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), which may not be easy to resolve.
So, it turns out that having three of the biggest services on the internet owned by the same company and run on the same infrastructure might not be the best idea in the world. It’s turned a resilient system into a fragile one. Everyone who has come to rely on this singular company’s services will be suffering tonight.
And it’s our own damn fault.
## Happily locking ourselves in
The internet was [built as a decentralised system](https://www.theregister.com/2021/08/11/decentralized%5Finternet/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). It’s designed to route around points of failure. And in the early, more Wild West years, it boomed because of that. Our internet experience was a mess of websites and blogs and chat rooms and email discussion lists. But slowly, over time, that changed. Well-funded businesses [eschewed open protocols](https://thenextweb.com/news/open-standards-can-help-disrupt-facebook-messaging-monopoly?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and locked up great chunks of human communication for their own financial benefit.
And nobody has been better at that than Mark Zuckerberg. He’s slowly rebuilt the internet within his own walled garden, and many of us have followed him into there. We’ve allowed ourselves — both as businesses and as individuals — to become dependent on these centralised services. With that centralisation has come user convenience — but increased fragility.
Anyone can send an email to anyone else. But WhatsApp being down has choked off a whole bunch of conversations.
## Paying the gatekeeper’s accidental price
And tonight, many businesses are paying the price of falling for the Zuckerberg seduction. If you’re a retailer whose sales mainly come through Instagram — you’re losing money. If you’re an influencer who is paid for collabs on these platforms — well, you’re scheduled posts aren’t going to be doing you much good today.
If you’re in the audience team of a publication heavily dependent on Facebook for traffic — I feel for you. But you’re also the architect of your own misfortune because you’ve let yourself become dependent on a single source of traffic *that you don’t control*.
And rule 1 of audience strategy is this:
> **diversify your acquisition and engagement channels as widely as you can**.
### It’s not just Facebook
Now, it’s easy to dunk on Facebook. It’s been [something of a fortnight for it…](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/04/technology/facebook-files.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) But other platforms are just as bad.
If you’re a successful YouTuber, or a publisher that earns substantial revenue from the platform, imagine YouTube going down for 12 hours. How much is that going to cost you in lost revenue? If your traffic is driven solely by search, imagine Google going down for half a day. How does that help you meet your targets?
More realistically, imagine a major algorithm shift on the platform. That can — and has — killed businesses in the past, both on Facebook and on Google. And then think about how Substack is manoeuvring to make itself the central hub for all things newsletter, and think a little more about central points of failure…
## Diversification is sustainability
For all the amusing dunking on Facebook happening on Twitter right now, there’s a serious lesson underlying today’s impact. Never, ever rely on a single company for your traffic, your community or your comms. Diversify the hell out of your reader acquisition and your reader engagement. Think of back-up channels and alternative ways of reaching people when something falls over.
Whenever one tool — be it search, or social, or even newsletters — becomes too dominant, put time and effort into balancing your mix.
A publication with a healthy mix of acquisition and engagement channels is a sustainable one. A business dependent on a single channel only exists at the whim of that platform — and of the skill of the technologists who run it.
> To everyone whom I told that they shouldn’t rely solely on Facebook-owned services for traffic, community or comms, but who ignored me… [pic.twitter.com/RBilMwMwRe](https://t.co/RBilMwMwRe?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Adam Tinworth (@adders) [October 4, 2021](https://twitter.com/adders/status/1445118047698792451?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### I miss deadlines. Would you?
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/09/i-miss-deadlines-would-you/
Last updated: 2021-09-21T13:14:43.000Z
The following hand-crafted selection of links are not particularly new. Most of them have been hanging around in my tabs for the last couple of weeks while I get back up to cruising speed on the sea of journalistic consultancy. But they're all illustrative of trends you might find useful, so worth your time. Let's dive in.
## Newsletters could be the new B2B
Around 20 years ago, I was working for *Estates Gazette*, and many of the subscribers to its premium online product viewed it mainly as a twice-a-day email. This was, admittedly, the age of the Blackberry as a status symbol. But it did open my eyes to the potential of a curated newsletter delivering the *right* information at the *perfect* time as a sellable journalistic format, especially to business audiences where the company will pay.
A couple of decades later, the rest of the industry is catching up…
[Vox Media Set to Acquire Podcasting Newsletter Hot Pod (EXCLUSIVE)Vox Media is acquiring Hot Pod, the independent news outlet focused on the podcasting industry, as part of a bid to expand offerings from its technology site, The Verge. Under part of a deal being …VarietyBrian Steinberg](https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/vox-media-hot-pod-acquisition-nicholas-quah-1235057611/?utm%5Fcampaign=The%20Media%20Roundup%20from%20Media%20Voices&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter)
This potential acquisition from Vox Media is interesting on two fronts:
1. It's a move from a largely consumer company into the B2B space
2. It's good evidence that a newsletter is a good way of starting a niche B2B brand at a low cost, and seeing if there's a market there.
We'll see more newsletter acquisitions like this. The path from mainstream journalism to newsletters will not be a one-way street.
---
## Most newsletters will fail
### And especially media ones
I've been a subscriber to [Simon Owen's newsletter](https://simonowens.substack.com/) for a while, it's often a good read, but sometimes it's reading it on a meta level that fascinates me. He's trying to make the newsletter his living — and he's struggling. One of the things he's been consistent about is that building his paying audience is tough. He's taken the plunge of cutting off a lot of his work to concentrate on growing the newsletter, and it's taken a while to start looking sustainable for him.
*(I can't do the same: I'd be haunted by nightmares of the tear-stained faces of my daughters asking “Why can't we have dinner tonight, Daddy? Is it because your blogging isn't good enough, Daddy?”)*
He's used that struggle as a springboard to examine the reality of life for mid-tier journalists trying to make it pay.
[The gritty reality for Substack’s middle classStar journalists generate six figure revenue within weeks after launching on Substack, but that’s not the reality for most writers.Simon Owens's Media NewsletterSimon Owens](https://simonowens.substack.com/p/the-gritty-reality-for-substacks)
I actually have a theory that trying to launch a paid newsletter for journalists is launching into a *terrible* market. Journalists are time-poor, and often overwhelmed with information. Why the hell would they pay for more information to add to their overwhelm? And so, the people who most want others to pay for content are among the least likely to pay for it themselves…
I also wonder if too many journalism-related newsletters are targeted at the editor/publisher level, aiming to be a [*Stratechery*](https://stratechery.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) of journalism, where the bigger market might be for more practical craft skills-type information. After all, most publishers are very pyramidal in structure, and the potential audience gets much smaller the higher up the pyramid you target.
What do you think? What would *you* pay for, dear reader?
---
## Geeks are different
Folks, I do a lot of training on analytics for journalists, and the vast majority of them are using Google Analytics. This is a useful reminder from [Plausible](https://plausible.io/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) (a privacy-friendly analytics system I use here on *OM&HB*) that more geeky audiences are *significantly* more likely to block it as a tracking source:
[58% of Hacker News, Reddit and tech-savvy audiences block Google AnalyticsIs Google Analytics still useful and how accurate are its stats? How much data is missing from Google Analytics due to adblockers and privacy-friendly browsers?Plausible AnalyticsMarko Saric](https://plausible.io/blog/google-analytics-adblockers-missing-data?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
A serious recommendation: if you write for a tech-savvy audience, try adding a non-Google analytics package to your site, and see what the difference in numbers looks like…
---
## Not so much a pivot to video, as an endless pirouette.
While we're on the subject of media newsletters in the Stratechery mould, this is an interesting piece from *A Media Operator* about *Vice*'s struggles to get its content mix right in a profitability sense…
[Vice Continues to Spiral With No End in Sight - A Media OperatorIn what can only be described as déjà vu, news came out while I was off that the deal Vice had been…A Media Operator](https://www.amediaoperator.com/newsletter/vice-continues-to-spiral-with-no-end-in-sight/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Interesting to note that *Vice World News* has lured [Sophia Smith Galer away from the BBC](https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/bbc-journalists-ben-hunte-and-sophia-smith-galer-join-vice-world-news/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). She's well known for her TikTok work, and this implies that [Vice Media's pirouette to video](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/07/28/business/economy-stock-market-news/vice-media?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) is still spinning away.
Gonna write about video tomorrow, folks. Be warned. Still time to unsubscribe…
---
## Substack keeps digging deeper moats
Email is an open format, which is what makes newsletters so very appealing as an audience engagement tool. There's no pesky algorithm between us and our readers.
That's a wee problem for the [copiously VC-funded Substack](https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/30/substack-confirms-65m-raise-promises-to-rapidly-expand-its-financial-backing-of-newly-independent-writers/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), which would really like to build a protective “moat” around its publishers, to keep those VCs happy. Bearing that in mind, read this, and note how it's only about promoting other *Substack authors*, not those publishing using other platforms…
[New ways to recommend and discover great writingWe’re taking the first of many steps to support writer collaboration within our product.SubstackSubstack](https://on.substack.com/p/new-ways-recommend-discover)
Lock in can be built in lots of small, subtle ways…
---
### Tweet of the day
> Someone in a home decor DIY group said that Farrow & Ball paint is like the Waitrose of paint because it was paying too much for a mediocre product. People were furious. 838 comments later, 7 people have been blocked, 2 mods quit and the group has been made ‘private’.
>
> — Sofie Hagen (@SofieHagen) [September 7, 2021](https://twitter.com/SofieHagen/status/1435268190683205635?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## Quote of the Day
> Content is a magnet. Community is a moat.
— Dru Riley, [trends.vc](https://www.indiehackers.com/post/how-i-built-a-paid-community-to-1-000-members-in-10-months-846157b5f2?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
### Stress and burnout in post-pandemic journalism
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/09/stress-and-burnout-in-post-pandemic-journalism/
Last updated: 2021-10-29T11:24:32.000Z
It’s been a good few weeks since I’ve darkened your screens. Why? I took a holiday. I *know*. How very dare I?
And it wasn’t just a “holiday” — where I stare at my phone in a different location. It was a *proper* holiday. A holiday where I did very little — if any — work for three weeks.
It has done me the world of good — and also made it clear to me that we have a growing epidemic to deal with in this industry; an epidemic of stress and burn-out. And we need to talk about that.
But before I talk about the wider issues, if you’ll indulge me, I’m going to talk about me.
## One man (and his family) on holiday
We went, initially, to the Isle of Wight. The campsite we’d planned on using had to cancel our stay due to flooding, and so we ended up finding a more basic alternative far to the west of the island. We were camping in a valley with no Wi-Fi, and the merest sniff of mobile phone signal.
If you climbed the hill.
And stood on a gate.
This is the view from that very gate, in fact:
The west coast of the Isle of Wight
After a few days, I stopped fretting, and gave up on checking my email. And while the “what if someone wants to book a course” niggle continued, I started relaxing into it. Even when we returned to the wired world, I allowed myself to actually *be* on holiday, and ignore my devices as much as possible. When we headed off on our second trip, much more locally, I was relieved to find that the phone signal was all but non-existent there as well.
Our home in the woods
By halfway through that second trip, I began to feel like myself in a way I hadn’t for months. Lighter. Less burdened. Less anxious. My sense of humour came back. The words “West Country medicine” still bring my wife out in fits of giggles a week later.
And no, I’m not going to explain that one.
In fact, I hadn’t felt this good for *years*. And with that came the dawning realisation that I had been seriously, deeply burnt out. And I wasn’t even aware of it. I’d been too busy congratulating myself on surviving the pandemic financially, to realise the cost it had extracted in other ways.
## The pandemic stress accelerator
Like many self-employed people, the pandemic was hard on me. Much of my work vanished in the spring of 2020, and I’ve been rebuilding my business since then. The two sets of schools closures were serious set-backs on that journey. I picked up more than half of the home-schooling responsibility, to help protect my wife’s job. Our daughters are at a one-form entry primary school, which meant virtually no online lessons at all, as the staff were too busy with the key worker and vulnerable children who were in school. So, I was spending more time teaching two sharp little girls than my normal spread of journalists and journalism students. And then spending all my evenings trying to what work I still had the energy for.
We didn’t take a holiday *at all* in 2020, and these few weeks in late summer were my first proper break in two years. It’s no wonder I was burnt out.
But I’m not writing about this for sympathy. I’m writing about this because burnout and mental health issues are becoming noticeably more common in the industry. One of the upsides of Twitter is that [continuous partial awareness](https://lindastone.net/2009/11/30/beyond-simple-multi-tasking-continuous-partial-attention/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) of how other people’s lives are going. While some people are just machines of relentless self-promotion (in of itself, a cause of stress for others), many people are more honest, and do give glimpses into their struggles.
### Autonomy and agency
In fact, I’m aware that I have it easier than many: I’m self-employed, so there’s no reason I can’t address how I work directly. The only boss I have to answer to is myself. (Or, more honestly, my wife…) Those who are in “proper” jobs have more of a challenge ahead of them.
And the pressures are about to change dramatically. It looks like *most* journalism businesses will end up with some form of hybrid working system, part remote, part in the office, as we exit the pandemic. That’s both a possible boon to the industry — a topic I fully intend to return to — and a potential source of additional stress, which we can ill-afford.
We’re at an inflection point in the way we work — and that’s a good time to start a conversation.
## Journalism burn-out
This week, the American Press Institute has [written about burn-out](https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/publications/articles/journalism-managers-are-burned-out-is-it-time-for-a-work-redesign/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) in the industry, starting with the story of a small-ish newsroom editor who was over-whelmed by the different roles he was expected to play, without any support.
> The real-life example above (small details were changed to protect the editor) is a warning sign for a disturbing legacy of the past year: the departure of burned-out editors and managers in media. Some have been high-profile, especially among journalists of color; others were under the radar at small but essential local newsrooms across the country. Also problematic are the managers who aren’t in a financial position to quit their jobs and are battling extreme burnout in silence.
One thing that’s troubled me as someone who has been lecturing to journalism students for around 15 years now, is the sheer number of them that get into the industry, do well, and then burn out and exit. We can’t afford to be losing that kind of talent.
## The Lockdown stress accelerator
The pandemic has been an accelerator of many things, including the shift to remote works, and towards subscription revenue. But it’s also deepened the burnout crisis in the industry. My friend John Crowley ran a survey [into this last year:](https://www.johncrowley.org.uk/work-1/entry-03-8c3ap?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
> When asked directly about the coronavirus pandemic’s effect on their mood, 77% of respondents reported some kind of work-related stress which came during lockdown. Of these, 57% said lockdown-associated stress had affected their productivity. More than 44% said it had impacted their relationships with family and friends, and 59% said they had experienced moments of feeling depressed or anxious.
This isn’t just an issue of lifestyle and relationships outside work. This is eating badly into people’s productivity at a time when most titles are struggling for resources. And yes, that’s a vicious circle right there: fewer resources means more stress which means more burn our which means lower productivity which means more stress…
But at least now a hidden problem is becoming an open one.
## Acknowledging a toxic culture
Look, journalism has never been a 9to5 kind of job. You work the hours needed to get the job done. We’re far from alone in that. But something we sometimes have in common with other industries is a certain pride in newsrooms being difficult environments, in the same way that, say, some chefs take pride in Michelin-starred kitchens being pretty toxic places to work.
Back in the early days of my career, I reported on ITV’s exposure of abuse in the kitchen of L’Ortolan, under then head chef, John Burton-Race. (The magazine I worked for is long-closed and was never online, but *The Caterer* still has [a story up about it](https://www.thecaterer.com/archive/industry-fury-at-kitchen-violence?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), even if the publication date is wrong.) I've heard repeated horror stories from friends, collegues and students about how some newsrooms operate. They might not throw frying pans around, but the acceptance of bullying and abuse is there.
Back when I started in journalism, you could walk away from the office. Unless I took my notebooks and a floppy disk home with me, I couldn’t work weekends. The internet has blurred the lines between work and home, and that distinction has slowly vanished with the advent of the smartphone, and then the pandemic-induced working from home culture.
Freelancers, the most common form of self-employment in journalism, have always suffered from an inability to switch off. If you switch off, you're not working, and so not earning. There’s no reassurance of the salary hitting your bank account at the end of the month.
Now, though, the problem is endemic throughout the industry — and it’s not helping anyone. Home is the office, and you can't escape work. It comes at you through nitifications, and bullying messages in chat apps, and constant, inescapable emails. *Nobody* works well like this. Employers aren’t getting value for money from burnt out staff, and neither are they laying the foundations for long-term business success.
Staff are one of the — if not *the* — biggest cost of any publishing enterprise. Not looking after your financial investment isn’t good business sense, even if you have no ethical qualms of working people until they break.
## What we stand to gain
Journalism businesses benefit from the deep knowledge some journalists develop through reporting on the same beats for years — or decades — but losing people from the industry due to burn out just helps erode the average levels of skills. This is a downwards spiral we need to pull out of.
There are two phrases I often use in both my training and consulting work:
- “Work smarter, not harder”
- “Every publication needs to be looking much harder at what it needs to do *less* of, than what it needs to do *more* of”
Those feel like good starting points for reassessing elements of journalistic practice in the coming months — especially as increasing numbers of businesses adopt hybrid working models.
And so, I’m going to add another strand to what I write about here on OM&HB: managing workload in a journalism context.
And, meanwhile, I’m trying to avoid slipping back into bad pandemic habits, and concentrate on doing things like post-work and school family swims…
The Tinworths in the sea.
---
## If you need help…
If stress and burn out are becoming an issue in your newsroom, the Headlines Network are launching [a series of free workshops](https://headlines-network.com/f/announcing-the-launch-of-headlines-network-and-our-pilot-project?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) later in the year.
[Headlines Network creates free workshops for journalists to support their mental healthA new initiative provides courses and resources for newsrooms to help them address stress and burnoutJournalism.co.ukMarcela Kunova](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/headlines-network-to-support-mental-health-in-the-newsroom/s2/a846846/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Weekly Digest: the calm before the crisis
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/08/weekly-digest/
Last updated: 2021-08-12T14:06:02.000Z
Do you remember when August was the silly season? Well, it hasn't been this year, has it? At the beginning of the week, we had some of the biggest news — if not THE biggest news — of the year: the terrifying new report from the IPCC on the climate crisis. Wolfgang Blau has done some fascinating work on what we, as journalists and other communicators, [should be doing about it](https://www.niemanlab.org/2021/07/if-youre-not-a-climate-reporter-yet-you-will-be-covid-19-coverage-offers-lessons-for-reporting-on-the-climate-crisis/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
This is a topic I'm very passionate about — and impacted by right now, as our holiday next week has been cancelled due to unseasonable flooding. Expect me to return to the subject. (And let me know what you think we should be doing.)
In the meantime, here's a selection of useful reading and watching for you, broken down into categories. I'm intending to do one of these a week during August — as my instinct is that people would prefer less email this month, rather than more. Do let me know if I'm off base with that…
---
## Audience Engagement
- 📜 [How far do people scroll](https://whatsnewinpublishing.com/how-many-readers-actually-scroll-once-they-load-an-article/?utm%5Fcampaign=The%20Media%20Roundup%20from%20Media%20Voices&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter) — and how long do they read when they do? This is useful research, suggesting that calls to action and other points of engagement might be best placed at the end of articles. Also: there appears to be a written journalism version of the “three second rule” from social video: you only have a few seconds to sell your story to the reader, and encourage them to scroll.
- 📉 The [COVID traffic bump is going into reverse](https://digiday.com/media/post-covid-traffic-declines-set-some-sites-back-two-years/?utm%5Fcampaign=UA-39227834-1&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter). We knew this was likely — we'll now see which publications have been working hardest to retain those extra readers.
- 💃🏻 Given the importance of short, looping videos on TikTok and Instagram, some of these short videos from Apple are useful skills boosts:
## Misinformation
- 🦠 The [YouTubers who blew the whistle on an anti-vax plot](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-57928647?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — YouTubers as a generic category get blamed for a lot of misinformation. This is a nice corrective to that narrative.
- 🤥 And yet, another [vaccine misinformation video is going viral](https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/new-plandemic-misinformation-video-has-earned-tens-millions-facebook?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Pun intended. Love puns. Hate misinformation.
- 🧑🏻🔬 People who trust science are more likely to [fall for misinformation presented in sciencey terms](https://digest.bps.org.uk/2021/08/10/people-who-trust-science-are-less-likely-to-fall-for-misinformation-unless-it-sounds-sciencey/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)… Pseudoscience can be powerful.
## Newsletters
- 🤑 The *NYT* is making [a bunch of its newsletters subscriber-only](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/11/technology/facebook-soccer-racism.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). It's far from the first to do this: in the UK, *The Times* and *The FT* already do. But it's interesting to note that newsletters have evolved beyond a website marketing tool into valuable products in their own right.
- 🤔 [Substack has acquired Letter](https://on.substack.com/p/sit-right-down-and-write-yourself-a-letter), a “platform for written debate”. The platform had no existing business model, the announcement has no suggestion of integration, so this looks very much like an “acquihire” of the founders.
- 🛠 A [useful round-up of newsletter tools](https://wondertools.substack.com/p/morenewsletters) from [Jeremy Caplan](https://wondertools.substack.com/people/332836-jeremy-caplan). Sent via Substack…
- 👩🏽💻 [Five things we can learn from the Funke Mediengruppe newsletter transformation](https://thefix.media/2021/08/03/five-things-we-can-learn-from-the-funke-mediengruppe-newsletter-transformation/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — nothing revelatory, but some good general advice here.
## SEO
- 📈 Some [ranking weirdness associated with an algorithm update](https://searchengineland.com/google-rankings-fluctuation-pages-are-dropping-and-reappearing-in-the-index-wednesdays-daily-brief-351155?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Basically, don't panic if you're seeing a traffic drop — it should be temporary.
- 🧑🏾🔧 One for the more techie folks: Using [Google Lighthouse to improve your technical SEO](https://www.cmswire.com/digital-marketing/making-sense-of-your-google-lighthouse-results/?utm%5Fsource=cmswire.com&utm%5Fmedium=web&utm%5Fcampaign=cm&utm%5Fcontent=all-articles-rss).
- 🔗 This is a useful guide to [different internal linking strategies](https://www.portent.com/blog/seo/internal-pagerank-optimization-strategies.htm?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). The *best* internal linking strategy is putting good reader-focused links in stories as you publish them. But this is a useful way of focusing your efforts if you haven't done that.
## Platforms
- **💰 Medium** is now giving [commission for referring members to the platform](https://blog.medium.com/evolving-the-partner-program-2613708f9f3c?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). You get a cut of their account fees for the life of the account.
- **🤬 Instagram** has added some [new anti-abuse features](https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/introducing-new-ways-to-protect-our-community-from-abuse?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- **🕵🏻♀️ Twitter** takes some rather [belated steps on misinformation](https://techcrunch.com/2021/08/02/twitter-partners-with-ap-and-reuters-to-address-misinformation-on-its-platform/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). It looks like the curation team are going to take a bigger role in working with partners to highlight reliable reporting.
- **🧑🏽🏫 Twitter** also has a new look, built around its own typeface and increased accessibility:
> Notice anything different?
>
> Today, we released a few changes to the way Twitter looks on the web and on your phone. While it might feel weird at first, these updates make us more accessible, unique, and focused on you and what you’re talking about.
>
> Let’s take a deeper look. 🧵 [pic.twitter.com/vCUomsgCNA](https://t.co/vCUomsgCNA?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Twitter Design (@TwitterDesign) [August 11, 2021](https://twitter.com/TwitterDesign/status/1425505308563099650?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## Worth checking out: Inkcap Journal
*Inkcap Journal*, a newsletter by journalist Sophie Yeo on nature and conservation in the UK, is launching its membership offering. Sophie's hoping to start commissioning other journalists when the income reaches a sustainable level:
[The future of Inkcap JournalSome major changes are afoot.Inkcap JournalSophie Yeo](https://www.inkcapjournal.co.uk/the-future-of-inkcap-journal/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## Click-free targets
Thought-provoking tweet from friend-of-the-blog Joanna Geary:
> When I worked in news there was often a business imperative to promote your work for clicks.
>
> One of the things I really love about Curation is that our work isn't measured that way. It's usually not a good indicator for our goals.
>
> Sometimes we actively want to save a click.
>
> — Joanna Geary ⚡️ (@JoannaG) [August 3, 2021](https://twitter.com/JoannaG/status/1422690332194525190?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## Finally: The reminder we all need
I don't know about you, but I have a pretty cyclical relationship with imposter syndrome. I go through bad spells and good spells. (I'm going through a bad spell right now.) This is a useful reminder…
[Actual impostors don’t get impostor syndrome | ZapierIf you want to know, one hundred percent, that you’re not an impostor, do something no impostor would ever do: out yourself. Here’s why.ZapierJustin Pot](https://zapier.com/blog/actual-impostors-dont-get-impostor-syndrome/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Marcus Rashford, The Spectator hoax and the power of confirmation bias
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/08/marcus-rashford-the-spectator-hoax-and-the-power-of-confirmation-bias/
Last updated: 2021-10-05T12:30:05.000Z
For the second time in a month, Media Twitter is alight with discussion of a rumoured smear of footballer and campaigner Marcus Rashford by *The Spectator,* a right-leaning British political magazine. The whole discussion is both full of confirmation-bias driven certainty and little provable fact at all. And, whichever way you look at it, it should raise concerns about the level of credulity and self-analysis of those journalists who are too invested in particular political viewpoints.
There's a lesson for all of us in the [dangers of confirmation bias](https://blog.oup.com/2017/03/confirmation-bias-danger/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) in that.
Let's look at the story of this odd little saga.
## It started with a tweet
One evening, England footballer Marcus Rashford, who has [become champion of free meals for disadvantaged children](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-58091705?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), tweeted this:
> Just heard [@spectator](https://twitter.com/spectator?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) are planning to run a story on me tomorrow about how I have benefitted commercially in the last 18 months…To clarify, I don’t need to partner with brands. I partner because I want to progress the work I do off the pitch and…(1)
>
> — Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) [July 20, 2021](https://twitter.com/MarcusRashford/status/1417560450393329666?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Cue explosion on Twitter, as the cosy little circle of media and political types that dominate a subset of the discussion there leapt on this. The media's relationship with Twitter being what it is these days, outlets like *Bustle* were able to get [an entire article](https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/marcus-rashford-charity-work-spectator?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) out of a four tweet thread, with no corroborating information.
### Silence of The Spectator
*The Spectator* itself has consistently not given [any response when asked for comment](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jul/21/marcus-rashford-defends-charity-deals-the-spectator?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). And no article was every published.
So, until yesterday, all we knew was:
1. Rashford was made aware of a possible *Spectator* story on him — but we don't know by whom.
2. That said piece has failed to appear in the *Spectator* either online or in print.
I stayed away from the whole thing, feeling that there were a number of odd things about it, not least that *The Spectator* is an opinion, comment and analysis magazine, not an outlet for investigative journalism. When nothing emerged, I assumed someone writing for the mag had poked around a lead, found nothing, and dropped the story. That's how journalism works, right?
## The Gruff Bomb
And then, this dropped:
[What ever happened to that Spectator article about Marcus Rashford?You may recall the hoo-hah the other week about Marcus Rashford and a Spectator story. Rashford tweeted that the Spectator were preparing to run a story about him but strangely the story then never appeared. So what was it all about, and what happened to the story? Well I’ll have to take you back a …sunbeams out of cucumbersdannie grufferty](https://sunbeamsoutofcucumbers.substack.com/p/what-ever-happened-to-that-spectator)
Grufferty is a comic, occasional satirist, and charity worker. She lays out in the post exactly how she set about pranking the magazine via its "Wokeyleaks" correspondent:
> Wokeyleaks was asking for people to send in “anonymous” examples of “woke-culture war crimes” from workplaces, and other settings. *Lol, what losers,* I thought to myself (Can one think a lol? Remember, it was the second (or third?) lockdown and I was very bored). So I decided to amuse myself by sending them some fake stories. *Surely they wouldn’t take this seriously*, I mused, as I hammered out frankly ludicrous claims about the great and the good; and thought little more of it.
It's worth noting that she offers no direct proof of her story: no screengrabs of correspondence, for example, just quotes from it. Certainly some details ring true, including this quote from her contact at the magazine:
> *Spec doesn't really do investigative stuff so this is all a bit new to them.*
That matches closely with my own thoughts, expressed above. And the timeline seems to work. Rashford's tweet was on a Tuesday. *The Spectator* distributes on a Thursday, presumably printing overnight Wednesday to Thursday. It's certainly possible that *The Spectator* itself was the source of Rashford being made aware of the story, as they reached out to do fact-checking and get a response from him before it went to press on the Wednesday.
(But, says a little worried voice at the back of my head, would they really get that close to publishing a single-source story without any external corroboration *at all*? They surely can't have given the piece to a lawyer, because no media lawyer I've every worked with would ever let them run something like that…)
That's the thing. Plausible as much of this account is, *we have no actual proof*. Hopefully some media reporters are working on that right now…
Proof is a good thing in journalism. Just sayin'.
## The seduction of cognitive bias
The rather ironic cover of today's Spectator.
This whole thing is an exercise is showing up how dangerous cognitive bias is:
- If *The Spectator* really got to the point of getting ready to publish such an obvious hoax, their own desire for it to be true must surely have played a part.
- The response of Media Twitter is rife with a desperate belief that *The Speccie* was trying to smear Rashford, because they'd love people with differing views to be the bad guys.
Mic Wright, for example, has gone full Fox Mulder with [his extensive and entertainingly vitriolic Substack piece on it](https://brokenbottleboy.substack.com/p/cummings-goings-and-rashford-decisions) this morning:
> Again, knowing just what a combination of credulous and cruel \[Spectator editor\] Nelson and \[deputy\] Gray are, this exchange feels believable.
Yes, he *wants to believe*. And he makes some good points along the way about the rather cosy relationship between the magazine and the current Tory administration, including the fact that its commissioning editor is married to one Dominic Cummings. He doesn't mention that its political editor is married to the lady who was [briefly the prime minister's spokesperson](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/allegra-stratton-boris-johnson-new-spokesperson-press-conference-b889549.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), though. And wait until you hear [who his best man was](https://www.tatler.com/article/spectator-magazine-social-web-links-to-tory-cabinet?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)…
It's worth noting that Wright is no great fan of the self-proclaimed hoaxer either:
> The ‘sting’ — poorly executed and hubristically recounted — has proved nothing. It caused Marcus Rashford more worry and gives *The Spectator* the chance to claim that it was the victim of a hoax which it stopped at the last moment.
However, the fact that so many words (including these very ones you're reading right now, alas) and so much attention in the journalistic and politics worlds has been devoted to what was, at best, a story which was killed when it didn't stack up is troubling. It's all based, essentially, on one tweet and a single Substack post. No corroboration, no second sourcing, not even any screenshots of the *actual* emails from *The Spectator*.
It's all based on what people *want* to be true, rather than what we *know* to be true. That's conformation bias, folks.
And we should be better than that.
> I was reticent to even retweet Jim Waterson's retweet of it because it's a bit flimsy as is. Don't want to get got like the Spectator got got
>
> — Chris Sutcliffe (@chrismsutcliffe) [August 6, 2021](https://twitter.com/chrismsutcliffe/status/1423560900531871745?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## The results of the Attention Game are unpredictable
And the net result seems to have been some unpleasant distraction for Rashford and… good for *The Spectator*? People who loathe it already will continue to do so. But others have started paying attention to it:
> The outcome seems to have been:
>
> 1\. Lots of hassle for Marcus Rashford
> 2\. Large gain in followers for the [@spectator](https://twitter.com/spectator?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) (img 1)
> 3\. Large spike in Google searches for 'the spectator' (img 2)
> 4\. A proof point of some sort of dirty tricks campaign, which they foiled at the last minute [pic.twitter.com/B1e3mr3r04](https://t.co/B1e3mr3r04?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — dan barker (@danbarker) [August 5, 2021](https://twitter.com/danbarker/status/1423345151313944579?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
So, that seems to suggest that there's at least some people out there who would rather like a story exposing Rashford as more self-interested to be true. And are interested in following a title that might share that desire. They too want their biases confirmed. And they might end up going down the *Spectator’s* funnel and being converted into paying readers.
So, if the aim of all the fuss was to make *The Spectator* look foolish, they might well end up crying their way to the bank.
If anything, what we should all take away from this is that you should be *more* sceptical of new information than seems to match your biases, be it a story handed to you on a plate, or a tale of a magazine you dislike's foolishness. That nasty wee confirmation bias lurking in your skull will stop you questioning it as you would information that contradicts your beliefs. And you might well be taken in.
Anyone working in the media needs that level of self-awareness in the current media ecosystem.
---
**Disclosures**:
- I've been a *Spectator* subscriber since 2016, when the Brexit vote made it plain to me that I didn't understand the UK right, and it was about time I did. Reading the *New Statesman* is like slipping on a cosy cardigan as it reflects my own views back at me. *The Spectator* is very much not that…
- One recent student I've taught at City has [just joined the title](https://twitter.com/simmons%5F%5F/status/1417926540948541443?s=21&ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
### Lunchtime links: subs, Google News and the problem with Wikipedia
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/08/lunchtime-links-subs-google-news-and-the-problem-with-wikipedia/
Last updated: 2021-08-02T13:39:53.000Z
## Subscriptions. Subscriptions everywhere.
Dear goodness, now LinkedIn is looking at a news offer in its subscription product.
I wonder if we're heading towards a concentric circles model of content monetisation:
1. The inner circle: your direct subscribers
2. The middle circle: non-subscribers monetised through aggregators (Apple News, LinkedIn, etc…)
3. The outer circle: non-subscribers monetised through advertising.
[LinkedIn looks to premium publishers as a way to drive subscriber revenueLinkedIn would like to broaden its premium membership, and it’s hoping that access to paywalled content from premium publishers will help.DigidayMax Willens](https://digiday.com/media/linkedin-looks-to-premium-publishers-as-a-way-to-drive-subscriber-revenue/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## The Automated Google News
Google News changed significantly a couple of years ago — but close enough to the pandemic that quite a few people failed to notice. This is a *really* good round-up of the technical implications of that — and how you can maximise your chances of appearing in Google News:
_This post is for subscribers only._
### Twitter Social Distancing
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/08/twitter-social-distancing/
Last updated: 2021-08-02T10:50:23.000Z
On Saturday night, I deleted Twitter from my phone. This morning, I removed it from my iPad. For the rest of August, if I want to interact with Twitter, I’ll either have to open it on the web, or use my MacBook. August is going to be my month of Twitter social distancing.
A decade ago (I’m approaching my 15th anniversary as a Twitter user) I loved Twitter. It was a great place to maintain low level regular contact with interesting people I knew. Even now, I have some great conversations on there from time to time. But something has changed. My Twitter timeline is more performative, more hostile, more aggressive. The journalism part of it is particularly bad. And I need a break from it.
I’ll dig into some of my thoughts behind the reasons why in a later post — it’s partially drafted, but keeps growing, so I’ll use some of the time saved by not doom-scrolling through my feed to finish writing that. But the key point here is that Twitter has been having a notable deleterious effect on my mood and — occasionally — my self-confidence and even mental health. It’s not as bad as it was a year ago at the height of the pandemic, but it’s still there and still a problem.
For the first time in two years, my family and I are heading off on a couple of weeks’ holiday this month. It’s just camping in the UK, but I’d really like the freedom to enjoy that experience without Twitter nagging me with notifications. I really don’t want to find myself mindlessly scrolling the feed in a quiet moment, just because it’s pretty much muscle memory now.
I’ll still periodically check my DMs, and I’ll promote new posts there via Buffer. Some of my posts from [my notebook](https://microblog.onemanandhisblog.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) are automatically pushed to Twitter, so I’ll still have a posting presence there. It just won’t be reading much, if at all.
Come September, I’ll decide when or how to return to the platform. But for now, Twitter will be an adders-lite zone.
Our lovely new tent, in which I'll be spending a chunk of this month.
### Are you tempted by shiny things syndrome?
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/07/are-you-tempted-by-shiny-object-syndrome/
Last updated: 2021-07-23T17:04:28.000Z
Nick Petrie, late of *The Times* and now installed at Reuters, wrote a follow-up to both my post of yesterday and a [“journalism exit” Twitter thread](https://twitter.com/Sifter/status/1416023616093925389?s=20&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) from Alex Watson. Here's [what he had to say](https://nickpetrie.co/no-thing-can-save-journalism/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> Why do we have a constant fixation with [new and shiny things](https://www.niemanlab.org/2018/11/journalism-has-a-focus-problem-how-to-combat-shiny-things-syndrome/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)? Whether that's Video (thanks Facebook), Google AMP, Google Discover, Podcasts, Newsletters, Listicles, Live video (thanks again Facebook), Instagram (thanks...) WhatsApp - well you get the idea.
I'm old enough to remember when the shiny things were MySpace and Second Life…
In recent years, it has been podcasts ([twice](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2018/09/the-guardian-squandered-its-institutional-knowledge-of-podcasts/)) and — most recently —newsletters.
As Nick points out, this is yet another classic case of an endemic illness that has afflicted journalism for at least 15 years:
> This problem was diagnosed as “Shiny Things Syndrome” by U.S. digital-born journalism veteran [Kim Bui](http://www.kimbui.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), who said it “takes away from storytelling, and we risk forgetting who we are. That’s the biggest challenge.”
This perfect encapsulation of the problem was brought to my attention by the wonderful Dr Julie Posetti [in her research](https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/our-research/time-step-away-bright-shiny-things-towards-sustainable-model-journalism-innovation-era?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
## Shiny things are more fun than reinvention
For a long time, I believed this was a manifestation of the desire of many working journalists to carry on doing *exactly* what they were doing before. Give your traditional offering a wee bit of a digital gloss with a trendy new digital product, and then steady as she goes.
The problem has been going on for far too long now for that to be the root cause. And so, my thinking is beginning to align with Nick's: this is increasing less about journalistic homeostasis, and more about avoiding the *really* hard work of rethinking what we do for a truly different age:
> We need a fundamental and radical rethink of how we make sure publishers stay relevant and useful to readers/watchers/listeners in the future and we're tinkering around the edges looking for a silver bullet that will magically reset us to the glory days.
All these shiny things are useful tools. They all have a place in our journalism toolbox. (Yes, [even live video](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/05/to-build-a-community-online-during-a-crisis-go-live/).) But, to stretch the metaphor a little, to make the most of new tools, you have to rethink your approach to the job in hand, rather than just using an electric screwdriver, rather than a manual one.
## Rethinking digital news products
Here's the problem: the longer you leave it, the harder it gets. 15 years ago, we were struggling to manage the transition from a print-centric workflow, to a dual media one: print *and* web.
And now? It's print and web and app and podcasts and video and newsletters and social native content and…
There comes a time where the task becomes too big, and the only way to make the transition is to burn it all down and start again from first principles. And, if you reach that point, it's far more likely to be an insurgent competitor without the legacy cost overheads that makes the transition first.
What worries me is that we're losing people like [Alex](https://thewiredjester.co.uk/about/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) from journalism (he's off to Spotify), just at the time when we could do with them being at the heart of our product strategy. And we need to look hard at why we keep losing talented digital product people to other industries.
---
## Links worth your time
The BBC's new social media policy in action |. Photo by [Paulette Vautour](https://unsplash.com/@vautourp?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)
- 🙉 **[Clubhouse Is The Big Stinker](https://ez.substack.com/p/clubhouse-is-the-big-stinker-that) That Nobody Wants To Talk About** — Remember all the fuss about Clubhouse six months ago? For now, at least, it appears the network effect isn't kicking in for the site. And it might never do, now that its key features are being cloned into other products. Another reminder of why rushing into a new platform is often [not a good use of time](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/07/fleets-were-fleeting-and-theres-a-lesson-in-that/).
- 🕺🏼 [**Europe's Top 20 publishers on TikTok**](https://thefix.media/2021/07/20/europes-top-20-publishers-on-tiktok/??ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — seek within for ways of using the platform well (and, if we're honest, a few example of how not to use it…). *Mail Online*, the BBC and *The Telegraph* are the UK representatives on the list.
- **👩🏼** [**A** ](https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/emily-maitlis-interview/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)*[*Press Gazette*](https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/emily-maitlis-interview/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)*[ **interview with Emily Maitlis**](https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/emily-maitlis-interview/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — most interesting to me is the material around the social media posts she's been reprimanded for. We're going through one of those periodic re-evaluations of how journalists should behave on the platforms. And the usual suspects are making hay [with the interview](https://order-order.com/2021/07/23/maitlis-turns-on-bbc-over-cummings-monologue-slapdown/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- [**Tumblr adds subscriptions**](https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/21/22586765/tumblr-subscription-blogs-post-plus?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Because it's all about the creator economy now. The reaction of the existing Tumblr community has been… [less than great](https://techcrunch.com/2021/07/22/tumblr-community-lash-out-post-plus-subscription/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
---
## Appalling SEO pitch of the day
*The first in an occasional series*
From an email this morning:
> I have Casino Gaming articles and after reviewing your website, I believe that the content we have created will be a great fit for your site. Our articles/content are 100% exclusive and unique.
Yeah, journalism and gambling. Such a good mix…
---
## An interesting video on change
Well worth the seven minutes it takes to watch.
### Newsletters: problems, potential and pop-ups
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/07/newsletters-problems-potential-and-pop-ups/
Last updated: 2021-07-22T14:05:26.000Z
I don't know about you, but I'm getting a bit bored of both writing about newsletters *and* reading about them, too. It's not because newsletters aren't important — they are — but because too much of the discussion is failing to put them in perspective, and I basically want the hype bubble to burst so we can get on with the business of actually using the damn things productively.
I should be so lucky.
But before we put the topic on the back-burner for a bit, I have a handful of interesting links to share before we move on to other topics for a bit.
### Framing newsletters
Two things can be simultaneously true:
1. Newsletters are a vital tool in the future of journalism
2. Newsletters are not *the* future of journalism
The fact that I need to make that point shows up how much more clarity is needed in our discussions around newsletters. For some — the so-called “creator economy” types (I still prefer [Isabelle's term](https://www.borderlinepod.com/rise-of-the-media-artisan/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [media artisan](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/11/17-years-as-a-media-artisan/)), they are the main product they offer. For many of the rest of us, they are just another tool in our audience engagement toolbox. Your approach to a newsletter is going to vary significantly depending which side of that divide you live.
And, for the most successful indie newsletter writers, they mights find themselves slowly becoming a more traditional media outlet, and crossing the divide again…
## Newsletter problems
Brian Morrissey does a great job of articulating the problem with newsletters-as-sole-product approach. In a newsletter. Published via Substack.
Oh, the irony.
From the difficulties of building an audience, to the unpredictable vagaries of the spam filter, to a growing sense of email fatigue (just between you and me, I'm going to be doing a quite cull of the newsletters I subscribe to over August), he lays out the bumps in the road ahead.
But he also lays out the solution:
> The answer is the same as for many issues in digital publishing: diversify. Email is a great base for starting out, especially to test new ideas as a true minimally viable product, but if there’s one lesson in the last two decades of digital publishing it’s to have several sources of distribution and several sources of revenue.
Hold that thought: we'll come back to it later on.
[The problem with emailNewsletters have a lot of looming disadvantagesThe RebootingBrian Morrissey](https://therebooting.substack.com/p/the-problem-with-email)
### The lonely media artisan
I'm so alone. And ruggedly handsome. But also alone. — Photo by [Lukas Rychvalsky](https://unsplash.com/@lukas%5Frychvalsky?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)
One important issue that he doesn't touch on, and one that's afflicted me at time is this: a solo newsletter (or website) is both a lonely endeavour, and one that tests your own sense of self-worth by having to constantly keep promoting yourself. You have to do it again, and again, and again. Keep that list growing, so more people convert, so you can actually make a living.
And every single unsubscribe can feel both like a personal slight and a threat to your livelihood.
And, for some of us, it's agonising. Others simply refuse to go there. *New York Magazine* art critic Jerry Saltz was offered a quarter of a million dollars to set up on Substack.
He said “no”.
And here's [the reason he gave](https://www.instagram.com/p/CRFKQz2pixA/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> I think it’s fishy to always be barking to your readers to subscribe. I think it is not my real work to write for “subscribers.” My only work is to write for the reader.
Remember, being a media artisan means being your own editor, your own marketing team, your own sales department. You're even your own customer support. Some people will love that or, at least, see it as a fair trade-off. Others won't, and that's just one reason that indie newsletters will never kill off mainstream journalism — nor poach all the best talent. It's a difficult life, and it won't suit everyone.
[The Art of the ShillIt seems to me that something important has been lost in the debate about newsletters and the rise of the “creator economy” upending…MediumM.G. Siegler](https://mgs.blog/the-art-of-the-shill-8794d357e8fb?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Newsletter potential
However, just because people start solo doesn't mean that they need to stay solo. Matt Yglesias, co-founder of *Vox* and now Substack writer, is hiring for an assistant. It's a small reminder that a newsletter is a great way to start growing a publication that might grow into something bigger, as Morrissey suggested above, once the revenue is there.
Note the publication is called *Slow Boring*, not *Matty's Newsletter*. Never name something you intend to grow with a constraining name like, oh, I dunno, *One Man & His Newsletter*, maybe? That would be daft. 🙄
[Slow Boring seeks researcherA paying job, full-time or part-timeSlow BoringMatthew Yglesias](https://www.slowboring.com/p/slow-boring-seeks-researcher?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Newsletters Pop-ups
As I said earlier, we need more clarity in our discussions around newsletters. The sort of newsletters most publishers put out are very different products from those coming from the creator economy: the Substackerati and their ilk. Clearly, there's an overlap between the two, but there is one clear difference:
- Creator economy newsletters *are* the product
- Publishers newsletters are an offering within a wider product.
So, if you're not building your entire income on a newsletter, you can have them come and go. You can have pop-up newsletters. Find an event which has a limited timespan, and will garner lots of attention, and launch a newsletter around it. Maybe sell ads, maybe get sponsorship. Or maybe use it as a sampling tool to drive conversions to another newsletter.
My old blogging *compadre* Martin Belam, is doing one for *The Guardian*, as a break from [annoying the *Doctor Who* community](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/jul/20/exterminate-exterminate-why-its-time-for-doctor-who-to-die?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) he's so utterly part of:
[Sign up for the Tokyo 2020 daily briefing: the best of the Olympics and ParalympicsRunning throughout the Olympics and Paralympics, a guide to the day’s highlights and the best that is yet to comeThe Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/12/sign-up-for-the-toyko-2020-daily-briefing-the-best-of-the-olympics-and-paralympics?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Meanwhile, Craig Mod, who is very much part of the creator economy, but who would probably *hate* to be described that way, talks about his own experiments with them here:
[Pop-up Newsletters, Great Photo Books, Olympic Level Ennui, Vaxxing — Roden newsletter issue 057Seasonality and work](https://craigmod.com/roden/057/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Look, I'm bound to write about newsletters again. There's still plenty of work and experimentation to be done in this field. But there's also plenty of work to be done in engaged journalism, and community-building, and SEO and…
You get the idea.
*(Enough about newsletters. Ed.)*
### Fleets were fleeting, and there's a lesson in that
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/07/fleets-were-fleeting-and-theres-a-lesson-in-that/
Last updated: 2021-07-14T19:07:21.000Z
Ah, Fleets. Twitter's own little Stories clone. How briefly we knew you. Born, ignored and died in a mere eight months. What a fleeti…
No, even I can't bring myself to make the obvious joke.
Twitter is [killing its Fleets product](https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/14/22577166/twitter-fleets-shuts-down-stories-clone?scrolla=5eb6d68b7fedc32c19ef33b4&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) from early next month.
The [reasons they give](https://blog.twitter.com/en%5Fus/topics/product/2021/goodbye-fleets?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) are interesting:
> Although we built Fleets to address some of the anxieties that hold people back from Tweeting, Fleets are mostly used by people who are already Tweeting to amplify their own Tweets and talk directly with others.
Oh, lordy. The last thing we need is to give another outlet to those who already have Twitterrhoea. And a tweet from Twitter Support makes it clear that it was mainly *extremely* online Twitter users fleeting away:
> We had planned for Fleets to help people feel comfortable joining the conversation in a low-pressure way, but it turns out Fleets were mainly used by those Tweeting the most.
>
> So now we're ready to explore other ways for people to share on Twitter. (2/4)
>
> — Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) [July 14, 2021](https://twitter.com/TwitterSupport/status/1415364737349652480?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Finding new ways of drawing people into Twitter is a worthy ambition, and I wish their product team luck with it. One likely outcome is a more media-rich stream of tweets:
> Most Fleets include media — people enjoy quickly sharing photos and videos to add to the discussion on Twitter. Soon, we’ll test updates to the Tweet composer and camera to incorporate features from the Fleets composer — like the full-screen camera, text formatting options, and GIF stickers.
And, frankly, I'm glad not just to see Twitter killing the feature, but also making a public statement about doing so.
I'm not going to beat about the bush: this is a good thing. Twitter tried something, it didn't work and they pulled the plug. More tech companies should pull misconceived features sooner.
However, there are two lessons I think it's worth learning from this:
## 1\. Being a pioneer is a risky business
One quote tweet caught my attention:
> Can't make this up — I did a Fleets training today for our reporting team headed to Tokyo 🙃 [https://t.co/oWM5I1dnX5](https://t.co/oWM5I1dnX5?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Alex Ptachick (@alexptachick) [July 14, 2021](https://twitter.com/alexptachick/status/1415364646278770689?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Now, I've no way of knowing if *USA Today* was getting great engagement on its fleets. It's amazingly difficult to find Fleets from an account you're not following, so I'm not going to cast any aspersions on Alex's decision here. It might have been the right move for them.
However, there's a good reason that I have only one slide on Fleets in all my training decks: it's just too soon. Use of new features on social networks builds over time. That's why Facebook often games the process by giving algorithmic weight to new features. You don't need to rush into making them a mainstream part of your engagement strategy.
There's a very fine line to walk between gaining the advantage of being a first mover in an exploding space, and blowing valuable time on something that will never take off.
Sure, play with a new feature when it emerges. Give it a try. See if you get value. But, unless you see compelling evidence that it's gaining traction with enough people to make it worth the investment of your time, wait and watch. My one slide on Fleets? There from a lecture on the Audience Strategy module of the MA in Interactive Journalism, one where I'm encouraging the students to play with and evaluate new tools.
Part of the skill I was trying to teach was saying “not right now — I'll check again later” — if that's right for the audience you're trying to reach.
Time is your most precious resource. Make sure you're spending it wisely
## 2\. Stories isn't the whole of the future
One of the oddities of the internet is a repeated insistence that Thing X is the future of the internet.
- “Video is the future of the internet” — part of it, sure. But words and pictures and audio are all still handy, too.
- “VR is the future of the internet” — I've been hearing this since the 90s. I fully expect to be hearing it until I croak.
- “Intranets are the future of the internet” — genuinely said to me in the mid-90s.
- “Crypto is the future of the internet” — go away and never darken my door again, you digital age snake oil salesperson.
Around a year ago, the received wisdom was that the Stories format, as pioneered by Snapchat and then ruthlessly cloned into Instagram and Facebook by Zuckerberg's coding counterfeiters, would be [part of every product](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/11/all-social-networks-are-not-becoming-the-same-heres-why/). Even [LinkedIn has them](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/introducing-linkedin-stories-uk-katie-carroll/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). (Have you ever watched one on LinkedIn? I offer very reasonably priced therapy if you did.)
Twitter is the first to publicly retreat from them. And it's a great reminder that there is no one answer to the question “how to internet?”.
There's more a single answer to that question than there is “what's the best way of doing art?” Diversity in human expression online is to be valued, and a world where all the social platforms were identical would be a poorer one.
I look forward to seeing how Twitter answers that question in future, without merely copying others. That's Facebook's area of expertise.
---
> What win I, if I gain the thing I seek?
> A dream, a breath, a froth of fleeting joy.
>
> — William Shakespeare
### The four things that define a good newsletter
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/07/what-makes-a-great-publisher-newsletter/
Last updated: 2021-10-05T12:31:10.000Z
What makes a great newsletter? We're still figuring that out, but there's enough good research and evidence out there about engaging people via email to make it clear I'm doing something very wrong. People *never* respond to mine like those over-excited folks in the lead image…
Like many people who work in education and training, sometimes my courses amount to “do what I say, not what I do”. I was reminded of that during the first week of [my newsletters course](creating compelling newsletters), while I was describing the key characteristics of a successful newsletter. It dawned on me that *almost* every single characteristic I described of is entirely absent from the newsletter you get when you hit the “subscribe” button here.
Let me explain exactly *how* I’m publishing a rubbish newsletter:
## Lack of regularity means lack of habit formation
When is an email newsletter going to arrive? If it just turns up when it turns up, I have to really love it to leap straight to it in my crowded in-box. On the other hand, if I can rely on it being in my in-box at a particular time, I can build it into my routine. If I do that often enought, it becomes a habit — and thus I become a loyal reader.
I read the [*Media Roundup* newsletter](https://www.getrevue.co/profile/MediaVoices?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) every morning over coffee because I can rely on it being there. I usually read through [Kevin Anderson’s newsletter](https://www.getrevue.co/profile/kevglobal?utm%5Fcampaign=OM&HB&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) early in the afternoon because that’s when it turns up. It's a great way of easing myself back into work after lunch.
So, by failing to publish regularly, *OM&HB* misses the chance of becoming a habit in your reading. It's not a vital plank of your information day. Fail.
## No structure, no sense of familiarity
An email that has a reliable structure — look at the excellent *[Dense Discovery](https://www.densediscovery.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)* for example — becomes a familiar, comforting read. You know what to expect, and you know what your favourite bit of the email is, be it, for example, the cartoon halfway down, or the competition near the end. This is, simply, magazine thinking applied to newsletters. Readers can get familiar with newsletters in the same way they get familiar with magazines.
Additionally, the structure serves to make it easier for me to create (or would, if I had one). Find three stories to link to, give context, and then publish? Easy! Should I do a piece of analysis, or a links round-up, or a piece of advice? Hard!
By failing to adhere to any regular structure, *OM&HB* is both harder for me to create, and difficult for you, the reader, to get comfortable with. Fail.
## What’s your value proposition?
The [*Vox Sentences* newsletter](https://www.vox.com/vox-sentences?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) is easy to understand: the most important news digested for you. [Matt Navarra’s *Geekout* newsletter](https://www.getrevue.co/profile/geekout?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) is truly *every* piece of social media news from the week just gone. If that’s what you want, you subscribe. Easy.
*OM&HB* is… well, stuff around the intersection of journalism and publishing that I happen to find interesting. Basically, the core proposition is *probably* me, personally. If you value my insights into publishing, you subscribe. If you *truly* value them, you become a paid subscriber.
If not, well…
## Who’s your audience?
Am I writing for journalists? Members of the creator economy? Publishers? Publishing technology geeks? Um… maybe them all? That’s the problem: if *I* don't know who the “newsletter” is for, how can *they* know it’s for them?
Contrast, if you will, with, say, the [*Politico* London Playbook](https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/london-playbook/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com): a morning email for those who are so deep in Westminster politics that a detailed guide to all the issues and events floating around each day is a must-subscribe to them.
With a clear sense of the audience, the author can deliver a product that hits their needs exactly.
---
So, yes, *OM&HB* by email is a crap newsletter, by *my own standards*. Now, I do have an excuse, or, at least, so I tell myself. I’m not *really* signing you up for a newsletter. You *actually* sign up for a blog post delivered in newsletter style. And, if you pay, to support my work and get access to subscriber-only posts and resources. None of that means that I couldn't do better than this, if I put my mind to it.
Indeed, if you’re delivering newsletters as a key part of your job in publishing, marketing or journalism, you better be paying a whole bunch more attention to what I say than what I do.
And, ironically enough, one of the best ways of doing that is by subscribing to my (crap) newsletter.
### Why audience strategy is vital for any publisher
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/07/why-audience-strategy-is-vital-for-any-publisher/
Last updated: 2026-03-11T10:04:40.000Z
I was asked, in the closing moments of [a course](https://www.journalism.co.uk/seo-for-journalists/s336/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) this week, how important SEO *actually* was to a particular title. That’s a good question, especially coming from someone who had just, along with their colleague, spent a not insignificant amount of money to attend the course. If I couldn’t answer it, it rather invalidates the four weeks of learning they’d just done…
The answer is, of course, “yes, but it depends”, as it so often is. It depends on whether:
- you want to be read
- you want new people to find you
- you have better strategies for finding people to read your journalism
And that last line there is crucial.
## Build and they won’t come
For those of you old enough to remember the 1989 Kevin Costner film *Field of Dreams*, please forgive me for abusing its catch-line:
> “On the internet, build it, and they will **NOT** come.”
There is so much [ruthless competition for attention](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2018/10/the-basics-of-digital-journalism-attention-and-atomisation/) on the internet, unless you have some strategy for getting your work to your potential readers, it will go unread. There’s a near limitless supply of other digital distractions to eat up people’s attention, and unless you’re prepared to fight for your slice of it, you’re doomed.
Here’s an example. Today, for my own pleasure, I wrote two pieces: one on [my favourite coffee supplier moving on](https://microblog.onemanandhisblog.com/2021/06/30/steve-leighton-has.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and one on [a beach picnic we did](https://walkingwithdaddy.com/a-drizzly-beach-picnic-for-2-minute-day/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) at the weekend.
I have no real audience engagement strategy for either site right now. And it shows. The pair of them were read, in total, by fewer people than will have opened the newsletter version of this post in the first 10 minutes after it is sent. *(In fact, it took less than five minutes )* Certainly, you could get all the readers of those two posts together outside, and not be breaking the current UK COVID-19 gathering rules.
## The necessity of an audience strategy
Those of us who still have our roots in print (probably a big overlap with the folks who remember *Field of Dreams* here…) never *really* had to worry about our circulations back in the inky paper days, unless we reached the hallowed heights of editor or even — gulp — publisher. We wrote stuff, people edited it, others laid it out, and then it got printed, and distributed and people read it (probably). But that wasn’t *our* problem. That was the circulation department's responsibility, or the marketing team, or…
That’s not true on the internet. Unless you’re one of the very few titles blessed with an audience engagement team, if you write, edit and publish something, chances are, unless you’re very lucky, basically nobody will read it. You need some mechanism to put that content in front of people, where they are *already* focusing their attention.
You can optimise it for search, you can give it prominent home page placement, you can optimise it for social, and then share it, you can link it from your newsletter. But if you don’t do *something*, if you don’t have a strategy for getting your work to your audience, it’s doomed to end up as neglected data on a server somewhere, rarely troubling a human’s eyeballs.
## The hell of forgotten content
In my time, I’ve seen national newspaper stories read by 7 people and videos that took two working days to produce that are watched by fewer than a dozen viewers. Think of all the time that is wasted on content that people just don’t actually read.
This is far from a unique problem to journalism. It afflicts the marketing and PR industries, too. Hell, every member of the creator economy has to wrestle with it, as every tiny YouTube channel, low viewer Twitch streamer and paltry subscriber Substack newsletter writer knows. Why are so many of them abandoned? Because building an audience is *hard*, and all the time you spend doing it is time you aren’t spending creating. It’s demoralising. It can be, in fact, soul-crushing.
So, to return to that initial question, is SEO actually important to a publication? Yes. The true “depends” at work here is the not if SEO is important to your title because it is, but only which stories are worth spending the time optimising, especially if you’re a small team.
## The two questions every content creator should ask
To look at it another way, there are two questions you need to answer before you research or commission a piece:
- Who will be interested in this — and why?
- How will they find it?
We’re not always good as an industry at remembering to ask the first question. I’m sure any journalist carries around the mild guilt (mixed with a little pleasure) of knowing that they’ve written a few pieces in their day that weren’t really for the reader at all. They were just written for the journalist’s own self-indulgence.
But we’re terrible at asking the second question. Even in those businesses that have the blessing of an audience team, they’re too often pushed into the “pixie dust” role: trying to sprinkle magic social or SEO dust on top of existing articles.
In online journalism — in online content creation generally — our time defines how much we can produce. How much better would we spend that time, if we invested just a wee bit of it in thinking about why our audience would care, and how they will find it, before we put finger to trackpad? Knowing how our audiences are likely to find a piece before we create it makes it much more likely that it will serve their need.
So, yes, SEO is important. But only because an audience is important. Otherwise, we’re just howling into the digital void.
### Five articles you need to read this morning
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/07/five-articles-you-need-to-read-this-morning/
Last updated: 2021-07-01T06:31:59.000Z
## Facebook determined to kill the ‘gram
It's not a site for beautiful images any more. It's a TikTok ”killer”.
Oh, dear.
[Facebook is testing drastic changes to Instagram to make it more like TikTokFacebook’s Head of Instagram said the service plans to start showing users full-screen, recommended videos in their feeds.CNBCSalvador Rodriguez](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/30/facebook-tests-changes-to-instagram-would-make-it-more-like-tiktok.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## Sometimes anonymity isn't enough to stop social media ruining your life
A transgender writer creates an award-winning short story, exploring attitudes to gender through the prism of sci-fi. And both sides in the culture war come for her.
[A sci-fi writer got meta about gender. The internet responded by ruining her life.Isabel Fall’s sci-fi story “I Sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter” drew the ire of the internet. A year later, she’s still picking through the wreckage.VoxEmily VanDerWerff](https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22543858/isabel-fall-attack-helicopter?utm%5Fsource=digg&utm%5Fmedium=email)
---
_This post is for subscribers only._
### Digital News Report 2021: a good crisis for the media?
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/06/digital-news-report-2021-a-good-crisis-for-the-media/
Last updated: 2021-10-05T12:30:35.000Z
The annual [Reuters Institute *Digital News Report*](https://www.reutersagency.com/en/reuters-community/digital-news-report-2021/?utm%5Fcampaign=Event%20DNR%202021%5FANNOUNCE%5FNEW%5FGLOB%5FB2B%5F21Q2&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Eloqua&utm%5Fcontent=B2B%20210623%20NEWS%20GLOB%20DIGITAL%20NEWS%20REPORT%20AWARE%20DNLD) launched [today](https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/trust-in-uk-news-reuters-institute-digital-news-report/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Its tenth edition might well prove to be one of the most pivotal because it’s the first to capture the changed wrought to the media industry by the Covid-19 pandemic. I’ll be unpicking and analysing the report in the coming days, but this morning Reuters held a virtual launch event for the report.
Here are my notes both from the summary delivered by [Nic Newman](https://www.ox.ac.uk/news-and-events/find-an-expert/nic-newman?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), the report’s lead author, and from a fascinating panel discussion that followed.
## Nic Newman’s key findings
Well, that was one hell of a year, wasn't it? Nic Newman did a good job of rounding up the key findings before the panel discussion kicked off. Some of the story was familiar: the pandemic has accelerated the decline of print. Online, it’s been more of a mixed bag. Some brands are up and some down, but large, trusted news brands did disproportionally well. There are strong signs of a consolidation of news power in a few big players.
There’s some good news: globally, journalists aren’t the people the public are most worried about in the spread of false news, for example. Politicians are seen as being more responsible.
### Polarisation patterns in news
Nic also talked briefly about the work they’ve done in polarisation in news. There are some notable disparities. People on the political right in the US and Germany feel news coverage is unfair, while in the UK it’s people on the left most likely to think it’s biased against them. Globally, young women feel coverage is less fair. And even within countries, there’s a marked geographical split. Trust in news decline markedly the further north you move in England, for instance. That looks like the consequence of a media industry so concentrated in London to me.
And people are paying for news: 21% of people in the US, and 28% are paying in Norway. The UK is low at 8% — most people here are still reluctant to pay.
> Fewer people pay for online news in the UK (8%) than in the US (21%), France (11%), Germany (9%), Ireland (16%), Italy (13%), Norway (45%), Spain (12%). The BBC effect... [#DNR21](https://twitter.com/hashtag/DNR21?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Sarah Marshall (@SarahMarshall) [June 23, 2021](https://twitter.com/SarahMarshall/status/1407622349730549760?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Norway is a fascinating outlier: 57% of subscribers pay for a local publication in Norway — while it’s just 3% in the UK! Some Norwegians are paying for both local and national news subscriptions.
## Panel Discussion
### Panel:
- [Roula Khalaf](https://www.ft.com/roula-khalaf?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), editor, *Financial Times*
- [Naja Nielsen](https://twitter.com/najanielsen2?lang=en&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), digital director, *BBC News*
- [Rosalia Lloret](https://twitter.com/rlloret?lang=en&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), CEO, *elDiario.es*
- [Alexandra Föderl-Schmid](https://twitter.com/foederlschmid?lang=en&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), deputy editor-in-chief, *Süddeutsche Zeitung*
- **Chair**: [Ed Williams](https://www.edelman.co.uk/insights/ed-williams?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), president and CEO, Edelman EMEA
### Media in a pandemic age
Roula Khalaf kicked off the discussion by harking back to the early days of the pandemic, a year ago, when they did see a collapse in circulation and advertising. The pandemic has reinforced that the future is digital — but without killing print, she suggested. Their weekend print sales *rose* and continue to rise. She suggests that the stable state is looking like a smaller weekday circulation, with a larger and growing circulation on weekends.
This is quite fascinating: my instinct is that we’re seeing people choosing to retreat to print at weekends, as an escape from a working life that is entirely screen-centric. The pandemic has been going on long enough that this might very well become an established habit.
Digital subs are also still strong at the *FT*, with a big jump in digital advertising, that was a surprise to Khalaf.
### Local resurgence
Lloret described huge growth in traffic to their Covid-related pages. But their local coverage — from their 13 regional editions — was also significant, as people looked for information *specifically* about where they lived. This, coupled with the Norway figures above, suggests strongly to me that the problem isn’t the demand for local news — it’s the way we’re supplying it now.
> During the pandemic our women readership grew, says [@rlloret](https://twitter.com/rlloret?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) from [@eldiarioes](https://twitter.com/eldiarioes?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) at [#DNR21](https://twitter.com/hashtag/DNR21?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) launch event - now 51% women whereas before it was more men than women - v interesting and it would be great to know more!
>
> — Emma Goodman (@Emmamagoodman) [June 23, 2021](https://twitter.com/Emmamagoodman/status/1407618455902244867?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
A similar story of increased interest in local information emerged from Nielsen’s comments. “Before the pandemic, I had people asking me if news was still important,” she said. “The pandemic has changed that. Our awareness of the global struggle against the virus is down to journalism. We should be proud of ourselves.”
BBC News has grown from being used by 30% of the population weekly to 40%. Younger people and non-traditional news readers have been among the new people added. There were half a billion visits to the BBC’s interactive showing cases by postcode.
> “Digital can offer services that aren’t part of a traditional story. It can provide information that is really useful to *you*.”
### Two Tier News?
There was an understandable caution about a news world dominated by a few, expensive big news players, which Newman’s research suggests is emerging.
As Khalaf put it: “Are we moving into a world with a few dominant news organisations trusted by most, but which others are suspicious about, because of their power?”
It appears to be the case — and that will leave out those who can’t afford those news sources.
She saw some hope in the streaming TV model: if we do move into a world like video streaming where you get subscriptions to several services, you’re getting a broader range of views. The challenge is in reaching younger audiences and preparing them to be the subscribers of the future. “We have to go to them,” she said.
The *FT* has a schools programme, which offers them free access. They have similar programmes for universities. They are also considering an “FT Select” app, which gives a smaller selection of news to a wider group of people, more cheaply.
### Audience Engagement growth
One consistent theme was a need for an increased focus on audience engagement, as we switch to a reader revenue model.
“We have to be present on social media,” said Khalaf. “Why do we have such a big audience engagement department? We need to be there. We have young journalists who are becoming stars, like [John Burn-Murdoch](https://www.ft.com/john-burn-murdoch?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Data attracts young audiences. Cool, edgy video attracts young audiences. Podcasts are important for reaching people in the US.”
This was echoed by Föderl-Schmid, who was adamant that we need to be more engaged with our readers — and that we can’t afford to be a one-way channel of communications.
“We, as editors, need to answer questions from our readers,” she said. “It’s an important step to get our readers involved in our ecosystem, to keep them as readers and subscribers.”
### Facing the post-pandemic future
Nielsen cautioned that the pandemic was not yet over: people have been and are still afraid for their lives in some countries. But that’s provided a damn good reason for them to look for information. And she found a lesson in that:
> “We’ve not taken the readers’ needs seriously enough. We’ve not been willing enough to move the resources around to serve reader needs.”
> We have to be more curious than ever before about the real needs of the audience - really knowing what they need and getting it to them when they need it, says [@NajaNielsen2](https://twitter.com/NajaNielsen2?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) from [@BBCNews](https://twitter.com/BBCNews?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) at [#DNR21](https://twitter.com/hashtag/DNR21?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) launch event
>
> — Emma Goodman (@Emmamagoodman) [June 23, 2021](https://twitter.com/Emmamagoodman/status/1407627050173796354?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Föderl-Schmid was optimistic about the future, and more so than she has been in recent years, despite the fall in circulation.
“It was a good crisis for media companies because it really accelerated the trend to digital subscriptions,” she said. “Our challenge now is to keep those new readers — and to bring in new, young readers for the sake of our democracy.”
Lloret concurred:
> “This focus on reader revenue is going to continue, and that’s good. We can concentrate on the quality of content to convince readers to become subscribers.”
> The Reuters [#DNR21](https://twitter.com/hashtag/DNR21?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) is as insightful as ever but this narrative from many on panel that the pandemic has been a "good crisis" for media is odd. Yes, trust and audiences are up but beyond heavily established media in tiny no. of markets, media revenues globally are in deep crisis. [https://t.co/j0LA43v45t](https://t.co/j0LA43v45t?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — JamesMDeane (@JamesMDeane) [June 23, 2021](https://twitter.com/JamesMDeane/status/1407627662739247105?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
You can:
- [Download the *Digital News Report 2021*](https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2021-06/Digital%5FNews%5FReport%5F2021%5FFINAL.pdf?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) direct from the Reuters Institute.
- Explore it [through an interactive](https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2021/interactive?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- Listen to [a podcast about it](https://open.spotify.com/episode/2eJ1gqJjRFabqWYDX56Jwa?si=gTH4y-oCQZGW%5F7J74miMFA&dl%5Fbranch=1&ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- Or even watch this short video:
### The big shift in SEO
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/06/the-big-shift-in-seo/
Last updated: 2021-07-01T12:39:25.000Z
Search has changed more in the last few years than in the previous decade. It's time to shift your thinking.
_This post is for paying subscribers only._
### A feast of audience engagement reading
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/06/a-feast-of-reading/
Last updated: 2021-06-22T09:00:40.000Z
If you've ever been a freelancer, you will be familiar with the famine/feast cycle of the work-style. (If you've been or are a freelancer and you've only ever experienced the feast side of that equation, I hate you, but only because I'm jealous.) Happily, I'm passing through the feast side right now, and I'm pretty much well booked up until the summer. And last week, in particular, I barely had time to look up from my desk.
However, that means a few things around the edges have been neglected — including my personal reading and writing. Having hit a few deadlines, I've actually had time to start going through my rather terrifying backlog of open tabs, and here are a few choice cuts that I've encountered so far that might be useful for you. They're broken down into topics for easy browsing
---
## SEO — death of AMP, Google News Showcase goes desktop
A few people have asked me to write about the Core Web Vitals update that Google's implementing — I will get to that soon. However, in the meantime, here's one core (ho, ho) fact that you need to know: AMP ceases to be a requirement for appearing in the news carousel.
The upside of this is that it might well now be better focusing developer time on making your mobile pages better, rather than building out AMP and the separate set of pages that requires.
[Google AMP is dead! AMP pages no longer get preferential treatment in Google searchFrom the release of the page experience algorithm, there is no longer any preferential treatment for AMP in Google’s search results, Top Stories carousel and the Google News.Plausible AnalyticsMarko Saric](https://plausible.io/blog/google-amp?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
This is an interesting change. I still remain sceptical about how much traffic Google News (as opposed to the News element that gets extruded into the carousel) *actually* drives — but if you're seeing significant traffic from it, this is worth paying attention to:
[Google News Showcase now available on desktop, adds enhanced panels on mobileIf your publishing site is lagging on desktop, make sure to give it some attention as this update could drive more desktop traffic,Search Engine LandCarolyn Lyden](https://searchengineland.com/google-news-showcase-now-available-on-desktop-adds-enhanced-panels-on-mobile-348845?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Instagram — the algorithm (somewhat) explained
_This post is for subscribers only._
### Apple closes down open rate tracking
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/06/apple-closes-down-open-rate-tracking/
Last updated: 2021-10-05T12:30:19.000Z
Well, I’m not sure that I’ve ever written a blog post that dated as fast [as yesterday’s](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/06/an-engaged-newsletter-audience-is-better-than-a-big-one/). Apple is holding its annual developer conference WWDC online again this year, and it kicked off with a keynote yesterday.
And guess what [they announced](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/06/apple-advances-its-privacy-leadership-with-ios-15-ipados-15-macos-monterey-and-watchos-8/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)?
> In the Mail app, Mail Privacy Protection stops senders from using invisible pixels to collect information about the user. The new feature helps users prevent senders from knowing when they open an email, and masks their IP address so it can’t be linked to other online activity or used to determine their location.
Translation: say goodbye to open rate tracking.
Now, there has been a pushback against it for a while. Some email providers — [like Hey](https://www.hey.com/spy-trackers/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — already block the tracking pixels by default. [David Mattin](https://newworldsamehumans.substack.com/) reminded me of this when I was last cleaning up my list. Some people consider it a gross intrusion of privacy, and some a vital piece of intelligence on what your users like. I guess we know which side Apple has come down on.
## Secrets and Pixels
Sound good, unless you're a newsletter publisher
So, what’s actually happening here? Apple will be intelligently spotting and blocking the tracking pixels used to record opens in emails. When you open an emial with a pixel embedded, it's downloaded from the newsletter software provider's server, letting them know that the email was opened and, because the pixels are unqiue, by whom.
Blocking that process will mean that email opens from anyone using the official mail apps on Apple devices will no longer show once they upgrade to the 2021 versions of the various operating systems. It will look to your newsletter software like users of those devices never open your emails.
There’s a possibility that Apple won’t turn this on by default — but that seems unlikely [given their track record](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/04/apple-just-changed-the-ad-market-forever/) on this.
Still, it’s worth remembering that this will *only* apply to people using Apple’s own mail apps. Using Gmail or the web or the Gmail app? Tracking will still work. Using Outlook? The Substackerati will still know if you’ve opened their email. Indeed, if your open tracking uses a system other than tracking pixels, it might still work — and no doubt, people will find ways of doing it, and then Apple will shut those down, too.
And that means that a chunk of recorded opens are about to go away for most newsletter publishers. One of the single clearest signals of how well we’re meeting their needs will become ever more inaccurate. From some time in the Autumn, you’re going to have very little idea if people on Apple devices, and the iPhone in particular, I would imagine, are opening your emails. And, for most of us, that will be a significant chunk of our audience.
So, if you follow my advice from yesterday, you’ll be unsubscribing iPhone users who might well be opening every single email you sent. You probably shouldn’t do that. So, uh, ignore what I said yesterday, if you’re reading this in late 2021 or later.
### What to do?
So, some advice:
1. Clean up your mailing lists while you still can.
2. Look for other signals of email engagement: for example, you could use campaign tracking on links in emails.
Now, you can probably work out some approximation of open rate tracking. Look at your web analytics, estimate what proportion of your audience aren’t using Apple devices, and scale the open rates based on that.
But, yeah, open rate tracking is about to get very unwell. Ah, well. It was nice while it lasted.
---
- Matt Taylor has a good piece looking at the [technical underpinning of what's probably happening.](https://tk.gg/posts/apple-mail-privacy-is-lazy?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### An engaged newsletter audience is better than a big one
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/06/an-engaged-newsletter-audience-is-better-than-a-big-one/
Last updated: 2021-06-08T08:09:23.000Z
---
**UPDATE: 8th June 2021.** Apple just made a major announcement that changes some aspects of this post. From late 2021 Apple email clients will [no longer allow open rate tracking](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/06/apple-closes-down-open-rate-tracking/).
---
[Om Malik](https://ckarchive.com/b/r8u8hohr892x?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) on rethinking his newsletter:
> I don’t have anything to sell — my reward for writing and sharing is your time and attention. If I find that you have not read the last dozen emails sent to your inbox, I will assume you are not keen on what I have to say. You will automatically be unsubscribed. I am not interested in building the biggest community — only one that is thoughtful and engaged.
While the first clause isn't true for me here — you *can* subscribe for extra content — the rest of it very much matches my philosophy. Inactive subscribers *do* get unsubscribed. I don't want to be cluttering up the in-boxes of people who really aren't particularly interested in what I have to say, and so, people who haven't opened emails in months do get quietly unsubscribed.
*(It's worth noting that there's also a technical reason for doing that — too many unopened emails can lead some spam-filtering systems to decide that your newsletter is looking, well, spammy…)*
In an age of information abundance, attention is precious. As long as people consider what I have to say worth their attention, I will be writing for them here is one form or another. But equally, I don't want to growth hack my way to big numbers, many of whom never care enough to open the email with any regularity.
## Adding a newsletter changes your site
Delivering *OM&HB* as a newsletter after writing this damn site for 18 years has changed how I write it and think about it. Now it's a “push” medium (it comes to you), I spend more time thinking “how does this serve my readers?” than I used to. Back when the site was “just” a blog, I worried less about that. I wrote something interesting to me, and assumed people would share it around if they found it interesting.
By giving me their email and granting me access to their inbox, people — you — have trusted me with a regular sliver of their — your — attention. I think it behoves those of us producing newsletters to think very carefully about that. That's a big affirmation of trust I've been granted. I don't have to send every post on the site as an email; at the time of writing I'm of two minds about whether this will go out as one. I need to be sure that the emails I *do* sent will be ones that you'll be glad you got — and you they don't get annoyed that I excluded some posts from the emails, too.
### Messy, human audiences
Photo by [Elisa Ventur](https://unsplash.com/@elisa%5Fventur?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)
This is messy, complex, human stuff, but we're writing for humans, and so we need to pay attention to it. Audiences are diverse things, and sometimes creating an audience is a careful and delicate negotiation between creator and consumer about what the right balance of attention, time and content will be.
As the email in-box becomes a battleground for attention, *anyone* writing newsletters is going to have to think very hard about the value they are delivering, and the relationships they're building.
I occasionally drop an email to people who unsubscribe asking why — often the reason they give is just email overwhelm, and the assumption that they'll come across anything good I write in other ways. That's a fair call. Hard to argue with that. But equally, when people give very specific reasons, that can be invaluable, if not easy, feedback.
## Refining your sense of audience
Thinking about open rates and unsubscribe rates can help you refine that sense of what works for people in their in-box. But it won't tell you everything. That why having that level of qualitative feedback is vital, too.
The two of them together will help you hone your sense of exactly what works in a newsletter, for the style of audience you are trying to reach.
That doesn't mean that you can't go on publishing things that don't seem to work in newsletters, just that you'll have to find other ways of getting attention to them. And that's harder work than it is in a “push” medium, as a certain former president of the United States just found out.
But that's fodder for another post.
### Journalism needs its own post-COVID inquiry
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/05/journalism-needs-its-own-post-covid-enquiry/
Last updated: 2021-06-23T10:52:30.000Z
Yesterday's session with [former UK government advisor Dominic Cummings](https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/downing-street-braced-as-dominic-cummings-appears-in-front-of-mps-to-attack-boris-johnson-over-covid-response?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) before a seven-hour joint session of the Commons Heath, and Science and Technology committees dominated my Twitter feed, many of my podcasts and, if I was to be honest, a significant chunk of my own attention.
Lurking in the background, but easily forgotten in the rush to cover and discuss the big UK politics story of the day, was that they were looking into how government made decisions that had consequences for the lives of *everyone* in the country. And, more to the point, that they were failing to make decisions in a way that quite possibly cost thousands of lives.
It wasn't just today's story. It was something that was unpicking a period of time that had profound consequences for many.
> Those of us who got Covid bad aren’t watching this stuff with Cummings as if it’s a Westminster soap opera. This is why we nearly died and thousands more did.
>
> — Michael Rosen 💙💙🎓🎓 (@MichaelRosenYes) [May 26, 2021](https://twitter.com/MichaelRosenYes/status/1397472182461140995?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
How much of the reporting reflected that? Some sites rose to the challenge. For example, Kate Proctor [contextualised it well for PoliticsHome](https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/bereaved-covid19-families-describe-painful-and-bleak-listening-to-cummings-evidence-on-pandemic?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), as did [Robert Booth for *The Guardian*](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/may/26/covid-bereaved-react-to-dominic-cummings-evidence?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
But pieces like these are still the exception, not the rule. Good journalism often requires walking a fine line between detaching yourself from the story enough to write it objectively, while also keeping in mind that we're talking about people with real lives and relationships. Often, those poor decisions we make when we stray onto the wrong side of the line stick in people's minds for years afterwards, eroding trust in what we do.
Earlier in the week, I had an optician appointment. She asked me what I did — and when I talked about my work, she rapidly brought the subject around to [Milly Dowler](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14017661?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) and the alleged hacking of her phone. That's a story about a (still unproven) offensively bad journalistic decision that's nearly two decades old, and yet resonates with people today. Yes, [*The Guardian* corrected that story](https://theconversation.com/why-the-guardians-correction-wont-change-your-mind-about-milly-dowler-4783?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), but nobody remembers *that* part (myself included, in fact — thanks to [Charlotte](https://twitter.com/charlotteahenry?s=21&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) for reminding me).
The pursuit of the story does not justify everything in the minds of our audiences. And they do not forget when we make big mistakes.
## The story isn't everything
[Charlotte Henry](https://contentisqueen.substack.com/p/how-journalism-failed-in-the-pandemic?r=2hwy&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=copy) wrote about the disconnection that can happen when journalists have their eye on the story, but not the people it can impact, in a recent edition of her newsletter:
> While many journalists have worked exhausting hours in difficult circumstances to keep people informed about the COVID-19 pandemic, the glee with which too many others have relayed this ongoing dystopian nightmare is stomach-churning and disrespectful to readers and viewers. The journalists may be getting a thrill from covering 'the biggest story of their lifetime,' but those consuming it are often worried about their finances, their health, their future, their families... or just plain bored.
This is, and was, counter-productive. Within months of the start of the pandemic, the Reuters Institute found evidence of [a surge in news avoidance](https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/initial-surge-news-use-around-coronavirus-uk-has-been-followed-significant-increase-news-avoidance?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). It's not just the conspiracy theorist that believe we had a role in stoking fear. Many more people in the reality-based community will remember the time that bad news was coming at them relentlessly and inescabaly, when they badly needed distraction just to cope.
We, for a while, failed them.
## Who is news for?
Nearly a decade ago, Joanna Geary (now [a big-shot at Twitter](https://twitter.com/JoannaG?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)) [linked to a quote by Rupert Murdoch](http://www.joannageary.com/2012/02/01/rupert-murdoch-quotes/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) of all people, that resonated with her then, and still resonates with me now:
> “I can’t tell you how many papers I have visited where they have a wall of journalism prizes — and a rapidly declining circulation. This tells me the editors are producing news for themselves — instead of news that is relevant to their customers. A news organization’s most important asset is the trust it has with its readers — a bond that reflects the readers’ confidence that editors are looking out for their needs and interests.”
(The [full submission is archived here](https://www.centreforjournalism.co.uk/blogs/rupert-murdoch-town-crier-bloggers-how-will-journalism-survive-internet-age-full-text?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).)
I've been banging on about the dangers of serving a “platonic ideal of news” for, oh God, [over a decade](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2011/08/nostalgia%5Fis%5Fnot%5Fa%5Fviable%5Fapproach%5Fto%5Fjo/). But this is a very real example of how dangerous it can be. Getting seduced into the adrenaline rush of the biggest story of many of our lifetimes is easy. Remembering that we serve readers — real, living, human beings with emotional needs as well as informational ones — is hard.
But if we're serious about the shift to reader revenue and membership models, we need to get much better at doing so. Those relationships are based on trust, and a sense that the jorunalists have the readers' best interests at heart. While the desperate need for information duringa. pandemic did lead to a subs boom in some quarters, maintaining those subscribers will require a very different set of journalism, as we edge towards the end of the pandemic.
## The self-inquiry into journalism in the pandemic
I wonder if the industry is capable of doing what the UK system of government is trying to do right now: put itself through a period of self-examination about what it did and how it served the public during the pandemic. Some parts of the media will come out of it well. The much-maligned “trades” — the B2B sector — often rose to the challenge, getting the information their readers needed, or, in the case of the medical titles catering to doctors, nurses and health service professional, often leading the reporting on what was happening.
Many consumer titles responded by forming communities, to help readers (and the mags themselves) survive the lockdown by focusing on the things they loved.
But, I would argue, too many of the mainstream news titles were too slow to realise that many people couldn't cope with relentless bad news about hospitalisations and deaths being pushed at them in push notifications and newsletters, with no easy escape hatch.
Many got there in the end, with the rise of “good news” newsletters, and more prominence for the COVID-free sections of the site. But let's see if we can take the time, once the pandemic passes, to figure out what we did wrong, and make sure we don't make the same mistakes again.
---
## Digital Journalism and Online Culture
Talking of Cummings and his evidence, the tagline of this blog has long been “digital journalism and online culture”. If you ever wanted evidence of how entwined the two are, I present this for your edification:
[Dominic Cummings References Spider-Man-Pointing Meme To ParliamentDominic Cummings has become a major political figure in British politics in recent years. Seen as the principal figure in the Vote Leave campaign over Brexit, and played by Benedict Cumberbatch in the subsequent Channel 4 drama, he was brought into government when Boris Johnson was elected Prime Min…Bleeding Cool News And RumorsRich Johnston](https://bleedingcool.com/comics/dominic-cummings-references-spider-man-pointing-meme-to-parliament/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## Quick Links
- ❤️ Facebook now offering the ability to [hide like counts on both Facebook and Instagram](https://about.fb.com/news/2021/05/giving-people-more-control/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). The “social proof” aspect of this feature has been instrumental to the growth of the platforms — but may be one of the single most damaging aspects of them. This does feel like too little, too late — and smacks a little of pulling up the ladder after themselves.
- 🎤 Casey Newton talks to Instagram, who (unsurprisingly) [disagree with my take](https://www.platformer.news/p/instagrams-big-likes-anticlimax?r=2hwy&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=copy).
- 🕵🏻♂️ Influencers are being [approached to spread misinformation about vaccines](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/may/25/influencers-say-russia-linked-pr-agency-asked-them-to-disparage-pfizer-vaccine?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Easy to do, big reach, flies under a lot of people's radar. Chilling.
- 👻 Lovely to see Isabelle move *Borderline* from Substack to Ghost, and create a [great new version of her site](https://www.borderlinepod.com/welcome-to-the-new-borderline/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) in the process.
---
## Tweet of the Day
> Another thought on Facebook [@OversightBoard](https://twitter.com/OversightBoard?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com): they made the same recommendations many have for years while receiving a 6-figure salary & are applauded. Scholars+activists undoubtedly helped educate & influence them. Many took risks to speak out, without making big $. Don’t @ me.
>
> — Yael Eisenstat (@YaelEisenstat) [May 8, 2021](https://twitter.com/YaelEisenstat/status/1391179498205425668?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
The search box up the top of the page is (finally) live. You can now search through 18 years' worth of posts whenever the mood takes you!
Searching on One Man & His Blog
---
## Quote(s) of the Day
[Freddie deBoer](https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/p/you-still-cant-sit-with-us?r=2hwy&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=copy) (Substacker, controversial (funny how often those two go together), has done at least [one Really Bad Thing](https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/p/statement), writes *really* interestingly) on the mainstream media backlash against the creator economy:
> People who are not just not insiders but actively exiled are making a lot of money selling their opinions directly. Worse, precisely because of that bundling function of publications, many of those who are struggling to make ends meet with journalism careers do not have the kind of individual names that they could use to write independently. I think this drives much of the anti-Substack animosity, honestly.
This, from the same piece, is also an astute observation:
> I would add that the endless use of tired phrases (“when you are not mad,” “the friends we made along the way,” “thank you for coming to my TED talk”) is not generally undertaken to actually amuse. It indicates in-group status; it aligns one with a particular tribe. But either way, the experience for the reader is the same: most everybody in media uses very similar humor in a way that shrinks the possibility for surprise, which is an essential element of something being funny. It’s all the same shit.
Thank you for coming to Freddie's TED talk. 😇
### Five things worth reading this evening
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/05/five-things-worth-reading-this-evening/
Last updated: 2021-05-26T16:50:59.000Z
## For all its problems, the internet is good for us
Ah, it's been a good long while since a link to a Jeff Jarvis post appeared on this site. However, I think he's right here. However much that internet has brought bad things into our life and society, it's still a net benefit (haha).
Imagine how the last year would have looked *without* the internet…
It's worth taking the time to remember that — and to think more about how we can preserve the good things while minimising the harms.
[A thank-you note to the net — BuzzMachineI want to say something unpopular and provocative: I am grateful for the internet, especially this year, most especially amid the pandemic that still...BuzzMachineJeff Jarvis](https://buzzmachine.com/2021/05/25/a-thank-you-note-to-the-net/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## A good example of a newsletter as a community around an individual
_This post is for paying subscribers only._
### Cultural jargon is still jargon
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/05/cultural-jargon-is-still-jargon/
Last updated: 2021-06-23T10:52:40.000Z
I can't remember quite such an unsettled period in journalism in the 18 years I've been writing this blog. (Yes, this site is now old enough to go to university — which is rather ironic, given that I haven't set foot in the university where I *actually* teach in over a year now.)
What to make of a plane being essentially [hijacked to detain an independent journalist](https://www.politico.eu/article/on-board-a-hijacked-plane-to-minsk/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), for example? Let's be honest — you don't need my hot take on that. Geopolitical diplomacy and global journalistic freedom are well above my pay grade.
However, it's clear that we are in a period of shifting business models, technology and cultural norms that might well impact on journalistic practice, and that's where I think we need to focus more of our attention. (We're back to the idea of “Trust, Tech and Tools” that I'd planned to explore this spring, before COVID shut the schools again…)
But as we do that, we need to make sure that our conversations remain connected with the concerns of “real” people: those outside our own sphere of media debate.
## 61% of Brits have no idea what “cancel culture” is
For example, there's some [interesting research from Kings in London](https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/public-split-on-whether-woke-is-compliment-or-insult-and-unsure-what-culture-wars-means-despite-huge-surge-in-media-coverage?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) that suggests that the tight concerns of the media clique are not widely shared by the general public:
> 72% report they have either never heard of the term “microaggressions” or have heard of them but know very little, while 61% say the same about both “cancel culture” and “identity politics”, and 54% are similarly unaware of “trigger warnings”.
Now, I'm not denying the importance of discussions about equality, racism and politics. But it's notable that what we might call the jargon of the highly engaged and the extremely online might not be translating to the general public.
## The Culture Whats?
For example, look at “culture wars”, a beloved term of op-ed writers and Substack grandees:
> \[…\] tiny minorities associate culture wars with many of the sorts of issues that have been prominent in UK media coverage of this area: just over 1% link the term to the Black Lives Matter movement or debates over transgender issues, while under 1% make a connection to the removal of statues, for instance.
Apparently writing in polarising terms about transgender rights is great for building a paying Substack following, and pretty terrible for connecting with the general public.
And yet:
> New media content analysis using the Nexis database shows there has been a huge surge in media coverage mentioning “culture wars” in recent years: 808 UK newspaper articles talked about culture wars anywhere in the world in 2020 – up from 106 in 2015\. Even more strikingly, the number of articles focusing on the existence or nature of culture wars *in the UK* has gone from just 21 in 2015 to 534 in 2020.
## The pause before the culture storm
It feels like the UK, unlike perhaps the US, is still in a narrow window where these issues can be brought into a wider public discourse without generating the extreme polarisation we've seen elsewhere. And that presents us, as journalists, with a challenge: do we want to bring the tribal warfare of Twitter to the general public, or do we want to explore the underlying issues in more nuanced ways that might facilitate a more reasonable debate and political resolution?
It's clear that some politicians would just love to import US-style polarisation to the UK (and other countries). Do we aid them? Or do we do out best to keep everyone informed?
And, more to the point, this is perhaps a good reminder that the concerns of the Extremely Online of Twitter are very seductive to the journalists who live online there, but don't always match well with where the general public are, politically or culturally — or even linguistically.
While it's still hard for journalists to avoid Twitter (and they probably shouldn't), it's also worth remembering the simple maxim: you are who you follow. If you lose yourself in the media clique, you'll end up with a distorted view of the world.
## Tinworth's Two Rules of Twitter
1. You are who you follow
2. You are who you amplify
## Quick Links
- 💉 How did Facebook get on with weeding out anti-vaxxer groups? [Oh](https://thenextweb.com/news/facebook-said-it-would-stop-recommending-anti-vaccine-groups-it-didnt-syndication?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 📲 Snapchat's [new Studio app looks interesting](https://techcrunch.com/2021/05/20/snap-announces-story-studio-a-new-standalone-app-to-edit-stories/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Another one in a proliferating field of social media content creator apps.
- 🤬 Paul Bradshaw has compiled some [useful guidance on dealing with online abuse](https://onlinejournalismblog.com/2021/05/24/here-are-8-ideas-for-helping-journalism-students-develop-strategies-to-deal-with-online-abuse/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🔬 Yet another excellent piece from Zeynep Tufecki, looking at how we've become [too quick to dismiss as yet unproven ideas](https://www.theinsight.org/p/checking-facts-even-if-one-cant?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Science is a process, that sometimes plays out over years, and which can lead to what is “known” changing.
- 🦠 A good chaser to the last link: some fantastic journalism on how scientists got it so wrong on aerosol spread of the novel coronavirus. Turns out it's all down to a bad conflation of two ideas 60 years ago, which became dogma…
## The new language of video
This is a really useful breakdown of the new styles of edits that are coming to define social video. It's a *very* different language to traditional video.
[25 Edits That Define the Modern Internet VideoAnd create the vocabulary for an absurd, ingenious art form.VultureRebecca Alter](https://www.vulture.com/2021/05/best-online-videos-tiktok-youtube-vine.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## We know what you did in lockdown
This is one of the most powerful bits of filmmaking as journalism I've seen in a long time. If you click on nothing else in this email, click on this. *(You'll need about 20 minutes. Get yourself a drink first.)*
## And Finally
The tech world keeps throwing itself at smart glasses of various sorts. And they keep failing. I can see why. As someone who has had to wear glasses since I was a pre-schooler, moving to contact lenses was one of the great joys of my life. I still remain sceptical that large numbers of people want to voluntarily wear them for a large chunk of time.
Oh, and these ones look even more ridiculous than usual.
[Snap’s new Spectacles let you see the world in augmented realitySnap announced augmented-reality Spectacles, the fourth generation of its headset. It uses dual waveguide displays to show AR Lens effects that you can record and upload to Snapchat.The VergeAlex Heath](https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/20/22445481/snap-spectacles-ar-augmented-reality-announced?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Substack buys in community management expertise
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/05/substack-buys-in-community-management-expertise/
Last updated: 2021-10-05T12:29:47.000Z
### Why does a newsletter platform need community management skills?
Substack has just bought a community management consulting firm. Why, you might reasonably ask, does a newsletter platform care about community management? Simple: one great way to *retain* subscribers is make them feel part of a community. If they stop paying, they lose access to the community, and their relationships with people within it. The intellect might get people to start paying, but the emotional connections keep them shelling out.
Those of you who have been reading this site for over a decade will know that there's one very consistent theme in my work: we shouldn't just be building *audiences,* we should be building *communities* around our journalism.
### Journalism builds Community builds Subscriptions
From my work with RBI's community editors in 2006 to the name of one of the modules I co-teach at City (with *Vogue*'s Sarah Marshall), *Social*, *Community and Multimedia Management*, the idea that the best journalistic brands generate communities around their journalism is critical to how I view the future of the profession.
It looks like Substack is cottoning on to the idea. One big group of their writers are doing it for themselves: seven of the bigger names have a Discord called [Sidechannel](https://annehelen.substack.com/p/welcome-to-sidechannel). I have some reservations about it: it's going to be hard to manage at scale. But it does show a commitment to not just publishing *at* readers, but building a community *with* them. And some of the authors who are part of the group are doing that in other ways, too, like having open threads on topics. For example, Anne Helen Petersen does [a couple a week](https://annehelen.substack.com/p/friday-thread-what-is-rest/comments?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMTY1MzAsInBvc3RfaWQiOjM2NDAxMjgwLCJfIjoicXQza3UiLCJpYXQiOjE2MjA5ODcyMjcsImV4cCI6MTYyMDk5MDgyNywiaXNzIjoicHViLTI0NTAiLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.1KzLct3v4rWgNfuL96hPEhvggzQmGqvzePhqCy2zcUA) on *Culture Study*.
This is a great way of showing that you care about your readers as more than credit card numbers, and making them feel both involved and valued in the publication. I know it's *de rigeur* to mock “below the line” comments sections — but, if well managed, they can be invaluable. The “well-managed” is obviously doing a lot of work in the previous sentence — but it's at the heart of Substack's move. You need expertise to do it well. And Substack has just bought itself some of that.
### Substack acquires People & Company
The platform itself now wants to support their users in developing community. Substack founder [Hamish McKenzie](https://blog.substack.com/p/growing-the-pie-for-writers?r=2hwy&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=copy):
> To that end, I’m exceedingly happy to report that we’ve just acquired [People & Company](https://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJwlUMtuhDAM%5FJrNrShvwiGHXvobyMReNiokKIQi%5Fr7ZRbJsy6PxaCZApTmXy295r-zdxnpt5BOd-0K1UmHHTmWM6LUQcuCctQ2FM47FfXwWohXi4ms5iG3HtMQANeb0JrjeccNe3qBxBJxMLwYkAT1Y3RsMg9SBmz7csnBgpBTI0x-VKydii3%5FVuu0P9f2QP63O8-w2yttCX5CwC3ltRxa95FJwI5QYRK9MJzpw01Nq9xQae6uknay2gdykHUejAjw0X2fZ7ce0Vwi%5F70-seEBYG3LC8hvTfMb6QkC8PmhzNra5HinWa6QE00J4m653dJ8YxpkSlRYpjlC9sJIPSmln5eBuky0VZZWxg3CsyWNurOSnJc%5F%5FQjmC5g), one of the leading authorities on community-building, to accelerate and celebrate writer success on Substack. (This is what one might call a buried lede.)
Again, this is the VC money behind Substack at work, allowing them to buy people and expertise that will allow them to accelerate growth. They clearly see — rightly, to my mind — community development as an accelerator of growth. Many news businesses who have been developing membership models have discovered the same — it's easier to persuade people to buy into a community of like-minded folks, than just sell them content. But to do this on any scale requires skill and expertise.
We have some sense of how they'll be deploying their new acqui-hires:
> Bailey and People & Company community manager Katie O’Connell (author of a [book](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VMYTMS1/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?%5Fencoding=UTF8&btkr=1&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) about creating community around live music) are building an educational and support infrastructure for writers that will involve workshops, meetups ([here’s one next week](https://lu.ma/get-together?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)), [office hours](https://library.substack.com/p/writer-office-hours-/comments), training sessions, parties, and a hell of a lot more. And Kevin is building out Substack’s services for writers, including programs for [legal support](https://blog.substack.com/p/legal-support-for-substack-writers), health insurance, image libraries, and design. While these programs are starting off as pilots, we will make them more available and accessible to many more writers over time.
It'll be interesting to see who Substack makes these new resources available to over time — and the impact they have.
But this should serve as a reminder to all of us that, if we don't make a community out of our readers, someone else will.
---
*Oh, before I forget, comments are switched back on here at OM&HB. You'll need to sign in with the email address you signed up with, but otherwise, have at it!*
---
## Quick Links
- ✚ Clubhouse has [been using a “troll marker”](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2021/05/clubhouse-has-blocking-problem/618867/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — the polar opposite of the blue verified tick. It's a visible warning that a user has been blocked by lots of other users.
- ✔️ Twitter close to [relaunching verification](https://9to5mac.com/2021/05/13/twitter-reportedly-launching-its-long-awaited-new-verification-program-next-week/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) (but, as many of you are aware, it's still been available via news partnerships).
- 🤖 A fabulous [interactive about AI emotion detection](https://ig.ft.com/emotion-recognition/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) from the *FT*.
- 🌳 [This tool](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/woodland-plan-for-millions-of-trees-will-turn-farms-into-forest-3wsq0t0rm?utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fcampaign=newsletter%5F140&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcontent=140%5F13354969&CMP=TNLEmail%5F3145868%5F13354969%5F140) from *The Times*, showing where we could plant more trees is simple — but that probably hides *a lot* of work.
- 👩🏻💻 JPIMedia hiring [“search and trends” writers](https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2021/news/ten-jobs-created-as-publisher-reveals-digital-workforce-investment/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🦅 I [wrote about ospreys,](https://walkingwithdaddy.com/natures-curious-storytelling-choices/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) because that's a thing I do sometimes
---
## Quote of the Day
[John Naughton](https://memex.naughtons.org/thursday-13-may-2021-2/33748/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> The only drawback I’ve discovered since we bought a Tesla last December is that people hold me personally responsible for Elon Musk, who is by any standards a flake of Cadbury proportions.
---
## Bonus Friday Video
Something to kill a few minutes of Friday afternoon, taking in the beautiful scenery and the calm pace of life.
BRB checking out “move to Iceland” site.
---
## And Finally…
A little bit of *deep* newsletter context for you:
[The Newsletter Boom, 300 Years before Substack | JSTOR DailySome journalists are turning to newsletters to get their work out. But they’re not hand-copying them onto folded paper, like people did in the 1600s.JSTOR DailyLivia Gershon](https://daily.jstor.org/the-newsletter-boom-300-years-before-substack/?utm%5Fcampaign=When%20the%20Going%20Gets%20Weird...&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter)
### Six things I've learnt from newsletters in the last week
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/05/six-things-ive-learnt-from-newsletters-lately/
Last updated: 2021-07-01T12:39:42.000Z
## 1\. Newsletters aren't just about journalism
[Ian Leslie](https://ianleslie.substack.com/p/bidens-bet):
> I came across that passage via [Kevin Kwok](https://twitter.com/kevinakwok?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), one of my favourite online thinkers (as in not a professional writer, not attached to a media institution - the kind of mind I wouldn’t encounter without blogs and Twitter).
This something we often miss in the debates about things like newsletters and journalism: these tools don't just empower journalists, they empower experts and interesting thinkers to publish directly. As Dave Winer put it many years ago, [sources go direct](http://scripting.com/stories/2009/05/15/sourcesGoDirect.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
## 2\. Museums are media businesses now
*Maxwell Museums* on the [National Gallery's five year strategic plan](https://maxwellmuseums.substack.com/p/national-gallery-goes-netflix?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMTY1MzAsInBvc3RfaWQiOjM1Nzg4MzEzLCJfIjoid2FPZTgiLCJpYXQiOjE2MjAxMjI0NjEsImV4cCI6MTYyMDEyNjA2MSwiaXNzIjoicHViLTQ5NzEyIiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.SVYqNAAPLEVqn0KFW7y0SCrtXPKyC4g7NNpCtOfv1wY&utm%5Fsource=substack&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcontent=share):
> The most eye-catching pledge is to transform them into a “digital media organisation” with a “radically bigger digital audience.” There’s even the suggestion they could reach 1 billion people by 2025 (hmmmm).
Yup. Museums are getting into the media business, and will be fighting us for attention. Another pandemic-wrought change to the media landscape. I [did warn you](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/05/the-other-impact-of-covid-19-on-journalism-more-competition-for-attention/)…
## 3\. Am I still a journalist?
[Anna Codrea-Rado](https://www.lance.media/p/am-i-still-a-journalist?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> I want to be able to say I stay in journalism because I believe in the power of the fourth estate. And that I know that the business model will eventually work itself out because democracy will always need journalism. It’s earnest and it’s all true, but I also can’t in good faith pretend that’s the only reason. If I’m really honest with myself, I rattle around in this broken industry because I like being able to call myself a journalist. It’s a huge part of my identity – it’s what makes me, me.
I still think of myself as a journalist. But there are many other words that could be more accurate at this point: trainer, lecturer, consultant… blogger. But I still love journalism, and most of my work revolves around it, so I call myself a journalist.
Am I right to do so?
## 4\. The Facebook Oversight Board starts to flex its muscles
[Alex Kantrowitz](https://bigtechnology.substack.com/p/the-facebook-oversight-board-is-making):
> Instead of rubber-stamping this decision, or overturning it, the board came back to Facebook and essentially said, ‘We can’t find an indefinite suspension anywhere in your rulebook, so make some rules and come back to us.’ In doing so, it pointed out that some of Facebook’s most important content moderation decisions are made on the whims of its leadership, and it told the company to write better policy to prevent that from happening so often.
Some useful analysis here of how the Facebook Oversight Board is trying to make itself more than the fig leaf that Zuckerberg and Clegg clearly want it to be.
## 5\. Newsletters can contain actual journalism
Casey Newton has been probing into what happened during the [public implosion of tech star Basecamp](https://www.platformer.news/p/-how-basecamp-blew-up?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) by doing *actual journalism*:
> This account is based on interviews with six Basecamp employees who were present at the meeting, along with a partial transcript created by employees. Collectively, they describe a company whose attempt to tamp down on difficult conversations blew up in its face as employees rejected the notion that discussions of power and justice should remain off limits in the workplace.
As Charles Arthur [put it](https://theoverspill.blog/2021/05/05/basecamp-meeting-inside-details-start-up-1542/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com#413c4ae36b9d7f577768dcc991561268):
> Newton is doing terrific work; one of the best around in terms of the contacts and context.
## 6\. Newsletters can take us behind the scenes of journalism
Zeynep Tufecki's journalism has been one of the breakout successes of pandemic journalism. In the [latest issue of her newsletter](https://www.theinsight.org/p/the-few-sentences-that-explain-much?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMTY1MzAsInBvc3RfaWQiOjM2MTY2OTMxLCJfIjoiVlpGTEYiLCJpYXQiOjE2MjA2NDczNzAsImV4cCI6MTYyMDY1MDk3MCwiaXNzIjoicHViLTExODQiLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.2wb4bxotfm3zBQvR7W3JZe%5FVncxZYseGMdH-caQ0u3M&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) she takes us deeper into the issues around [her *New York Times* piece](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/07/opinion/coronavirus-airborne-transmission.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> The reasons for this delay go back more than a century, to the fight against (incorrect but prevalent) theories that blame miasma—noxious odors, especially from rotting organic material—for diseases. While trying to counter erroneous but millenia-long folk-beliefs, some of the founders of public health and the field of infectious control of diseases around the world made key errors and conflations around the turn of the 20th century. These errors essentially froze into tradition and dogma that went unchanged and uncorrected for more than a century, until a pandemic forced our hand.
It's like the director's commentary for journalism. Love it.
### There's more to newspapers than news
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/05/theres-more-to-newspapers-than-news/
Last updated: 2021-05-07T13:06:16.000Z
In the 1980s, family life in the Tinworth household was often quite chill on a Sunday. We “took” the *Sunday Times*, and part of the ritual was dividing up the sections amongst the family. I liked the features sections, my Mum the women's sections and the magazine. My brother was straight in on the *Funday Times* and he battled with my Dad over the sport.
A newspaper, despite the name, is a lot more than news. And, if you want to build a sustainable, member revenue-driven business you *need* to understand that. Case in point, the *New York Times* subscriber growth is *down*, but the [source is shifting](https://www.axios.com/new-york-times-subscription-gains-non-news-products-0690d5ea-9d7f-4225-97ce-9822200da996.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> New subscriber growth was weighted much more heavily this quarter towards non-news products than in any other previous quarter in the company’s history. A record 44% of The Times’ new digital subscribers came from non-core news products, like cooking, games and audio, last quarter.
I remember some snark from one of the many (too many) media newsletters I subscribe to about the *NYT* putting so much emphasis on games — including [hiring an editorial director for them](https://www.nytco.com/press/everdeen-mason-joins-the-times-as-editorial-director-for-games/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). It expressed a worry about newspaper losing their focus on, well, news. That missed the point: newspapers (and media generally) have always been about more than *just* news. As audience revenue matures as a business model, you'd do well to think about what connects with your members *emotionally* as well as *intellectually*.
### Also in NYT news
_This post is for subscribers only._
### Twitter is regenerating — time to start paying attention again
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/05/twitter-is-regenerating-time-to-start-paying-attention/
Last updated: 2021-10-05T12:29:35.000Z
Twitter is still fundamentally the same product I started using nearly 15 years ago. The heart of the service is a stream of size-limited text messages from people you follow. Many of the innovations we’ve come to associate with the product — like @replies and retweets — were actually created by users. That timeline has been tweaked, you can shove more kinds of stuff into it now, and the sort of apps we use to access it have changed over the years.
But it’s recognisably the same company, doing the same thing.
That’s in the process of changing. Two pieces of news this week give us the outline of where it’s going, and I want to take a little time to dig into that, and why we should be paying attention.
### This week's Twitter news
Here’s the key changes:
- Twitter’s audio rooms are now available to [anyone with over 600 followers](https://blog.twitter.com/en%5Fus/topics/product/2021/spaces-is-here.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- The company [has acquired Scroll](https://blog.twitter.com/en%5Fus/topics/company/2021/a-better-way-to-publish-and-read-on-twitter.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), a startup based around delivering a better, paid news reading experience to customers.
They point towards a new vision of Twitter. The feed remains central to what it does, but around it are a set of tools that make it easier for users to consume articles and newsletters from creators, and to engage with them in other ways on the platform. Equally, creators who are good at building an audience and keeping their attention on the platform will have new ways to turn that attention into cold, hard cash.
Many platforms have launched themselves off the back of the graph of connections we build on Twitter. Meerkat and Medium did it, and even Substack used high attention followers as a signal to reach out to people with Substack Pro deals. Now — finally — Twitter is getting in on that game itself.
## Going Live on Twitter
Twitter has made Spaces — its Clubhouse-like audio room feature — available to anyone with over 600 followers. This is exciting, as I finally get to play with it usefully. I have four Twitter accounts, and only one of them had access to the feature — the account I never use.
This has potential as a great audience engagement tool, if you already have an active following on the bird site. Big news event happens, go live quickly and easily to discuss it with your followers, building that connection with them, and reinforcing your title as the go-to place for these discussions.
The advantage that Twitter has here is that people are already on Twitter, and can easily jump into the session, by popping their headphones on. With Clubhouse, you have to actively move people over there. Right now, if you want to do more with your followers, generally you need to push them out of Twitter, and into another app (and yes, I’m counting the web as another app in that). Occasionally, that’s desirable — we build a lot of audience engagement on the ability to do that. But equally, we just want to quickly engage with our audience around a key topic — and this is a new tool for delivering that.
### The Clubhouse Question
Meanwhile, Clubhouse’s hype bubble is deflating pretty quickly. Downloads have dropped from 10 m in February to [under a million in April](https://www.imore.com/clubhouse-was-downloaded-fewer-930000-times-april?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). That’s not as bad as it looks — at 10 m downloads a month, you run out of people pretty quickly. But equally, to see growth slowing as competitors emerge is something to watch.
There is, of course, a serious question about the long-term future of the app. After all, the early mobile video live-streaming apps, Periscope and Meerkat, are long gone. Clubhouse could easily suffer the same fate.
Look at it this way: for most people broadcast live video is a tool, not an app. If you want to go live, you go to Facebook or YouTube. However, if you want to build a community and become known for your streaming, you head to Twitch or Discord. That’s the way live audio is heading: for most of us, we’ll go live on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, depending on where we have the connections, and who we’re trying to reach. Clubhouse will have to turn itself into the Twitch of the live audio space.
### Live audio: a tool and a destination?
Meanwhile, I’m really looking forward to seeing what people do with Twitter spaces. Here in the UK, we’re in the midst of a big election day. It’s not a general election, but there are enough votes across the country that it’s going to be taken as a measure of the political landscape right now.
I’m *really* hoping to see some interesting Spaces pop up late in the evening, and into tomorrow as the results come in. After all, nobody owns the intersection of journalism and politics like Twitter…
### An ironic diversion
All of this, amusingly, puts Twitter back into the audio game. What do I mean by “back”? Well, the company that is now Twitter had its roots in a *podcasting startup* called Odeo, that was founded by Ev Williams after he sold Blogger to Google. I thoroughly recommend the book *[Hatching Twitter](https://amzn.to/3vM4tK1?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)* by Nick Bilton if you want to know that story.
## Twitter acquires Scroll and kills Nuzzel
Talking of Ev Williams, it’s clear since Twitter acquired the email platform Revue that it’s building towards a future as a marketplace. The main Twitter feed is a place where readers can discover creators *and* consume their work — and those creators can derive revenue from that. William’s Medium seemed like an obvious play to build value around a Twitter following, but after numerous pivots, the link between the two platforms is all but broken. Time for Twitter to do that itself.
The news that Twitter has bought Scroll, a service that attempted to provide a better rendering experience and revenue to publishers, is a key step towards that revised vision of Twitter. It’s another piece of the toolset that will make it the best place for creators and consumers of written content to meet.
This is all rather disconcerting: social media acquisitions used to be all about the team, or killing competition, but to see Twitter acquiring a coherent set of tools that could radically expand the utility of the core product?
That’s new.
### News as part of your Twitter subscription
Scroll was and is a good idea: charge readers $5 per month, and distribute that among partner publishers whose content they consume. Now, that’s going to be part of Twitter’s forthcoming subscription offering:
> As a Twitter subscriber, picture getting access to premium features where you can easily read articles from your favourite news outlet or a writer’s newsletter from Revue, with a portion of your subscription going to the publishers and writers creating the content.
This has some resonance with Apple News and similar services: it will be [egg white revenue for publishers](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/09/apple-news-plus-success-characterstics/). They’ll still want direct relationships with their most engaged readers, and to develop out their audience revenue models. But this is a way of deriving revenue from people who will never become your direct supporters.
### Publisher pushback
Scroll couldn’t get enough traction with this idea on its own. As the Scroll blog post on the acquisition put it:
> However, we’re not moving fast enough. Every journalist that loses their job, every newsroom sold to unworthy owners diminishes the great conversation of which we are a part. That is why, when Twitter approached us about accelerating our mission we began to get very, very excited.
As [Om Malik suggests](https://om.co/2021/05/04/twitter-scrolls/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), there’s still some resistance to the idea of these sorts of services:
> A lot has to do with the media industry and its bureaucratic disfunction. The fact remains that destination viewing of media is becoming a habit only reserved for a fading generation of readers. Discovery, distribution, and consumption of media have taken on a different meaning. And believe it or not — Twitter is smack in the middle of this Venn diagram.
This Twitter subscription offering is going to be *very* intriguing.
### Nuzzel: requiem for a power-user tool
However, there is one casualty of the deal. Today, Nuzzel dies, and I mourn it.
It was a simple idea, gracefully executed. Peek into the Twitter API (and LinkedIn and Facebook, too), look for links being shared by people you follow, and rank them by number of shares in your network. It was an insanely time-efficient way of catching up with important news, the 21st century equivalent of a cuttings service.
On days when I didn’t have the time to pay attention to Twitter, it was invaluable to me: I could open it and find out which links were getting the most traction in my network, and quickly catch up on the things I needed to know. It made Twitter a valuable resource to me, even when I wasn’t reading or posting there much.
And it’s dead. And I grieve.
I’m far from alone. John Gruber [is mourning it, too](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2021/05/05/nuzzel?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> It’s a remarkably effective way to find good articles. If I had to guess, I’d say I’ve posted thousands of linked list items here on Daring Fireball that discovered via Nuzzel over the years.
He’s also rounded up some quote from tech industry types who will miss it. Two newsletters I used to read regularly — [Mathew Ingram](https://www.getrevue.co/profile/mathewi?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)’s and [Kevin Anderson](https://www.getrevue.co/profile/kevglobal?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)’s — were powered by it, but both have switched to Twitter-owned Revue — and a more manual and time-intensive caution process, I would imagine.
However, there is a glimmer of hope. Here’s Tony Haile, CEO of Scroll, which had acquired Nuzzel some years ago, [on its future](https://blog.nuzzel.com/nuzzel-is-going-away-for-now/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> \[…\] Twitter has spun up an internal team of Nuzzel acolytes whose goal is to take the best of the Nuzzel experience and build it directly into Twitter. Nuzzel users who are interested in helping us define what that should look like or get early access to what we build should [sign up here](https://scroll.com/nuzzel?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
For some of us — the news power-users and creators — that would be a service worth the Twitter subscription fee on its own.
## Twitter quick links
- 🎧 Oooh, [a podcast from Twitter research](https://blog.twitter.com/en%5Fus/topics/company/2021/i-wish-i-knew-podcast.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 😌 Is this an attempt by Twitter to bring [some social cooling](https://blog.twitter.com/en%5Fus/topics/product/2021/tweeting-with-consideration.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) to the platform?
- 🌄 [Big pictures pretty](https://petapixel.com/2021/05/05/rejoice-twitter-finally-rolls-out-full-size-images-in-mobile-feeds/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
## And Finally…
I have nothing useful to add to the Trump/Facebook/Oversight Board discussion. But this did make me laugh…
> Today I’ll be mostly sifting through the many, many Trump/Oversight Board takes (good and bad) for a special edition of tomorrow’s newsletter. Please keep me in your thoughts at this tough time [https://t.co/SqnMyIVo5n](https://t.co/SqnMyIVo5n?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Ben Whitelaw (@benwhitelaw) [May 6, 2021](https://twitter.com/benwhitelaw/status/1390196457748193280?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Local news, for local people, by local creators (sponsored by Facebook)
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/05/local-news-for-local-people-by-local-creators-sponsored-by-facebook/
Last updated: 2021-05-04T12:21:05.000Z
## Where Substack leads, Facebook follows
Hot on the heels of [Substack's local journalism initiative](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/04/six-thoughts-about-the-substack-local-initiative/), [Facebook arrives](https://www.facebook.com/journalismproject/apply-platform-independent-writers), bearing a big old stack of cash. This looks like great news if you're into rebuilding local news in the US — yes, this is a US-only initiative despite my distinctly British *League of Gentlemen* image above — from the ground up:
> We’re committing $5 million to support local journalists interested in starting or continuing their work on our new platform for independent writers which you can learn more about [here](https://www.facebook.com/formedia/supporting-independent-voices).
However, as a careful reading of the above quote will show, this is not a completely altruistic move (any more than Substack's is). Facebook *requires* you to use its tools as part of the deal. As always, I have questions about how portable Facebook-based subscriptions will be, and I'd always recommend that people take this money with their eyes firmly open to the degree to which it ties them a singular platform.
_This post is for subscribers only._
### Why newsletters won't kill newspapers
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/04/why-newsletters-wont-kill-newspapers/
Last updated: 2021-05-10T16:03:00.000Z
If you watch the media world for long enough, you'll see a clear cycle: everything will first save and then kill journalism. Newsletters will be the saviour of journalism! No, they will be its destroyer!
We're in the latter phase of that cycle right now, with one piece predicting that Substack pulling away the big name writers will undermine the business models of many newspapers. Personality columnists [sell subscriptions by making the publication distinct](https://slate.com/business/2021/04/substack-media-new-york-times-subscriptions-poaching.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), argues Will Oremus for *Slate*:
> It’s those personalities that Substack is going after and poaching. By definition, the people thriving on Substack are the very sort whose work gets readers to pull out their credit cards and subscribe. The threat it poses to news, then, is best understood as an economic one. And that leaves media companies with two choices: find ways to compete with Substack or rethink what it is that they offer that Substack can’t or won’t.
That's a possibility, for sure. But there are two things we should consider before we go down that line of thinking:
- Is this really how things will play out?
- Is it a bad thing if they do go that way?
Let's explore those.
### We're very early in this game.
At the moment, the game for Substack is to get its name out there, and define itself as *the* place to start a newsletter. Its technology is not particularly unique, not hard to replicate. You can do what it offers with [Ghost](https://ghost.org/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), or [Buttondown](https://buttondown.email/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), or [Revue](https://www.getrevue.co/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
So, how is it spending its VC cash? To bring in big name writers that deliver huge publicity for them, and which have captured the newsletter mindshare for the Substack brand. Why do they need that mindshare? For their model to work, they're going to need a good number of big successes, and a bigger number of middling successes. And to get those, they're going to need a huge number of newsletters that never become profitable, or generate significant revenue. The more bets on the table, the more that will be winners.
Yes, it's a funnel model: encourage more and more people in the top end of the funnel by making a big fuss of the successes at the bottom of it. It's worked for YouTube, where there are tens of thousands of creators desperately trying to get the success they see a handful achieving. Substack is accelerating that process by priming their model with people who have existing audiences likely to pay.
So, yes, right now it's pundit-a-palooza. But that *should* shift over time, as people take the model and use it for more traditional journalism. For [all my reservations](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/04/six-thoughts-about-the-substack-local-initiative/) about their Substack Local initiative, it's clearly a move in the right direction. Newsletters are a great way of delivering journalism straight to paying subscribers at a low technical and audience development overhead. If it's all pundits, all the time, Substack and its competitors will have failed.
### Is this a bad thing?
Even if Substack does end up top-slicing the best pundits — does that really matter? The blurring of reporting and opinion has not been a healthy one for trust in newspapers. The atomising effect of the web means that people no longer see opinion pieces in the context of a newspaper, they see them as individual web pages, with the news brand's name at the top.
That erodes both the separation of news and opinion, and the sense of a diversity of views under one news umbrella. One well-shared piece all too easily becomes the newspaper's fixed view on a matter in some people's minds. This problem seems to be at least partially behind the *New York Times*'s [move away from the term “op-ed”](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/26/opinion/nyt-opinion-oped-redesign.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> Editorials will still be called editorials, but the articles written by outside writers will be known as “Guest Essays,” a title that will appear prominently above the headline.
That makes it much clearer what you're reading is not the view of the *NYT*. Could the same changes be coming to some of their columnists?
Is punditry the sort of content that will keep growing your subscriber base? I've seen research that suggests not. So, perhaps this unbundling is a two-fold opportunity:
- Step away from punditry as the defining characteristic of journalism
- Free up money to convert casual readers into paying subscribers.
### Filling the talent pipeline
And, for that matter, it might open up some room at the top for some new and emerging voices. As [Mandy Jenkins puts it](https://zombiejournalism.com/2021/04/losing-writers-to-substack-isnt-so-bad/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) :
> This might be a crazy thought, but what if this is a good thing? I’m sure these folks’ columns masquerading as reporting get good pageviews, or else they wouldn’t have gone independent. But so what? I would bet that every newsroom that has lost some superstar white dude has many more talented writers and interesting personalities in its ranks that could become big stars.
Time to invest in your talent pipeline.
_This post is for subscribers only._
### Performative power versus persuasive dialogue on social media
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/04/performative-power-versus-persuasive-dialogue-on-social-media/
Last updated: 2021-05-14T11:00:47.000Z
Ezra Klein's [latest podcast](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/27/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-cancel-culture.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) is one of his best in his post-*Vox* period. He leads a discussion about the phenomenon of social media “cancellation” with two people who have been through the process. One was cancelled by the right, one by the left. And, despite the nature of the people he's talking to, you don't come out with anything as simplistic as “cancel culture is bad, m'kaaay…?”, but a really interesting delve into both the benefits and downsides of this form of group justice — or retribution — expressed through social media.
One of the delights of podcasts is that, with a good discussion, you get the most obvious points out of the way early on, and then dive into the much more interesting weeds later. For example, here they pass through the rather pedestrian observation that “cancel culture” is a form of mob justice quickly, and then dig into the psychology and effectiveness of the technique in achieving political change.
### Performance versus persuasion
In particular, they spend a lot of time examining the roles of performance and persuasion in social media pile-ons. In effect, (and yes, I'm over-simplifying here) once you have reached the pile-on, any attempt to persuade is out of the window; you're just punishing the deviation from the norm, and performing your own virtue, which leads to status within your own political tribe.
Never underestimate humanity's ability to turn *anything* into an opportunity to display status and power.
One of the more interesting ideas explored is that there's no room on social media to take someone quietly aside, and explore with them why something they've said might be causing problems. That opportunity for dialogue and persuasion is all too quickly lost in the face of the overwhelming power of performative punishment.
### Mmm… nuance
It is a podcast full of nuance, which just delights me. I didn't come out with a simple sense of whether this behaviour was good or bad, but a deeper understanding of the dynamics at play, and a set of questions that I want to answer for myself through observation and research.
We sometime focus on journalism as an answer to questions. But it's also worth noting that sometimes the best journalism raises questions you hadn't thought about, too.
[Opinion | Shame, Safety and Moving Beyond Cancel CultureWhen is cancellation useful? And what other tools are available when it isn’t?NYTimesProduced by](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/27/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-cancel-culture.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### An aside
Ezra Klein's podcast is a great example of how difficult it can be to replace a key personality in some forms of media. I tried to be fair to *Vox* and continue subscribing to the podcast feed that used to be his, before he departed for the *NYT* but ended up unsubscribing after three or four episodes, because I just wasn't finding the particular exploratory tone I enjoy in his work.
And so, inevitably, I followed him to his *NYT* feed. Maintaining an audience after a key personality departs is going to be a process of understanding *why* that product was popular beyond the personality, and then finding a way of delivering that same value with a different personality leading it. Not easy — but not impossible either.
---
## Telegraphing the success of a paywall
Photo by [Christopher Bill](https://unsplash.com/@umbra%5Fmedia?utm%5Fsource=unsplash&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcontent=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/s/photos/pounds?utm%5Fsource=unsplash&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcontent=creditCopyText)
Remember all that fuss about *The Telegraph* considering [tying customer acquisition metrics to pay](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/03/the-telegraphs-plan-incentive-subscriber-friendly-content-doesnt-look-like-clickbait-payemnts-whtever-twitter-says/)? Well, they're clearly doing something right there:
> The milestone of 600,000 paying subscribers was passed in March 2021, with the latest audited figure reaching 603,000 across print and digital as of the end of that month, as certified by PWC.
It seems impossibly long ago that we were talking about whether paywalls would ever work for mainstream news. That question is comprehensively answered now, isn't it?
However, the questions that raises, about how journalism is changed by an audience-supported business model, are only just being properly asked.
---
## Quick Links
- 🎧 Spotify is rolling out its [own podcasts subscriptions offer](https://www.imore.com/spotify-begins-rolling-out-new-podcast-subscriptions-platform?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). New revenue sources: good. Fragmentation of podcasting: bad.
- 📰 [news:rewired is back next month](https://www.newsrewired.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)! You should go (virtually, of course).
- 🧑🏼🍳 Did you know that recipe sites and blogs are a huge battleground? [Well, they are…](https://www.protocol.com/tech-vs-food-bloggers?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## Plug
We're kicking off another run of my well-received (and deeply researched) newsletter course in July. I'd love you to join us:
[Creating compelling newslettersThis four-week online course will give you the tools to create your own engaging online newsletterJournalism.co.uk](https://www.journalism.co.uk/vocational-skills-study/creating-compelling-newsletters-online-course/s43/a761215/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## And Finally…
> Can we please stop marketing journalism as long reads? Length is not a selling point. At least say in-depth or something.
>
> — Isabelle Roughol 🌍 www.borderlinepod.com 🌎 (@iroughol) [April 23, 2021](https://twitter.com/iroughol/status/1385536357200764928?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Apple just changed the ad market — forever
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/04/apple-just-changed-the-ad-market-forever/
Last updated: 2021-05-14T11:01:25.000Z
I wouldn't normally start with a minor software update — but Apple's release of iOS 14.5 last night isn't minor for publishers. Once you install the upgrade, your phone (or iPad) stops [advertisers from tracking you between apps](https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/26/22403554/apple-ios-ipados-14-5-now-available-iphone-unlock-face-mask-app-tracking?scrolla=5eb6d68b7fedc32c19ef33b4&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) and websites by default:
You can go into that setting, switch it on, and you get asked, on per app basis, if you want to allow them to track your data, instead of blocking everything by default.
Here's Apple's own explanation of the change:
Whatever [Facebook says](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/331612538028890?id=428636648170202), this could well be a good thing for publishers. If they've got a good data strategy already, if they've invested in building a useful, definable audience, and if they've built ways of reliably reaching those audiences — they can now offer something many of the big ad networks will struggle to do.
Happy times — if you're positioned to take advantage of the switch.
### 60% app revenue decline expected
However, my opinion is clearly not universally shared. A group of German publishers is [taking Apple to court over it](https://www.ft.com/content/0a48d9aa-244b-4945-b2a0-01c68683544a?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> A group of Germany’s largest media, tech and advertising companies have accused Apple of antitrust abuse as it introduces changes to the privacy settings of iPhones that they say will harm the ads market. Nine industry associations, representing companies including Facebook and Axel Springer, the owner of Bild, Die Welt and Insider, filed the complaint on Monday with Germany’s competition regulator.
They're predicting a 60% decline in ad revenue from apps, and a need to app developers to switch to a paid model.
Which seems, well, OK…?
As Thomas put it:
> \*sigh\* ... there is not a single reader in the world who agrees with this. — German media groups file Apple antitrust complaint as it makes privacy changes [https://t.co/tgdpqN1ysy](https://t.co/tgdpqN1ysy?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Thomas Baekdal (@baekdal) [April 26, 2021](https://twitter.com/baekdal/status/1386648852724342788?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
It's a simple question, really: are you treating your audience as a valued set of subscribers, whom you have a relationship with? Or as a cohort of data points to be sold to whomever will pay?
There's a spectrum between those two, of course, but where you sit on that spectrum will have a huge impact on how this affects you.
---
## SEO Newsletters
A couple of good SEO newsletters worth your time:
- [WTFSEO](https://wtfseo.substack.com/) — a weekly guide to the basics of editorial SEO
- [SEO for Google News](https://www.seoforgooglenews.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — An occasional (and quite technical) look at optimising for Google News in particular.
---
## Quick Links
- *✋🏻 The Guardian* is taking a [stand against Google's replacement](https://digiday.com/media/publishers-like-the-guardian-become-conscientious-floc-objectors-as-the-new-york-times-and-others-are-open-to-testing-the-controversial-tech/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) for the tracking Apple is killing off.
- 🕵🏻♂️ Facebook tried to keep its internal report into how the platform was involved in the attempted insurrection in the US. [So, Buzzfeed has published it](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/full-facebook-stop-the-steal-internal-report?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🤮 Oh, God, no. Zoom is launching [some horrible skeuomorphic meeting room environment](https://venturebeat.com/2021/04/26/zoom-launches-immersive-view-to-unify-participants-in-the-same-virtual-room/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
## And Finally…
This is a bleak look at how a small group of companies are both facilitating online reputation destruction and charging you to clear it up:
[The Slander IndustryWho makes money from destroying reputations online?The New York TimesAaron Krolik and Kashmir HillApril 24, 2021](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/04/24/technology/online-slander-websites.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Apple launches paid podcasts — and a mobile journalism powerhouse
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/04/apple-launches-paid-podcasts-and-a-mobile-journalism-powerhouse/
Last updated: 2021-04-21T12:23:46.000Z
### Paid Podcasts arrive in Apple's Podcasts app
Apple has been a huge proponent of podcasts for 15 years, without ever really getting deeply involved in shifting the model of what is a long-established open standard. That changes now. There's a new version of the Podcasts app that supports paid podcasts.
Apple:
> Starting today, creators in more than 170 countries and regions can offer premium [subscriptions](https://c.apple.com/r?v=2&la=en&lc=usa&a=hFMj0atgKxilW4DSxzLqIFkt3D0SGcTNQoFB8PLA3CjZV44T1inq%2Flmut0T%2FjBBAPrG%2BPzt3Ur0lLEegNZV5%2FO8u6Ij1mZv390GM1i9xS68%3D&ct=ac2H1B9B3N&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) on Apple Podcasts, which will be accessible to listeners next month. Creators set the pricing for each subscription, which are billed monthly by default, and define the benefits, such as ad-free listening, early or exclusive access to new series, or access to additional or archival content. Creators can also offer annual billing and provide free trials and sample episodes.
On one level, yay for new ways of earning revenue. But let's be a little bit cautious about this. There's a real trade off here.
**The benefits:**
1. Reduced friction — listeners can join your membership scheme with a couple of clicks. No more directing them to your website and signing them up there.
2. Simplicity — you don't need to “roll your own” membership offering. No more processing payments, and building custom RSS feeds.
**The drawbacks:**
1. Apple only! You'll need a different solution for your Android listeners.
2. No use if a huge chunk of your listeners use Spotify or other podcast apps.
3. Apple takes 30% in the first year, and 15% thereafter.
There's a good breakdown of the technical details — and some hints of where Apple might see this going in the near future — over at [*Podnews*](https://podnews.net/update/apple-podcast-subscriptions-hello?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
I've been a proponent of the paid podcasts idea [for some years now](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2019/01/chinas-paid-podcast-model/). It will be interesting to see if this accelerates the process.
[Apple leads the next chapter of podcasting with Apple Podcasts SubscriptionsApple today unveiled Apple Podcasts Subscriptions, a global marketplace for creators to offer premium subscriptions on Apple Podcasts.Apple Newsroom](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/04/apple-leads-the-next-chapter-of-podcasting-with-apple-podcasts-subscriptions/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### The new M1 iPad Pro is a MoJo powerhouse
The new iPad Pro is an *incredible* device for multimedia creators. It's now using the M1 chip — the exact same chip in the MacBook Pro I'm typing this post on right now, and which is one of the most powerful Macs ever produced. This handles several streams of 4k video with ease. And now, that's all in a tablet form factor.
Apple are applying some cool machine learning stuff to their camera on the iPad, making it both a recording and editing powerhouse. Much like the new iMac, this seems like the first evidence of Apple learning from the pandemic age, and building machines ready for great video conferencing use. Centre Stage, which uses a new wide angle front-facing camera and intelligently pans and zooms to keep focus on people, will be useful for video conferencing, training and, yes, filming.
Oh, and the big two mobile journalism apps — [LumaFusion](https://luma-touch.com/lumafusion-for-ios-2/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) for editing and [FilmicPro](https://www.filmicpro.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) for recording — both got screen time in the keynote, as did members of their team. LumaFusion has [a big update coming](https://www.facebook.com/LumaTouch/posts/4359032614114945) later in the year, which takes advantage of features in the new iPad.
This device should challenge the assumption that you do quick editing on your phone, and switch to a Mac or PC for “real editing”. For journalists in the field, particularly, this might be the critical device you need.
And, hey, Apple *actually* mentioned mobile journalism in the keynote. Validation.
### Mixed blessings
I'm very much in two minds about the new Podcasts offering. New monetisation options are always good, but part of me worries about the erosion of the open standard that underlies podcasting. I'd have been more worried five years ago, when Apple had much more of a stranglehold on podcasts. But with Spotify now as big a player — and possibly bigger by some measures — there's less scope for a single company to undo the open nature of podcasting.
This change is going to incremental, and a nice revenue boost for some creators, but not transformative.
The new iPad Pros, on the other hand, are a spectacular new tool in the multimedia journalists' toolbox.
I'm looking forward to getting my hands on one.
## Twitter is down-ranking your links
I suspect most of us had observed this already, but it's nice to see it conformed:
> One of the largest effects we observed is that Twitter’s curation algorithm greatly reduced exposure to external links. On average, 51% of tweets in chronological timelines contained an external link, compared to just 18% in the algorithmic timelines
[Study Suggests Twitter’s Timeline Algorithm Buries External LinksHow does Twitter’s algorithm change what users see in their timelines? In a new research study from the Computational Journalism Lab, we present evidence of several shifts that result from Twitter’s…Technically SocialJack Bandy](https://medium.com/technically-social/study-suggests-twitters-timeline-algorithm-buries-external-links-92cb5841082f?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Quote of the Day
> My newsletter is taking a break while it gears up for a reboot soon. I feel a bit lost though - I see something interesting and instinctively think 'I'll write about that in the newsletter tomorrow' and then remember I can't.
>
> — Martin SFP Bryant (@MartinSFP) [April 20, 2021](https://twitter.com/MartinSFP/status/1384515855686451200?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
The best newsletters are habits on both ends: for the reader AND the creator.
### Forget a Clubhouse strategy. What's your live audio strategy?
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/04/forget-a-clubhouse-strategy-whats-your-live-audio-strategy/
Last updated: 2021-04-20T10:33:18.000Z
A very long time ago, Steve Jobs told Dropbox’s founders that their app was a “[feature, not a product](https://techcrunch.com/2012/01/23/dld-2012-drew-houston-yes-steve-jobs-called-dropbox-a-feature/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)”. That holds more true, it seems, for Clubhouse and its audio chatrooms. In a matter of months, Clubhouse has gone from buzzy startup, to a feature integrated into numerous platforms. [Downloads are falling](https://www.thewrap.com/clubhouse-monthly-downloads-plunge-72-percent/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and [interest is waning](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/19/clubhouse-buzz-is-already-fading-but-andreessen-horowitz-isnt-put-off.html?%5F%5Fsource=sharebar%7Ctwitter&par=sharebar&ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
Last night, Facebook formally announced that they are [pushing into audio](https://www.platformer.news/p/5-takeaways-about-facebooks-pivot?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
- “Soundbites” are short-form audio tracks, available across all the company’s products.
- Long-form audio: think Facebook’s take on Podcasts
- Clubhouse-style live audio rooms.
Facebook is far from alone in this. For example, Reddit has just launched [its audio rooms feature](https://9to5mac.com/2021/04/19/reddit-officially-debuts-its-new-talk-live-audio-clubhouse-competitor/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Twitter is slowly rolling [its version out to users](https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/10/22323767/twitter-spaces-april-release-date-plan?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). LinkedIn is [working on one](https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/30/linkedin-confirms-its-working-on-a-clubhouse-rival-too/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), too.
For those of us working on engaged journalism and community management, this is actually good news. It opens up a pretty easy way to do live events in places *where we already have a relationship with our readers*. This is the critical thing: if you’re a B2B title with a big following on LinkedIn, you can do chats there. If you’re a politics site, Twitter seems the obvious place.
In essence, you’re no longer asking yourself “what’s my Clubhouse strategy?”, you’re asking “what’s my live audio strategy?”.
For Clubhouse, the question will be: is there room for a tool that builds communities solely around audio? There might well be. Certain communities have [found themselves a comfortable home there](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/michaelblackmon/how-black-creators-have-made-clubhouse-their-own?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
But the platform — which doesn’t even have an Android app out yet — will need to move fast and be clever to stop the bigger players slowly squelching it.
## Google delays the Page Experience Update (again)
_This post is for subscribers only._
### Six thoughts about the Substack Local initiative
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/04/six-thoughts-about-the-substack-local-initiative/
Last updated: 2021-04-29T10:11:53.000Z
While I was off having a nice Easter holiday day out with my wife and daughters, Substack, having been out of the news for a couple of days, made another bid for our attention, like an affectionate puppy that had been left on its own for too long.
They’re about to [spend $1m on up to 30 local journalists](https://blog.substack.com/p/introducing-substack-local-for-a) or teams, to help them launch sustainable, newsletter-based local news operations.
[These aren’t grants](https://www.niemanlab.org/2021/04/substack-will-spend-1-million-to-support-up-to-30-local-news-writers/?utm%5Fsource=Daily+Lab+email+list&utm%5Fcampaign=92d4fe2331-dailylabemail3&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fterm=0%5Fd68264fd5e-92d4fe2331-396354945) — they’re the same basic Substack Pro deals they’ve been offering to big names in journalism and related fields: a cash advance, but Substack takes 85% of the site revenue for the first year only, before reverting to their standard cut. Indeed, it’s possible that this initiative *might* actually make Substack money in the first year, especially given that they’re funding “up to 30” people from $1m. That could be as low as just over £30k per writer. That’s not a fabulous income to stake your future on. (And yes, that low level of funding makes Substack Local a bit more like Substack Not-Quite-As-Pro.)
Here’s a few things that struck me about the initiative:
## 1\. It must be lovely to spend other people’s money.
This isn’t Substack’s money *per se*. It’s VC money. Substack has taken [a bunch of investment](https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/30/is-substack-really-worth-650m/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Bear that in mind. VCs look for:
- Growth
- An exit
We’re in the growth phase right now, and this initiative will help this, both by (hopefully) launching a number of profitable businesses, and by inspiring others to follow them. But always remember — you’re building a business on a platform that will require an exit…
## 2\. Even if it goes completely wrong, they’ve probably earned $1m worth of publicity from this.
This initiative might not work. Local news is hard, and lots of people have lost fortunes on it. [Ghost tried something similar](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2017/01/ghost-journalism-partnership/) back in the day, and we heard very, very little about the outcomes. But even if it doesn’t work, these sorts of initiatives put Substack on the radar of *everybody* thinking about launching a member-supported publication. They’re another step towards being the *default* place to launch a new publication.
Oh, and the next point will help with the marketing side, too…
## 3\. The judging panel is very talented and… slightly patronising?
They have four talented, learned and experienced judges for the competition — and not one of them has extensive experience in local media. Anyone who has worked in local, consumer or B2B media will notice the underlying, and slightly patronising, idea that the big mainstream media folks know media better than the local folks.
**Spoiler alert:** highly engaged, smaller scale media where the people you are writing *for* are the same people you are writing *about* is a very different game. There’s a danger that they’ll end up with the sort of journalists that Big Names like, rather than the sort that can actually engage with a local community.
One might almost suspect that they were chosen for the name recognition and marketing value, rather than directly relevant experience. Would it really have been that hard to find one successful local media creator to put on the panel?
## 4\. Two weeks is kinda short notice.
Even for a deadline-driven profession, this feels like a pretty short period of time to come up with an idea and get your ducks in a row for a decision that could change your life.
But maybe I’m just old.
## 5\. Providing an editor and a designer is a smart move.
I’ve been writing here for 18 years. There’s not been a single week that I haven’t wished for an editor. If I ever get enough paid subscribers to fund it, a freelance editor will be literally the first thing I spend money on. If you’re going to be doing news reporting on local communities, you *need* an editor, not least for the second pair of eyes that might keep you away from unnecessary legal trouble.
And a designer changes the sorts of stories you can tell. These are smart additions to the initiative. They will help people build something professional in a year.
## 6\. This is actually quite a good idea.
Newsletters *might* be the perfect delivery mechanism for local news. Sure, you need to put a bunch of thinking into your acquisition funnel — how you’re going to get people to put their email address in the box in the first place. And that probably means some decent SEO and social media skills (which don’t seem to be in the mentoring package on offer). But once you’ve got people subscribed, you have a much better chance of building an audience — and an engaged one that send you leads, if they merely have to press “reply” in their email to talk to you.
---
So, despite my reservations on the balance between Substack’s own self-promotion and the actual journalism value of this, it’s probably a good thing. We need more experimental local news startups that aren’t merely trying to replicate what’s been lost, and this will help pump prime some of those.
### Google's shift towards quality (again)
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/04/googles-biases-towards-quality/
Last updated: 2021-04-15T08:54:12.000Z
If you want affiliate revenue, you need to actually do the work…
_This post is for paying subscribers only._
### Is content moderation futile? And — if so — what should we do instead?
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/04/morning-conference-is-content-moderation-futile/
Last updated: 2021-04-14T12:13:06.000Z
Leading tech thinker Benedict Evans has written an interesting post on the [inherent problems with content moderation online](https://www.ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2021/4/13/is-content-moderation-a-dead-end?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). All our efforts to “clean up” misinformation seem to be having less impact than we might like. Evans argues that this is an inherent property of the internet:
> The internet is people: all of society is online now, and so all of society’s problems are expressed, amplified and channeled in new ways by the internet.
This has resonance with the ideas danah boyd was exploring over a decade ago: that the internet is an amplifying mirror of humanity. As [she wrote in 2009](https://www.danah.org/papers/talks/PDF2009.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> One thing to keep in mind about social media: the internet mirrors and magnifies pre-existing dynamics. And it makes many different realities much more visible than ever before.
### The internet as a city
Evans likens the situation to a huge city: bringing all those people together has a positive impact in terms of innovation and creative mixing, but a downside in the opportunities for crime to build networks:
> Anyone can find their tribe, and in the 90s this made AOL a way for gay people to meet, but the internet is also a way for Nazis or jihadis to find each other. One could also think of big European cities before modern policing — 18th century London or Paris were awash with sin and prone to mob violence, because they were cities.
However, the parallel he’s drawing with cities is not exact. Online policing may *not* be the way forward: reengineering our online social spaces to minimise the opportunity for bad actors might be the way to go:
> Hence, I wonder how far the answers to our problems with social media are not more moderators, just as the answer to PC security was not virus scanners, but to change the model — to remove whole layers of mechanics that enable abuse. So, for example, Instagram doesn’t have links, and Clubhouse doesn’t have replies, quotes or screenshots. Email newsletters don’t seem to have virality.
### The many vectors of misinformation
The problem, though, is there are so many different vectors for misinformation to spread. For example, I now have a date for my first vaccine jab. In a moment of whimsy, I thought I’d head to Etsy to see if I could find a Bill Gates badge to wear for the occasion. And guess what the first result was?
An anti-vaxxer mug on Etsy
Is it possible to close enough vectors down that the ideas find it harder to spread? When people are printing misinformation on mugs (whether for political or financial reasons), is the problem just too pervasive now? Who is analysing the role of Etsy in misinformation spread?
Or could this be something of a “misinformation vaccine”, and if we can use it to shut down enough transmission vectors, we reach a level of population misinformation immunity?
It’s an interesting thought.
---
## Quick Links
- Interesting research [into social media use in the Middle East](https://ijnet.org/en/story/social-media-middle-east-5-things-you-need-know?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- Facebook’s [local news product is coming to the UK](https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2021/news/facebook-launches-new-tool-to-drive-traffic-to-regional-press-websites-embargo-05-01am-1304/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Hard to get too excited about this — when was the last time *you* went into the news area of Facebook? How much will they *actually* push into the feed?
- *The Drum* is [more positive](https://www.thedrum.com/news/2021/04/13/facebook-moves-local-news-market-the-uk?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — but increasing the revenue from local papers while increasing their dependence on Facebook for audience feels like a Faustian bargain to me.
- Talking of Facebook and news — how much [impact did its Community News Project actually have](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/-you-re-not-writing-the-hardest-hitting-stories-but-they-will-mean-something-to-someone-/s2/a811971/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)?
---
## And finally…
Facebook is busy making the sort of embarrassingly basic filtering errors that made sending emails about [Scunthorpe needlessly challenging](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scunthorpe%5Fproblem?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) 20 years ago:
[Facebook takes down official page for the French town of BitcheBitche is a commune in the Moselle department of the Grand Est administrative region in northeastern France, ear Germany.The Daily DotKahron Spearman](https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/bitche-facebook-french-town/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
It wasn’t long ago that Facebook was suspending people for talking about [local Sussex beauty spot Devil’s Dyke](https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/19035197.facebook-labels-devils-dyke-hate-speech-error/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
### How newsletters will inevitably change media and the power of journalists
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/04/morning-conference-how-newsletters-will-change-media/
Last updated: 2021-05-14T11:01:37.000Z
## What the creator economy means for journalism
Ben Smith has turned his *New York Times* lens [on the creator economy](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/11/business/media/substack-newsletter-competition.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). It’s quite a wide-ranging (and occasionally slightly unfocused) piece, looking at issues around the controversial writers who have found a home on Substack, as well as wider creator economy dynamic and economics.
I think, though, this is the critical point:
> This new ability of individuals to make a living directly from their audiences isn’t just transforming journalism. It’s also been the case for adult performers on OnlyFans, musicians on Patreon, B-list celebrities on Cameo. In Hollywood, too, power has migrated toward talent, whether it’s marquee showrunners or actors. This power shift is a major headache for big institutions, from The New York Times to record labels.
Social media, from blogging onwards, has allowed writers to develop a much bigger personal following. Many big names in journalism, including Ezra Klein at the *New York Times*, made their name in blogging, before getting hired into traditional media. It used to be hard to monetise that following you had built directly and so, if you were sufficiently good, you got hired.
### Getting paid for your blo… uh… newsletter
The key thing that has changed is the explosion of ways to get paid. While tipping mechanism like KoFi have their place, most modern newsletter platforms have monetisation built in — they have, in effect, integrated paywall tech. If you have a big enough audience (allowing for about a 10% conversion rate to paid), you can probably make a living from it. With 10,000 readers, you could bring in circa $5,000 a month, which many working journalists would be happy to earn. If you hit 100,000, you could be looking at $50,000 which precious few journalism jobs pay.
Of course, the vast majority of people *won’t* earn that. And, frankly, those who already have big platforms via traditional media have a big advantage over the woman in the coffee shop writing her heart out. The news organisation has delivered them an audience — and they can take it with them.
At the heart of this is a power rebalancing between star writers and media companies. That’s probably a good thing. However, it’s inevitable that tensions will arise. How happy are media companies going to be to nature talent that takes her audience with her? We've seen the first moves from publishers against this, with at least one newspaper asking its staff to get clearance before they launch a newsletter. That will continue.
### The challenges of the solo creator
How many journalists actually want to live the solo creator lifestyle? The buzz of a newsroom (when we’re allowed back in them) is a powerful thing, and solo journalism can be lonely, as many freelancers can attest. Many independent creators (myself included) often show up how necessary editors are…
And, lastly, how many niches are there that can sustain independent creators? There’s almost certainly more than we think — and many of them will surprise us — but there won’t be an infinite number.
I have a feeling that the arrival of the subscription stack — the integration of publishing systems and membership tech — will be one of those transformative technologies for media that, to quote Bill Gates, we will over-estimated its impact over two years, and underestimate its impact over 10.
[Why We’re Freaking Out About SubstackA company that makes it easy to charge for newsletters has captivated an anxious industry because it embodies larger forces and contradictions.NYTimes](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/11/business/media/substack-newsletter-competition.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### On the viability of media-on-media newsletters
I thought this aside in Ben Smith’s piece was telling:
> I turned down an offer of an \[Substack\] advance well above my Times salary, in part because of the editing and the platform The Times gives me, and in part because I didn’t think I’d make it back — media types often overvalue media writers.
He's right.
I’ve been doing media writing here for 18 years (!) and the one thing that is clear is that the market for writing about media is limited, and not particularly lucrative. Yes, I offer paid subs here, and many of you reading this are those who *have* paid, for which I am grateful.
But I’m an awfully long way from being able to make this my full-time gig and, to be honest, I enjoy my training, lecturing and consulting work far too much to give it up. So, for many (with [a few exceptions](https://www.baekdal.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)), I’d expect media criticism to be an additional source of income, not the main one.
And I’m happy with that.
## Quick Links
- 📈 Good piece from Medialyte about [“Impact Points”](https://www.medialyte.xyz/impact-points/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), a set of metrics *Insider* uses. They look interesting and thoughtful — can we stop the reflexive suspicion of anything that looks like metrics, please?
- 👿 Newsroom still haven’t figured out how [to protect their journalists online](https://www.niemanlab.org/2021/04/the-front-page-4-9-newsrooms-still-havent-figured-out-what-to-do-when-their-journalists-are-harassed-online/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). (This is one thing to consider before you go solo — are you ready to deal with angry people without corporate support?)
- 🍿 A discussion about [Flipboard group magazines](https://www.dropbox.com/s/0pawg7rnoof3a54/Group%20Magazine%20Coffee%20Curator%20Chat.mp4?dl=0&ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
---
## A request
I’m going to write two different things about home/remote/office working in the coming week. I’d *really* love to [hear your thoughts](mailto:adam@onemanandhisblog.com) about it, particularly in a journalism context.
---
## And Finally…
Hibaq, one of this academic year’s students on the MA Interactive Journalism course at City, has written for *The Guardian* about how it feels when people mangle the pronunciation of her name:
[Having a hard time pronouncing my name? Let me help you | Hibaq FarahAfter Thandiwe Newton revealed she’d used an anglicized version of her name for 30 years, here’s my guide to getting names rightThe GuardianHibaq Farah](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/apr/09/thandiwe-newton-names-hard-to-pronounce-guide?utm%5Fterm=Autofeed&CMP=twt%5Fgu&utm%5Fmedium&utm%5Fsource=Twitter#Echobox=1617983592)
### Sunday Supplement: trees, mental health, Alistair Campbell and more
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/04/sunday-supplement-trees-mental-health-alistair-campbell-and-more/
Last updated: 2021-05-14T11:01:47.000Z
---
## Campbell, mental health and trees
Three things I didn't expect to find combined in one podcast: Alistair Campbell, metal health and the Woodland Trust. And yet, here we are, because [the latest Woodland Walks podcast](https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2021/04/alastair-campbell-podcast/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) combines all three. I can't help wondering if someone who is so very online as Campbell, yet who struggles with his mental health, is being impacted by the sheer volume of negativity he experiences [on Twitter](https://twitter.com/campbellclaret?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
I am very much here for this sort of discussion: I have noted both the deleterious effect on my own mental health of Twitter during the pandemic (although the worst experience I had was actually on Facebook, which I probably should write about at some point), and the profound benefit time in nature has for me.
Worth a listen: [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hampstead-heath-with-alastair-campbell/id1463807504?i=1000516476439&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) ⎢ [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/0ApZ6JupIghroDifvsyucA?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) ⎢ [Google Podcasts](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93b29kbGFuZHRydXN0LmxpYnN5bi5jb20vcnNz/episode/NWM5NTE1MzQtZDQwZC00Y2NkLWEzZGItM2IzNzRlNGU3YWI1?sa=X&ved=0CAUQkfYCahcKEwj41%5FT7gvbvAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQBA&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## Performative Authenticity
It's perhaps the easiest and least insightful charge to throw at Instagram influencers that they are *performing* authenticity rather than *living* it.
Yet, at heart, humans are still animals and we still perform for key reasons — status, reproduction — naturally. *Psyche* has taken an interesting deep dive on what's driving these behaviours, that will be of interest to anyone who has to intersect with social media in their job:
> Performative authenticity is tied to economic success and social prestige, which means – and this is a further paradoxical feature – that your specialness and self-realisation have to be performed. In order for people to distinguish themselves, they must seek attention and visibility, and positively affect others with their self-representations, personal characteristics and quality of life. In doing so, they have to take great care that their performance isn’t perceived as staged. To be ‘authentic’ – genuine – they have to give the impression that they’re just being themselves. The effort has to appear effortless, otherwise it will backfire.
[When your authenticity is an act, something’s gone wrong | Psyche IdeasAuthenticity has changed from an inward gaze to a social display. Can we reconcile the performance with the real thing?PsycheChemically Imbalanced: Everyday Suffering, Medication, and Our Troubled Quest for Self-Mastery](https://psyche.co/ideas/when-your-authenticity-is-an-act-somethings-gone-wrong?utm%5Fsource=Aeon+Newsletter&utm%5Fcampaign=273b84921e-EMAIL%5FCAMPAIGN%5F2021%5F03%5F30%5F06%5F31&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fterm=0%5F411a82e59d-273b84921e-70584401)
---
20 classic novel that were [brutalised by critics on their first release](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/55592/really-harsh-early-reviews-20-classic-20th-century-novels?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Gives me hope people will *finally* appreciate my work when I'm gone. 😉
---
Antony Mayfield's rather good newsletter *[Antonym](https://antonym.substack.com/)* hasn't arrived yet today. Maybe if you subscribe, it'll encourage him to get on it.
---
## The problem with online “debates”
Interesting piece from Tom Chivers about the fact that so many online discussions seem trapped in an endless loop of hellish disagreement: in many cases there're not actually talking about the same thing. “Cancel culture” is a good example of this: as a phrase it's so vague and used in so many different ways that it's not longer possible to have a useful discussion about the behaviours that people lump together under its label once the label itself is used.
As Chivers puts it:
> It’s as though we’ve decided to argue at length over whether, say, tables are real — only for one participant in the debate to define a “table” as “a glowing green icosahedron, 30 metres on each side, levitating mysteriously above the Bay of Biscay”, and then explain why there is “zero evidence” tables exist.
*(with apologies to [Martin](https://martinbelam.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) for linking to “the cow site”)*
[Nobody will win the Culture Wars - UnHerdToday’s ‘cancel culture’ debates are designed to failUnHerdTom Chivers](https://unherd.com/2021/04/nobody-will-win-the-culture-wars/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## A great rule of thumb for Twitter
The above link came from Ian Leslie's newsletter *[The Ruffian](https://ianleslie.substack.com/)*. The same issue contains this gem about how to assess which scientists will deliver the most value on Twitter:
> This is where Twitter, for all its flaws, comes into its own, if you’re doing it right. After a while, you can work out, not just who the real experts are, but who are the experts who can actually *think*, who aren’t beholden to an ideology or narrative or to celebrity; who get their deepest satisfaction from seeing things clearly. I acquired a rule of thumb: the scientists who get the most followers and retweets are the ones I trust least.
[What have we learned?Lessons from the pandemicThe RuffianIan Leslie](https://ianleslie.substack.com/p/what-have-we-learned)
---
It occurs to me that a desire for interesting, cogent debate online — and the sheer difficulty of achieving it — have been an underlying theme in my work for the last little while.
I am so very desperate to start meeting and talking with people in person again, but I'm still (just) too young for the jab…
---
Walking with my daughters at Woods Mill
---
## When social media comes after you with torches and pitchforks
20 years ago, I would probably have loved to be internet famous. Now, I can't think of anything worse. One misstep, one poorly considered tweet — and you're on *their* radar. The people who have a poor sense of proportional response. The hateful ones.
This account of experiencing the worst of that is chilling:
> Here’s what it feels like. You can turn your phone off. Your internet off. But you cannot escape. If the door knocks, you freeze. If a man on the street stares at you too long, your throat swells with fear and you wonder if you can kick him hard enough to get away. At the grocery store a man smiles and you wonder if he’s being nice or if he’s the plumber in town who wrote you an email about his dick. A lady says “hi” at the bookstore and is she the one who emailed to call you a “slut” because of the outfit you wore on television one time?
The worst of it? Sometimes the only “crime” they've committed is possessing an opinion while female or black.
[When the Mob ComesAn interview with author Talia Lavin about online harassment and what you can do about itMen Yell at Melyz](https://lyz.substack.com/p/when-the-mob-comes)
---
## Emergent brand-supported media
I'm working on a long piece on what I'm calling “journalistic negative space”, which is a typically pretentious way of thinking about opportunities for journalism in spaces we don't normally think about.
One of the interesting side-effects of my growing biophilia and desire to spend time in nature is realising just how much good media is being supported by the outdoors brands. In the absence of traditional media providing the kind of content people want, an alliance of bloggers, filmmakers and Instagram community builders is filling the space.
This is a lovely wee short film supported by a non-alcoholic spirits brand:
### Freelancers and pandemic mental health
And then there's this compelling story of a freelance photographer's battle with mental health during the lockdown, which I found via the [blog of outdoor clothing brand Finisterre](https://finisterre.com/blogs/broadcast/the-ripple-effect?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
---
I seem to have done that classic feature-writing thing of starting with an issue — mental health — and coming back to it in my conclusion.
I hope you're been able to take some time for your own mental health this weekend.
Thanks for reading.
### Morning Conference: The Recirculation System
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/04/morning-conference-the-recirculation-system/
Last updated: 2021-04-09T11:56:22.000Z
“Recirculation” is the sort of fancy word that most journalists, quite rightly, turn their noses up at. It’s a horrible piece of jargon for a simple idea: getting people to reading more stuff once they arrive at our sites.
However, it remains a significant challenge in many newsrooms. All too often, I come across pieces with not a single internal link or other means of encouraging people to explore what we have to offer. Conversely, sometimes the reverse is true: the page is so plastered with links to newsletters, podcasts and other stories, it looks like the site has no confidence in the actual article people are reading.
Finding a happy medium is critical — especially for membership model sites, which need to push people towards enough of a habit that they’ll convert.
### The mobile recirculation challenge
And so, this piece from Chartbeat, is useful stuff, especially in terms of thinking about *mobile* strategies, rather than desktop ones:
> Reader scroll patterns on mobile devices differ from their desktop counterparts — how you show the depth of your content is critical to keeping them engaged in these experiences.
Worth taking some time out with a cup of tea to dig into this and, in particular, to following a lot of the links (which will create recirculation on the Chartbeat site… see how that works? 😜)
[Refining your Recirculation strategy for long-term loyalty | Chartbeat BlogPreviously, we addressed the importance of forming a Recirculation strategy and using experimentation to encourage deeper reading, while also outlining the internal barriers that can accompany the audience engagement hurdles...Chartbeat BlogNick Lioudis](https://blog.chartbeat.com/2021/04/07/recirculation-strategy-reader-loyalty/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## New Google Update
If you run product reviews, you need to know about this:
[Google announces product reviews algorithm updateGoogle has released a new quality algorithm update that promotes outstanding product reviews.Search Engine LandBarry Schwartz](https://searchengineland.com/google-product-reviews-algorithm-update-347568?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Reviews are a highly competitive category, but a very search-friendly one. If you’re running them, and especially if you’re using affiliate links as a revenue source, it’s worth watching this.
## Quick Links
- 🔥 Don’t use [Wix to make your website](https://ma.tt/2021/04/wix-dirty-tricks/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Seriously.
- 🔭 My City colleague [Dr Glenda Cooper is the new director of the European Journalism Observatory.](https://en.ejo.ch/specialist-journalism/ejo-welcomes-new-director?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) Really interested to see what she does with this great resource.
- 🇺🇸 Some useful data [about social media use in US adults](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/04/07/social-media-use-in-2021/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) from the Pew Research Centre. Great if you’re doing audience work in the US, but bear in mind that patterns vary from country to country.
- 🤦🏼♂️ In a final sign of the collapse of civilization, [Facebook is to label satire stories with a “satire” tag](https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/8/22373291/facebook-label-news-feed-page-posts-fan-satire-public-official?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Have we really fallen this low?
## Jobs Corner
- The Bureau of Investigative Journalists is looking for [an environment reporter](https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/blog/2021-04-08/were-hiring-apply-to-be-our-environment-reporter?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) and a [US health correspondent](https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/blog/2021-04-08/were-hiring-apply-to-be-our-us-health-correspondent?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Talk about chunky beats…
- Reach expanding its “Live” brand and creating [50 new jobs](https://medium.com/behind-local-news-uk/reach-announces-7-new-live-brands-plus-expansions-creating-50-new-jobs-b84d5a89db47?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) in the process.
## And Finally
This is beautiful, and thought-provoking:
Have a great weekend.
### Morning Conference: Core Web Vitals are coming for your search traffic
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/04/morning-conference-core-web-vitals-are-coming-for-your-search-traffic/
Last updated: 2021-04-11T12:26:32.000Z
A quick reminder: there’s a major new signal coming to Google search from May 2021\. That’s next month at the time of writing.
Time to start thinking about it, if you aren’t already doing so.
Admittedly, most publishers won’t notice an *immediate* impact, but as time goes on, the impact *will* be felt by everyone, so the sooner you get on this, the better.
Here’s what we know:
- Core Web Vitals will become a ranking signal from sometime next month
- It’s basically a measure of the user-friendliness of your pages
- The change will not be dramatic at first
- The impact of the change will grow over time, as the weight of the signal is increased
So, why should you pay attention?
_This post is for paying subscribers only._
### Morning Conference: blogrolls, audience engagement and the discovery problem
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/04/morning-conference-blogrolls-audience-engagement-and-the-discovery-problem/
Last updated: 2021-04-07T10:55:05.000Z
Isabelle Roughol [reminded me](https://twitter.com/iroughol/status/1379393907776184325?s=21&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) yesterday that Substack has just added the ability to add [blogrolls to your newsletter](https://blog.substack.com/p/new-homepage-links), just as Medium did.
It’s clear that 2001’s must have blog accessory is suddenly big news.
Why?
Well, blogrolls were an early solution to the biggest problem in online media: *discovery*. How do people find you? How do you keep people coming back?
That’s the problem the whole discipline of audience engagement is trying to solve, and it’s one that online content creators have grappled with since the dawn of the internet.
### A discovery engine
_This post is for subscribers only._
### Morning Conference: turn those damn comments off (now that you can)
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/04/morning-conference-facebook-comments-control/
Last updated: 2021-04-06T10:29:39.000Z
I hate writing about Facebook. It squats obscenely at the heart of so much online communications like a digital Jabba the Hutt, slobbering and growing fat on the misery of others.
Sadly, though, as long as it remains important in gathering traffic and attention, we're going to have to keep an eye on it. And, occasionally, it does something useful. [For example](https://about.fb.com/news/2021/03/more-control-and-context-in-news-feed/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> Now, you can [control](https://www.facebook.com/help/1625371524453896) your commenting audience for a given public post by choosing from a menu of options ranging from anyone who can see the post to only the people and Pages you tag.
The ability to control who can leave comments — if anyone — is critical to any kind of community management strategy. Facebook has been notably lacking in this area for years, probably because comments drive engagement, and that's all that matters to them. Groups posters and admins have had the ability to turn off comments, and this effectively extends that ability to people's own profiles.
And it works fine:
_This post is for subscribers only._
### Morning Conference: what the Unsplash sale and the Substack investment mean for you
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/03/morning-conference-what-the-unsplash-sale-and-the-substack-investment-mean-for-you/
Last updated: 2021-03-31T09:11:07.000Z
Well, some people got richer yesterday and, let's face it, it wasn't us.
Here's how their immense good fortune likely impacts us.
## 1\. Getty Images acquires Unsplash
There's a pretty good chance that you use Unsplash. Over the past five years, it's become the principal source of free photography for many cash-strapped publications. I have regularly used Unsplash images here, and elsewhere. However, the independent company has now been [acquired by Getty Images](https://unsplash.com/blog/unsplash-getty/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Getty is the giant in this space, and don't have a great reputation for the [way they deal with publishers](https://micro.blog/ReaderJohn/11251775?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
### Why you should worry
If you're a publisher who relies on Unsplash for imagery, I'd start looking at alternatives. There's a [whole FAQ on the acquisition](https://help.unsplash.com/en/articles/5097983-unsplash-getty-images-faq?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) that tries to reassure the Unsplash community that nothing will change. However, anyone who has spent any time watching how corporate acquisitions play out will know that every paragraph in that really needs a “for now” appended. At some point, someone in Getty is going to look at how Unsplash competes with its paid offerings, and the changes *will* start.
### The upside?
If you're a professional photographer, this could be the start of some good news…
## 2\. Substack gets a $65m investment round
Axios [got the exclusive](https://www.axios.com/substack-andreessen-horowitz-newsletter-36cb98ea-a7b3-43b1-883a-fa45586eaad4.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), but Substack followed up pretty quickly with their own update: the platform has [a chunky new VC funding round](https://blog.substack.com/p/investing-in-writers?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMTY1MzAsInBvc3RfaWQiOjM0NTEyMjMzLCJfIjoiclFSeFYiLCJpYXQiOjE2MTcxODAzOTksImV4cCI6MTYxNzE4Mzk5OSwiaXNzIjoicHViLTg3ODA1Iiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.qwGBGAvVR6gOgaHcF2KSekSzYa5vXKwLHfGXCdYqOlA). Good news for the Substack team, of course, but how about the rest of us?
_This post is for subscribers only._
### Morning Conference: avoid this SEO trap
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/03/morning-conference-avoid-this-seo-trap/
Last updated: 2021-03-30T10:30:36.000Z
Sometimes, when you're really deep in a subject, it's easy to forget that something that is familiar and explicable to you can seem bewildering to someone who doesn't have to live and breathe, say, SEO.
For example, Marcela, the editor of journalism.co.uk, tweeted this out yesterday:
> Dear editor,
>
> I want you to advertise our product but you have to make it look like an article, add a dofollow link, don't mention it's sponsored and preferably I don't want to pay unless I have to, and then it's like £20.
>
> No.
>
> — Marcela Kunova (@MarcelaKunova) [March 29, 2021](https://twitter.com/MarcelaKunova/status/1376484012353589249?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
And followed it up with this:
> My reply (if I have time) goes like: we are a trusted publication for a reason and everything you're asking for is precisely not it (in a more civilised format).
>
> But, I mean, anyone else? These requests proliferate, I'm just bewildered.
>
> — Marcela Kunova (@MarcelaKunova) [March 29, 2021](https://twitter.com/MarcelaKunova/status/1376487953057333252?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
If you're not aware, this is all about SEO. Getting links from high quality sites to your own is still fundemental to ranking well in Google — and if you can't get good sites, volume of links will go some way to addressing that. And that leads to emails like the ones Marcela's been receiving.
### Spray and pray linkbuilding
As volume of links will do the job, many linkbuilders take a “spray and pray” approach to getting them. They build or buy an email list of website owners, and just send out a huge volume of emails, asking for links. Sometimes they offer to buy them. I get several every week.
Here's the exact wording from a recent one:
> Hey, We're interested in purchasing a link insert on your website. We're happy to discuss terms that include:
> - Inserting a link onto your existing page of yours (as long as it's relevant piece of content, of course).
> - Our link needs to be permanent & do-follow
> - Our link can't be labelled 'sponsored' or 'guest-post' (or anything similar)
> Please let us know your price. Serious buyer. Chat soon.
(That *faux* affable “chat soon” particularly irritates me…)
They *know* that the vast majority of receipents will say “no”, or just delete the email. But enough people will say “yes” to make it worth their while. If I agreed to all the offers that came my way, I could easily add a few hundred quid extra onto my monthly income. But it just wouldn't be worth the price I'd pay in traffic. Here's why.
_This post is for subscribers only._
### Morning Conference: asking the right questions
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/03/asking-good-questions-journalism/
Last updated: 2021-03-29T09:17:15.000Z
### What the US press should have asked Joe Biden
Journalism is, basically, a profession built around asking really good questions, listening to the answers, and creating something interesting from them. Even the best opinion writing is derived from that.
And so, it's a constant source of frustration when journalists prove themselves unable to do it. I could rant, at length, about the poor quality of the questioning during the early UK government press conferences a year ago, as the pandemic started to bite.
However, I was stunned over the weekend when I saw on Twitter that *not a single reporter* asked US President Joe Biden about the pandemic.
Luckily, the insightful Zeynep Tufecki is here with a masterclass in constructing good questions they could have asked:
[Ten Questions the Press Should Have Asked President BidenA socially distant press conference shouldn’t mean distance from the most important storyInsightzeynep](https://zeynep.substack.com/p/ten-questions-the-press-should-have)
As a paid-up member of the Tufecki fan club, [this is fantastic news](https://journalism.columbia.edu/zeynep-tufekci-join-columbia-newmark-center?ref=onemanandhisblog.com): she'll be teaching at the Columbia Journalism School. We need more thinkers like her influencing the way we do this.
_This post is for paying subscribers only._
### Morning Conference: how to counter news avoidance
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/03/morning-conference-how-to-counter-news-avoidance/
Last updated: 2021-03-26T11:54:33.000Z
Plus some interesting links on revenue, and a 5 minute summary of where the net went wrong.
_This post is for paying subscribers only._
### Morning Conference: All this has happened before, all this will happen again
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/03/morning-conference-all-this-has-happened-before-all-this-will-happen-again/
Last updated: 2021-03-25T09:09:59.000Z
Medium is pivoting again? *yawn* There's an argument going on over ownership of a journalist's work on other platforms? Quelle surprise.
_This post is for paying subscribers only._
### Morning Conference: AI good, Facebook bad
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/03/morning-conference-ai-good-facebook-bad/
Last updated: 2021-03-24T09:42:14.000Z
An LSE-led initiative attempts to get ahead of the curve, while we're all still paying the price of letting Facebook get out of hand
_This post is for paying subscribers only._
### Morning Conference: Freelance support, SEO updates and yet more on Substack
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/03/morning-conference-freelance-support-seo-updates-and-yet-more-on-substack/
Last updated: 2021-03-23T09:06:48.000Z
## Supporting Freelancers in the post-pandemic world
I'm not sure how many of my readers are freelancers (and I feel a bit guilty about that, because I feel I *should* know that sort of information about my audience), but if you are a freelancer, this is for you. The Society of Freelance Journalists is getting more formal and organised, a year after it was founded:
> Twelve months later, the Society of Freelance Journalists, as we are now known, has grown to almost 1,500 members all over the world. In the last year, our community has gone from strength to strength. We’ve partnered with the European Journalism Center on [a series of workshops](https://journalismassembly.com/tracks?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) and contributed to a [House of Lords report](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld5801/ldselect/ldcomuni/176/17602.htm?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) on the future of UK journalism. As we mark our first birthday, we’re excited to announce another milestone: SFJ is now a bona fide Community Interest Company.
Read on to find out why this matters:
[🎂 The Society of Freelance Journalists turns one — and we’re updating our statusLike many good ideas, it began with conversation and coffee. When I first sat down — virtually — with Laura Oliver, John Crowley and Caroline Harrap, the UK was three days away from its first…The Society of Freelance JournalistsAbigail Edge](https://medium.com/society-of-freelance-journalists/the-society-of-freelance-journalists-turns-one-and-were-updating-our-status-1581079e1752?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Born of the bleak times during the early pandemic, the Society was invaluable in helping me find some work to tide me over during the first lockdown when my income dried up. As more of the industry relies on freelancers every year, finding new ways of supporting each other is going to be vital. If you're a freelancer, consider joining the SFJ — it's free!
## Quick SEO Round-up
- **🔍 Last year [⅔ of searches ended up without a click](https://sparktoro.com/blog/in-2020-two-thirds-of-google-searches-ended-without-a-click/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)**. If you're doing SEO optimisation, then optimise for complex intents. If you're still optimising purely based on keywords, you're toast.
- **🕵🏻♂️ Google's new more privacy-friendly ad targeting might be** [**more PR than a genuine commitment to privacy**](https://www.wired.com/story/google-floc-age-privacy-theater/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)**.** Gosh, gee whiz, what a surprise.
- **🎦 Some updated** [**guidance on video SEO**](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2021/03/new-resources-for-video-seo?hl=en&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)**.**
- **👨🏻💻 Some more info on [how Google uses keywords in URLs](https://www.seroundtable.com/google-words-url-very-light-weight-factor-31081.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)**. The take-away from this is that you should sweat this if you want to rank quickly for a breaking news story, but otherwise not worry too much.
- **🔌 Hey, new date for** [**my popular SEO course**](https://www.journalism.co.uk/vocational-skills-study/seo-for-media-professionals-a-practical-guide-to-getting-your-work-found2/s43/a733090/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)**!**
## Other Quick Links
- 📧 A new newsletter [by journalists of colour for journalists of colour](https://www.poynter.org/from-the-institute/2021/introducing-the-collective-a-newsletter-for-passing-the-mic-on-the-path-to-equity/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 💰 One writer with a Substack deal [lays out his financials](https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/p/financial-transparency?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMTY1MzAsInBvc3RfaWQiOjM0MTcyNjA0LCJfIjoiclFSeFYiLCJpYXQiOjE2MTY0NTA4NjYsImV4cCI6MTYxNjQ1NDQ2NiwiaXNzIjoicHViLTI5NTkzNyIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.2%5FoYG-3V8i4BEVp4tsHmwuHJesH8htzUiU3lk3m3U2I). $45,000 upfront, but he's got over 1000 monthly subscribers already…
- 📈 Some things the US press successfully [got better at](https://pressthink.org/2021/03/if-youre-worried-that-journalists-have-learned-nothing-from-the-trump-years/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) during the Trump presidency.
- 🤖 Here's what journalists [need to know about SXSW 2021](https://www.interhacktives.com/2021/03/19/sxsw-2021-lineup-digital-journalism/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
### Morning Conference #3: Substack is a "con" and the NYT lost control of its culinary fans
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/03/morning-conference-3-substack-is-a-con-and-teen-vogue/
Last updated: 2021-03-19T07:29:59.000Z
It's been a fraught week in media. And that's without getting to the BBC news about BBC News.
_This post is for paying subscribers only._
### How do we make independent publishing more diverse?
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/03/diversity-in-newsletters-and-independent-publishing/
Last updated: 2021-04-15T23:14:23.000Z
Why are so many well-known newsletter writers white and male? Where’s the diversity in independent publishing? Journalism.co.uk held a [panel discussion on that lack of diversity](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news-events-awards/event-the-lack-of-diversity-in-independent-publishing/s14/a802617/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and these are my quasi-liveblogged notes from a useful and insightful discussion.
---
**Host**: [Marcela Kunova](https://twitter.com/marcelakunova?lang=en&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), editor, journalism.co.uk
**Panel:**
- [Isabelle Roughol](https://twitter.com/iroughol?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), producer of the independent newsletter and podcast [Borderline](https://borderlinepod.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- [Qin Xie](https://twitter.com/qinxiesays?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), journalist and producer of [Money Talk](https://moneytalk.substack.com/)
- [Thomas Baekdal](https://twitter.com/baekdal?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), independent media analyst and publisher of [Baekdal Plus](https://www.baekdal.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
---
Not all women struggle as independent creators, and not all men succeed, says Marcela, kicking off the event. But just because there are exceptions doesn’t mean there isn’t a rule.
The trend is of the independent creator is growing — but the most prominent and talked about journalists are white, male and based in the US. Is the lack of diversity in journalism is a structural problem? Well, if so, independent journalism should fix it. But very few women are making a living at it, compared to the men — why is that?
### Isabelle Roughol, Borderline
Isabelle left her corporate role at LinkedIn at the end of January 2020, feeling that she had accomplished as much as she could there. She’s always been happier creating things than running them — she likes building the railroads, not managing the trains.
She’d been freelance once before, a decade ago, but this time she had confidence born of her time at LinkedIn — which had also left her with a financial cushion. Borderline is a business — but not yet a profitable one.
### Qin Xie, Money Talk
Qin started her newsletter while furloughed in early 2020\. Lots of journalists were losing their jobs, and as acting travel editor at *The Independent* at a time when travel had abruptly stopped, she had to rethink her career. She had a background in personal finance, and the subject didn’t clash with her day job, so it seemed like a good topic for a newsletter. It would be a great way to move into being an independent creator. These things take a while to build up and be profitable, so she never expected an overnight success.
When she went back to work, she could do the newsletter alongside her day job. But it was paid from the start. Because some people signed up for a year, she really felt she *needed* to keep delivering. Now her contract at the *Indy* has finished, she has the time to build it up to an independent business.
Having the time to do it full time makes it more likely that you will succeed, she suggests — but then you need to pay the bills. So, for her, it has been very much a side-hustle. It has opened other doors, but it’s nowhere near a stage where she can stop writing or other people.
She loves her day job, unlike many people who start a side-hustle because they aren’t happy with it.
### Thomas Baekdal, Baekdal Plus
He started his first online magazine in the late 90s, he started something online in 2003 which failed. And in 2004, he started Baekdal Plus. Even with 1 million visitors a month, he didn’t get enough advertising revenue. So, in December 2010, he launched a paid subscription site for media trends and media analysis. He didn’t think his former job was going anywhere, so the site *had* to be his future.
It took a *very* long time to build up — three years before he was profitable.
## Fear of failure
Marcela quoted from her conversations with [Penelope Jones](https://twitter.com/penelopejones?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), of [My So-Called Career](https://mysocalledcareer.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), who was due to be on the panel, but who had to pull out. She suggested that the first thing you have to do to build a business is to take it seriously. You can’t set yourself up for success without doing so.
On the other hand, there’s nothing wrong with having a portfolio career. You *know* when you are successful — it’s what you define it to be.
There’s a fear of failure, or embarrassment, of having to close it and admit that you have failed. That fear of failure may be higher among women, suggested Marcela, and the pressure on women to succeed is higher. It’s really hard for women to fail.
Isabelle said she was in agony when she decided to leave LinkedIn. She felt, in part, that she was failing all women. Failure is a constant presence — the trick is to manage it as a sting that motivates you, not something that becomes paralysing.
Borderline is her full business — but it’s also a platform for other things, too. Her mind couldn’t be satisfied doing only one thing. The best sign of success is feedback from the community, and the sense is that it is something they need.
Thomas, on the other hand, didn’t feel the same way. Is he afraid about failure? No. Does he have anxiety about it? Yes. Every day. To him, not changing is the bigger problem. It is much more frightening than failure. On the other hand, he doesn’t believe you should try to fail as much as possible. You should never try to fail.
## Fear of success
Qin isn’t suffering fear of the pressures that come with success (yet). Yes, there is the fear of people thinking that the newsletter not good enough, or delivering enough value. She joined the [Ycombinator](https://www.ycombinator.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [startup school](https://www.startupschool.org/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and they have lots of metrics for success and advice on how to frame it. For example, they say you can launch your product again and again because you’re always refining it for the audience.
However, Isabelle has imposter syndrome in abundance. She’s caught herself downplaying her work, and she’s had girlfriends tell her to stop doing that. They reassure her that what she’s doing with Borderline is good stuff. For women, the extra scrutiny that comes with success is very hard. If a Twitter thread goes viral, well, here come the trolls, she suggested. And when you write about immigration, things are worse.
Thomas also suffers with imposter syndrome. He came from outside the media industry, which doesn’t help. The first time he was commissioned by a big publisher to analyse their strategy was scary.
## Diversity and safety online
You can’t be what you can’t see: you need to believe there’s a space to you, said Marcela. That’s why it’s important we see gender and racial diversity ion those who are succeeding. We need both profound diversity *and* inclusion. There are plenty of women in tabloids, but the way they are portrayed… They need the same space, voice, and platform as anyone else, she said.
Online harassment affects women, women of colour and women journalists of colour disproportionally. Any place where you register for payments, you need to register you address — and for many freelancers, that’s your home address. And that puts you in danger.
Thomas’s address is visible on Google. It was only a few years that he started to worry about that. However, he has female friends who created pseudonyms to interact online because they’d suffered so much harassment. But he never had to think about it.
Since a bad experience with a particular reader, Isabelle has had to be very cautious. She’s ended up slowing down her business growth because that caution holds back promotion efforts on personality-driven media. Qin doesn’t need to give out her address, thankfully — Substack gives a default, but if she ever needed to, she’d go for a PO Box or similar. The type of subject you write about makes a different — politics, tech and so attracts people who will track you down.
The creator economy is very personality-based, said Isabelle. You need to give more of yourself to build a relationship with your audience. And that’s good because you do get friends and good acquaintances, but you become more and more careful when you have bad experiences.
## The Time Problem
As a solo creator, there is no staff to delegate to. How do the panelists handle time pressure?
Qin sees a side-hustle is a good way to learn new things and develop your skills, as long as it’s not so close to your work that there’s a conflict of interest. She allowed herself a set amount of time for her newsletter, and she’s stuck to that. She has made changes to timings, though. The delivery slot was Sunday mornings, but that put too much pressure on her Saturdays. She’s happier since she switched to Sunday evenings.
Isabelle is a great believer in learning in public and getting customer feedback. It’s really helpful to get that feedback earlier on, and adapt that to the time you can give to it. She needs to find and book guests, record the interview, and then edit it — it’s a bonkers project to do, as it’s highly time-consuming. A newsletter is easier.
Thomas’s main value is his 30- to 40-page reports — so the only way he’s found to manage his time is to not have a deadline. Things come out when they’re done. And *he* does it full time.
Qin points out that you have to do your marketing, and Thomas added the fact that you have to do your own customer support, too. That all eats up time.
## The loneliness of the long-distance independent creator
I had the chance to ask a question, so I asked about managing the loneliness of being an independent creator. It’s something I’ve struggled with over nine years in self-employment, and I was interested to see how the others handled it.
Thomas has the beginnings of a team: a copy-editor, and she’s the best hire he’s ever made — it’s wonderful to have someone else to look over things, he said. The lack of a team means you are constantly stressed, though. Isabelle is completely on her own. She is starting to think maybe she needs an accountant, or a website editor, to handle things she’s not an expert in, and which are not a good use of her time. She’s a bit paranoid about the lack of secondary fact-checking. She does find talking on Twitter with people helps, and having people in her network she can call on for advice.
Qin talks to people who do similar things quite a lot, and she feels she does have a network of people she can seek help from. It’s about reaching out to people who can support you in your work.
## Advice for would-be independent creators
**Qin**: You can adapt your business again and again
**Thomas**: Focus a lot on what makes you unique, special, and different from all the others out there.
**Isabelle**: Just start. Put a stake in the ground. Build your platform, build that email list and control your own destiny. Be in charge.
### Morning Conference #2: revamped already
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/03/morning-conference-2-revamped-already/
Last updated: 2021-03-18T06:54:59.000Z
A style guide for reporting on statistics, Facebook clamps down on groups, and driving subscriptions with podcasts. Your morning briefing is here.
_This post is for paying subscribers only._
### Morning Conference #1
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/03/morning-conference-is-here/
Last updated: 2021-03-17T06:59:59.000Z
The first issue of the daily newsletter for OM&HB subscribers.
_This post is for paying subscribers only._
### Rewarding good subscriber content is not the same as rewarding clickbait
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/03/the-telegraphs-plan-incentive-subscriber-friendly-content-doesnt-look-like-clickbait-payemnts-whtever-twitter-says/
Last updated: 2021-04-15T23:14:36.000Z
There’s [a *Guardian* article blowing up on Twitter](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/mar/15/daily-telegraph-plans-link-journalists-pay-article-popularity?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) at the moment, thanks to a simple tweet from Marina Hyde:
> This is a truly atrocious idea [https://t.co/gvcdAXSZvq](https://t.co/gvcdAXSZvq?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Marina Hyde (@MarinaHyde) [March 15, 2021](https://twitter.com/MarinaHyde/status/1371537011526529026?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Are we really going back a decade to the discussion about clickbait payments? Well, actually and thankfully, we’re not because nobody is reading the detail of what’s quoted in the piece, and *The Guardian* has framed it unhelpfully. Let’s look at what we *actually* know.
## Subscriber conversion not clickbait
There's a problem with *The Guardian* framing it as linking pay with article popularity. There's little evidence for it provided in the piece. Even within the extracts of the letter quoted in the piece *The Telegraph*'s Chris Evans is clearly *not* talking about clickbait, or even traffic:
> Evans said: “It seems only right that those who attract and retain the most subscribers should be the most handsomely paid,” and noted that working out the details would be “complicated” so that “we’re not ready to do that … yet”.
Notice nothing in that quote specifies traffic: just retaining and attracting *subscribers*. I’ve been working with paywalled sites for nearly 25 years, and those measures are way more indicative of such sites’ success than raw traffic, much of which will never convert to paying subscribers. Given the article’s determination to make a clickbait point, I’m sure they would have used a direct quote which supported that angle if it existed. So, I’m assuming it doesn’t.
## A sensible proposal filtered through the Twitter meat-grinder
In that context, tweets like this are witty but not terrible useful in the debate:
> Clicksand
>
> — Charlotte Edwardes (@chedwardes) [March 15, 2021](https://twitter.com/chedwardes/status/1371587068854468611?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
But then, Twitter is a machine for destroying nuance and replacing it with outrage. The discussion of the piece there is full of performative outrage at incentivising clickbait, and precious little discussion of the nuance of trying to encourage journalists to write pieces that contribute to a subscriber-based business model.
With any system of this type, the devil is in the details. There’s a long and ignoble history in the digital journalism trade of talking a better game on analytics and performance-related pay than we actually play. And the staff are right to be sceptical about *how* this will be implemented. But equally, the management are *right* to cautiously explore this route.
## Clickbait rarely helps a paywall
I’m much less worried about this leading to clickbait than the Twitter commentariat. Clickbait is common, easy to replicate, and available everywhere — you really don’t need to pay for it. *The Sun*’s [short-lived paywall experiment](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34679817?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) proved that nicely. Conversely, the role of breadth of journalism in keeping readers subscribing has been a key element in the success of, say, *The Times*. Generally, speaking, that which attracts and converts readers can be quite different from what keeps them subscribing.
In that context, there should be a path to assuaging worries like this:
> Another said: “I’d call the mood mutinous. If you’re writing royal stories or big political news or coronavirus stuff or you’re famous then you’re going to get huge numbers. Most reporters are at the mercy of editors and it’s not their fault if they’re getting assigned boring things — and now that’s going to affect their pay packet.”
### Managing the analytics and pay relationship
The success of a system like this will also depend on numerous factors, including training and coaching the journalists, to help them understand the key skills they need to adapt their commissioning and writing to serving paying or potential subscribers rather than the drive-by outrage market. *(And this isn’t a self-interested remark — it’s been half a decade since I did any training work for the Telegraph and the key staff who hired me have all left.)*
It also requires more active management, checking in with the journalist, and helping them shape their work in a way that contributes usefully to these goals. And it requires editors who can actually manage people, rather than just tell them what to do.
It will also mean an enhanced role for the audience team, who will have a critical role in helping get the right content commissioned — and the right promotion done of that content. There are a huge number of moving parts to get a system like this working.
## Promise — but many pitfalls ahead
On the other hand, yes, there’s plenty of scope for this to go badly wrong, demoralise the journalists, and undermine the title. But there’s also scope for it to facilitate a more audience-centric culture, to build more profound relationships with paying members and to leave high traffic, low-value clickbait behind, as it rarely supports a paywall usefully.
Indeed, even a bonus structure that rewarded people who deliver measurable subscriber retention or acquisition would be less likely to go wrong. Anything that can get journalists thinking about delivering value to paying readers, rather than massaging their egos by writing high-traffic but low-value stories is a good thing.
In that conversation, comments like this from the NUJ general secretary are just not helpful:
> Stanistreet said: “The Telegraph’s plan to introduce clickbait scoring to pay and reward journalists is crass and shows scant regard for the importance of diverse quality journalism. For a publisher that purports to have high journalistic standards at its core, this is a foolish move that will undermine its reputation and massively demoralise the journalists whose work is at the heart of the business.”
The attempt to brand *any* attempt to link journalists’ pay to some element of performance as “clickbait” just undermines any useful discussion of news sustainability — especially for paywalled sites.
## Paywall management is tough
Eight years ago, I co-delivered a training course for senior editors at the *Financial Times*, and one of our key remits was to get them thinking about how *subscribers* read the site. We were to wean them off big traffic stories that converted few new subscribers, and did little to retain existing ones. This is a conversation any title with a paywall needs to be having.
Does that conversation need to be linked to pay? No. Is there a benefit in doing so? Of course. You get more of the behaviour you incentivise. And that means, obviously, you have to be meticulous about *exactly* what you incentivise.
---
**Update*: an earlier version of this piece described Michelle Stanistreet as the president of the NUJ. She is, of course, the general secretary. Thanks to [Martin Cloake](https://twitter.com/martincloake?s=21&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) for the correction, and the reminder of why everyone needs good sub-editors.*
### On the Harry & Meghan interview and the UK press
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/03/on-the-harry-meghan-interview-and-the-uk-press/
Last updated: 2021-03-09T10:28:29.000Z
Well, this wasn't how I expected to break my homeschool-driven blogging fast, but them's the breaks. The Sussexes had some [serious things to say about the UK media](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56324215?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) in their interview with Oprah. Here's a few of the more telling responses:
[John Naughton](https://memex.naughtons.org/monday-8-march-2021/33182/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> But the interview confirms two things we knew already. One is that the British Royal family is a dysfunctional tribe on an Olympic scale. The other is that British tabloid culture is vicious, racist, and xenophobic to a pathological degree.
[The Society of Editors](https://www.societyofeditors.org/soe%5Fnews/uk-media-not-bigoted-soe-responds-to-sussexes-claims-of-racism/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> The UK media is not bigoted and will not be swayed from its vital role holding the rich and powerful to account following the attack on the press by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the Society of Editors has commented.
[Paul Wiltshire](https://www.glos.ac.uk/staff/profile/paul-wiltshire/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> The [@EditorsUK](https://twitter.com/EditorsUK?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) does an amazing job in defending media freedom. But to pretend that bigotry and racism isn't alive and well on the front pages of too many of our news titles does a huge disservice to journalism and the majority of journalists. [https://t.co/OonsaysJyV](https://t.co/OonsaysJyV?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Paul Wiltshire (@Paulwiltshire) [March 8, 2021](https://twitter.com/Paulwiltshire/status/1369059068288073728?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
[Jess Brammer](https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/jess-brammar?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> I considered not saying anything about this because I’m aware I won’t make myself popular with my peers but i’m just going to stand up and say it: I don’t agree with statement from my industry body that it is “untrue that sections of UK press were bigoted” [https://t.co/HZfYzLY6ym](https://t.co/HZfYzLY6ym?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Jess Brammar (@jessbrammar) [March 8, 2021](https://twitter.com/jessbrammar/status/1368967509429338116?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Steven Barnett's piece, written before the interview, is [worth reading, too](https://theconversation.com/meghan-and-harrys-oprah-interview-why-british-media-coverage-could-backfire-156424?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
And as for me?
This looks like an unforced error from the Society of Editors, which had some reasonable points to make about press freedom, but equally just made an awful lot of young, talented journalists who have lived experience of racism in British journalism feel unsupported by one of the major and most respected trade bodies.
### Audience Engagement = Audience Respect
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/02/audience-engagement-audience-respect/
Last updated: 2021-05-14T11:01:09.000Z
Journalism, as a profession, seems to be deeply resistent to incorporating certain ideas into its practice. 15 years ago, when I first moved into editorial development, we talked endlessly about using the internet — then largely blogs and forums — to expose more of our processes to readers. And, of course, to involve them in our journalism. It worked. It built trust with our readers that could be usefully converted into subscriptions.
A decade and a half on, we're still *talking* about it. We've even given it a fancy new name — engaged journalism — and we write playbooks and think pieces on it. And yet, it still really hasn't penetrated the big institutions of journalism, and that's creating problems.
## Why is this NOT news?
To take an example from the weekend, last Friday the High Court of England and Wales decided that the government [illegally failed to publish details](https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/feb/19/matt-hancock-acted-unlawfully-failing-publish-covid-contracts-high-court?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) of billions of pounds worth of pandemic procurement contracts within the correct timeframe. People — largely on Twitter — asked *why* this was coming below the latest piece of Royal drama on most news sites, and *why* it faded as a story so quickly.
This wasn't the standard “You won't see this in the mainstream media!” complaint — which is usually (a) untrue and (b) used by borderline conspiracy theorists. This was a genuine question of news judgement that seemed at odds with a significant chunk of the audience.
In [the Monday edition of his newsletter](https://www.getrevue.co/profile/bigrevolution/issues/big-revolution-why-is-this-not-news-397310?utm%5Fcampaign=Issue&utm%5Fcontent=view%5Fin%5Fbrowser&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Big+Revolution) Martin Bryant muses on the reaction of many newsrooms to this:
> I won’t judge on which side is right here, but I will say that by quickly moving on from the story, news outlets are fostering a growing sense of distrust of journalists. It really does behove editors to be sensitive to these complaints from the public. These aren’t just silly people who don’t understand news, getting worked up about nothing; they are the audience, and they deserve respect.
He's hit on something here: there is a thread in journalism that believes that the audience is there to be *served* and to *consume*, but is not there to be *listened to*. It's almost never expressed in terms that blunt, but there is a real sense that sometimes the audience is secondary to some abstract sense of serving NEWS.
## To respect is to explain
Martin doesn't argue that editors should let their audience dictate their newslist. Instead, he's just calling for [a little respect](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OD3WOKLTRyQ&ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> That doesn’t mean editors should make a big deal out of stories that don’t deserve it. It’s just that when there’s significant outcry about editorial choices, they should run prominent explainers about why that hotly debated story isn’t being given more prominence.
This, I think, is the point. If you want to build trust — a relationship — with an audience, you have to be prepared to explain yourself.
Some sectors of journalism are quite good at this. Consumer mags often explain editorial choices and mistakes on their letters page, for example. More deeply embedding this in the way we work across all sectors — even the lofty heights of the national and international news outlets — could go a long way to addressing our on-going trust crisis.
### The skill of making emailing spinach go viral
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/02/the-skill-of-making-emailing-spinach-go-viral/
Last updated: 2021-02-14T14:45:44.000Z
Do you remember this story about emailing spinach that went viral for a few days?
[Scientists have taught spinach to send emails | LivingIt sounds too weird to be true, but engineers at MIT have developed nanotechnology which can be embedded in plants.livingMarthe de Ferrer](https://www.euronews.com/living/2021/02/01/scientists-have-taught-spinach-to-send-emails-and-it-could-warn-us-about-climate-change?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
This piece indeed went viral, but not *unexpectedly* so. The author of the piece, [Marthe de Ferrer](https://twitter.com/MarthedeFerrer?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), has written about the experience and the planning of it in her new newsletter: *[Let's Get Social](https://letsgetsocial.substack.com/p/so-i-accidentally-on-purpose-made)*.
[Let’s Get SocialDelving deeper into the weird and wonderful world of social media.Marthe de Ferrer](https://letsgetsocial.substack.com/?r=2hwy&utm%5Fcampaign=pub&utm%5Fmedium=web&utm%5Fsource=copy)
And what's fascinating in her account is the degree to which people both judged the whole article by the headline, but also the way that they assumed the fact it went viral was an accident:
> One person in the publisher’s comms team tweeted that she felt sorry for me as I was most likely underpaid and stressed, which is why I chose that headline. Much as I love public patronising speculation about my salary and mental wellbeing, we chose that headline as a team because we know what works. We know how to sell a heavy science-based story to a non-specialist readership. And, clearly, we know how to do it well.
The assumption that every newsroom is full of isolated, under-paid publishing peons is a troubling one. Yes, it has roots in the reality of *some* newsrooms, but it's far from universal. And, clearly, the *Euronews* team are doing a great job of both:
1. Thinking of *how* to sell a story
2. Doing that collaboratively
## Selling a story as an editorial team
Back to Marthe:
> Much as I would like to take sole credit for this entire affair, every headline we craft at my main work (shout out again to Euronews Living + Travel) is a joint effort.
And, given that last year I delivered an SEO course for the team Marthe is part of, this paragraph made me happy:
> We forensically consider the SEO potential, and we know what we’re doing. So when someone emailed me on Wednesday to ask if I realised that I had “*accidentally gone viral*”, I wasn’t overly impressed that they thought I didn’t know and that the entire event was random blind luck.
Of course, nobody can *guarantee* that something will go viral. But putting the time in to think through both *where* and *how* you can bring attention to your journalism is always time well-spent:
- Is it an answer to a problem or question people will search for?
- Is it something that people will respond to with an emotional reaction, and so a good candidate for social?
- If not, can you find other ways of selling it via newsletters or homepage placement?
A good rule of thumb for internet publishing is (to misquote an old film): *Build it — and they will *not* come*.
## Winning your share of attention
In an attention-poor environment, publishing alone is not enough. Understanding how to bring attention to a story is critical, otherwise all your work is just so many electrons on a server somewhere. People are quick to throw the “clickbait” label on any catchy headline, but that's unfair. Clickbait is a headline which over-promises and under-delivers in a deceptive way.
There's an equal and opposite crime: writing headlines so very boring that nobody finds or reads the fascinating reporting underneath it. Learning to walk the line between the two is a critical skill for online journalism.
### Why you should subscribe to Nick Petrie's Evolving Newsroom
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/01/why-you-should-subscribe-to-nick-petries-evolving-newsroom/
Last updated: 2021-01-31T11:34:25.000Z
Here's a confession: I'm jealous of Nick Petrie. One of the things I was looking forward to this year was starting an interview series on this blog. And then the Prime Minister announced that he was closing the schools and, as a father of primary school age children, I realised that the time needed to do those had just evaporated. Pfft. Gone.
Meanwhile, Nick, the cad, has got his weekly interview series up and running, and it's *good*. It's called *[Evolving Newsroom](https://evolvingnewsroom.substack.com/)*, and focuses on people doing new an interesting jobs in newsrooms. So far, he's interviewed:
- [Karen Johnson](https://evolvingnewsroom.substack.com/p/karen-johnson-bloomberg-product-1), head of product innovation & research at *Bloomberg Media*
- [Ashley Kirk](https://evolvingnewsroom.substack.com/p/ashley-kirk-guardian-visual-projects-2), visual projects editor at *The Guardian* (and a former Interhacktive)
- [Felicitas Sánchez](https://evolvingnewsroom.substack.com/p/felisitas-sanchez-user-advocate-quartz-week3), former user advocate at *Quartz.*
- [Anna Lombardi](https://evolvingnewsroom.substack.com/p/anna-lombardi-data-interactive-week4), a data and interactive journalist at *The Times* and *Sunday Times*
What's so exciting and interesting to me about this series is that it focuses on people doing day-to-day work in newsrooms, rather than the higher level strategic and business angle. In an era where we see people launching newsletter after newsletter aiming to be the “[*Stratechery*](https://stratechery.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) of media” (which will be a challenge because, as this week's [weekly article proved](https://stratechery.com/2021/publishing-is-back-to-the-future/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), *Stratechery* is the *Stratechery* of media…), having more people focusing on the emerging processes within journalism practice is desperately needed.
For example, today's interview with Anna is a really good look at both what working as a data journalist involves, but also what core skills are needed to really thrive in that role. For example:
> From a technical point of view I think an improved proficiency in R and a better acquaintance with softwares to analyse and map geographical data (e.g. QGIS) have both proved really handy in my daily work.
But also:
> That is why wherever possible we also try to place our readers at the centre of the story by shaping statistics around them: you may be interested in knowing the number of ICU beds available in all British hospitals, but you’re much more likely to care about the situation in your local one. No matter what platform or tool you use, it is people that bring your journalism to life.
So, if you're really interested in where journalism is headed, and how the way we work is changing and adapting, do head over to *Evolving Newsroom* and [pop in your email address](https://evolvingnewsroom.substack.com/subscribe).
## Back to the blog
But, wait. There's more.
Nick also [has a blog up and going](https://nickpetrie.co/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), too. His most recent post is a good summary of why journalism struggles to innovate, but also weighs well the [costs of trying to be an innovator](https://nickpetrie.co/opportunity-choosing-different-news-product/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
December's post was a corker, too, picking at the ideas of speed in a newsroom, and why that might not be the right way to think of things:
> I think for modern newsrooms trying to create the best possible product experiences what we are actually interested in is ****learning quickly** and ****making better decisions**.
So, go enjoy Nick's work. It's a really useful contribution to reinvigorating the online debate about journalism practice. And we need that.
### Seven lessons in the future of digital journalism
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/01/seven-lessons-in-the-future-of-digital-journalism/
Last updated: 2021-01-27T13:13:35.000Z
Last week, I kicked off a brand new module for City's [Masters in Interactive Journalism](https://www.city.ac.uk/study/courses/postgraduate/interactive-journalism?ref=onemanandhisblog.com): Audience Strategy. As part of the module, I'll be expecting students to paying attention to what's happening elsewhere in media, so they can learn from it.
And, to lead by example, I gave them a short presentation on seven stories that could impact their thinking, as I'll be doing again this Friday From the week after, they'll be doing it…
However, having done the work, I thought these seven lessons might be of more general interest. Here they are:
## Lesson 1: Look outside the your home territory
We can be very narrow in our view of competition sometimes, both in terms of style of media, and geography. I've been lucky enough to be a judge in the[ WAN-IFRA Asia awards](https://wan-ifra.org/2020/12/south-asian-digital-media-awards-2020-winners-announced/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) for the last couple of years, and the work going on in India, in particular, is fascinating.
This move by Twitter, to take one of its least discussed products and integrate it into a growing regional platform to help it gain reach is interesting — and shows the way that Twitter could develop in future.
[Twitter is bringing Moments to Indian social app Dailyhunt – TechCrunchFive years after its launch, Twitter Moments is growing beyond the American social networking platform. On Monday, Twitter said it had partnered with Dailyhunt to bring Moments to the Indian social app. Dailyhunt app now has a dedicated tab called “Twitter Moments India” to showcase curated tweets p…TechCrunchManish Singh](https://techcrunch.com/2021/01/17/twitter-moments-dailyhunt-india/?utm%5Fcampaign=Big%20Revolution&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter)
## Lesson 2: Big publishers often struggle to listen to expertise
You've got to feel sorry for the head honchos at many publishers. They fought and struggled and competed their way to the top of these organisations, only to find that whole new sets of skills are needed to thrive in the modern media ecosystem. Sometimes, they hire well and listen to their hires. Sometimes they hire well and fail to listen. That's what appears to have happened here.
[Condé Nast Entertainment wanted a major podcast network, but the producers say they got burned insteadContract podcast editors and producers released a letter outlining steps they think media companies should take to ensure that audio teams are valued.The VergeAshley Carman](https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/12/22225859/conde-nast-entertainment-podcast-editors-producers-letter?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Lesson 3: Opinion columnists are like explosives: powerful, but dangerous
I have a longer piece brewing on this, but I'm increasingly convinced that opinion columnists are a dangerous luxury for news brands. Yes, they bring traffic. But they also bring reputational damage. That *The Telegraph* let someone like Toby Young, with *no relevant expertise at all* opine so damagingly on something so very important is a serious editorial failure.
But we should be asking deeper questions about the role of the professional hot take merchant in an age of [atomised content](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2018/10/the-basics-of-digital-journalism-attention-and-atomisation/). After all, many readers [can't tell option and reporting apart](https://theconversation.com/journalists-believe-news-and-opinion-are-separate-but-readers-cant-tell-the-difference-140901?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Can we afford this provocative luxury any more?
[Daily Telegraph rebuked over Toby Young’s Covid columnPress watchdog says claims were ‘significantly misleading’ as newspaper told to publish correctionThe GuardianArchie Bland](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/jan/14/daily-telegraph-rebuked-over-toby-youngs-herd-immunity-covid-column?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Lesson 4: Journalism involves hard choices
Do we ignore anti-vaxxers, preventing people being exposed to their rhetoric? Or do we refuse to publish them, possibly fuelling the conspiracy theorist's sense that they're being persecuted for truth telling. There's no perfect answer: but there might be a correct one.
[How should newsrooms respond to anti-vaccine comments and letters?In an editorial published on the websites of a number of papers, including the Stroud News and Journal and the Gazette series in Gloucestershire, editor Michael Purton said the seriousness of the…Behind Local News UKBehind Local News](https://medium.com/behind-local-news-uk/how-should-newsrooms-to-respond-to-anti-vaccine-comments-and-letters-250ead356352?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Lesson 5: Cognitive biases are powerful
Mere fact-checking is not enough. Some people will change their views when exposed to challenging facts. Some… won't. (I wrote in [depth about this](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/01/trump-qanon-and-the-limits-of-the-viral-metaphor-to-describe-online-communities/) last week.)
[QAnon believers struggle with inauguration.As President Biden took office, some QAnon believers tried to rejigger their theories to accommodate a transfer of power.NYTimes](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/20/technology/qanon-inauguration.html?smid=tw-share&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Lesson 6: Don't write off tech too quickly
People have been writing off Facebook Instant Articles for a while now. But this experiment shows that they might well be worth a fresh look.
[Liverpool Echo Facebook Instant Articles boost reach - Press GazetteAn experiment conducted the Liverpool Echo found that Facebook Instant Articles get seen by almost a third more readers than stories not using the format.Press GazetteCharlotte Tobitt](https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/liverpool-echo-facebook-instant-articles-experiment-format-grows-reach-by-third/?utm%5Fcampaign=The%20Media%20Roundup%20from%20Media%20Voices&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter)
## Lesson 7: Journalism is surprisingly herd-like
Forbes has form for piling into a trendy space. Its contributor network was essentially bringing blogging into their editorial product, using external contributors paid by traffic. And now they're doing the same for newsletters. Potentially quite lucrative for both parties involved — but could it carry the [same reputation risk](https://www.cjr.org/innovations/newsrooms%5Fboost%5Ftraffic.php?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) that the contributor network has?
[Exclusive: Forbes launches massive expansion of paid newslettersForbes will hire 20-30 writers with big followings to help get the platform up and running.AxiosSara Fischer](https://www.axios.com/forbes-paid-newsletter-subscriptions-ab423ae1-0b90-4863-acad-40a373adce80.html?utm%5Fcampaign=The%20Media%20Roundup%20from%20Media%20Voices&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter)
### The Ghost of future publishing systems
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/01/the-ghost-of-future-publishing-systems/
Last updated: 2021-01-26T15:12:20.000Z
I wonder how many people can claim to have been sent a penknife by a blog platform — twice?
Just before Christmas, I receive an unexpected package from [Ghost](https://ghost.org/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — the team behind the content management system I use to run this site. Inside, as you can see, was a penknife. And this message came with it:
You see, there was an not-very-hidden meaning behind the gift, which I can best illustrate thus:
Two penkinves from different ages of blogging.
A few months back, somebody posted on the Ghost forum suggesting that Ghost produced some merch. I commented, suggesting that I would be up for that, as my [blog platform merch is getting rather old](https://forum.ghost.org/t/i-3-ghost-do-you-have-merch/18208/3?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). (I also had a Blogger hoodie, long claimed and worn to death by my wife.) I'm guessing [John](https://twitter.com/johnonolan?lang=en&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), or another member of the team, took note…
I must have had the Movable Type 4 penknife you see above for well over a decade. That version of the early blog platform launched [back in 2007](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2007/08/movable%5Ftype%5F4%5Fis%5Fhere%5Fand%5Fi%5Fmean%5Fhere/), when I was leading blog development for publisher RBI.
## A brief history of blog platforms (and how penknives fit in)
For those who haven't followed blog platform development obsessively for over two decades (which, I'm guessing, is *everyone* apart from me), MT was one of the earlier blog platforms, and briefly the dominant one before the rise of WordPress. MT4 was released during the phase when Movable Type had fallen seriously behind WordPress in market penetration, and was trying to reinvent itself as a commercially-orientated CMS, applicable to many different uses: there were pseudo-forum and social network add-ons, for example.
The move didn't really work out for MT, and it was eventually [flogged off to its Japanese subsidiary](https://www.movabletips.com/2010/09/movable-type-and-six-apart-live-on-in-japan.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). (In that, it fared better than stable mate Vox, [which was shut down entirely](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2010/09/lessons%5Ffrom%5Fthe%5Fdeath%5Fof%5Fvox/) , and the domain name sold to, well, *Vox*.) In the years since, Ghost has risen as a good challenger CMS to WordPress (amongst others) when you want a tool that can do one particular kind of thing well: member-supported engaged publishing.
And this rather makes the point, doesn't it?
Bloat is rarely a good thing in a software product. And yes, I'm looking at you, Instagram.
The penknife works great, by the way. I used it to open a big bag of bird seed in a homeschooling break earlier.
### Trump, QAnon and the limits of the “viral” metaphor to describe online communities
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/01/trump-qanon-and-the-limits-of-the-viral-metaphor-to-describe-online-communities/
Last updated: 2021-01-20T13:21:31.000Z
The last few months have made it very plain that there are limits to how far the “viral” metaphor will go online. The best part of a year living with a true viral pandemic has reminded us what viral *really* means. And last week’s assault on the US Capitol makes it very plain that misinformation is *not* a virus, at leas, or in the way that we now all understand.
Yes, when Richard Dawkins coined the phrase “meme” and described his concept of viral spread of ideas, he was certainly on to something. Ideas *do* spread like virus, incubating in hosts, and then spreading to others. But the metaphor is not exact.
Unlike viruses, ideas that spread viral create *communities* and that’s where their true danger lies. A biological viral infection is something your immune system fights off, and you live, or it fails to fight it off, and you die. A mimetic infection lodges in your brain, and binds you to others, in a community, with the memetic ideas as the social object you bind around. And it’s harder to cure a community than it is to cure an idea.
## It’s hard to kill a community
Look, nobody really needs a middle-aged Brit’s take on the Capitol riots. But in the billions of pixels of writing around it that the last week has generated, I have noted one very distinct trend: to attribute the situation to a mix of misinformation, social media and Trump. This is an information channel problem, that we must fix. That approach is very much a continuation of the narrative of information flows that’s developed around misinformation and polarisation: the information, and those who generate it, are responsible for the problem. Cut off the information flow, and the problem goes away, right?
Well, no.
QAnon is now a *community*, and that’s what will make it so very difficult to stop. By booting these people off the mainstream platforms, you do take away reach: you go some way to slowing the spread of the memetic infection. But you don’t do anything to cure the infection, nor do you take away the ability of QAnon advocates to gather. They don’t need the mainstream platforms for that.
You see, the QAnon movement wasn’t born on any of those networks: it was born on the 4chan anonymous message board. The central figure of “Q” — who may actually be a group of people — [started posting there](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/06/qanon-nothing-can-stop-what-is-coming/610567/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and that’s where the cult began. The community formed around the Q drops, and has persisted as repeated and focused efforts to shut 4chan — and its more offensive spin off 8chan — have succeeded. Once a community has formed, it can move. It is not dependent on the host platform. Qanon will continue, in forums, on message board, on Discord servers, in messaging app chats: anywhere people can build a community online is where the community can thrive.
## Misinformation ideology as social object
The idea of Q and the war against the corrupt elite that Q philosophy espouses is a social object that the community has gathered around. That community has forged bonds and relationships that will persist during the clampdown on their activities, and which might actually be strengthened — that sense of shared oppression can bring people together in compelling way.
In any reasonable estimation, cutting off Trump and the most egregious QAnon groups from mainstream platforms merely retards the growth of the movement, rather than countering it. And to understand why, you need to understand the role Trump and the social media platforms play in this.
### Trump
Trump himself is now merely another social object that the QAnon community gathers around. In fact, the social object is less Trump himself, and more the *idea* of the crusader Trump that is central to the QAnon ideology. When the real Trump strays from the boundaries of the conceptual Trump, his [followers assume deception](https://www.dailydot.com/debug/trump-supporters-video-deepfake/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). There is a communal sense of him as their leader, even if it doesn’t match to the reality of the man. Presented with evidence to the contrary, they reject it, and seek to rationalise it away.
### Social Media
Much of the mainstream debate is about the big platforms we already know: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, *et al*. They have been rapidly deplatforming Trump. But they’re too late, and they might not even be doing the most effective thing.
Given, as we discussed above, the major social platforms weren’t central to the creation of Qanon, what has their role been? Recruitment and amplification. Where these platforms excel is in putting this extremist content next to much more mainstream content, and thus algorithmically greasing the tradition from mainstream political positions, to more extreme ones, without the new convert having to hunt out the more obscure places that the ideology grew.
They are engines of acceleration and growth.
So, yes, there is a value in driving these fringe ideologies off the major platforms. They slow their growth. It’s the social distancing of viral misinformation.
## This is a social issue, not merely a technology one
However, we won’t really start to address the problems that led us there, until we start seeing it as a community issue, rather than as an information one. Once the misinformation is out there, and people are bonding around it, you’re too late to kill it by cutting of the information flow: the community has formed. It will generate its own information and media internally, and use that to grow instead.
To borrow from the viral metaphors again, what you have to do is isolate those communities as quickly as you can, to prevent spread of memetic infection, and then work on cleaning the infection itself. In many cases, the only way to do that is to try and help separate people from the toxic community, and help them reintegrate into more normal information spheres. And, right now, we have no idea how to do that.
## Deprogramming online cultists
I suspect we have a lot to learning from people who work on cult deprogramming here. Alex Kantrowitz published an interview with cult deprogrammer Rick Alan Ross just before Christmas, that’s [a valuable read in this context](https://onezero.medium.com/cult-deprogrammer-rick-alan-ross-on-nxivm-qanon-and-what-makes-us-vulnerable-62f6c709562c?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> [The online cult members](https://onemanandhisblog.com/p/0f2b606c-e1e7-4a88-bd7c-0fce4e594cbd/) go to the YouTube channel, the web platform of the group and they become completely consumed with the information that the group is putting out online. And this is to the exclusion of any other information to balance it. And so in a sense, they cocoon themselves online and it’s very hard to penetrate that. And it can become a reinforcing wall that is built around an individual that we don’t see, but they live in it on a daily basis.
This is the reason that the internet is so powerful at creating these movements: it’s easy to slip into self-reinforcing bubbles of like-minded people, who support and validate each other in their views. You can create worlds for yourself where you never have to face the cognitive dissonance of engaging socially (as opposed to argumentatively) with someone who holds very different views from you.
## Complex problems don’t yield to simple solutions
This is a complex problem, born out of a potent brew of social isolation, technological development and intentional bad actors. And, as with most complex problems, simple solutions won’t have much of an impact. Yes, getting the most extreme beliefs off mainstream platforms will help, but it won’t cure the problem.
If anything, we need to work harder at social inoculation: what’s the human version of vaccination? How do we make people less vulnerable to conspiracy thinking and cults? At one level, a little more human kindness will help. The fewer people who feel alone and isolated, the small the recruiting pool in the early days of these movements.
Equally, we need to pay an awful lot more attention to what’s happening in out-of-the way corners of the internet. People laughed at QAnon as a weird expression of internet culture, just as they did predecessor movements like Gamergate and the Incel movements. We have form for this. We didn’t take the reporting on state-sponsored misinformation seriously enough early enough, and, despite it being well-reported in the mid 2010s, it was left to run unchecked, and stoke polarisation in many countries.
We have to get better at this. Likewise, we have to spot these movements earlier, and start acting to counter them more quickly, rather than writing yet more “ho, ho, isn’t the internet storage?” articles.
## Can we nip dangerous misinformation-based ideologies in the bud?
By the time an extreme idea has become a social object, and a community has formed around it, you’re too late. The momentum is building. We need to be better at countering this in the early days. And that’s a societal problem as much as a governmental one.
But there’s also a challenge for journalism here: what are we amplifying, and why are we amplifying it? Like the social platforms we’re quick to criticise, we are amplification engines, too.
What role have we played in normalising dangerous, extreme and delusional ideas? That’s a hard and challenging question to answer. Which is what so many are keen to pin the blame solely on the social platforms. Yes, they bear culpability. But the problem is broader and deeper than them. They’re just an excellent amplifying mirror.
### Catch-up Digital Digest #1: revenue, vaccines and more
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2021/01/catch-up-digital-digest-1/
Last updated: 2021-01-05T22:48:13.000Z
Welcome to the 2021. Let's catch-up. Or try to, at least.
_This post is for paying subscribers only._
### The most popular OM&HB posts of the year: the top 5
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/12/the-most-popular-posts-of-the-year-5-to-1/
Last updated: 2020-12-30T11:55:59.000Z
Welcome back, pop pickers, to the second half of the year's countdown of top posts. Will the coveted number one slot go to young and hungry fresh content, or will one of the stalwart evergreen pieces have delivered the goods?
Let's find out…
---
## #5 — Ghost 3.0 has built-in membership and paywall tools to build engaged journalism sites
This is a slightly meta post: a blog hosted on Ghost using its membership features, writing about Ghost's membership features. It reminds me of the old days of the 2000s when a lot of blogging was about blogging: metablogging as we called it.
This is another SEO-driven success, picking up a good chunk of people who are interesting in using Ghost as a membership publishing platform. I could probably make more of this page, if I tried. I just need to work out *how*.
[Ghost 3.0 is an elegant way of building membership sites for newsGhost 3.0 upgrades the content management system to a full membership platform, with the ability to easily add paid subscribers.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2019/10/ghost-3-0-has-built-in-membership-and-paywall-tools-to-build-engaged-journalism-sites/)
## #4 — Spotify is trying to become podcasting's gatekeeper. We mustn't let them.
Ah, a post from the Before Times. But still a relevant one, I think. Spotify is one of the companies manoeuvring to dominate an open standard: podcasting. Arguably, we're seeing the same happening with Substack and newsletters. And, again, arguably we're seeing traditional media aiding this process by focusing on *companies* rather than *media forms*.
This is a story that's likely to keep recurring next year — and quote possibly beyond.
[Spotify is trying to become podcasting’s gatekeeper. We musn’t let them.While Spotify’s acqusition of The Ringer is good news for the journalists involved, it’s part of a worrying trend in podcastingOne Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/02/spotify-is-trying-to-become-podcastings-gatekeeper-we-musnt-let-them/)
## #3 — Want to read your iPad in the bath?
If you've ever heard me bang on about the value of evergreen content, well, this is an example. This is a six year old post, which I SEOed the hell out of, and which drives traffic to this day. It's not particularly useful traffic, but as someone who consults and trains in SEO, it's nice to have a few things I can practice on.
And this is one of them. I freshened it up this year, and saw a small uptick in traffic again. One thing's for sure: lots of people want to read their iPads in the bath.
[Want to read your iPad in the bath?Dropping your Apple tablet into the bath water is a lot more expensive that dropping a magazine. Does this sleeve solve the issue?One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2014/01/want%5Fto%5Fread%5Fyour%5Fipad%5Fin%5Fthe%5Fbath/)
## #2 — Journalists: do NOT upgrade to IOS14 today
This is…
Well, it's a little depressing, frankly. There's nothing insightful or analytical here. It just went viral on social media, and delivered a huge hit of traffic. The only major problem was that very little of this traffic was useful to me. No notable uptick in subscribers. Very little uptick in traffic after the bubble passed. Classic “drive-by” traffic that's a little value to a site that's not monetised through advertising.
Ah, well.
Let's hope the #1 slot is a bit better.
[Journalists: do NOT upgrade to iOS14 todayApple’s big iOS and iPad update arrives today. You do NOT want to install it today, if you use your iPhone or iPad for your journalism.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/09/journalists-do-not-upgrade-to-ios14-today/)
## #1 — Matt Yglesias leaves Vox for Substack
This post had twice the traffic of the number 2 slot. It, essentially, did a month's worth of my average traffic all by itself. It was the perfect storm of a couple of high profile Tweeters sharing it, and excellent SEO, delivering a massive slab of traffic.
And, of course, it's been about that mediasphere topic of the year: Substack.
This feels like a fitting “winner” neatly encapsulating some of the key issues in independent media as we head into 2021.
[Matt Yglesias leaves Vox for Substack: is he doing a Newton or a Sullivan?Another writer mired in controversy leaves a Vox Media publication to start his own newsletter. What’s happening here?One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/11/matt-yglesias-leave-vox-for-substack-is-he-doing-a-newton-or-a-sullivan/)
---
And there we have it. Thanks for reading in 2020 folks — and see you in 2021\. Things can only get better…
### The top OM&HB posts of 2020: #10 to #6
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/12/the-top-om-hb-posts-of-2020-10-to-6/
Last updated: 2021-12-31T19:01:15.000Z
In these, the dying days of the hell year, it seems right to maintain at least one tradition from previous years: my quick traffic review of the year. If you've been trained by me on [SEO](https://www.journalism.co.uk/vocational-skills-study/seo-for-media-professionals-a-practical-guide-to-getting-your-work-found2/s43/a733090/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) or [content strategy](https://www.journalism.co.uk/vocational-skills-study/digital-content-strategies/s43/a698180/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — or even [analytics](https://www.journalism.co.uk/vocational-skills-study/analytics-for-journalists/s43/a555836/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — you'll know how much value I place on long-term views of metrics.
And yes, I apply that to my own site.
So here's the first of two parts, that between them will chart the top 10 posts by traffic this year. I've also tried to draw out some useful lessons and give you some insight into my thinking. I hope you find it useful.
---
## #10 — Kevin Systrom's blog is all about coronavirus and maths
I am amused to see this down at the bottom of our top ten. This is the most gratuitous piece I wrote this year. I noted a sudden surge in search traffic to some [very old posts of mine](https://onemanandhisblog.com/tag/kevin-systrom/) about Kevin Systrom, the co-founder of Instagram, mainly for phrases like “Kevin Systrom blog”. It turned out that he'd launched a blog. So I wrote a quick hot take on it, SEO optimised it to within an inch of its life…
…and it worked.
There are two lessons here:
1. I still know my SEO stuff
2. I really should apply it for more useful purposes
[Kevin Systrom’s blog - is all about coronavirus and mathsInstagram’s co-founder has remerged with a blog - but he’s not writing about what you might expect.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/04/kevin-systroms-blog/)
## #9 — What the new newsletters can learn from the early days of blogging
Oh, this was a good one. I'm proud of it (unlike #10). And I really ought to write a follow-up: one for my 2021 ideas list.
In the months since this was published, the connections between blogging and the new newsletters have become more and more obvious. It's more than a little troubling to me that what we used to call the blogosphere is being recreated within the semi-walled (fenced?) garden of Substack.
But the parallels are undeniable.
[Newsletter growth: an easy lesson from the early days of bloggingToday’s newsletters look more and more like the early days of blogging - but with one missing ingredient.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/07/what-the-new-newsletters-can-learn-from-the-early-days-of-blogging/)
## #8 — Dominic Cummings’ blogpost, direct dialogue and its threat to mainstream political journalism
Oh, this was another good one. (The advantage of having the memory of a goldfish when it comes to my own writing is that it is sometimes a pleasant surprise when I reread old work.)
This piece was largely wrong as it turned out, but it was hard to see that when I wrote it back in January. Who knew that Cummings would become better known for a couple of ill-judged drives in the midst of a pandemic, and an unceremonious firing towards the end of the year?
Had the world not taken a COVID handbrake turn, things might have played out more like I predicted. There might yet be evergreen content potential in this one — it all depends if "Classic Dom" decides to blog again…
[Dominic Cummings’ blogpost, direct dialogue and its threat to mainstream political journalismThe Prime Minster’s Chief Special Advisor outlined a new vision for the civil service in a blogpost — and with it, a new way of communicating policy, in way we need to pay attention to.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/01/dominic-cummings-blogpost-direct-dialogue-and-its-threat-to-mainstream-political-journalism/)
## #7 — Digital News Report 2020: the trust crisis and its solutions
Oh, here's a surprise. I hadn't realised how well this one did. One of the joys of the last couple of years has been getting on the press list for the [Reuters Institute](https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) and getting advance copies of some of their reports. (Admittedly, sometimes only about 12 hours in advance, which can be challenging to act on.)
This was one of the two biggies that Nic Newman shepherds to fruition every year, and I spent a lot of time picking through the report to draw out the threads that most applied to my work in engaged journalism and audience growth. And people clearly appreciated the effort.
Looking forward to doing more of this in 2021\. There's increasing amounts of good research out there, and drawing it together and publicising it to people who might not otherwise encounter it is something I want to concentrate on.
Oh, and [trust in journalism](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/12/lets-talk-about-trust-in-journalism-2/) is one of my themes for 2021, too.
[Digital News Report 2020: the trust crisis and its solutions2020′s edition of the Reuters Institute Digital News Report is dominated, as you would expect, with the changes wrought by the pandemic. But there’s an underlying trends that’s worth focusing on.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/06/resuters-digital-news-report-2020/)
## #6 — General Election 2019: the news media failed profoundly — but not in the way you think
It's back to the Reuters Institute well again, this time for their research into media coverage of the 2019 General Election, that happened about three decades ago…
This *really* shows the value of serious research in informing the discussion about the future of journalism — and in debunking the assumptions we make in media discussion circles. It's perhaps a sign of how central political reporting is to news journalism generally that this piece out-performed the one above, but not by much.
That's grounds for hope.
[Everything you think about the 2019 election and the media is wrongReuters Institute research shows that most of what we believe about the general public and politics news is wrong — and that we are profoundly failing to engage them.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/02/general-election-politics-media-failure-reuters/)
---
It's interesting that the bottom half of the top ten is all pieces written this year. That's unusual for me, a big fan of evergreen content. Will that hold true for the top five?
Ready for the top five? The very top post was recent — and did more traffic than all these posts *put together*.
I'm such a tease.
[The most popular OM&HB posts of the year: the top 5In the second half of OM&HB’s look back on the year, we count down the top five most trafficked posts of the year.One Man & His BlogAdam Tinworth](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/12/the-most-popular-posts-of-the-year-5-to-1/)
### Best wishes for a better year to you all
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/12/best-wishes-for-a-better-year-to-you-all/
Last updated: 2020-12-28T20:48:13.000Z
It's about this time of year that I traditionally put out a “Happy Christmas” post. And, indeed, I'd like to wish a very Happy Christmas season to anyone who celebrates it.
However, one surprising aspect of turning on Ghost's membership features this year is realising how international my audience is — so it's possible that some of you don't celebrate Christmas at all.
So, um, Happy Holidays? Wonderful Winterval?
I'm over-thinking this, aren't I?
### Good riddance to 2020
I think the one thing we can agree on is that 2020 was a bit of a rubbish year, and we'll all be happy to see the back of it. With vaccine needles going into arms, the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel is in sight — even if it's an unknown distance away. And so, I can quite genuinely wish you all a happier and better 2021\. Because it will, eventually, be better than things are now.
This has been a rough year for me, but not as rough as it has been for many. That said, having the majority of my work vanish in March, and the slow process of rebuilding my income since then has been challenging. It pushed me into launching paid membership here before I was truly ready. However, those of you who were my early adopters have my eternal thanks. Because of your faith in me, I have a growing base here to help build something that will help support everyone working to do more engaged publishing in 2020\. I have some interesting plans for the year ahead, and I hope you'll stick with me through them.
I've taken the last week off to enjoy some more time with my family, and I'm only working part time this week. Look for a couple of quick review of the year posts before the year is done — and then a more regular schedule from January 4th.
Once again, thanks for reading — and I hope you and yours have a wonderful and healthy end of the year, and a much improved 2021.
**Adam**
Nothing like a beach walk to blow the cobwebs away
### Why print still matters
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/12/why-print-still-matters/
Last updated: 2020-12-20T13:08:10.000Z
[Kai Branch](https://www.densediscovery.com/issues/117?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) on the reason he still publishes a magazine in the digital age:
> Take newsletters for example: I believe we’re currently in the volatile phase of the [hype cycle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hype%5Fcycle?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) where everyone – startups, publishers, VCs – is trying to get a slice of the pie. I find this gold rush mentality and the FOMO that comes with it pretty exhausting – even just as a bystander.
> The print world serves as a kind of refuge from that feeding frenzy. In a field where success usually means ‘breaking even’, I think what motivates print publishers most is the belief that they have something meaningful to contribute to their chosen niche.
I have, increasingly, taken to [reading print magazines again](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/09/subscribed-three-essential-magazines/) for exactly that reason — including Kai's own excellent magazine, *[Offscreen](https://www.offscreenmag.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)*.
Which print magazines do you still love?
### Let's talk about trust in journalism
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/12/lets-talk-about-trust-in-journalism-2/
Last updated: 2020-12-17T14:59:02.000Z
As things slow down on the training and consulting side in the run-up to Christmas, I've been putting a lot of thought into where to take this blog next year. There are three themes that have leapt out at me: **trust**, **tech** and **technique**, as I [mentioned on Tuesday](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/12/social-digital-coffee-break-lets-amplify-the-experts/).
I'll come back to tech later — I'm not interested in the same sort of platforms coverage that everyone is doing, but more in how the tools we use *shape* journalism. But trust is uppermost in my mind right now: so many of the challenges we face in communications businesses are wrapped up in trust issues. And trust issues are, in turn, deeply wrapped up in journalistic technique issues.
I'm clearly not alone in this. As part of *Nieman Lab*'s annual jamboree of predictions, Tanya Cordrey wrote about the slow, but quite significant, [decline in trust in journalism](https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/12/declining-trust-forces-publishers-to-claim-or-disclaim-values/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> News publishers ignore this decline in trust at their peril. The idea that a news publisher should be seen as unbiased and neutral automatically is no longer the case. We have reached a tipping point where the first news organizations will begin to tackle the decline in trust overtly.
The crisis is significant enough that the Reuters Institute is [devoting research time](https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/what-we-think-we-know-and-what-we-want-know-perspectives-trust-news-changing-world?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) to the issue, and came up with some quite concerning findings:
> There is no single ‘trust in news’ problem, but rather multiple challenges involving both the supply of news and demand for information. Different segments of the public, as well as journalists and researchers, hold different beliefs about how journalism works and sometimes conflicting views about what they expect from it.
Sometimes, you can blow trust in a big way, like [misleading your crowd-funding supporters](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/apr/30/the-correspondent-apologizes-for-us-office-screw-up-after-fundraising-26m?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and thus turning your biggest advocates into betrayed critics. And sometimes you can blow it slowly and progressively over time.
However, there's also a lack of attention to the detail of standards and disclosures, which is fine, until it suddenly isn't. You become aware of an undisclosed conflict-of-interest and it changes your perception of a title's trustworthiness from then on.
## The Spectator, not A Disclosure
For example, I started reading *The Spectator* back in 2016, when the Brexit vote made it clear to me that I didn't really understand the politics of the right in the UK. The magazine and its website seemed like a useful way of popping my own little filter bubble.
In the four years or so I've been a regular reader, I gained no idea that their political editor James Forysth (also a *Times* columnist), was married to [Allegra Stratton](https://www.standard.co.uk/insider/who-is-allegra-stratton-press-secretary-downing-street-b49328.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), former journalist, and now the prime minister's press secretary.
It was only when I started researching her that I stumbled across this fact. And then, in a rare burst of synchronicity, I stumbled across [this by Mic Wright](https://brokenbottleboy.substack.com/p/how-do-i-know-what-boris-is-thinking?r=1ihr8&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=web&utm%5Fsource=twitter):
> That’s why James Forsyth, political editor of The Spectator — the magazine which used to be edited by the Prime Minister — writes columns about that Prime Minister while his wife, Allegra Stratton, works as the PM’s official spokesman, and his best man — a school friend, and godfather to his children — is Chancellor of the Exchequer. These connections are known to those within the bubble but never — as would be the case in US journalism — explicitly declared under the author’s byline.
Four years of reading (and listening) to Forsyth talking about politics — and never once were those relationships declared. It's vital contextual information to understand his emotional connections and relationships — especially when he's writing opinion pieces rather than straight reporting.
(If I'd been a *Tatler* reader, I'd have [learnt all this much earlier](https://www.tatler.com/article/spectator-magazine-social-web-links-to-tory-cabinet?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).)
Yet, Forsyth is all over the national press, with nary a declaration of these personal connections. Now, he's a professional. He could — and probably would — claim that he can separate his personal relationships from his work. But the lack of disclosure seeds mistrust, if you have to find out about it in other ways. And, I note, that *[The Spectator](https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/its-not-morally-right-to-keep-borrowing-at-these-levels-rishi-sunaks-plan-to-fix-the-uk-economy?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)*['s festive interview with his buddy the Chancellor](https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/its-not-morally-right-to-keep-borrowing-at-these-levels-rishi-sunaks-plan-to-fix-the-uk-economy?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) was not conducted by him.
So, at one level we have a journalistic elite moving in tight social circles with the politicans they report on. For most people, though, this is almost politics and journalism as soap opera. How often do they meet the journalists in question?
The worrying thing is that they're more likely to have met their local MP, particualrly at election time, than they are any TV journalists. And even local journalists are thin on the ground. I've met my MP, [Tim Loughton](https://www.timloughton.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), multiple times. I've yet to meet a single journalist from the *[Shoreham Herald](https://www.shorehamherald.co.uk/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)*.
## Distance breeds contempt
Most people reading this will know many journalists, because they work in journalism, PR or marketing in some way. But how many people outside our world actually *know* any journalists? I can't think of any in my personal social circle that I didn't meet through my work in some way. I only met working journalists once or twice in my childhood — when I was photographed with my Mum and brother in a paddling pool for a Manchester local paper during the 1976 heatwave, and then a few years later when I was photographed photographing the chief scout:
A local newspaper photo of me when I was a Cub taking a photo of the Chief Scout.
The catastrophic decline of local journalism, and the centralisation of local journalists in larger regional cities, means that fewer and fewer people ever meet a working journalist. They have no opportunity to learn to trust them, to know them as individuals. Instead, they perceive journalists through the filter of the national newspaper and TV elite, with their cosy relationships with politicians, and their London-centric lifestyles.
The trade magazine sector has, in the past, also been a useful route to building trust. I was lucky enough to have a job in the late 90s that involved me travelling to different parts of the country, and profiling the commercial property markets there. Quite often, I was the very first journalist some regional property specialists had ever met, and sometimes had to put them at their ease, as they were quite visibly nervous. But, if I treated them fairly, a relationship would build.
That job, as with so many others, is long gone.
## Rebuilding trust from the ground up
So, any attempt to rebuild trust in journalism can't just be a top-down effort. We need more journalists on the ground, interacting with real people in a fair and honest way. That's why startups like [nub.news](https://nub.news/index.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) are so interesting to me, because they put a named journalist or two into the individual towns they cover, reconnecting reporters with local people, and hopefully building up trust. In the US we now have the [Tiny News Collective](https://www.poynter.org/locally/2020/collaborative-between-journalism-groups-seeks-to-start-500-local-newsrooms-in-three-years/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) trying to build the same sorts of relationships.
The pandemic has taught us we can work from home. The next step, as vaccination loosens regulation, should be getting journalists working *remotely* — wherever their audience are. It always baffled me that, for example, *Farmers Weekly* journalists spent so much time in an office block in suburban Sutton, and not out amongst their audience. With a laptop and a phone, journalists can work anywhere, and the more time they spend interacting with people, and the less time they spend in an office, the better.
Obviously, that doens't apply to *all* journalists. Data journalism, for example, is very much a desk-based pursuit. But, for the rest of us, we should spend less time in the company of our peers, and more time in the company of people we are reporting on — and for.
## Re-engaging the audience
Digitally, we need to start making the words “audience engagement” mean more than just “audience growth”. We can connect with more people more quickly online than we can do in person, but that means committing to *real* interaction and dialogue, and not just promotion of content. The work of the good folks at the [Engaged Journalism Accelerator](https://engagedjournalism.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) is an excellent starting point here.
Tanya's piece that I mentioned earlier also has some intriguing suggestions:
> So, in 2021, a handful of publishers will likely look at their roadmap and dedicate a certain percentage of tech and product team resources to build, test, and learn about trust: How it is won, lost, and perceived.
> This will not be a one-off project but instead the creation of a permanent product and tech Trust teams. Just as almost all sizeable publishers today have audience teams, almost all will have trust teams and trust dashboards within five years.
She goes on to acknowledge that this is not just a product and tech issue — it so very clearly isn't — but an editorial one, too. But her suggestion is important. For trust to matter, for trust to grow, it has to be central in what we do. We need to have some measure of it, we need to build it into how we appraise our work — and how we reward our managers. And yes, tech can help with that process. We're going to need all the help we can get.
## The clickbait bill is coming due
For years we've got away with abusing trust, with playing fast and loose with our sources, our suaidnece and our stories, and the price for that is coming due. No, it's not been all of us. It's never been all of us.
But it's been *enough* of us.
From the worst excesses of tabloid journalism in the print era, to the appalling, unethical churnalism of the clickbait era, we've too often squandered trust on the altar of circulation and profits. This was short term gain, for deep long term pain.
Those actions are both undermining our future profitability, but also opening the door for new competition. We opened up the way for the hyper-partisan websites, and the pure misinformation vendors. It's so much cheaper and easier to produce a site by aping the appearance of traditional media, without actually doing *any* journalistic research. And when people don't trust the “MSM” (mainstream media), then the psychological weaknesses we all share mean that we're likely to put our faith in sites that reinforce our own prejudices.
And that should remind us of yet another challenge: the intentional misinformation merchants. People are actively trying to subvert trust in journalism, so they can promote their own messages instead. This is true from political parties to state-sponsored misinformation operations.
We might have helped start erode the trust in journalism, but many people are quite happy to help that process along.
## Trust as a principle, not a team
This isn't going to be the job of a trust team. This needs to be *everybody*'s job. There's an exact parallel with audience engagement here. A team like that should be the centre of expertise, not the sole practiotioners of audience engagement. Indeed, I suspect that any trsut intiatives will be born out of the audience teams — they're the ones already working on the coalface of this mine.
Just as we've seen audience engagement grow into something more sophisticated than just a mix of social media and SEO, so too can we see the smartest, sharpest outlets evolve that thinking towards something more fundamentally rooted in building trust between us and our audience.
How that for a challenge for 2021?
### Social & Digital Coffee Break: let's amplify the experts
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/12/social-digital-coffee-break-lets-amplify-the-experts/
Last updated: 2020-12-15T14:41:55.000Z
## When the BMJ and the HSJ hit the front pages
One of the things that has heartened me a little during this hell year has been some of the big nationals starting to amplify the voices of specialist journalists, rather than just ripping off their stories. And so it's good to see today that two specialist publications are all [over the mainstream news sites](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/coronavirus-scrap-christmas-easing-or-many-more-will-die-warn-medics-twncxhzqw?utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fcampaign=newsletter%5F102&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcontent=102%5F11526198&CMP=TNLEmail%5F120896%5F11526198%5F102) because they came together to call for a reversal of the UK's Christmas policy for Coronavirus:
> Today, in the first joint editorial for 100 years, *The* *BMJ* (formerly the British Medical Journal) and the *Health Service Journal* call the Christmas relaxation “a major error” that would wipe out 20 years of progress in bringing down waiting times.
Quite a few of the national write-ups have failed to do the decent thing and *actually link to the editorials*, so I've done that for you:
[Covid 19: Christmas relaxation will overwhelm servicesTo protect the NHS, the UK government must abandon plans for household mixing Since the UK’s first lockdown in March, the government has had one (perhaps only one) consistent message—protect the NHS. Now, with the number of hospital patients with covid-19 again on the rise, and a third wave almost …The BMJMcLellan Alastair, Godlee Fiona.](https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4847?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
[Government must stop household mixing this Christmas: a joint call by The BMJ and HSJSince the UK’s first lockdown in March, the government has had one (perhaps only one) consistent message - protect the NHS, write Alastair McLellan of HSJ and Fiona Godlee of The BMJ.Health Service JournalAlastair McLellan](https://www.hsj.co.uk/comment/government-must-stop-household-mixing-this-christmas-a-joint-call-by-the-bmj-and-hsj/7029159.article?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
The pandemic is a story where it is genuinely time for the mainstream, non-specialist reporters to stop hogging attention and use their incredible platforms to focus the attention on the expert reporters who understand and can report on the topics in great depth. This sort of co-operation between non-competitive parts of the industry would do wonders for the general trust levels in journalism, if done well.
But it will require a massive mindset shift — and possibly letting go of some rather over-inflated egos…
## You are who you follow
More grist for the trust mill: some interesting analysis of which accounts BBC journalists choose to follow:
[What the BBC can learn from its journalists’ use of Twitter | Tom MillsIn the first quantitative study of 90 BBC journalists on the platform, we examined to whom reporters pay most attention, says sociologist Tom MillsThe GuardianTom Mills](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/02/bbc-journalists-twitter-study-reporters?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Harassed for being a female journalist on the internet
This is troubling but, sadly, not unexpected reading:
> An alarmingly high number of women journalists are now targets of online attacks associated with orchestrated digital disinformation campaigns. The impacts include self-censorship, retreat from visibility, an increased risk of physical injury, and a serious mental health toll. The main perpetrators? Anonymous trolls and political actors.
73% of respondents had experienced inline violence, but an even more worrying 20% said they'd experienced offline violence in incidents whose root was online. Facebook was the least safe platform, interestingly.
And, if the basic human decency of supporting women through this isn't enough for employers, there's a significant impact on productivity of those impacted by harassment — with 2% leaving journalism entirely.
[Online violence, fueled by disinformation and political attacks, deeply harms women journalistsThis research was co-written by Julie Posetti, Nermine Aboulez, Kalina Bontcheva, Jackie Harrison and Silvio Waisbord. An alarmingly high number of women journalists are now targets of online attacks associated with orchestrated digital disinformation campaigns. The impacts include self-censorship,…International Journalists' NetworkJulie Posetti](https://ijnet.org/en/story/online-violence-fueled-disinformation-and-political-attacks-deeply-harms-women-journalists?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Tool of the Day: Typefully
A great wee tool for composing tweets and Twitter threads without all that noisy tweeting going on in your eye line:
[TypefullyWrite great Twitter threads.](https://typefully.app/?ref=producthunt)
## Quick Links
- 🧑🏾💼 [New features for Facebook Group admins](https://www.adweek.com/digital/facebook-adds-new-features-for-group-admins/?fbclid=IwAR2msoI1Xqp7kF9C0MiYGFvQllo9HtI8a0gsu3qcvfhcjfhLYKrdkAkkkVA&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) (who need all the help they can get, as they're doing a lot of unpaid labour in keeping Facebook free of misinformation).
- 📱 What's the new iPhone capable of when [used with Filmic Pro and a gimbal](https://9to5mac.com/2020/12/14/iphone-12-diary-a-first-video-test-with-filmic-pro-and-a-smooth-x-gimbal/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com#more-681478)?
- 🦉 [I read this](https://community.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/b/natureshomemagazine/posts/local-groups-find-new-ways-to-connect?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and all I can think of is how specialist journalism failed to provide spaces for people like this to connect, so more of our share of attention bleeds away elsewhere.
- 🚑 I'm not convinced that [getting a paramedic fired](https://www.dailydot.com/irl/new-york-post-onlyfans-emt-dox/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) because she made some money on the side with a salacious OnlyFans account is in the public interest. It's clearly a story — but decisions like this don't engender trust.
- 👩🏼⚕️ The [WSJ doubles down](https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-biden-team-strikes-back-11607900812?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) on that eye-rolling piece that Dr Jill Biden should drop the “Dr” because she has a non-medical PhD. My wife has a PhD in immunology, but is not a medic, and I saw how much time, effort and intelligence went into getting that. This is just embarrassing.
### Why Substack's evolution is beginning to worry me
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/12/why-substacks-evolution-is-beginning-to-worry-me/
Last updated: 2020-12-10T22:21:26.000Z
Let's be honest. I'm nearly as tired of writing about Substack as I am writing about Facebook. Yes, email is great and fabulous and crucial to the future of journalism and yes, I want to write a whole lot more about that. But email and Substack are not synonyms.
And yet…
Substack is certainly riding two waves successfully at the same time:
1. The rebirth of newsletters
2. The shift to membership models
And this combination makes this your essential listen over the next few days, if you want to understand how publishing is evolving:
[Decoder with Nilay Patel: Can Substack CEO Chris Best build a new model for journalism? on Apple PodcastsNilay Patel talks to Chris Best, cofounder and CEO of Substack, the subscription newsletter startup that’s taken the media industry by storm over the past few months.The conversation explores how Substack’s business model could potentially impact the media industry, but also dives into the basic qu…Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/can-substack-ceo-chris-best-build-a-new-model-for-journalism/id1011668648?i=1000501710354&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Nilay Patel interviews [Substack CEO Chris Best](https://twitter.com/cjgbest?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and actually gives him a decent grilling, highlighting many of the challenges and oddities of the business model.
What makes it *fascinating*, though, is that Patel digs deeper on the [Substack Defender offering](https://blog.substack.com/p/legal-support-for-substack-writers), and ends up highlighting some key points that the original blog post didn’t focus on, for understandable reasons:
- You have to apply to be in the program, and can be rejected
- Even once you’re in the program, you have to apply for help with individual actions, and can be rejected
- There’s a cap of $1m on legal fees, although the reserve the right to go beyond that
While Best sells it as a “start small and scale up” approach, he also indicates that one route forward might be it becoming a paid offering — an additional revenue source for the company, acting as a form of legal insurance.
### Using Defender to build a moat
On one level, this is sensible: it allows SubStack to provide legal aid to those most worthy of it, while not exposing themselves to too much risk around the provocateurs and simple untruth merchants who will gravitate towards the platform.
On another, picking and choosing who you support can give you some big PR wins at a fairly low risk.
But this idea of bundling in things like defence costs was one of the more compelling aspects of the percentage cut model, and if it ends up being a cost *on top* of that, it continues to make Substack look like quite an expensive way to grow a membership model. ([This discussion](https://twitter.com/mathewi/status/1336436932797198342?s=21&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) illustrates that well, I think.)
There’s some other interesting stuff in the interview: they are planning to allow authors to come together to create bundled subscriptions, in a “bottom up” way, which will be nice. Oh, and they’re [building out a reader](https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/8/22162587/substack-reader-app-newsletter-chris-best-interview?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — a single place you can go to read *all* your Substack newsletters.
And that’s the one thing that really worries me about all this.
### Let's not build the Facebook of newsletter
We *don’t* want Substack to become the Facebook of independent journalism. While that would be great for the writers there, and for the platform and its VC backers, it would put yet another gatekeeper between us and our readers, just as Google and Facebook have done. Those two chokeholds on reader attention have not worked out great for journalism, so we should hestate before allowing that to happen again.
We’re drifting towards the idea that newsletters = Substack, and that’s just as dangerous as search = Google or social networks = Facebook.
Let’s not repeat the mistakes of the past, and help another company grow to the point where it can dictate terms to us. I hope that's not where Substack is aiming, and certainly they're say — and doing — largely the right things. For now, Substack remains a good player in the ecosystem. You can move your content, your mailing list and your subscriptions easily out of the product and move them elsewhere. They're not trapping you on the platform, and that encourages them to stay competitive.
The forthcoming reader app is the first erosion in that — moving people from an open system to a more proprietary one. The next warning sign will be any of the three elements of portability going away. If that happens, we'll know they're going for the attention bottleneck landgrab.
Meanwhile, we need to talk as much about competitors and alternative routes to creating compelling newsletters as we do Substack.
---
## Ghostly Opens
Talking of which, [Ghost](https://ghost.org/changelog/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) just added open rates to its beta email and membership functionality. Right now, it’s only per email, which is useful, and means I no longer feel like I’m publishing into the dark. The number on the first email wasn't as bad as I feared it could be — but not as good as I'd like it to be.
But I'll need a little more data before I can really act.
Open rates at the member level would be handy, too. I’ve no interest in seeing *who* opens which issue, and who clicks which links. It can be mildly creepy when Revue gives me that granular level of detail, particularly about people I know. But I would like to be able to weed out completely inactive subscribers, for example.
I’m aware that my email list here isn’t particularly “clean”, that's probably contributing to a lower open rate than I'd like and a cleanup sometime soon would be good. But I need the metrics to allow that to happen.
Over to you, Ghostly ones.
---
## A short “breaking” news digest
Two stories that I shouldn’t let pass without note today:
- **Breaking up Facebook:** The [US makes the first moves to break up Facebook](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/09/technology/facebook-antitrust-monopoly.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). This is going to be a slow-burner, but it’s certainly worth paying attention to. The [bipartisan support in the US](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2020/12/09/facebook-antitrust-hammer-comes-down?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) is quite something in the current political environment.
- **Unbreaking news is broken:** Something I’m likely to come back to: [*The Correspondent* is dead](https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/12/the-correspondent-de-correspondents-english-language-site-is-shutting-down/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), less than a couple of years after raising $2.6m in crowd-funding. It’s almost a Platonic ideal of pretending to do audience engagement without actually committing to it.
### PressPad: diversifying media during a pandemic
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/12/presspad-diversifying-media-during-a-pandemic/
Last updated: 2020-12-09T12:48:55.000Z
A little over a year ago, I wrote about [PressPad’s crowdfunding campaign](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2019/11/diverse-journalism-is-better-journalism-so-please-back-presspad/) to help develop their service that connects aspiring journalists to mentors and hosts in cities where they’re looking to work, or do work experience. A year on, the organisation is [back at the crowdfunding window](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/presspad-launches-15k-crowdfunding-campaign-in-response-to-covid-19-hardships/s2/a770497/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and once again I’m going to encourage you to support them.
The reason they’ve had to come back to crowd-funding is, perhaps, not surprising. And yes, it’s the virus. The pandemic put pay to many plans. Ironically, I decided that 2020 was going to be the year that we entertained more as a family — and we’ve ended up spending most of the year not allowed to let non-residents into our house. And that’s the same problem that hit PressPad.
How on earth do you keep a system designed for connecting would-be journalists on work experience with mentors and hosts?
## The Pandemic age of PressPad
Clearly, the obvious person to ask is [Olivia Crellin](https://twitter.com/OliviaCrellin?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Eembeddedtimeline%7Ctwterm%5Eprofile%3AOliviaCrellin&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Foliviacrellin.com%2Fshowreel%2F&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), the co-founder of PressPad. Speaking to her on the phone is quite an experience. Her enthusiasm for her subject comes out in fast and voluminous words, and the half hour we have set aside before her next meeting flies by. But then, you wouldn’t give up a huge chunk of your time — [and income](https://www.theguardian.com/money/2019/dec/21/i-got-76000-in-debt-setting-up-a-scheme-to-help-media-interns?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — to do something like this if you weren’t passionate about it.
And she admits that the initial impulse, back in the spring, was to put the whole system into hibernation, ready to bring it back to life when hosting became possible again. Most of the corporate partnerships they'd agreed vanished or were put on hold, as newsrooms closed their doors to outsiders – and then to their staff.
However, PressPad had [won a grant from Nesta](https://www.nesta.org.uk/feature/future-news-pilot-fund/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) as part of the Future News Pilot Fund, and it came with pre-conditions. They had to do *something* — and thus was launched [PressPad Remote](https://presspad.co.uk/press-pad-remote-lockdown-coronavirus-journalism/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), a series of online sessions that gave aspiring journalists the opportunity to learn key skills online, and prepare themselves for the opportunities that will arise once the pandemic recedes.
Here, I detect the first note of caution from Crellin: she’s aware that other people make their living training people, and that setting up free courses would seem to be treading on their toes. As someone who makes a significant proportion of my income from training people, I’m inclined to think she’s worrying unnecessarily, but it’s indicative of a general concern to do no harm to others’ incomes at a precarious time in the industry, while not closing down opportunities for for aspring journalists.
The first season ran between April and July of this year, and PressPad says that it aided “a minimum” of 7,800 people during that period. That’s one reason they’re coming back for more money: so they can do that again, continue helping aspiring journalists, and pay fairly the people running it for their time.
Currently, PressPad is a social enterprise, but not a charity. They are working through the (slow) process of becoming one with the Charity Commission at the moment.
## The post-pandemic PressPad
However, with vaccination under way in the UK, they’ve also got an eye on returning to their original mission, and have got a platform to run the mentoring and hosting connections under development. They are working with a firm called [Yalla](https://www.yallacooperative.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). It’s a fellow social enterprise, based out of London and Berlin, and works with developers in Gaza. They’ve been [building out the platform](https://www.yallacooperative.com/presspad?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) that will connect hosts and mentors with young journalists — and which will handle issues like DBS checks and payment.
“Working with Yalla gets work to people who need it, and gives us a platform for less than we would have paid otherwise,” Crellin says. They explored off-the-shelf platforms, but didn't find what they needed at a price that was sustainable. That word — “sustainable” — comes up a lot in our conversation. The idea of people getting paid fairly is evidently important to her. She alludes to it many times, and with an edge that might be borne of a bad experience after the last crowdfunder, when a colleague took to Twitter to [criticise the way PressPad was operating](https://twitter.com/The%5FCrox/status/1222272958145667078?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
“Look, everyone has a right to voice concern,” says Crellin. “But good luck doing this for free sustainably. And it needs to be sustainable, so we can carry on providing opportunities.”
## The multi-tier model
The need to charge people for accommodation is important, as the organisation [explained in a press release back in January](https://presspad.co.uk/a-note-on-our-upcoming-funding-model/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). The organisation needs to continue to fund itself, while offering bursaries, so that people who can’t afford to pay for the accommodation can still access working opportunities.
But Crellin hopes that companies will also help fund the accommodation for trainees or people on placements. “Diversity needs to be a real line in companies' budgets, not just something they do for charity or PR,” she says. Any profits the enterprise makes will go into a bursary pot that will allow those who really can’t afford to access the service to be supported through placements.
Crellin also notes that the £20 to £30 per night they aim for on the accommodation fees is well below what people could access any other way, safely, given the background checks that PressPad runs on hosts, and the mentoring that comes with it. It’s not purely an accommodation offer, it’s an accommodation **and** mentoring offer. It allows people from affluent middle-class backgrounds outside London to access these opportunities affordably, while helping support a system that will aid people from lower income backgrounds, too.
## Diversifying media is a work in progress
Journalists are a prickly, competitive and often hyper-critical bunch, so it’s no wonder that Crellin occasionally slows down, and picks her way around the interview pitfalls that she sense I’m leading her towards. And she’s right to. If you’re asking people to put their hands in their pockets, you have to be *really* clear about what they’re doing so to support. That’s a lesson well learnt.
Crellin and the team have [clarified the offer considerably](https://presspad.co.uk/how-it-works/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and sharpened up the messaging to prevent a recurrence of the problems earlier in the year. For example, this is where the crowdfunding money is going:
And the time since has made it obvious that these sorts of schemes *are* needed. A summer of racial discontent in the US has spilled over internationally, and has made plain how much work is still to be done in addressing diversity in newsrooms.
On a personal level, the more diverse the newsroom — or group of students — I work with, the more interesting and challenging their journalism is. Journalism is *always* at its best when it comes from a broad range of perspectives and experiences, rather than a narrow range of them. And that’s why I think that the tightrope Crellin and the team are walking, on providing opportunities sustainably, while treating everyone involved fairly, is worth supporting. 28% of the people who attended the last round of PressPad remote identified as BAME.
They're reaching the right people. They just need help to carry on doing so.
---
You can [back the crowdfunder here](https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/bring-presspadremote-back?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). The deadline is early on the morning of the 16th December, UK time — so, knowing journalists, treat it as the evening of the 15th.
### Attack of the clones: all social networks are NOT becoming the same
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/11/all-social-networks-are-not-becoming-the-same-heres-why/
Last updated: 2020-11-30T22:14:49.000Z
It’s been quite a few weeks for cloning. Twitter cloned the [Stories format into Fleets](https://blog.twitter.com/en%5Fus/topics/product/2020/introducing-fleets-new-way-to-join-the-conversation.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) (which I actually quite enjoy), while Snapchat is cloning [TikTok-style functionality into its product](https://www.snap.com/en-GB/news/post/introducing-spotlight-on-snapchat/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Oh, and [Spotify is also cloning Stories](https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/30/21726183/spotify-stories-playlist-snapchat-instagram-christmas-hits?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), following Instagram and LinkedIn.
As John Gruber [put it](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2020/11/30/spotify-stories?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), Stories are this “year’s featuritis fad”.
Stories, as a format, was launched by Snapchat back in 2013\. It’s a form that has taken a long time to reach ubiquity. Three years elapsed before Instagram cloned it, and it’s taken another four years to reach fad status.
The broader accusation, though, though is that all social networks are becoming the same. Axios [summed it up with this chart:](https://www.axios.com/social-media-companies-look-same-tiktok-stories-snapchat-spotlight-2dd1da51-cf45-4f6b-a0ab-0db79f6b7793.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
And at first glance, they *do* appear to be all gravitating towards a single set of functions. Maybe all the social networks *are* becoming the same.
## The Functional Fallacy
*WIRED* [made the same argument](https://www.wired.com/story/social-media-giants-look-the-same-tiktok-twitter-instagram/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> Companies are always eyeing their competitors to see what works; that’s just market research. But copycatting on social media has led to platforms that look suspiciously similar, with fewer things that set them apart. It’s harder to know what any given platform is for when they all do the same thing.
There’s only one problem with this idea, though, and it’s that a set of functional characteristic inherently determines the tone and texture of the product. This is a *very* tech way of viewing social networks: as a set of functionality.
I have a good example of why that’s not the case, one that many of you might be familiar with: magazines.
## Magazines all look the same!
I mean, c’mon, look at them: folded paper, stuck together, under some sort of cover. Usually, they have short stuff near the beginning and the end of the issue, and longer stuff in the middle. They have some sort of listing of contents, and some adverts, and maybe letters from my readers.
Oh. My. Goodness.
ALL MAGAZINES ARE THE SAME.
Except, well, they’re not, are they?
The tone, the writers, the audience, and the style of content all add up to make radically different products within the same functionality set. Some estimates suggest that between 30% and 40% of the web is [running on WordPress](https://w3techs.com/technologies/details/cm-wordpress?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — but that homogenous functionality set doesn’t make all those websites the identical.
And the same will apply to the social networks: what will determine their character is now not the functions, but the experience. And the experience is determined by… *the community*.
## Facebook cloned Livejournal
People often forget that the earliest versions of Facebook were, essentially, a simplified riff on Livejournal — the blogging platform I started on, and where Mark Zuckerberg was a user. It wasn’t the “friendship” functionality that made Facebook successful. Livejournal had *exactly* the same functionality -— and, in fact, had a newsfeed (its Friends Page) before Facebook did.
No, what made the difference was the *community* that Zuckerberg launched against: his university. And then other Ivy League universities. He built it progressively through circles of exclusivity that develop tightly interlinked communities, bringing the network effect into play.
So, yes, the standard feature set of social networks is developing nicely. The platforms are converging on a broad set of mutual features. They are converging in the same way that page layout software and content management systems have tended to converge. And so, those features cease to define the platform: the users those platforms serve and the things they build do.
And you know that already, don’t you?
## The Social Network is defined by the Networks it attracts
Twitter is where those obsessed by journalism and politics hang out. Instagram is where people go to show off their lifestyles and (occasionally) creativity. TikTok is where people do creative, fun things to music. Facebook is where you get to hang out with your old school friends, your racist uncle and the mad variety of your geographically local community in one place.
Of course there's more to each of those platforms than that. Each of them has *communities* plural, not a single user base. The competition to host and keeping hosting them is where the next battle begins, as the networks begin to reach user saturation point.
As the platforms converge, cultivating the community they want to attract is going to become key to their survival. Cloning features is, essentially, a protectionist move, trying to reduce the reasons that people feel the need to go elsewhere for the compelling new sharing tools. Every time they do that, they run the risk of taking their network with them.
Now functional cloning is established as a default behaviour in the social space, we’ll see the true battleground emerging in managing and preserving the communities that live on those platforms.
This is the social platforms maturing into a limited number of highly competitive large organisations. This is the end of the beginning.
### Essential evergreen content, the Substack revenue question and the future of student media: this week’s key links
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/11/essential-evergreen-content-the-substack-revenue-question-and-the-future-of-student-media-this-weeks-key-links/
Last updated: 2020-11-27T11:46:46.000Z
## Put your stock in evergreen content
Over the years, I've come to realise that one of the characteristics of a media company that is approaching digital maturity is understanding what the right balance is between:
- stock (evergreen) content
- flow (newsy, time-specific) content
This equation is informed by their audience, their subject matter and their business model, of course. But it's still an under-discussed and ill-understood topic.
Many journalists struggle with it: they became journalists to do *news*, dammit. Planning for long term content decisions, which deliver traffic in a steady river rather than a short-lived torrent is something that does not come naturally to them. And the fact that news reporting tends to be the route to the editor's chair exacerbates the problem.
I *really* need to write more about these issues, but this excellent piece from David Tvrdon catches some of the issues nicely:
[The content struggle: Play the long game or chase short term gainHow to balance between investing in the long game of evergreen content and chasing the short-term gain of peak news eventsThe FixDavid Tvrdon](https://thefix.media/2020/11/13/content-struggle-evergreen-long-game-vs-peak-news-short-term-gain/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## What are the biggest Substack writers earning?
Guzey has done some back of the envelope calculations. The numbers show why so many people will think it worth taking a roll of the dice on going solo.
One thought: for all the talk of subscriptions fatigue, there's only one writer on that list I'm likely to pay for. Maybe two at a real push. And that suggests that we're far from saturation yet, because there are plenty of unfulfilled niches.
[The most we can say about earnings of Substack’s top writers - Alexey GuzeySubstack (a) brands itself as a “place for independent writing” where the writers can “start a newsletter” and “make money from subscriptions”. Most recently, Substack was in the news for becoming the new home of several famous journalists who (often with a scandal) left the publications they were w…Alexey GuzeyAlexey Guzey](https://guzey.com/substack-earnings/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Will newsletter stars get sucked in by big media's gravity?
**Steven Levy** takes a [more sceptical look at the newsletter boom](https://www.wired.com/story/plaintext-the-tenuous-promise-of-the-substack-dream/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). His argument is that most big newsletter writers will go back to big news organisations when the right offer comes in:
> I suspect that in the long run, star writers like Newton or the former *Rolling Stone* scribe Matt Taibbi, another Substack luminary, will eventually rejoin bigger publications, just as orbiting objects in space are inevitably sucked in by Earth’s gravity. Among other things, it’s simply more fun to communicate with potentially millions of readers as opposed to a few thousand paying customers.
Well, maybe. I suspect the combination of control and independence will be seductive for some, and hard to give up. And I, personally at least, find the idea of writing for a few thousand highly engaged and communicative readers *much* more interesting than writing for millions of "drive-bys".
## When the influencer façade crumbles
An influencer couple who have built a business on telling others how to make their relationship successful… are getting divorced.
Let's be honest: I didn't particularly enjoy the tone of this piece. It's got far too much *schadenfreude* about it to be comfortable reading. But it does give some insight into the realities that lurk behind the *façade* of what the author describes as “curated authenticity”.
One might even describe it as “highly selective authenticity”.
[Rachel Hollis, Mommy Blogger and Relationship Coach Is Getting A DivorceIn case you missed it, women are shook because mommy blogger (turned lifestyle guru and relationship coach) Rachel Hollis just announced that she and her husband of nearly 20 years are getting a…Honestly YoursShannon Ashley](https://medium.com/honestly-yours/rachel-hollis-mommy-blogger-and-relationship-coach-is-getting-a-divorce-4ae26b998ec4?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## The death of print student newspapers?
Boy, do I have mixed feelings on this story:
[Death of student newspapers could thwart efforts to diversify the industryHalf of student titles could cease publication this year amid slashed funding. For budding journalists with no friends and family in the industry, this could severely impact their chances to start a professional careerJournalism.co.ukBen Warner](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/death-of-student-newspapers-could-thwart-efforts-to-diversify-the-industry-/s2/a772041/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
On one hand, you wouldn't be reading these words without student print media. I began my career on Imperial's *[Felix](http://www.felixonline.co.uk/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com),* before going on to edit Queen Mary's *[Cub](http://cubmagazine.co.uk/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)*. On the other hand, I find the idea that an inability to publish *print newspapers* as a barrier to building a journalistic career frankly wrong. That's what's under threat here: the ability to put out print editions. The costs of running a digital student newspaper are negligible compared to the costs of running the presses.
Digital media skills are hugely in demand, so if the funding isn't there for print, throw yourselves up a really good WordPress or Ghost site, and go from there.
**In fact, here's an offer**: if you're running a student newspaper and want some free training for your team via Zoom on basic SEO, social and audience engagement skills, [drop me a line](mailto:adam@onemanandhisblog.com).
## Rebuilding local radio from podcasts upwards
This is a great and inspiring watch:
## Lifestyle pitches wanted
Talking of lifestyle writing, a recent client are looking for pitches. They're a delightful team, and I recommend give them a pitch…
> Getting to work with talented writers, reporters and journalists around the world is one of the best parts of my job.
>
> Pitch us now!! [https://t.co/tXSi0YqkpC](https://t.co/tXSi0YqkpC?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Marthe de Ferrer (@MarthedeFerrer) [November 23, 2020](https://twitter.com/MarthedeFerrer/status/1330970007233318914?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Getting to train lovely people is the best part of my job.
## Quick Links
- 🔫 What [happened to The Drudge Report](https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/matt-drudge-logs-off?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)? Looks like it might be Drudge-less.
- 👴🏻 widely linked, but absolutely worth reading if you haven't seen it already: [What Facebook fed the Baby Boomers](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/24/opinion/facebook-disinformation-boomers.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- 😤 On a related note: [The political news in 173 people's Facebook feeds](https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/11/how-much-political-news-do-people-see-on-facebook-i-went-inside-173-peoples-feeds-to-find-out/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). I've had “control chips in vaccines”, “all COVID tests are wrong” and “the World Economic Forum wants to reset the world” in my Facebook feed (normally via comments). How about you?
- 🚆 A reminder that [local news means, well, ](https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/how-the-seattle-times-sold-71000-digital-subscriptions-people-just-love-to-read-about-bridges-and-tunnels/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)*[local](https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/how-the-seattle-times-sold-71000-digital-subscriptions-people-just-love-to-read-about-bridges-and-tunnels/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)*[ news](https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/how-the-seattle-times-sold-71000-digital-subscriptions-people-just-love-to-read-about-bridges-and-tunnels/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- ⛓ And we come full circle: [link posts out-performing photos in the Facebook feed](https://whatsnewinpublishing.com/publishers-could-be-missing-out-on-valuable-reach-and-traffic-links-posts-outperform-photo-posts-on-facebook-study-finds/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
### Social & Digital coffee break: 3 stories in 3 sentences
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/11/social-digital-coffee-break-the-three-big-stories-explained-in-three-sentences/
Last updated: 2020-11-20T12:55:46.000Z
## Three big media stories, explained in three sentences
1. [**Buzzfeed has bought the rump of Huffpost**](https://www.wsj.com/articles/buzzfeed-to-acquire-huffpost-in-stock-deal-with-verizon-media-11605808800?mod=djemalertNEWS&ref=onemanandhisblog.com). The high volume, mainstream news and entertainment segment is fiercely competitive and low margin. Very few players will survive and consolidation is inevitable. This says nothing about the viability of pure play digital media startups.
2. **[Twitter has rolled out Fleets worldwide](https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/17/21570368/twitter-fleets-disapeating-tweets-stories-launch-available-now?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)**. This is the exact same "stories" product that Snapchat innovated, and Facebook has cloned into Insta and the main app. Everyone will complain and tell us how pointless it is, and in a year people will be using it productively.
3. [**Google will no longer make AMP a pre-requisite**](https://themarkup.org/google-the-giant/2020/11/19/as-antitrust-pressure-mounts-google-to-pull-back-benefit-to-news-sites-that-adopted-its-preferred-mobile-technology?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) for news carousel placement from next May. The only part of this story that is *actually* news is the date — we've known this is coming for six months ([I wrote about it](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/07/why-google-core-web-vitals-update-is-going-to-squeeze-medium-sized-publishers-hard/) for members back in July). Bex has [a good take on the consequences](https://econsultancy.com/preparing-google-page-experience-update-core-web-vitals-optimisation-marketing-seo/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — and I'll have my piece ready next week.
There you go. Now let's get on with some fun stuff.
## Matt Yglesias sub-substacks Vox
So, last week I did a month's worth of traffic in a couple of hours, thanks to my [piece on *Vox* co-founder Matt Yglesias](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/11/matt-yglesias-leave-vox-for-substack-is-he-doing-a-newton-or-a-sullivan/) joining the Substackarati.
He's now written a long piece explaining *why* he left, which manages not to be a direct attack on his former colleagues, while certainly having that flavour about it. It's a worthwhile read — but I guarantee it will make some of you angry, and possibly for quite disparate reasons.
[What’s wrong with the mediaThe young/urban/educated bubble in an era of growing polarizationSlow BoringMatthew Yglesias](https://www.slowboring.com/p/whats-wrong-with-the-media?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Today in "Oh, FFS"
Publishing 101: don't let your advertising sales people undermine your editorial credibility. 🤦🏼♂️
[For $25K, you can publish climate denial in The Washington PostShould newspapers profit from spreading factual inaccuracies about deadly threats?HEATEDEmily Atkin](https://heated.world/p/for-25k-you-can-publish-climate-denial?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Facebook: a huge PR effort around a dark, sucking moral vacuum
Facebook doesn't care. Facebook cares about looking like it cares, though.
[Facebook Knows That Adding Labels To Trump’s False Claims Does Little To Stop Their SpreadInternal data shows that labels on President Trump’s posts decrease reshares by about 8%. They still account for some of the most engaging posts on the platform.BuzzFeed NewsCraig Silverman](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/facebook-labels-trump-lies-do-not-stop-spread?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Meme, explained
If you saw this tweet from me:
> I might lose followers over this, but it needs to be said. I find it disrespectful when people don’t stand for the national anthem. As soon as you hear “We're no strangers to love, you know the rules and so do I.” you need to be OUT of your fucking seat.
>
> — Adam Tinworth (@adders) [November 13, 2020](https://twitter.com/adders/status/1327395523356221441?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
This will explain what was going on:
[New meme mocks people who get upset over national anthem protestsA new joke format mocking people who get upset when others don’t stand during the national anthem is sweeping Twitter.The Daily DotRachel Kiley](https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/national-anthem-meme/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Quick Links
- 🎞 A reminder of the [dangers of getting “free” images](https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252488167/Automated-image-recognition-How-using-free-photos-on-the-internet-can-lead-to-lawsuits-and-fines?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) from the internet wrong.
- 💸 Good piece from Gary on the challenges ahead for journalists [looking to make money from newsletters](https://medium.com/swlh/why-journalists-may-have-a-big-problem-with-making-money-through-newsletters-88a5e25af5b9?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🥊 An [eye-opening battle between Disney and a well-known (and terminally ill) sci-fi writer](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/nov/19/sstar-wars-author-disney-royalties-alan-dean-foster?fbclid=IwAR3p6Ki-IHUe%5FWA4r4gNGaZXJaKG45KKcI02ZVwBY43na5SDhRuX%5FTPPO2U&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) that could have *huge* copyright implications.
- 🗞 Another deep dive on [the Substackarati](https://www.cjr.org/special%5Freport/substackerati.php?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Tweet of the Week
> The new Instagram layout [pic.twitter.com/eXAyHeDsGA](https://t.co/eXAyHeDsGA?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Three UK (@ThreeUK) [November 19, 2020](https://twitter.com/ThreeUK/status/1329417159672520714?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Hope
Let's end the (working) week on a positive note. *The Atlantic*'s coverage of the pandemic has been exceptional, and this piece captures why we should face the long, dark and isolated winter ahead with hope.
Back at the beginning of the summer, we had no idea if we'd get a viable vaccine. Now, it's looking increasingly likely we'll get multiple, extremely effective ones. For the first time, I feel like we can start talking about the end of the pandemic and what happens afterwards.
There are difficult times ahead — but we can finally see how they might end.
[The End of the Pandemic Is Now in SightA year of scientific uncertainty is over. Two vaccines look like they will work, and more should follow.The AtlanticSarah Zhang](https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/11/vaccines-end-covid-19-pandemic-sight/617141/?fbclid=IwAR3gWVFxRptpYkt8V44fzCGdKNMjjCldZui1JL7d-6mLYsvYx2uHrpTylqU&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Matt Yglesias leaves Vox for Substack: is he doing a Newton or a Sullivan?
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/11/matt-yglesias-leave-vox-for-substack-is-he-doing-a-newton-or-a-sullivan/
Last updated: 2020-11-13T20:54:16.000Z
Another big name US journalist has quit his job to set up a Substack newsletter. The question is this: is he doing a Newton or a Sullivan?
### Doing a Newton
While I'm over-simplifying a little, to do a **Newton** is to be [like Casey Newton](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/09/casey-newton-leaves-verge-for-substack/): building an engaged audience through popular journalism, and leveraging that to start building your own thing.
### Doing a Sullivan
To do a **Sullivan** is to leave for Substack because you no longer feel welcome in the media institutions you were once part of, confident that you have enough readers that will follow you, [as Andrew Sullivan did](https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/07/andrew-sullivan-see-you-next-friday.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Glenn [Greenwald was a clear example](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/29/business/media/glenn-greenwald-leaving-intercept.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) of a Sullivan, for example.
## The Harpers question
So, which is this latest defection?
> Hey folks, some personal news.
>
> Co-founding [@voxdotcom](https://twitter.com/voxdotcom?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) with [@ezraklein](https://twitter.com/ezraklein?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) & [@MelissaBell](https://twitter.com/MelissaBell?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) has been one of the great adventures of my life but after 6+ years on the job I’ve decided it’s time for me to move on to something new that I’m really excited about.
>
> — Matthew Yglesias 🍦 (@mattyglesias) [November 13, 2020](https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/1327279949569536002?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
I'm calling this one as a Sullivan, and here's why: Yglesias had clearly caused tension at the site he co-founded by signing the *Harpers* letter on free speech earlier in the year. He was called out by a member of staff, who said that his signature on the letter made her feel unsafe:
> I sent a version of this to the editors of Vox. (I have redacted some bits that are internal to Vox and shouldn’t be aired publicly.) [pic.twitter.com/splNNSMivd](https://t.co/splNNSMivd?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Emily VanDerWerff 🙋♀️ (@emilyvdw) [July 7, 2020](https://twitter.com/emilyvdw/status/1280580388495097856?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
While it's impossible to know exactly what happened within the organisation, there was [plenty of reporting about the issue](https://spectator.us/why-are-vox-writers-so-keen-on-censorship/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and the tension was evident in one of Ezra Klein's podcasts when the internal debate over the situationwas mentioned. There was a tone, a stress, to Klein's voice I've never heard before or since on the podcast.
It's also worth noting that *New York Magazine,* which was Sullivan's former home, is [owned by Vox Media](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/24/business/media/vox-buys-nymag.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), who also owns (obviously) *Vox*.
I'm not the only one to see the controversy that erupted over Yglesias and that letter as the root problem that led to this move:
> It is depressing that life for folks like [@mattYglesias](https://twitter.com/mattyglesias?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) is increasingly untenable at left-of-center publications like Vox.
>
> It's all the more exciting that we are, collectively, creating new spaces for interesting thinkers to be themselves.
>
> Please support Matt! [https://t.co/diE0gvBBth](https://t.co/diE0gvBBth?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Yascha Mounk (@Yascha\_Mounk) [November 13, 2020](https://twitter.com/Yascha%5FMounk/status/1327295693766225922?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
I'm not going to do anything crass like claiming that Yglesias is being silenced, as some are doing, because clearly he isn't. He'll take an audience with him to Substack, and he'll more than likely make a decent living there. Not everything will be behind the paywall, and his other pieces will no doubt circulate around politics Twitter.
But something interesting is happening here, beyond this one move.
## A resurgent Indie Media
What I find fascinating about this is that people on the Sullivan end of the equation are often people who were indie bloggers back in the early 2000s, and are essentially returning to their roots (although, admittedly, Sullivan was a journalist before he was a blogger, and has thus been through this cycle twice.) What's changed in the last 10 years that means that the welcome they found in the traditional media has now evaporated?
There's a dynamic here beyond the rise of the newsletter, and it will be very interesting to see how that develops over time. At some point, bundling of these friendly-to-each-other voices into a form of loosely aggregated newsletter “magazine” seems quite possible. An alternative form of media is emerging — and it will continue to develop if the financial support for it exists amongst readers. And I suspect it does.
The Substack story is only beginning.
*([Thanks to Esther](https://twitter.com/estherkeziat/status/1327293375754727426?s=21&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) for bringing this to my notice.)*
---
*If you want to follow Yglesias to Substack, his newsletter is called [Slow Boring](https://www.slowboring.com/p/welcome-to-slow-boring?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).*
### The two reasons why most newsletters will fail
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/11/the-two-reasons-why-most-newsletters-will-fail/
Last updated: 2020-11-13T13:53:06.000Z
Like any good gold rush, people aren't paying enough attention to the details of what makes newsletters work. And that will lead to many flaming out. Here's why.
_This post is for paying subscribers only._
### 17 years as a media artisan
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/11/17-years-as-a-media-artisan/
Last updated: 2022-03-08T23:31:50.000Z
I rather love the idea of people publishing sites, podcasts or newsletters solo being “media artisans”, as [defined by Isabelle Roughol](https://www.borderlinepod.com/rise-of-the-media-artisan/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> Artisans are independent professionals. They usually work alone. They can take on an apprentice or collaborate with others, but it’s a gathering of individualities, not a corporation. That is the most obvious feature of this new media model. Journalists have through circumstances (times are tough) or through choice (I was that crazy one) severed ties with larger employers and become their own boss.
That describes perfectly what I’ve been doing here for [all these years](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/03/engaged-reading-digest-17th-birthday-edition/). It’s reshaped my career twice. First, when I transitioned from a features editor to RBI’s head of blog development, and then again, when it enabled me to transition to media consultant and trainer in 2012, when my daughter was about to be born.
I’m in the process of a third transition now, with a growing base of paying subscribers here.
## Beyond the prosaic is the artisanal
I do occasionally toy with the idea of changing this blog’s name. After all, if Martin can abandon something as exquisitely quirky as “[currybet](http://www.currybet.net/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)” for the much more prosaic “[martinbelam.com](https://martinbelam.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)”, surely I can give up on the [terrible pun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One%5FMan%5Fand%5FHis%5FDog?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) that’s been the name of this site since early last decade?
Isabelle’s idea, though, encapsulates perfectly why I named the site this back in 2003: the incredible potential of one person and a digital publishing platform to create something new. Then, it was (web)blogs. Today, it’s newsletters. And given that *they* date back nearly 40 years, it might yet be blogs again…
So, I think I'll stay with it. An artisanal name for an artisanal blog…
## One person and their tool…
Back to Isabelle:
> Nothing is more valuable to an artisan than her tools. They fascinate me, lined up like soldiers over a workbench. The twelve different ones it takes to bind a simple notebook; the absinthe spoon, the berry spoon and the bonbon spoon, all slotted in different ways; the hollow needle that revolutionised medicine…
There’s something in this. The tool has *always* made a massive difference to me. This blog has been on four different CMSes over the years:
1. Blogger
2. Movable Type
3. WordPress
4. Ghost
I’ve only really enjoyed using two of those: Movable Type and Ghost. A true artisan, as she so rightly says, deeply cares about their tools. And it does delight me that we’re seeing a proliferation of tools again, from [Ghost](https://ghost.org/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) to [micro.blog](https://micro.blog/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), to [Substack](https://substack.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) and [Revue](https://www.getrevue.co/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) and so many more.
The explosion of tools is inextricably intertwined with the explosion of artisan creators. We will inevitably go through a consolidation phase again, but I think I can say, with some confidence, that after nearly 20 years, the media artisan is here to stay.
### Social & Digital coffee break: Quartz's future crystallises
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/11/social-digital-coffee-break-quartzs-future-crystallises/
Last updated: 2020-11-10T14:56:01.000Z
## The Quartz market
Last week, as I was preparing my materials for the [new newsletter course](https://www.journalism.co.uk/vocational-skills-study/creating-compelling-newsletters-online-course/s43/a761215/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) I'm leading, I found myself looking at that morning's *Quartz* daily brief — and realising that it was a shadow of its former self. The key characterstics that made it such a compelling reading in the early 2010s had been lost somewhere along the way, so I dug a 2013 edition out of my archives and used that instead.
That, in a nutshell, is the problem with the current *Quartz*: it's stuck in the trough of irrelevancy that too many publications fall into and die. It doesn't have enough scale to be a true attention trawler, gathering big enough volumes of people to monetise easily. But equally, it is no longer in a clearly defined niche, that people find compelling. Its ruthless focus on the role that it played iun the business community's day has been diluted, and so, it's much harder to understand *why* you should read — or subscribe to — *Quartz*.
Making a decision one way or another on scale versus niche will be critical to the survival of the title (and I'm [not alone in thinking that](https://www.amediaoperator.com/p/quartz-going-independent-again-now?r=2hwy&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=copy)). That's the challenge for the aging innovator, which is under new ownership: its CEO and editor-in-chief:
[Uzabase Agrees to Sell Business News Site QuartzCEO Zach Seward, Editor in Chief Katherine Bell will buy Quartz from parent companyThe Wall Street JournalLukas I. Alpert](https://www.wsj.com/articles/uzabase-agrees-to-sell-business-news-site-quartz-11604890781?mod=djemalertNEWS&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Yes, it's a management buy-out, with a hunt for additional investment underway. Right now, the plan is to stick with the membership model:
> Mr. Seward said there were no plans to alter the site’s current business model.
In which case, the future of *Quartz* will be decided by their content and engagement strategy. I remain hopeful. I was a huge fan of the early years of *Quartz*, and perhaps the return to private ownership will encourage them to do less “me too” content, and more innovative experiments, like [the urban fiction I mentioned](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/10/social-digital-coffee-break-escaping-the-facebook-shadow/) a couple of weeks ago.
Their manifesto is promising:
[Join our mission to make business better as Quartz goes independentThis is an important moment in the life of our company, and we want to share it with all of you, our readers.QuartzZachary M. Seward](https://qz.com/1930012/join-our-mission-to-make-business-better-as-quartz-becomes-an-independent-media-company/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
I'll be watching with interest.
## The Must Read
### Content is Product and Product is Content
Take some time to kick back and read this. Dmitry has done some useful work here, joining the dots between tech and editorial. Product roles are the next wave of critical new newsroom jobs after audience engagement roles.
This explains why:
[Content is Product and Product is Content: why deeper alignment is the only way forwardIn digital publishing, editorial and tech used to belong to different universes before they slowly started to merge - via ‘bridge’ functions - for the benefit of audiences. The full synergy of these two disciplines leads to better delivery and internal alignment, supports a better focus across publiDmitry Shishkin](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/content-product-why-deeper-alignment-only-way-forward-dmitry-shishkin/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## What happends when you dump the comments?
Some interesting research:
Here's the [summary page](https://mediaengagement.org/research/comment-changes/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) and [link to the full report](https://mediaengagement.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/News-Comments-What-Happens-When-They%E2%80%99re-Gone-or-When-Newsrooms-Switch-Platforms.pdf?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
As we get more serious about on-site community again, this sort of work is invaluable.
## Adstack
You know how Substack was designed around finding a paying audience rather than relaying on advertising? Some big newsletters are starting to turn to…
…advertising.
The more things change…
[The curious emergence of the Substack advertisementHow advertising found its way onto an ad-free platform.MedialyteMark Stenberg](https://medialyte.substack.com/p/the-curious-emergence-of-the-substack)
## Jobs Corner
My, there are some fantastic jobs out there at the moment.
[We’re hiring: Apply to be our Bureau Local EditorThe Bureau Local is looking for a senior editor to take over the editorial direction and output of our small but ambitious teamThe Bureau of Investigative JournalismMegan Lucero](https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/blog/2020-10-14/were-hiring-apply-to-be-our-bureau-local-editor?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
[The Wall Street Journal’s Digital Experiences & Strategy Unit is Hiring!We are creating a team focused on engagement, and expanding our mobile experiences and storytelling teams.WSJ DXSLouise Story](https://medium.com/the-wall-street-journal/the-wall-street-journals-digital-experiences-strategy-unit-is-hiring-4b284101edd?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
[Audience Engagement EditorDods Group is looking for a talented journalist to create a figurehead subscription product and improve its online impact across publishing titles The House and PoliticsHomejournalism.co.uk](https://www.journalism.co.uk/media-jobs/audience-engagement-editor/s75/a766220/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Quick Links
- 🔓Which messenger apps leak your data — and which might be [a secure way of talking with sources](https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/10/study-shows-which-messengers-leak-your-data-drain-your-battery-and-more/?utm%5Fcontent=bufferc0c90&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fsource=twitter&utm%5Fcampaign=buffer)?
- 📱Something that didn't occur to me during the last Apple keynote, but which seems obvious now: the new Magsafe charger on the iPhone will open up a whole new world of [accessories for mobile journalism](https://www.imore.com/moment-launches-line-magsafe-mounts-photo-and-video-creation?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 📲 Talking of the new iPhone, here's [a gloriously illustrated review of its photographic capabilities](http://austinmann.com/trek/iphone-12-pro-camera-review-glacier?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- ␡ When should you [unpublish a story](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/unpublishing-who-decides-what-news-should-last-forever-/s2/a766559/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)? My bias is owards keeping the public record intact (which is why you'll find 17 years of archives here…), but Marcela draws together some good arguments.
- 💰 How to get the dosh to [launch your new magazine](https://internationalmagazinecentre.com/housty-i-have-a-great-idea-for-a-magazine-should-i-self-publish-or-seek-an-investor/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). (The easiest way to make a small fortune in magazines, is to start with a big fortune…)
## Chaser: why is social media like potatoes?
Both are marginally bad for teenagers' mental health…
[How the Media Turns Bad Research Into Terrible ClickbaitWhen you look at the actual research, it turns out that the effect of social media on teen depression is extremely small. Specifically, social media can explain 0.36 percent of teen depression…MediumNir Eyal](https://nireyal.medium.com/how-the-media-turns-bad-research-into-terrible-clickbait-af4555e69b54?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Should you turn your video cam on in online training?
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/10/should-you-turn-your-video-cam-on-in-online-training/
Last updated: 2020-10-29T12:33:30.000Z
Like many people who deliver training, I've been doing so [exclusively online](https://onemanandhisblog.com/digital-journalism-training/) for the past six months, and it's likely to be that way until next spring at the very earliest. That includes my lecuring at City's journalism department, which is all being delivered online this term, raising the rather sad prospect that I might never meet some of this year's Interhacktives in person.
Given that, I read this piece on [making the most of your journalism course](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/a-journalism-student-s-survival-guide-to-online-lectures/s2/a764222/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) in these conditions with interest. There is one section that I disagreed with slightly:
> ### Put your camera on
>
> During face-to-face lectures, obviously no one is worried about showing their face but there is something about staring at a webcam that makes students want to run a mile. But putting your camera on means that the lecturer will be able to see that you are concentrating, which makes you more likely to get involved in discussions and avoid distractions.
For me, at least, it's not just about concentration. If I can see your face, I can see if you're puzzled, and so I can explain something more clearly. I can see if you're getting tired, which means I can change the tone of the teaching, or switch to a small group exercise. I can see if you're getting distracted, and change things up to draw you back in.
The feedback between tutor and tutee is vital to great training, of any kind. If you break that on the tutee end, you might as well just attend a webinar passively.
I never *insist* people have the cameras on, but I do value it when they do. I think it makes the experience better for everyone.
## Training is not the same as a meeting
That said, I do think part of the problem is that the pandemic has turned *everything* into a video call, when often a good, old fashioned audio call would do just as well.
As Holly Brockwell pointed out a few weeks ago, jumping routinely to video meetings puts an unfair burden on women in particular:
> Could I politely request that men -- who are by society's rules allowed to look exactly like they do in bed -- think a bit before asking women, who are expected to have their hair and makeup done, to do video meetings and calls?
>
> — Holly Brockwell (@holly) [October 15, 2020](https://twitter.com/holly/status/1316749999682793474?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
And yes, [“Zoom fatigue” is a real phenomenon](https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200421-why-zoom-video-chats-are-so-exhausting?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) (I speak as someone who spent seven hours in Zoom yesterday). Let's use video calling when it adds vaue, and avoid it when it doesn't.
### Social & Digital coffee break: escaping the Facebook shadow
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/10/social-digital-coffee-break-escaping-the-facebook-shadow/
Last updated: 2020-10-29T11:21:36.000Z
## One Big Read: Facebook's tactical bias
As the globe watches the USA anxiously — one of the few electoral events that genuinely impacts the rest of the world — this is a good read on how, in its attempt to stay "in" with the ruling party, Facebook intentionally manipulated the media landscape.
The reflex reaction I've seen from many people is that Something Must Be Done about Facebook. But I can't help feeling that this should be a rallying cry for us to do more to connect *directly* with audiences, without relying on such an untrustworthy intermediate:
[Facebook manipulated the news you see to appease Republicans, insiders saySources tell us the platform tweaked its code to help right-wing publishers and throttle sites like Mother JonesMother JonesMonika Bauerlein](https://www.motherjones.com/media/2020/10/facebook-mother-jones/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Return of the Sub
The journalism business will eventually regret the wholesale cull of subs it had indulged in over the last 15 years. When they bring both the normal sub-editing rigour AND some core digital skills, they can be an invaluable part of the newsroom — and create a quality differentiation for your site.
And some organisations are beginning to wake up to this fundamental truth:
[Telegraph Media Group to pull production out of PA and return in-houseThe move sees Telegraph Media Group bringing its print subbing back in-house less than four years after outsourcing the work to PA.Press GazetteCharlotte Tobitt](https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/telegraph-media-group-production-pa-return-in-house/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Talking of those digital skills, here's an interesting insight into how the sub role could evolve to harness new technology:
[Sub-editing the machine: the new role for journalists in the age of AIEvery journalist knows that at the heart of any efficient newsroom are sub-editors. It’s not a glamorous role and sadly, they are often the first in line when cuts come. But subs do much more…Polis](https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/polis/2020/10/20/sub-editing-the-machine-the-new-role-for-journalists-in-the-age-of-ai/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## New approaches to journalism
I probably need to write a deeper piece on this, but one of the disappointments of the digital transition is that, to a very large extent, we're still putting old wine in new bottles. The story formats we use today don't look fundamentally different from those of 25 years ago.
One of the deep problems with our formats becoming so formulaic is that those formulas are easy to copy, and misinformation and propaganda sites can appropriate the veneer of respectability that's imbued in the format.
We really need to shake up *how* we tell our stories, and I've come across a couple of interesting examples recently. The recent [Hacks/Hackers London](https://www.hackshackersldn.co.uk/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) session on *Quartz's* climate change journalism is absolutely worth your time:
And here's the project that they're talking about:
[Welcome to Green HavenAs the world begins to feel the acute effects of climate change, some hometowns will become uninhabitable. These are stories of how governments and thinkers are anticipating mass migration’s effects on society, and planning to make our new climate havens more sustainable.Quartz](https://qz.com/se/green-haven/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
And while we're on the idea of using fiction in journalism, this is fun but useful:
[New children’s book helps introduce ideas of constructive journalism at homeNegative news can affect kids as well as adults and lead to sadness or anxiety. ‘Little Ruffle and the world beyond’ aims to help families have discussions about what they see on the newsJournalism.co.ukJacob Granger](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/new-children-s-book-helps-introduce-ideas-of-constructive-journalism-at-home/s2/a762650/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Newsletters
Ah, newsletters. The overnight success story that took two decades… 😉
They remain a critical tool in building direct relationships with readers, without mediation via Facebook and Google. But they're also increasingly becoming a business in their own right.
This piece from Mark at newsletter platform Revue is a useful dive into the economics of newsletters:
[How much is your newsletter worth?Hello newsletter friends,Mark from Revue here, filling you in on an exciting week in newsletters.We seem to have entered the next level, where successful newsletters get acquired for large amounts, and marketplaces spring up for creators to buy and sell them.Hope you enjoy this issue about who and f…Revue](https://www.getrevue.co/profile/the%5Fweek%5Fin%5Fnewsletters/issues/how-much-is-your-newsletter-worth-285518?utm%5Fcampaign=Issue&utm%5Fcontent=view%5Fin%5Fbrowser&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=The+week+in+newsletters)
Meanwhile current newsletter platform darling Substack continues to build out its technology. One big barrier to adoption has been the fact that you couldn't use your own domain name with the service. That's risky, because it makes it harder for you to migrate off it if needed in future.
Well, they've changed that — but they want $50 to do it. My guess as to the reason for that relatively high price is that setting up DNS to redirect domain names is tricky and technical. They want to discourage casual users from doing it, because of the potential support overheads, while making it cost-effective for them to support more serious users.
Still, a positive move.
[New! Add a custom domain to your SubstackCustom domains are now available on Substack. Many writers have told us they’d like to use custom domains to build a home for their newsletters, so we’re excited to finally bring this feature to everyone.SubstackSubstack Blog](https://blog.substack.com/p/new-add-a-custom-domain-to-your-substack?r=2hwy&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=copy)
### Learn to create better newsletters
And, just a quick reminder: my brand new newsletters course, built out of nearly a decade of working with news organisations on newsletter strategy, kicks off next week:
[Creating compelling newslettersThis four-week online course will give you the tools to create your own engaging online newsletterJournalism.co.uk](https://www.journalism.co.uk/vocational-skills-study/creating-compelling-newsletters-online-course/s43/a761215/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Tool Time
Adobe had its big annual event last week, and made some significant announcements. This is really interesting, both for photographers looking to protect their art, but also for journalists doing verification work:
[New Photoshop ‘Content Attribution’ Tool Tracks Edit History and Prevents Photo TheftSomewhere in the mountain of announcements that Adobe dropped this morning—including major updates for both Photoshop and Lightroom—the company found timePetaPixelDL Cade](https://petapixel.com/2020/10/20/adobe-unveils-content-attribution-tool-that-tracks-edit-history-and-prevents-photo-theft/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
And this is a big leap forwards in computational photography:
[All the new AI-powered features Adobe announced for its creative suiteAdobe is holding its virtual conference, Max, today, and it has announced a ton of updates to its products, from Photoshop to Illustrator and Premier Pro to Fresco. A lot of these features such as Sky Replacement in Photoshopped are powered by Adobe’s Sensei AI technology. So, here’s the round-up of…The Next WebIvan Mehta](https://thenextweb.com/neural/2020/10/20/all-the-new-ai-powered-features-adobe-announced-for-its-creative-suite/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Edit video like text
One of the sad consequences of the pandemic is that this year, I'm not teaching students to edit video — all my lecturing is being done remotely, and one of the in-house team has taken on the editing training. Video editing is a very different thought process and skill set from text editing — but Descript is bringing the two together.
It started as a tool that allowed you to edit podcasts by editing a transcript of the audio — but now they've extended that approach to video. I'm looking forward to having a play with it when I get a little bit more time.
[Introducing Descript Video & Screen RecorderLike it or not, video has become an essential part of how we communicate. And while it’s gotten easier to capture and share video, editing remains difficult, slow, and non collaborative. As of today…DescriptAndrew Mason](https://medium.com/descript/introducing-descript-video-screen-recorder-2b195dbff85f?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Update
Last week, I mentioned that the Membership Puzzle Project was open to a new round of applicants. They've expanded their geographic criteria, so it might be worth taking another look:
[We’ve expanded eligibility for the Membership in News Fund](https://mailchi.mp/membershippuzzle/weve-expanded-eligibility-for-the-membership-in-news-fund?e=2f0564f0a9&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Job Corner
This is a fantastic job opportunity for someone with audience engagement skills:
[Digital Account Manager (Maternity Cover)Condé Nast is a global media company, home to iconic brands including Vogue, The New Yorker, GQ, Glamour, AD, Vanity Fair and Wired, among many others. The company’s award-winning content reaches...Careers](https://condenastuk.avature.net/careers/JobDetail/Digital-Account-Manager-Maternity-Cover/2318?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Finally…
I'm off on more adventures with my children. I hope you're having a good day, wherever you are.
### Social & Digital Coffee Break: Google tools, social media stats and free money
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/10/social-digital-coffee-break-google-tools-social-media-stats-and-free-money/
Last updated: 2020-10-20T13:58:02.000Z
## Reach for Readly
Readly, the bundled news and mags digital subscription service, has [added four Reach newspapers to its offer](https://news.cision.com/readly/r/readly-expands-its-portfolio-of-uk-newspapers-with-reach-plc-adding-four-titles,c3215417?ref=onemanandhisblog.com): The *Daily Express, Daily Mirror, Sunday Express* and *Sunday Mirror.* A bunch of consumer mags are also (re)joining it: *Country Life, Horse & Hound, Wallpaper* and *Decanter.*
There's a lot of skepticism out there about this style of product, which includes Apple News, but they certainly have the potential to grow revenue, as long as you have a viable additive strategy — “this is a way of getting revenue from people who wouldn't be regular readers” — that has built into it ways of making your core target audience direct subsribers: what can you offer them that isn't just the content in the app?
I suspect that these products *could* be a slow-burn success over time — but there won't be a lot of winners, if any.
## Mmmm…Social Media Stats
Lots of lovely crunchy goodness in a [new global social media snapshot](https://thenextweb.com/growth-quarters/2020/10/20/more-than-50-of-humans-in-the-world-use-social-media-heres-what-you-need-to-know/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). I'm not going to attempt to summarise it here; if you need to know this level of data, dive in.
However, I do want to highlight this chart:
There won't be an awful lot of surprises for most of you reading this about the top end, but the bottom of the chart might be unexpected. It's interesting how (relatively) small Twitter use is, isn't it? It's below Pinterest, and only just above Quora. But I bet most people have a Twitter strategy, but not one for the other two sites…
[Digital 2020: October Global Statshot — DataReportal – Global Digital Insights<p>DataReportal offers hundreds of free reports packed with data, insights, and trends to help you make more informed decisions.</p>DataReportal – Global Digital InsightsSimon Kemp](https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2020-october-global-statshot?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Google Tools for Journalists
Google has launched its journalist studio, which is basically a front end for a couple of interesting tools:
- [**The Common Knowledge Project**](https://commonknowledge.appspot.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — a (US-only) tool that builds charts from local data using the [Data Commons](https://www.datacommons.org/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), an open data project. Potentially very useful to local journalists. Let's hope they have something similar coming to the UK and other countries.
- [**Pinpoint**](https://journaliststudio.google.com/pinpoint/about?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) **—** this is the really interesting one right now. It allows you to use advanced search techniques across libraries of documents and audio you upload into the tool. It's using AI-powered tech, as well as doing text recognition and audio transcription. As a way of extracting stories from big sets of files, this could be invaluable.
[Journalist StudioA collection of tools to empower journalists to do their work more efficiently, creatively, and securely](https://journaliststudio.google.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## My next two courses
I'm terrible at selling my own work, which is not good for my ability to feed my children… So, here goes. Two courses, starting at the beginning of next month, one well-established, and one brand-spanking new. Please do check them out:
### Well-established
[Online content strategy for journalistsA four-week online course to help you navigate questions around timing, format and content styles in the digital ageJournalism.co.uk](https://www.journalism.co.uk/vocational-skills-study/digital-content-strategies/s43/a698180/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Brand-spanking new
[Creating compelling newslettersThis four-week online course will give you the tools to create your own engaging online newsletterJournalism.co.uk](https://www.journalism.co.uk/vocational-skills-study/creating-compelling-newsletters-online-course/s43/a761215/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Want help building a membership scheme?
Looking to launch a membership model, but in need of advice and funding? Then I have good news for you: the Membership Puzzle Project has opened another round of the Membership in News Fund.
They are, in particular, looking for applications from these countries.
> Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Georgia, Ukraine, Poland, India, and Myanmar. However, strong applications from other [countries where MDIF works in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe](https://membershippuzzle.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f4bb2df98a2b6feec526e6726&id=c221924801&e=2f0564f0a9&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) are also eligible.
I know there are people from some of those countries reading, so get applying, folks…
[The Membership in News Fund — The Membership Puzzle ProjectThe Membership in News Fund is now accepting applications from Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe.The Membership Puzzle Project](https://membershippuzzle.org/fund?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Quick Links
- ⌚️ [Useful interview with the founder of Hodinkee](https://www.amediaoperator.com/p/podcast-ben-clymer-on-building-media?r=2hwy&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=copy), the niche site for watch enthusiasts.
- 👩🏻💻 Useful, but faintly depressing, analysis of [what works if you want to make money on Medium](https://simonowens.substack.com/p/a-medium-writer-made-49k-in-september): basically, produce a huge amount of content as easily as you can, and hope that the editors promote it.
- ☢️ The round-up of [early (as in early 2010s) criticism of Facebook](https://onezero.medium.com/to-understand-facebook-today-read-its-earliest-critics-ca2ca15480ab?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) is just 👌🏼. Many of us were sounding warnings, but people just didn't take it seriously, until too late.
- 🤓 *The Atlantic* has had a great pandemic (if that isn't an oxymoron…), and [this is a very readable account of it](https://digiday.com/media/inside-the-atlantics-triumphant-and-tumultuous-run-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🍆 This seems like [an unwise thing to do on a Zoom call](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/oct/19/jeffrey-toobin-zoom-call-new-yorker-suspended?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)… 🤦🏼♂️
##
### Poor story construction can spread COVID-19 misinformation
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/10/how-poor-story-construction-can-spread-covid-19-misinformation/
Last updated: 2020-10-19T10:12:49.000Z
Journalism can be 100% accurate — and yet still be misleading. The way we structure our stories can impact what information people take away from them. If you construct a story that is full of accurate information *in the wrong place*, you run the risk of people coming away unintentionally misinformed. This applies far beyond just journalism, of course. *How* we structure information is as important to effective communication and *what* we include.
COVID-19 is serious enough without reporting emerging research in a way that scares people unnecessarily. In an era rife with *intentional* misinformation, adding unintentional miscommunication to the pile helps no-one.
## SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces
For example, take this piece from *The Times*:
[Virus can live 28 days on phone screensThe virus that causes Covid-19 can survive for almost a month on surfaces such as bank notes and mobile phone screens, according to scientists.Researchers in Australia have concluded that theThe TimesKaya Burgess](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/virus-can-live-28-days-on-phone-screens-5tlnfn9wd?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Alarming, right?
The story is this: Australian researchers have discovered that the virus remains viable (my immunologist wife likes to remind me that viruses aren’t “alive” *per se*) on surfaces like banknotes and phones in the right conditions:
> Researchers in Australia have concluded that the Sars-CoV-2 virus can withstand 28 days on certain surfaces in the right conditions. This is several times longer than previously thought, with past studies claiming that it could survive for a maximum of about six days.
OK. Scary stuff.
But…
The phrase “in the right conditions” is doing an awful lot of work in paragraph two. It really is.
What are those “conditions”?
## Burying a critical fact
Let’s leap to the penultimate paragraph, where we learn something quite significant:
> The Australian researchers conducted their analysis in the dark because it is known that ultraviolet light harms the virus.
In. The. Dark.
Because UV degrades the virus’s viability. You know, the thing that’s found in, say, *sunlight*.
## You can’t rely on people reading to the end
We know that most people don’t read to the end of stories, so we can assume that the majority of readers won’t ever learn that piece of information. So, they’ll go away with the mistaken impression that the virus that causes COVID-19 can remain viable on bank notes for a month, under normal usage conditions, which isn't the case.
The BBC avoids making this mistake with the same story:
[Covid virus ‘survives for 28 days’ in lab conditionsResearchers find SARS-Cov-2 survives for longer than thought - but only under certain conditions.BBC NewsBBC News](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54500673?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
They explain the UV issue in the third sentence, and then contextualise the actual risk. It’s an important finding — the virus is clearly more robust than influenzas, for example.
But *The Times* piece runs the severe risk of the majority of readers coming away with the wrong impression. The story doesn’t mean what they think it does because a critical fact is buried away in the penultimate par.
I get why it happens: putting that information up front weakens the story. But, if you have to bury a critical fact to make a story stronger, boy, have you chosen the wrong angle.
I bet I’ll be seeing people in Facebook groups frantically talking about it surviving on surfaces for a month, thanks to the headlining and story construction of these reports.
Wash your hands. Don’t touch your face unnecessarily. Worry more about aerosol transmission. And don't bury critical facts in understanding your story in the penultimate par. 😷
### Members only: more on YouTube and news, and other reader feedback
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/10/members-only-more-on-youtube-and-news-and-other-reader-feedback/
Last updated: 2020-10-15T21:19:50.000Z
Reader feedback on recent posts, and some plans for the future of this site.
_This post is for paying subscribers only._
### Metamorphosis of the Journalist
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/10/learning-to-love-niche-publishing/
Last updated: 2020-10-14T14:14:59.000Z
In today’s round-up of good internet reading, we learn to love the niche, look (again( at newsletters, and get attention hacking
_This post is for subscribers only._
### Understanding Editorial Newsletters: a brief guide
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/10/understanding-editorial-newsletters-a-brief-guide/
Last updated: 2020-10-13T12:24:35.000Z
Newsletters are the new hotness. They are all over the journalism world right now, largely based on the growing excitement about the potential of the individual newsletter created by a well-known journalist, who ends up becoming a self-sustaining media node through subscriptions. I don’t deny that this is an exciting development, and one we should be celebrating.
However, the hype aroud them, as so often happens with future of journalism moments, is in danger of falling foul of [“bright, shiny thing” syndrome](https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/our-research/time-step-away-bright-shiny-things-towards-sustainable-model-journalism-innovation-era?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). We need to step back from the trees, and see the wood as a whole. And there’s more to newsletters than a famous journalist getting a big pay cheque straight from his audience. (And its *does* seem to be largely men — why is that?)
## The Newsletter Auteur
There are a number of reasons why the growth of what we might call the *auteur* newsletter is going to be constrained, exciting though it is. I’ve written more than once about the discovery problems that are likely to emerge. More than that, there are a number of challenges that will stand in the way of their growth:
- Not everybody wants to be a solo creator. It’s lonely, demanding work, and can be demoralising. The worst thing about sending out a new newsletter is the unsubscribes that follow, and that can be brutal. Now, imagine that newsletter is your only source of income…
- Some journalism is just better done better in teams
- Subscription fatigue is real, and will constrain the growth of the market especially as the financial impact of the pandemic continues to bite
- Even some early successes will fade quickly, as the harsh reality of maintaining a publication on its own, and the impact of subscriber churn, becomes felt
Are newsletters the future of journalism? Of course not. There will be some notable successes, many will fail, and some will sit somewhere in the middle. I have a membership option here, but I have no realistic ambition of it being my sole source of income, just continuing its growth into a comfortable additional source of income.
Will newsletters be a part of the publishing ecosystem? Yes, of course. Pioneers like [Ben Thompson](https://stratechery.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) and [Bill Bishop](https://sinocism.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) have shown how this can be done over the last few years — but you might want to note that both are essentially B2B publications. People will find niches, content formats and styles that work, and the journalism world will be richer for it.
### New Newsletter Platforms
It’s almost disingenuous to call platforms like SubStack a newsletter platform: they are more complex than that. The emergent brand of newsletter platforms are built around the individual creator model, but work by bundling together three components:
- A content management system
- A newsletter delivery system
- A membership management system
The pioneers in this space had to build their own stack out of disparate components, using things like WordPress and Memberful, but as the model become more successful it was inevitable that others would move into the space with more integrated offers. I’ve broken down the [key characteristics of three platforms](https://onemanandhisblog.com/newsletter-platforms/), and Medium and WordPress are all moving into this space as well.
The best way to think of these platforms is as **emergent content management systems, with built-in subscriptions and audience engagement tools**. The fact that so many platforms see newsletters as critical to their functional offering is indicative of the wider trend, that the “star journalist” newsletter hype is obscuring.
The trees in my earlier metaphor are those indy newsletter stars, but the wood is the sheer power of the newsletter as an engagement form. Newsletters are far more than just a tool for individual creators to build an audience: *they’re a central plank of any sensible audience engagement strategy.*
## Newsletter as audience engagement strategy
My worry is that the hype we’ve seen in recent weeks about the “star journalist” newsletter will obscure the wider role newsletters play in the publishing ecosystem. Their critical importance is that they are a (largely) unmediated medium: there’re no algorithm sitting between you and your audience deciding what they see. (The small exception here is Gmail which indeed has some algorithmic work sorting your email — it’s one of the reasons I don’t use it.)
So, from an audience development point of view, newsletters are a critical tool in moving readers acquired via the main algorithmic methods — search and social — and potentially allowing them to come into a direct relationship with a publisher. Instead of hoping that we surface in the searches or feeds, we aim to drop into their inboxes with a useful, curated set of information that progressively builds both trust between them and our publication, and which establishes itself as a habit in their lives.
### The Pioneer: Quartz Daily Brief
*Quartz* — which nowadays seems to have acquired the adjective “troubled” — led the way here over half a decade ago, with the launch of their [effective morning briefing](https://qz.com/emails/daily-brief/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). It was a masterclass in an editorial product perfectly built for its original business-centric audience:
- It was **timely**, delivered *exactly* when they needed it: before 6am in their financial time zone
- It was a time-efficient **aggregation** of everything they needed to know
- It was **comprehensive** — linking out to more than just *Quartz* sources
- It was **completable** — giving subscribers the feeling that they were up-to-date
## Curation Models
This curation model is still playing out well. For example, Matt Navarra’s [Social Media Geek Out newsletter](https://www.getrevue.co/profile/geekout?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) is a big link and analysis dump in a single weekly newsletter, but which allows social media managers to catch-up on all the tactical and strategic information they need to remain on top of their jobs.
That format won’t work for everyone, though. The Media Voices team have found that [shorter, more frequent newsletters](https://voices.media/7-things-weve-learned-launching-daily-newsletter/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) deliver results for them — but their audience is different, being targeted at journalists with a publisher/business of news edge. They’re very much in the “morning briefing” style, though.
## Newsletter Strategy Considerations
As you start thinking about a newsletter strategy, here are some key things to think about:
### Timing
When suits your readers? When do they have a [“news moment”, as Sarah Marshall](https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/01/the-year-to-learn-about-news-moments/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) would term it, that you can usefully deliver something into their in-box? Do they want a morning roundup? Some evening analysis and contextualisation? A weekly catch-up?
### Habit
Clearly, this is deeply tied into the point above; get the timing right, and you allow people to develop a habit of reading the newsletter. For example, there’s a couple of newsletters that arrive late Friday afternoon, which I save to read during my [daughters’ martial arts class](http://www.scrivenmartialarts.co.uk/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and which I get annoyed by if they’re NOT ready for me then. (Newsletters have much in common with podcasts in this regard.)
### Niche
One effective use of newsletters is to develop a closer relationship with a niche of your audience. For example, you might be running a general hospitality magazine, but want to build closer relationship with a segment of your audience: say restaurant sommeliers (this example feels… odd during the pandemic, but I love the hospitality business, which is where I started my journalism career, and would love to see it bounce back, so stick with me on this…).
Even if your CMS doesn’t give you an easy way to personalise the site to a particular interest, you can develop newsletter streams for each niche within your broader brand, and get subscribers to signup for the newsletter that most closely matches their own interests.
### Format
A good newsletter has similarities with a good magazine: you become familiar with its format, and you learn which sections you enjoy and which you don’t. What stories are going to grab the recipient's attention, and make them want to open it? What delights down the newsletter are going to keep them reading, rather than browsing the first few sections and deleting?
[*Dense Discovery*](https://www.densediscovery.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — a well-named newsletter — does this really well, and I saw a [good talk on newsletter format](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2019/10/newsletters-how-to-connect-communities/) last year.
### Voice
Many of the new wave of newsletters have a distinct “human voice” — a named person writing an introduction at the beginning. Many don’t. Different audiences appreciate different approaches. Some just like the information delivered as efficiently as possible, others prefer the sense of a human writing directly to them. The former group are focused on **utility**, the second on **insider connection**.
## The Next Newsletter
It’s fairly bizarre that I started this piece with the assertion that newsletters are the new hotness. After all, email is as old as I am. And yet, it’s only in the last few years, as the industry as a whole has become aware of the risks of outsourcing all our audience growth to Google and Facebook, that we’ve really started re-evaluating our relationship with it as a medium.
There’s still plenty of work to be done in building newsletters that are editorial products in their own right, or which are a critical engagement component of a bigger editorial product. I’m always fairly surprised when I’m doing engagement consultancy or training for a client, and they mention that they don’t have a newsletter.
There’s enough compelling evidence out there that they can make a significant difference to your business. It’s worth investing the time in getting the starter right.
---
*If you're intested in learning more about newletter strategy, I'm running an online training course and workshop in conjunction with journalism.co.uk next month. [You can still grab a place](https://www.journalism.co.uk/vocational-skills-study/creating-compelling-newsletters-online-course/s43/a761215/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — it should be a fun, interesting series of sessions.*
### The need for intelligent skepticism, proved through links
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/10/the-need-for-intelligent-skepticism-proved-through-links/
Last updated: 2020-10-09T10:37:49.000Z
## Curate your comments — or don't bother
This is a really excellent piece exploring some of the issues around maintaining the value of reader comments without exposing you and your community to the most vile problems that can emerge. I've shifted position on this over the years, from thinking comments should be the default, to believing that you should only open comments if you're prepared to invest time and people in managing them properly.
If you want an example of how toxic comments can be, look at the responses on any *Spectator* article that strays from a conventional right wing position.
This article, though targeted at the US election, is applicable much more widely.
[Don’t let your comments undermine democracy - Coral by Vox MediaAs a news organization, it is essential that you have an appropriate comments strategy alongside the rest of your elections coverage.Coral by Vox Mediaandrew](https://coralproject.net/blog/election-night-comments/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Beware the Otter (AI)
This tweet by *Buzzfeed*'s misinformation expert [Jane Lytvynenko](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/janelytvynenko?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) is worth noting:
> If you're a reporter using Otter for transcription, be careful with which convos you upload. This is from their Privacy Policy: [https://t.co/Vh23JjUKrI](https://t.co/Vh23JjUKrI?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [pic.twitter.com/t7EVpRnB8f](https://t.co/t7EVpRnB8f?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Jane Lytvynenko (@JaneLytv) [October 7, 2020](https://twitter.com/JaneLytv/status/1313840563725238275?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
I've used [Otter](https://otter.ai/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) for transcribing videos and talks, and found it valuable. But for anyone dealing with confidential sources, this should raise significant concerns.
## Facebook finally acts
Well, now, these are interesting, when put together:
[Facebook removes Trump post over false Covid-19 claim for first timeVideo in which Trump wrongly said kids were ‘almost immune’ from illness also prompted Twitter to ban president’s re-election campaign accountThe GuardianJulia Carrie Wong](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/aug/05/facebook-donald-trump-post-removed-covid-19?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
[Facebook bans QAnon across its platformsPro-Trump group QAnon’s rebranding as an anti-child trafficking movement is “tying up resources with ridiculous conspiracy theories,” NBC News reporter Brandy Zadrozny explains.NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/facebook-bans-qanon-across-its-platforms-n1242339?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
[Facebook bans troll accounts linked to conservative group Turning Point USAFacebook has banned 200 accounts linked to coordinated inauthentic behavior by conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s group Turning Point USA and an advertising firm. The group used fake accounts to praise Donald Trump and criticize Joe Biden.The VergeAdi Robertson](https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/8/21507822/facebook-turning-point-usa-coordinated-inauthentic-behavior-troll-farm-ban-election-trump?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
For so much activity to happen in just a few days, and targeting the one end of the political spectrum that Facebook has tended to be hands-off with, is telling. Something is in the air, and Facebook is shifting to protect itself.
As Alex Hern [put it in his newsletter](https://alexhern.substack.com/p/trump-censored?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMTY1MzAsInBvc3RfaWQiOjgxMDQwMjgsIl8iOiJRb3o5eiIsImlhdCI6MTYwMjIzOTgyNiwiZXhwIjoxNjAyMjQzNDI2LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMjQ1NjciLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.qGYuilxYM4ygidTafEpNL5EXMnYp7IzwrVEh-mV8BFY):
> I think Mark Zuckerberg made a calculated gamble, that staying on the right side of the Republican Party would protect Facebook from suffering at the hands of regulation it did not want. And I think the company is now starting to make a similar calculation: that it needs to begin severing those links.
While you should never count your presidential chickens, Biden has been consistently ahead in polling in the US. If he wins, the easy ride that Facebook has given the less reality-based cohort of the US right might come back to haunt it.
And if Hern is right, and I rather suspect he *is*, then this should concern us all. A single company is using its power to manipulate the political landscape in its favour, through allowing the spread of outright propaganda. This is… troubling.
Casey Newton proposes an alternative take, that Facebook is acting now to [head off the worst problems](https://www.platformer.news/p/why-did-facebook-ban-qanon-now?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMTY1MzAsInBvc3RfaWQiOjg1Mjk5MDcsIl8iOiJRb3o5eiIsImlhdCI6MTYwMjIzNjcyOSwiZXhwIjoxNjAyMjQwMzI5LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItNzk3NiIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.WlK%5F%5FZPB0SJD-%5F3aOXZrACJ3KG88tSTLvoDe0pd34bo&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) likely to arise when the election result is announced, and most likely contested.
I don't think we have to choose between these explanations. Both are probably aspects of the same revised approach.
## Quick Links
- 💃🏻 TikTok now [#2 most popular app](https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/06/tiktok-passes-instagram-as-second-most-popular-social-app-for-us-teens.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) amongst US teens. As Charles Arthur [points out](https://theoverspill.wordpress.com/tiktok-american-teens-tops-start-up-1409?ref=onemanandhisblog.com#4010c6bb85cc9b20fdd4ebaacd9a5e92): “TikTok’s algorithm, though, is clearly the first wave of an entirely new sort of app: it generates its network purely from what you’re interested in, not who you know.”
- 🕵🏼♂️ Talking of TikTok, they've formed a fact-checking partnership with AFP in the Asia-Pacific region. ([Thanks to Corinne](https://twitter.com/corinne%5Fpodger/status/1314008318596116480?s=21&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) for that link.)
- 🇺🇸 Talking of fact-checking, First Draft have launched a [US election misinformation dashboard](https://firstdraftnews.org/dashboard-insights/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). It's *lovely*.
- 🗞 [A worthwhile piece by Rasmus Nielsen](https://twitter.com/corinne%5Fpodger/status/1314008318596116480?s=21&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) giving context for the current state of news journalism. Nothing new or surprising in there, but it's well-articulated and a useful summary — which betrays its roots as an opening keynote for a conference.
## Photo Chaser
We had the most *gorgeous* sunset yesterday evening:
### News Impact: TikTok trends and new formats for journalism
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/10/tiktok-trends-new-storytelling-formats-and-facebook-posting-times/
Last updated: 2020-10-06T21:44:28.000Z
This morning was the first session of the latest News Impact Summit, one of my favourite series of journalism events. Over the last couple of years, I've happily travelled to [Paris, Cardiff and Birmingham](https://onemanandhisblog.com/tag/news-impact-summit/) to attend these. Today, though, I travelled no further my living room, as the event has been pandemically pushed online and my wife has possession of the study…
And, given the topic of this week's sessions is audience engagement, how could I ignore it? Due to school runs and the like, I missed the first couple of sessions with my City co-tutor Condé Nast's Sarah Marshall and *The Economist*’s Kevin Young. The sessions will be available on YouTube later, so I’ll have to catch up with them then.
Handily, Kevin has provided his own summary of his session:
> Thank you to everyone who tuned in! These were my five tips at the end of the [#NISAudience](https://twitter.com/hashtag/NISAudience?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) session:
>
> • Find your USP, and shout about it
> • Treat social as your shop window
> • Identify quality audiences
> • Follow the data to find and keep them
> • Maximise your team’s efficiency [pic.twitter.com/UJPPur18f8](https://t.co/UJPPur18f8?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Kevin Young (@ImKevinYoung) [October 6, 2020](https://twitter.com/ImKevinYoung/status/1313406082191110145?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
And Laura spotted this useful insight:
> Great analogy from [@ImKevinYoung](https://twitter.com/ImKevinYoung?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) \- thinking of social channels like radio stations. Ppl dip in and out of Twitter so you can play more of your "greatest hits", for example. [#NISAudience](https://twitter.com/hashtag/NISAudience?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — LauraOliver (@LauraOliver) [October 6, 2020](https://twitter.com/LauraOliver/status/1313392386479972352?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## TikTok Trends
A great panel on the new social media hotness:
- [Elise Johnson](https://twitter.com/eliserwjohnson1?lang=en&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), head of social media at *The Telegraph* (and a former student of mine)
- [Julie Lelièvre](https://twitter.com/JulieLelievre?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), head of audience and editorial development at *Le Monde*
- [Patrick Weinhold](https://twitter.com/patweinhold?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), head of social media at *Tagesschau*.
- **Moderator**: [Francesco Zaffarano](https://twitter.com/FraZaffarano?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), editor in chief at *WILL* (another former student — Sarah and I are clearly doing something right…)
There was a good amount of granular information in these talks. One message that came through fairly clearly (possibly because I was listening for it) was that TikTok is not going to be sending you direct traffic back to your website. If your monetisation model depends on people hitting the site, TikTok is **not** going to help you out.
So, why are people there?
Well, broadcasters with a public service remit like Tagesschau or the BBC need to be there, if they're to fulfil that remit. TikTok is where you will find young people, and if you want to get some news to them, head on over and start the Bytedance.
For everyone else, particularly those with a more commercial imperative, it comes down to how important a mix of brand recognition and audience to you. Many people have used these sorts of platforms to play the long game, hoping that readers engaged here will eventually become subscribers. One of Young's former colleagues at *The Economist* made this [point about Snapchat](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2017/04/economist-plays-platform-game/) years ago.
### Secrets of TikTok success
For all of the panelists success was neither about repurposing existing material, nor about following "best practice" by copying other TikTok stars. It was about iterative experimentation:
- Experiment
- Measure
- Learn
- Refine
- Repeat
Yes, you can learn from what others are doing, and you'd be foolish not to pay attention, but on young platforms, new formats and approaches develop all the time — and there's no reason why your team can't lead the way on that.
That said, there's one big challenge to TikTok that we're not used to thinking about on the internet: reach is highly regional, as a discussion on Twitter pointed up:
> I have noticed how "geographical" the community is under each creator (exception made for celebrities or previously known influencers), even when the language is English or there's no language at all and that's all because of the algorithm I believe which is highly localized
>
> — Erika Marzano (@erika\_marzano) [October 6, 2020](https://twitter.com/erika%5Fmarzano/status/1313414775515250688?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
And that's without addressing the black box that is the TikTok algorithm, and the fact that a minor tweak to that can destroy your reach instantly. Elise made the point more than once that TikTok was part of their engagement strategy, but far from the heart of it.
### The TikTok Trust Temptation
Indeed, there was a consistent message that you might not get traffic, and you might not get a community, but it's worth experimenting there for the potential relationship you can start developing with a younger audience, if you can justify the expenditure of time.
*(It's worth noting that all the panelists were from big organisations with substantial teams. That time cost/benefit ratio will play out different for smaller organisations and teams)*
One point that I think is critical, and which I was surprised not to see more directly addressed, was the humanising of the team. Elise, for example, made the point that *The Telegraph*'s TikToks are largely produced by the in-house social media team. That means that those folks are becoming the face of *The Telegraph* for a new generation. If you squint and look at this from a slight angle, they're becoming micro-influencers — and what they're selling is not skincare products, but trust in news journalism. When you have a relationship with a person through these social platforms, you have trust.
And trust is one of our biggest problems right now, as the next speaker made clear.
## We desperately need new ways of telling stories
[Shirish Kulkarni](https://newsimpact.io/speakers/ShirishKulkarni?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)'s session was billed as a workshop, a description that was almost entirely inaccurate. It was somewhere between a polemic and a provocation, and all the better for it.
He introduced a fascinating new story format, which he explains better than I can, so I'll link or embed the session video as soon as it's available. But his core underlying ideas are worth exploring:
### 1\. We're caught in a trap
News innovation is struggling because we've lost sight of the purpose of journalism. It's about informing people, allowing them to live better lives and make better decisions. It is not about serving some abstract platonic news ideal. I've often articulated this as the "tyranny of print" — the brutal demands of the print deadline or broadcast slot necessitating standard formats that allow timely production. Digital explodes those constraints, and yet we still stay wedded to those formats.
### 2\. New formats need new people
The lack of diversity of most newsrooms is still shocking. Plenty of lip-service is paid to it, but change is painfully slow. A diversity of view points allows us to both come up with new ideas, but also to connect better with our audiences. We have some serious trust problems, and we aren't going to deal with them by having the same old bunch of middle-aged white guys cosying up to the same bunch of predictable politicians.
Indeed, the Reuters Institute *Digital News Report* made it plain that most people see politicians as a [major source of untrustworthy information](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/06/resuters-digital-news-report-2020/) — so why do we make them central to so much of our reporting?
### 3\. Context matters
Yes, one of my [favourite issues](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/09/engagement-in-an-age-of-declining-press-freedom/). We focus too much on a narrow slice of time: the present, the now. Journalism at its best connects the past, present and future in ways that are meaningful to our audience. The classic inverted pyramid story is perfect for encapsulating the now — but we need other formats to tell truly meaningful, contextualised stories.
### 4\. Platforms are not innovation
Just shovelling your content onto new platforms is not innovation. Finding new ways of telling stories and connecting with audiences on new platforms is.
Fascinating and thought-provoking stuff. You can find more about his work here:
[News Storytelling Solutions for a Better JournalismThese are the notes from my Clwstwr Cipolygon webinar on 17th June 2020, where we shared the results of our research project into journalism and News Storytelling. In this talk, I addressed how what…MediumShirish Kulkarni](https://medium.com/@shirishmonnow/news-storytelling-solutions-for-a-better-journalism-20a0936ce258?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
- The [News Impact Summit: Audienc](https://newsimpact.io/summits/news-impact-summits-online-audience-first?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)e First continues tomorrow [on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/user/ejcnettube/featured?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and you can follow the [discussion on Twitter](https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NISAudience&src=typeahead%5Fclick&ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
---
## The Facebook posting frequency trap
A useful summary of some research into organic research and posting frequency on Facebook. Here's the key finding:
> For example, they examined data for 2 top news publishers and observed that for both, posts spaced less than 10 minutes apart resulted in decreased Facebook referral traffic. The decline in traffic was particularly steep on posts spaced less than 5 minutes apart
The sweet spot seems to be about every 40 minutes.
[Facebook is secretly penalizing publishers, new research reveals | What’s New in Publishing | Digital Publishing NewsFacebook’s hidden penalization algorithm was revealed in new research published by Echobox, the AI-powered social publishing platform. The study, entitled Facebook’s penalization algorithm revealed: How Facebook secretly penalizes publishers, pulls back the veil on one of the biggest secrets in soc…What’s New in Publishing | Digital Publishing NewsWNIP](https://whatsnewinpublishing.com/facebook-is-secretly-penalizing-publishers-new-research-reveals/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## Quick Links
- Instagram is [basically just a home shopping app now](https://gizmodo.com/instagram-is-becoming-a-glorified-home-shopping-network-1845275048?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- It's also about to [start labelling accounts from state-controlled media](https://thenextweb.com/plugged/2020/10/06/instagram-begins-to-label-posts-from-state-controlled-media/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). This is a good thing.
- Oh, and [it's just turned 10](https://techcrunch.com/2020/10/05/instagrams-10th-birthday-release-introduces-a-stories-map-custom-icons-and-more/?utm%5Fcampaign=Big%20Revolution&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter)…
- Marc Blank-Settle has produced his annual definitive guide to the [journalism-relevant features in the new version of iOS](https://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/en/articles/art20201001095533358?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
### Twitter, death threats and civility: rethinking journalism on social media
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/10/twitter-death-threats-and-civility-rethinking-joruanlism-on-social-media/
Last updated: 2020-10-05T12:29:53.000Z
Twitter thinks celebrating the potential death of a president is a Bad Thing, and should lead to consequences for your account:
Which is all fine and lovely and perfectly sensible and clearly in the cause of more civilised debate online and should be welcomed…
Except, well, they’ve been allowing death threats on the service for (checks notes)… years?
> You’re going to need to hire more staff because I and every other woman on this platform has a bit of a backlog for you. [https://t.co/IR1viLsLcM](https://t.co/IR1viLsLcM?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Brianna Wu (@BriannaWu) [October 3, 2020](https://twitter.com/BriannaWu/status/1312369679743299587?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Twitter would have got a lot more kudos for this announcement if it hadn’t taken the life-threatening illness of the most polarising US president in living memory to trigger it. An understandable [backlash is underway](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/oct/03/twitter-faces-backlash-over-abuse-policy-in-wake-of-trump-illness?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
### Three tiers of Twitter users
It’s perhaps one of the most disappointing aspects of Twitter that it has moved from being a service that could amplify *anyone*’s voice, if they had interesting things to say, into one with a clearly hierarchical nature:
- We, the *hoi polloi* are at the bottom
- The “blue tick” verified users are a stratum above
- There are a handful of super-users, Trump included, around whom policy is made, and for whom existing rules are often ignored or altered.
So, good that they’re doing this, but excuse me (and pretty much the rest of journalism and politics Twitter) if we’re sceptical that this will actually make any difference to the threats received by anyone but the most prominent of users. Indeed, Twitter’s inconsistency on this policy is hardly new. It dates back [at least six years](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/09/09/twitter-takes-death-threats-seriously-at-least-when-theyre-directed-at-its-own-employees/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
Twitter *needs* to delete *any* death threat or similar reported to it, if it has any hope of clearing up the hell-site it has become. The challenges it faces, though, are ones of declining civility in online discourse.
## Belam’s Big Box of hate mail
Martin Belam’s post from the weekend [sums up the experience of many journalists](https://martinbelam.com/2020/fanmail/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) who write about political stories, and whose social media profiles are easily discoverable:
> I’ve been called a “simpleton”, an absolute shill for the Leftist mob, a moronic wanker, a fucking imbecile and someone signed off simply “you are an idiot”. Nice of the mother-in-law to get in touch, etc etc…
> Someone else tracked down my personal Facebook to message me that my reporting and that of another journalist showed that we must be “spreading your assholes open for your boyfriends”.
One of the reasons I still tend to post most things I Have Opinions About to my blog, rather than Twitter, is that, while they’ll reach fewer people, they’ll be people with the intelligence and patience to engage with more in-depth issues, and consider nuance. And I don’t fancy death threats.
(Yes, this does mean that I’m contributing to [the spiral of silence](https://fs.blog/2020/09/spiral-of-silence/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).)
Blogging is hardly perfect, but because it takes more effort to do than to fling your brain meats onto Twitter or Facebook, it *tends* to promote slower, more measured debate. And that means that the quick mob mentality social effects don't kick in nearly as easily.
Which does rather force us to conder why the profession wrote off these slower forms for the quick hit of social media reinforcement so very quickly.
## Journalism’s corruption of blogging
On Friday, I felt an old anger, one that hasn’t been stoked in me for ages, when I came across [this piece of nonsense](https://www.rjionline.org/stories/newsletters-may-be-reaching-their-limits-but-theres-hope-beyond-the-inbox?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) on a journalism site looking at the rise of newsletters:
> The reason no one talks about “blogging” anymore is that, for what blogs were good at — sending your personal views on the news (or some other topic) to a dedicated audience — other tools offered simpler, more effective tools for doing just that, most notably social networks. Why go through the trouble of setting up your own blog and slogging through a cumbersome back-end CMS when you can just create an account on Twitter and start sharing hot takes in a couple of minutes?
I could easily devote a whole post to a good, old-fashioned [fisking](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/fisking?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) of this piece, but, really, who has the time? The key problem here is Pete Pachal’s equation of blogs with “sharing hot takes”. That manages to do two things which he, presumably, did not intend to do:
1. Shows up how little he understood the blogosphere that was (and the blogosphere that *is*)
2. Shows exactly how Twitter went bad. When journalists with big followings slide over there to share their spicy hot take, nothing but polarisation emerges.
## Opinions are over-rated
Speed and quality are not easy bedfellows, and when you create environments that promote both speed and a lack of nuance, you create a hostile polarised environment. The old days of blogging did encourage speed, but they also allowed for nuance and, critically, opened you to the possibility of error.
This was a good thing: being open to your ideas being proved wrong through challenge and debate is the sign of a civilised and open mind. Here’s [Andrew Sullivan quoting Ezra Klein](https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/reality-ends-the-reality-show?r=2hwy&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=copy) on his post-blogging journalistic career:
> It’s harder and harder to learn; harder and harder to be wrong. And I worry that the end result of that is getting really bad at the job. … I miss the idea in blogging that you could be wrong, that you could be uncertain.
*(Quote is from an episode of the [Ezra Klein Show](https://www.vox.com/conversations/2016/12/19/13952578/ta-nehisi-coates-ezra-klein?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), which is a routinely excellent listen.)*
Let’s rewind 15 years, to when I was establishing myself as head of blogging for a business publisher. One of my key insights then was that writing a blog did not equate to suddenly having your own opinion column. A blog was there to be *useful* — to share more casually interesting things with your readers as a supplement to your mainstream reporting, not a replacement for it.
## It’s better to be useful than opinionated
If you are going to express opinion, rather than add context, then make sure you have something valuable to add, and that you have some genuine level of expertise. (The traffic figures on the opinion-centric blog posts of journalists fresh to a particular beat when compared to their more experienced colleagues was instructive on this point.)
Instead, bias your work towards being useful. Share good links, give insight into news, draw connections between disparate sources. Make links, and help the reader navigate an ever-expanding information ecosystem.
Twitter, at its best, still functions in that way:
- here’s an interesting link
- here’s a useful fact
- here's some missing context
- here’s a fun moment from my life
That sense of a fun interplay between useful and social is what makes the dynamic work. But, in terms of platform or follower growth, it doesn’t have a patch on heading over there and vomiting your spicy hot take on the world.
## Resist the lure of the hot take
The problem is the more we, as journalists or other communications professionals, participate in and reward that behaviour, the more we normalise it in others.
I fight this battle in myself. You might catch a glimpse of just such an internal battle I’ve been fighting in [my post from earlier](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/10/schadenfreude-as-a-personal-indulgence-not-a-public-performance/).
In this context, I’m less hostile to initiatives like the [one underway at the BBC](https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-bbc/new-bbc-boss-says-staff-should-not-air-their-views-on-social-media-idUSKBN25U2CE?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) than many are. Journalism has strayed too far into the wilds of opinion and partisan behaviour. We need to navigate our way back to a more useful position, without losing that sense of openness and transparency that social media has, at times, brought to our profession.
It’s easy to blame the platforms for the increased polarisation of our debate. And they *should* be shouldering much of the blame. We do, though, need to assess our own role in driving this abandonment of civility, and think how we might regain…
…the high ground.
---
## A public notebook
Talking of blog as notebook, I’m trying a wee experiment with Substack this week. I’m sending out daily emails that are, more-or-less, my notebook and thoughts in public. Very old school blogging. Now, if you’re getting this via email, you probably don’t want even more of me in your in-box, but just in case, you can go subscribe here:
[One Man’s Commonplace Book](https://adders.substack.com/).
Not sure how long the experiment will last. I’m not a fan of SubStack’s interface, and I’m not good at following through side-projects on platforms I don’t enjoy, but I figure I need to be more familiar with its mechanics, so an experiment is justified.
### Schadenfreude as a personal indulgence, not a public performance
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/10/schadenfreude-as-a-personal-indulgence-not-a-public-performance/
Last updated: 2020-10-05T10:45:37.000Z
[Tiffany Watt-Smith](https://onemanandhisblog.com/p/612f6960-6b28-4c2f-b9f6-cb460a5f34bc/%28https://twitter.com/drtiffwattsmith?lang=en%29), author of *[Schadenfreude: The Joy of Another’s Misfortune](https://amzn.to/34t9YB4?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)*, on [reacting to Trump’s Covid-19 diagnosis](https://onemanandhisblog.com/p/612f6960-6b28-4c2f-b9f6-cb460a5f34bc/%28https://www.persuasion.community/p/is-it-wicked-to-feel-glee-because%29):
> Face-to-face, it’s much harder to confess to your schadenfreude. Online, it is incredibly easy. So this mob sense can evolve fast and at no cost. I encourage people to take a breath and pause before being triumphant and gleeful on Facebook or Twitter—that’s the moment when it rolls out of private experience into something that has serious consequences.
We don’t need to externalise every thought. It’s utterly human and understandable to feel *schadenfreude* at Trump’s illness and the seductive irony of it. But expressing that thought just fuels the polarisation that’s poisoning politics.
Some thoughts are best enjoyed internally, as a guilty secret…
### Facebook launches new Groups tools, and Google spends lobbying money on journalism
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/10/facebook-launches-news-groups-tools-and-google-spends-lobbying-money-on-journalism/
Last updated: 2020-10-02T13:30:36.000Z
## Facebook adds useful new Groups tools
Hold on to your hats, folks. I'm about to say nice things about Facebook.
For a couple of years now, the big action on Facebook hasn't been on Pages (unless you're willing to pay for reach), but in Groups. This is a mixed bag — a lot of toxicity can get hidden away in closed groups, and thus Facebook doesn't take nearly as much stick for it as it does for the public stuff…
So, both a good PR initiative and an anti-regulation move.
On the other hand, groups are genuinely useful as community engagement spaces, and these tools should make life for group admins significantly easier:
[Supporting Online Communities When They’re Needed Most - About FacebookToday we’re hosting the Facebook Communities Summit digitally, sharing product updates and educational resources for community leaders.About FacebookFidji Simo, Head of Facebook App](https://about.fb.com/news/2020/10/supporting-online-communities/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
This one looks particularly handy:
> To start, a new “Admin Assist” tool will help Facebook Group administrators better moderate posts by automatically declining posts that use certain keywords.
I'm intrigued by the possibilities that open up with Prompts, which are designed to encourage conversations with photos. It's merely productising an existing practice, but there's nothing wrong with that.
I've [never been a fan of Facebook](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2018/02/facebook-never-loved-journalism-time-break/), but it is an inescapable part of our landscape for the time being — and these tools are thoughtful and look useful.
[TechCrunchFacebook is introducing a suite of new features for Facebook Groups, the private social networking product now used by over 1.8 billion people every month. At the company’s digitally hosted Facebook Communities Summit today, Facebook detailed a set of upcoming tools aimed at those who run Groups, wh…TechCrunchSarah Perez](https://techcrunch.com/2020/10/01/facebook-groups-to-gain-suite-of-new-tools-for-managing-discussions-surfacing-public-content/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Google invests in anti-regulation lobbying
Look, I know everyone is terribly excited by Google throwing money at journalism, but frankly it's (a) peanuts for them, and (b) is so clearly as much about dodging regulation, and avoiding being seen as the bad guy like Facebook, that it's hard to get much enthusiasm for it.
Anyway, here's the news:
[Google is paying publishers more than $1 billion to create and curate high-quality contentIt’s Google’s biggest financial commitment to the news industry in its history.AxiosSara Fischer](https://www.axios.com/google-will-spend-1-billion-to-pay-publishers-for-news-showcase-501feeae-0e3e-4822-8711-1c64052e27f1.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
I'm uncomfortable with the way these investments tend to prop up the existing players rather than make it easier for smaller, more innovative media outlets to participate. As Peter Houston put it in [this morning's ](https://www.getrevue.co/profile/MediaVoices/issues/friday-2nd-october-google-to-pay-publishers-more-than-1-billion-to-create-and-curate-282480?utm%5Fcampaign=Issue&utm%5Fcontent=view%5Fin%5Fbrowser&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=The+Media+Roundup+from+Media+Voices)*[Media Roundup](https://www.getrevue.co/profile/MediaVoices/issues/friday-2nd-october-google-to-pay-publishers-more-than-1-billion-to-create-and-curate-282480?utm%5Fcampaign=Issue&utm%5Fcontent=view%5Fin%5Fbrowser&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=The+Media+Roundup+from+Media+Voices)*:
> We’re generally happy when the tech giants put money back into journalism, but… this new money is an extension of the existing news licensing program and the bit that’s problematic about that is that the money is restricted to 'select’ publishers. We’d still like to see a fix that works for everyone.
*Absolutely*.
Have a thread by Emily Bell as a chaser:
[Thread by @emilybell on Thread Reader AppThread by @emilybell: Google’s extension of $1bn to the news industry (maybe) over 3 years represents c 3x it’s current rate of global expenditure on supporting the news industry. Or lobbying against regulation dep...…Thread Readeremily bell](https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1311969095043239936.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Money quote:
> The glaring issue often ignored by those funded by Google (in the press and academic research), is how these interventions potentially make very little difference to long term sustainability for newsrooms, but a lot of difference to the progress - or not - of regulation
>
> — emily bell (@emilybell) [October 2, 2020](https://twitter.com/emilybell/status/1311969098990051328?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
If you're lucky enough to work for some of the companies that will benefit from this, then, well, take the money — but figure out how to use it in a way that will grow your audience, allowing you to be sustainable without charity from the big tech companies. Don't let them trap you in a cycle of dependence.
- An example of how to [take this money ethically](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2019/11/taking-google-and-facebook-s-money-ethically/)
- My concerns about the impact of [accepting money from Google & Facebook](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2018/05/news-funding-google-facebook-reputation-trust/).
## Beware Platforms Bearing Gifts
This is just *terrific* analysis of the issues involved. Thanks to Mathew Ingram [for the link](https://twitter.com/mathewi/status/1311711785163124740?s=21&ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
[Beggars and Choosers — Center for Journalism & LibertyConsider Google and Facebook’s contradictory behavior toward journalism: They pledge financial support to bolster quality news but fail to reform their anticompetitive business models and harmful data privacy violations, which continue to disrupt journalism’s ability to pay for itself.Center for Journalism & LibertyNikki Usher](https://www.journalismliberty.org/publications/beggars-and-choosers-facebook-google?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Micro.blog hits 2.0
The other blog platform I use, micro.blog, just released a major update. It's a profoundly different product to Ghost, which I use to publish these very words you're reading now, which is why I find it useful for [more passing thoughts, and casual shares](https://microblog.onemanandhisblog.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
Nice to see a diverse range of innovation in the blog platform/CMS space, which was in danger of becoming an effective WordPress monopoly.
[Micro.blog News - Press Release: Micro.blog 2.0 Makes It Easier to Customize Your BlogMicro.blog 2.0 Makes It Easier to Customize Your Blog, Adds Bookmark Archiving and Highlighting to PremiumAustin, TX – September 29, 2020 – Micro.blog released version 2.0 of its blogging and social engagement platform. The new version has redesigned the interface to make it easier to edit posts, c…](https://news.micro.blog/2020/09/29/press-release-microblog.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Quick Links
- 🔥 [Hot or Not shaped the social web as we know it](https://mashable.com/feature/hotornot-history-20-year-anniversary/?europe=true&utm%5Fcontent=bufferd33e1&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fsource=facebook&utm%5Fcampaign=buffer&fbclid=IwAR1l4ooLQHFpw-WlD0OM64cl9kpzTw%5FLPLVjDQ7j0NAIxj1pSOEWCJZHeEs): worth remembering that [Facemash](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/04/11/channeling-the-social-network-lawmaker-grills-zuckerberg-on-his-notorious-beginnings/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), Zuckerberg's pre-Facebook site, was pretty much a rip-off of this.
- 👨👨👧👦 The art of [retention is community-building](https://whatsnewinpublishing.com/publishers-have-attracted-more-readers-during-the-pandemic-and-seen-subscriptions-boom-the-art-of-retention-through-community-building/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — some useful lessons here from outside journalism. We would do well to pay more attention to the engagement work being done outside our bubble.
- 📊 [Using data journalism to find local stories](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/-mass-customisation-of-neighbourhood-data-could-be-the-key-to-sustain-hyperlocal-news/s2/a761694/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — this is an interesting model for using code to find story leads, which jounalists then follow-up. Not *the* answer to saving local news, but possible *part* of an answer
- 💰 Why the big newspapers are [wrong about subscriptions](https://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/202x/2020/09/25/Subscription-Overload?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — money quote:
> Looking at this, I think I see an immature market; which is to say, the mapping between price and value is not orderly.
### “Hey, Guys”: the latest on YouTube, Facebook oversight and more
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/09/hey-guys-the-latest-on-youtube-facebook-oversight-and-more/
Last updated: 2020-09-29T21:59:12.000Z
## Are we underestimating YouTube as a news conduit?
As I write this, I'm revising (and revising and revising) my slides for my first two lectures at [City](https://www.city.ac.uk/about/schools/arts-social-sciences/journalism?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) this year. All Zoom, of course, with no plans for me to meet this year's cohort in person this side of Christmas. So, it's handy to get some timely research on where people get their news, prior to my session on news video trends. Sadly, COVID-19 plans mean that someone else will be teaching the hands-on video work. I'll be doing the context and theory.
And part of that context is that YouTube often gets forgotten, as it isn't really seen as social media. It's worth remembering that it's arguably the second biggest search engine in the world.
[Many Americans Get News on YouTube, Where News Organizations and Independent Producers Thrive Side by SideVideos from independent news producers are more likely to cover subjects negatively and discuss conspiracy theories.Pew Research Center's Journalism ProjectGalen Stocking](https://www.journalism.org/2020/09/28/many-americans-get-news-on-youtube-where-news-organizations-and-independent-producers-thrive-side-by-side/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
[A quarter of US adults now get news from YouTube, Pew Research study finds – TechCrunchAround a quarter of U.S. adults, or roughly 26%, say they get news by watching YouTube videos, according to a new study from Pew Research Center, which examined the Google-owned video platform’s growing influence over news distribution in the U.S., as well as its consumption. The study, not surprisi…TechCrunchSarah Perez](https://techcrunch.com/2020/09/28/a-quarter-of-u-s-adults-now-get-news-from-youtube-pew-research-study-finds/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Who oversees the oversight board?
Facebook loves to tell a good story, and then not actually *do* anything. For example, it set up an independent oversight board — which won't actually go into effect until after the US presidential election, although it might start meeting next month. No rush, eh, Mark?
And so, some of the company's fiercest critics have launched their own alternative oversight board: the [Real Facebook Oversight Board](https://the-citizens.com/real-facebook-oversight/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). It's going to meet online, publically, once a week. Casey Newton characterises it as [an art project or stunt](https://www.theverge.com/interface/2020/9/29/21472092/real-facebook-oversight-board-stunt-activism-limitations?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) (maybe he's the only one allowed to lead negative coverage of Facebook now? 😇). It feels more like a way of keeping Facebook's missteps firmly in the news, and making it harder for the networking behemoth to move the story on.
It reminds me a little of the [Independent SAGE](https://www.independentsage.org/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) group in the UK, set up as a public-facing alternative to the closed-doors scientific advisory group the government rely on. And that shouldn't be a surprise — the same group, [The Citizens](https://the-citizens.com/r?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), is behind [both](https://www.independentsage.org/independent-sage/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
[While Facebook works to create an oversight board, industry experts formed their ownClint Watts tells Chuck Todd he is concerned about “how the social media companies can try and quell” misinformation regarding the election and voting.NBC NewsOlivia SolonOlivia Solon is a tech investigations editor for NBC News in San Francisco.](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/facebook-real-oversight-board-n1240958?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Useful Virtual Event Stuff
There's some useful advice in here — better than most of the generic pablum doing the rounds about online events, certainly.
[Lessons on Running Virtual Events From Nonprofit News Organizations (SSIR)With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing civil society groups of all types to take fundraisers online, nonprofit news outlets’ efforts with virtual, discussion-based events can provide additional ideas for any organization seeking to foster community and maintain financial viability.Jake Batsell](https://ssir.org/articles/entry/lessons%5Fon%5Frunning%5Fvirtual%5Fevents%5Ffrom%5Fnonprofit%5Fnews%5Forganizations?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Quick hits
- 🕵️♀️ [The seven habits of successful journalists](https://onlinejournalismblog.com/2020/09/28/the-7-habits-of-successful-journalists-starting-with-curiosity/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — a new academic year curtain raiser from Paul Bradshaw
- ⌨ More [on the SubStack boom](https://www.axios.com/pandemic-spurs-journalists-to-go-it-alone-via-email-613ca2d5-e8d5-4235-9582-48cc028e9d8b.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) from *Axios*
- 🇺🇸 The ["cockamamie TikTok deal fails on every measure"](https://www.ft.com/content/4a6b243a-511e-4e36-adf1-6656cdd877c4?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🇮🇳 Messaging app Telegram is the new [misinformation conduit in India](https://www.thequint.com/news/webqoof/fake-news-on-telegram-is-fuelling-hate-in-india?mc%5Fcid=0af7af415b&mc%5Feid=42007651d5&ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 🇬🇧 One perspective on the spat between [Twitter campaigners, *The Spectator* and the Co-op](https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-spectator-the-co-op-and-cancel-culture-a-cautionary-tale?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### When less journalism is more
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/09/when-less-journalism-is-more/
Last updated: 2020-09-28T21:22:05.000Z
There is a truth to digital age publishing that is so obvious, that I’m almost embarrassed to put finger to keyboard to type it:
*In an attention-poor age, we need to be more thoughtful about what we publish. Adding to our readers’ over-saturated content diets without good reason isn’t helping them or us.*
I’ve written about this many times down the years this site has existed, but for all that, people still seem vaguely surprised when a publisher or researcher reaffirms the truth of it.
A case in point: Dr Joy Jenkins’s new [research into local news models](https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/publish-less-publish-better-pivoting-paid-local-news?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and this rather excellent quote:
> Nice-Matin’s Sophie Casals said that to produce high-quality paid content, journalists need time and managerial support. As she put it, ‘Publish less, but publish better’.
## Publish less, publish better
Now, to be fair here, the reason we’ve taken so long to absorb this idea was twofold:
- More than one early digital media guru promoted the idea that we should switch from asking “why publish this?” To “why not publish this?” back in the mid-2000s. They were wrong then, and are still wrong now.
- As ad rates fell, publishers needed more page views to deliver the same revenue — and often more content was the only obvious way they could deliver that.
However, both approaches ignore one critical idea. There are two scarce resources that you have to get into balance:
1. Your time
2. The reader’s attention
**Your time** is a scarce resource because it’s the defining factor which decides how much an organisation publishes. Publishing is low cost or free, so the constraining factor is either your staff’s time, or your resources to buy freelancer time.
**The reader’s attention** is scarce because an abundance of information and entertainment creates a poverty of attention. I [wrote about this at length two years ago](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2018/10/the-basics-of-digital-journalism-attention-and-atomisation/), and you can see similar concepts explored in this video:
## The content trawlers
Photo by [Lawrence Hookham](https://unsplash.com/@hookie1001?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)
One of the things that baffles me is that over the digital era most organisations still see this as an opportunity to publish MOAR CONTENT.
Now, this can work, if you function as an attention trawler: throw out vast nets of highly search and social optimised content, and, if you produce it cheaply enough, you can monetise the attention you gather. The problem is that only a handful of massive players can make that work, and the margins are desperately tight. It’s a lucrative game, but one only a few really big players can play.
For the rest of us, we need to ensure each piece of journalism is doing a job. That’s why knowing the value and role of your journalism in your business is so important. If you’re spending the majority of your precious valuable time producing content you *know* aids your readers and the business, you’re in a good place.
## Saving local journalism with analytics
And, as local journalism is pushed towards the brink of extinction in many countries, some players are starting to learn the hard attention lessons:
> Many interviewees have embraced a shift from the daily rush to produce a constant flow of online news to an emphasis on ‘lean back’ content, as Westfalenpost editor Jost Lubben described.
They are making a trade-off decision here: do I produce a high volume of short-lived “flow” content, or a low volume of long-lived “stock” content, which might deliver higher rewards (in terms of traffic or conversions) when measured over long periods of time? One of the things that I find fascinating in this report is looking at the ways people have articulated this idea, and worked it into their editorial processes.
For example:
> The Westfalenpost staff underwent a similarly transformative process that aimed to unite workflows to better reach online target groups. Deputy Editor-in-Chief Anne Krum said the most important step was to create new editorial dashboards and heat maps showing how well content performs and its effectiveness in drawing users to the website and creating new subscribers, which alerts editors to assign more of those types of stories.
Too many newsrooms are still wedded to just tracking the effectiveness of their success through page views. Not all page views are created equal. To use a personal example, [my iOS14 warning](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/09/journalists-do-not-upgrade-to-ios14-today/) was the most-read story here for months, by a margin. But I gained virtually no subscribers. However, [Thursday’s piece](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/09/better-tools-for-better-online-communities/) saw a notable uptick in subscriptions.
Gratifying though those big numbers were, they didn’t actually grow my audience in any meaningful way. The samller, but more engaged audience I brought in last week was more valuable.
## Do you understand the value of your journalism?
So, yes, you can publish less, and publish better. But first you need to understand what content is actually delivering value to your publication, and you aren’t going to do that, unless you’re using your analytics to examine much, much more than just your most popular pieces of content each week.
In an age where people are bombarded by “content”, we need to be very sure in a concrete, articulated way what value our work is producing. If you understand that, you can measure your success — and start making smart decisions about how you should spend your time.
---
Today’s post was inspired by the excellent research by [Dr Joy Jenkins](https://twitter.com/joyjenkins?lang=en&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) for the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.
Here it is online:
[Publish less, but publish better: pivoting to paid in local newsHere’s how local and regional newspapers around Europe have adapted their editorial and business strategies to remain sustainable in the digital media environment.Reuters Institute for the Study of JournalismDr Joy Jenkins](https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/publish-less-publish-better-pivoting-paid-local-news?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Or you can [download it as a PDF](https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2020-09/Jenkins%5FPivoting%5Fto%5FPaid%5Fin%5FLocal%5FNews%5FFINAL.pdf?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
The information within is applicable far beyond the local news sector. It's really worth your time.
### Better tools for better online communities
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/09/better-tools-for-better-online-communities/
Last updated: 2020-09-24T11:50:47.000Z
Five quick links about online abuse of local journalists, Facebook’s attempt to cleanse its groups, and some community-centric publishing tools.
_This post is for subscribers only._
### Casey Newton's shift to Substack shows how newsletters are changing
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/09/casey-newton-leaves-verge-for-substack/
Last updated: 2021-03-29T09:25:50.000Z
## Casey's path from Verge to Substack.
The media news of the day is about a big name journalist from the digital sector — Casey Newton of Vox Media’s *The Verge —* is [heading off to Substack to launch his new publication](https://onezero.medium.com/casey-newton-on-leaving-the-verge-for-substack-and-the-future-of-tech-journalism-974a646375fa?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). And he’s timed it beautifully for the massive peak of attention he’s generated around [a new story about how awful Facebook is](https://www.theverge.com/21444203/facebook-leaked-audio-zuckerberg-trump-pandemic-blm?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). 👌🏻
At some level, it’s a beautiful media moment of the digital age. The first big interview with him is on Medium, of course. He's moving from an online-only pub to his own indie publication. This is the future of journalism developing before our eyes. But aspects of this should make us nervous, too.
There are four broader points worth examining. Let’s dive in.
_This post is for paying subscribers only._
### Get some audio in your engagement strategy
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/09/get-some-audio-in-your-engagement-strategy/
Last updated: 2020-09-22T13:26:01.000Z
## Audio's Advantage
Danish site *Zetland* has been a favourite of mine, since I saw their [editor-in-chief speak at a conference](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2017/04/zetland-journalism-profitable-community-service/) a few years ago. (Remember those days, so very long ago, when we used to *go* to conferences? Crazy times.)
They've talked before about [their success with audio versions](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2018/05/zetlands-audio-stories-are-outperforming-its-written-ones/) of their journalism, but [this is remarkable reinforcement](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/-campfire-like-audio-articles-the-key-to-zetland-s-membership-growth/s2/a761252/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) of that:
> This strategy has proved effective during the coronavirus pandemic, attracting at one point around 2,000 members in a three-week period.
Their audio articles have a better retention rate than their traditional web ones. If you want to be read, be listened to…
### Journalists or writers?
And that reminds me of a question that has long been in my head: are we *journalists* or *writers*? I'd argue that the difference is important — and, in fact, I did so when one of my students [interviewed me earlier in the year](http://www.interhacktives.com/2020/09/13/adam-tinworth-multimedia-communication-storytelling/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> At my heart I’m not really a videographer or a photographer, I am a journalist. But I am a journalist as opposed to a writer. And I think that’s quite an important distinction; a lot of journalists are hard writers, are word people, whereas I like telling stories, and there are multiple ways we can tell a story. Even when I was in print I was always very interested in the visual side of my journalism as well as the written side, and \[the\] magazines I worked for and sections I edited tended to be very visual . When I was commissioning magazine features I used to have the art editor or the art director of the section with us. \[…\] We tended to develop illustration ideas in parallel with the story, and not in sequence with the story.
We tend to concentrate too much on the output form, and not enough on the input. Journalism is a process, a craft, that can be give rise to multiple different forms of output from the same process. Let me explain.
### Fit the form to the story, not the other way around
The transition to digital means that, whatever branch of journalism we hail from, all the major media forms are available to us: audio, video, text, images, and so on.
- How do we best get the information our readers want or need to them?
- What form of media suits both the story *and* the potential audience?
These are questions we don't ask ourselves nearly enough. Getting the answer right can make a significant difference.
### BBC's odd audio move
All of which makes the BBC's [recent move](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/sep/13/radio-reporters-to-be-axed-by-bbc-and-told-to-reapply-for-new-roles?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) rather puzzling:
> But now the BBC plans to axe all its national radio reporters and ask them to reapply for a smaller number of jobs as television, radio and digital reporters, rather than as dedicated audio journalists. Many fear it is not just the end of their careers but the premature end of an era for the BBC.
And:
> “In practice,” she added, “people’s time won’t be spread equally across platforms. There are likely to be some who do the majority of their reporting for radio, for example.” The BBC remains confident “listeners will still hear lots of carefully crafted radio reports and packages”, she said.
This feels like a very 2009 move. We were doing this sort of thing with the editorial teams at RBI back then; redefining them by beat, rather than by output type. But we also quickly realised that you needed specialists in particular styles of output, too, because you can't realistically expect every journalist to be skilled in every media form. This is what Paul Bradshaw articulated as the ["flying zombie laser shark" problem](https://www.asbpe.org/blog/2011/12/12/adam-tinworth-on-the-rise-of-new-and-social-media/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
You end up having to retreat slightly from the ideal position, to allow people to concentrate on their specialisms, even if they do other things as well.
My gut feeling is that the BBC will probably end up not terribly far from where it started, with many people mainly working on radio and podcasts, but with a wider remit, too. Perhaps this is an exercise to remove from the payroll those who can't look *beyond* audio, whom can always be deployed as freelancers when needed.
All in all, it feels like a lot of bad feeling for very little strategic gain.
### An in-ear members' club
Let's finish a more positive example: I've often come close to unsubscribing to the daily *Stratechery* email, because the volume is just so high. But when Ben Thompson [added podcasts for members](https://stratechery.com/2020/the-daily-update-podcast/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) — not new content, just the emails read out — all of a sudden I *could* keep up. If I hadn't managed to read the email during the working day, I could catch up while cooking or doing the washing up.
Through adding the same material in a different format, Thompson stopped me churning away.
I'd listen to that, if I were you.
*(Sorry, I can never resist ending with a terrible pun…)*
### Further reading
[Audio articles help Zetland gain 2,000 new members during lockdownFour in five features by the Danish slow journalism outlet are consumed as reporter-narrated audio stories that ‘have that campfire feel to them’ rather than as written content, fuelling success of its membership programmeJournalism.co.ukJacob Granger](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/-campfire-like-audio-articles-the-key-to-zetland-s-membership-growth/s2/a761252/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
[Adam Tinworth: Multimedia for communication, not just storytelling - InterhacktivesFrom video to interactives and drone footage, journalists have an extensive toolbox to tell powerful stories and engage with their community.InterhacktivesIoanna Toufexi](http://www.interhacktives.com/2020/09/13/adam-tinworth-multimedia-communication-storytelling/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
[Radio reporters to be axed by BBC and told to reapply for new rolesCritics fear end of an era because of plans to make audio journalists work across media platformsthe GuardianVanessa Thorpe](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/sep/13/radio-reporters-to-be-axed-by-bbc-and-told-to-reapply-for-new-roles?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## Can you argue that clean energy is a vote winner?
Friend of the blog John Crowley is doing a series of “as told to” first-person pieces for *The Times*, as part of an interesting series on the US election. He's looking to interview an expert, commentator, analyst or journalist who is happy to argue that clean energy will be a vote winner.
If that sounds like you, [drop him a line](mailto:john.crowley@news.co.uk).
---
## Alexa, play my podcasts
Talking of audio, Amazon Music is following Spotify into the podcast space. It's probably the same motivation as the other music streamer: every music track played costs them money, but every podcast play is free (or part of a fixed cost, for their own exclusives.)
[Amazon Music now has podcastsAmazon Music now has podcasts in its app. The catalog includes more than 70,000 shows, including exclusive titles. People can listen for free so long as they have a Prime subscription.The VergeAshley Carman](https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/16/21439531/amazon-music-podcasts-prime-titles?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
You can read [Amazon Music's FAQs](https://artists.amazonmusic.com/frequently-asked-questions?ref=onemanandhisblog.com#listarticle-7) or [submit your podcast](http://click.msg.amazonmusic.com/?qs=9c8ade103c9ce8dcbf05bfc76a3b4092739b15cc8c0d8c55b53fd97bfcb30f06e3a3b3169cba1c4d61364b857727f1a0c342a4cbcc796072&ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
---
## Facebook 🥰 hashtags
For a long time, the conventional wisdom has been that hashtags are a waste of time, or even damaging to reach, on Facebook. But the site is now much more aggressively promoting them.
Time to engineer some hashtag reach experiments on the platform?
---
## How TikTok "sees"
So, the US TikTok download ban did not happen over the weekend, but the fight over the algorithm continues. This is a really useful read in understanding how TikTok is actually operating.
[Seeing Like an Algorithm — Remains of the DayRemains of the DayEugene Wei](https://www.eugenewei.com/blog/2020/9/18/seeing-like-an-algorithm?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## Quick Links
- 🤡 Casey Newton has a good summary of the [weekend's TikTok shenanigans](https://www.getrevue.co/profile/caseynewton/issues/tiktok-s-weekend-of-ekejechbecehggedkrrnikldebgtkjkddhfdenbhbkuk-279085?utm%5Fcampaign=Issue&utm%5Fcontent=view%5Fin%5Fbrowser&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=The+Interface)
- A useful research note on [COVID misinformation and YouTube](https://comprop.oii.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/93/2020/09/YouTube-misinfo-memo.pdf?mc%5Fcid=4368df47f3&mc%5Feid=42007651d5&ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
- 💸 This looks like an [interesting event on online misinformation](https://www.westminsterforumprojects.co.uk/conference/Tackling-fake-news-and-online-misinformation?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)— but at £190 (+VAT) for an online morning event? Outside what I can justify, sadly.
- 📩 An [interesting presentation on newsletter writing](https://projector.com/story/8fa326cf-ddd7-4ef4-972a-a7430feb8e00?scene=d8b4cc65&utm%5Fcampaign=99%5Fwords&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fterm=2020-09-22), which captures some of the differences between doing it as a personal passion and as a job.
- 📚 I'm struggling with the fact that, for the first time in eight years, I might not meet the new class of [Interhacktives](http://www.interhacktives.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) face-to-face. But here's a useful list of seven tips to make the most of [remote college education as a journalism student](https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/seven-tips-for-journalism-students-to-ace-their-courses/s2/a761259/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
### And finally…
If you missed my Apple News+ piece from a couple of weeks back, *What's New In Publishing* has republished it:
[The secret of Apple News+ success? Knowing your content and your audience | What’s New in Publishing | Digital Publishing NewsWhat does a fried egg have to do with the Wall Street Journal and Apple News+? It’s all about your most important content… Apple News+ is a strange product, even by the standards of news aggregators. It was rapidly built out of Apple’s acquisition of Texture, but then, Apple has form in this area. A…What’s New in Publishing | Digital Publishing NewsContributor](https://whatsnewinpublishing.com/the-secret-of-apple-news-success-knowing-your-content-and-your-audience/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### British journalism still has a serious equality problem
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/09/british-journalism-still-has-a-serious-equality-problem/
Last updated: 2020-09-18T13:32:30.000Z
[Women in Journalism](https://womeninjournalism.co.uk/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) undertook some [research into equality in journalism](https://womeninjournalism.co.uk/lack-diversity-british-newsrooms/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), that was conducted back in July. And the results make for incredibly depressing reading:
> ****Not a single story by a Black reporter appeared on the front page of a UK newspaper**. And in that time only six front page stories were written by BAME reporters. Three BAME men wrote four of the stories (Vikram Dodd of the Guardian wrote two), and two were written by BAME women, Kana Inagaki in the Financial Times and Hanna Geissler of the Daily Express).
The graphical representations makes it clear that a handful of papers are doing much of the work here:
Still, at least the UK media is on top of gender balance, right?
Uh, about that…
> - Out of the 174 front-page bylines counted, just one in four went to women.
> - Out of the 111 people quoted on the front pages, just 16% were women. That’s one in six.
Only 25% of front page stories were by women. Now, there are a couple of things that are worth bearing in mind here:
- This is a very print-centric, traditional media view of the world. Is the balance different in online media?
- Are women and BAME journalists better represented in other sections of the newspaper?
Those issues would be worth looking into. But this is still pretty damn grim news in 2020\.
### Minuscule progress in journalism gender equality
The lack of progress in gender equality is particularly stark when you factor in [this from Jane Martinson](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/sep/17/diverse-world-british-newspapers-white-news-media?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> Eight years ago, I led a similar [project](https://womeninjournalism.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Seen%5Fbut%5Fnot%5Fheard1.pdf?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) looking into the number of women in journalism. In 2012, 78% of all front page bylines were male; now, after not just lawsuits but much high-profile outrage and the #MeToo movement, it’s 75%
Those eight years are the period of time I've been teaching at City, and I've seen some amazingly talented women and BAME students come through the door (including one who has [sadly passed on](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-51965462?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)). Many of them have done incredibly well. One of my main areas of focus is audience development, and female former students are now in significant senior positions at *[The Independent](https://www.linkedin.com/in/esashton/?originalSubdomain=uk&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)*, *[The Telegraph](https://twitter.com/eliserwjohnson1?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)* and *[Metro](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiemurraymorris/?originalSubdomain=uk&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)*, amongst others.
But, equally, I've taught many students whose eye was firmly on the news, who had talent, skill and commitment to spare, and the idea that they are incapable of landing front page stories is clearly nonsense. What the hell is impeding progress for them?
### The Usual (Editing) Suspects
Martinson (who also teaches at City) again:
> In an increasingly diverse world, the media has remained dominated by three overlapping rings of power: overwhelmingly [pale, male and posh](https://www.theguardian.com/media/media-blog/2018/apr/29/journalism-class-private-education?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). In the two years since I wrote a piece headlined that way, it seems little has changed.
Indeed.
And my opinion on this is…
Actually, no. I'm just going to **shut right up** here.
I'm pale, male and posh; a middle-aged white guy, from a fairly privileged background. (Yes, I went to the [same private school](https://www.dollaracademy.org.uk/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) as [the current editor](https://twitter.com/FraserNelson?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) of *The Spectator*, a publication once edited by \*checks notes\* Boris Johnson…) My relevant experience is as close to non-existent as to make it irrelevant.
So, for once, I just need to shut up and listen.
If you're got experiences to share, or ideas of what's holding back progress here, I'd love to hear them. If you've a public opinion to share, there's a comments section right down there ⬇, and if you'd rather talk off-the-record [here's my email](mailto:adam@onemanandhisblog.com). My DMs are open on Twitter, as well.
I'd love to publish some people's experiences sometime next week. Do get in contact.
- [Download the full report](http://womeninjournalism.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/WIJ-2020-full-report.pdf?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
### Further Reading
[‘Black women are invisible’ – how a new survey on journalism diversity told us what we already knew | gal-demA new week-long diversity survey from WIJ has found that Black voices and stories are still not seen as important by the media.gal-demShakeena Johnson](https://gal-dem.com/how-a-new-survey-on-journalism-diversity-told-us-what-we-already-knew/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
[New research finds dearth of women and BAME voices on front pages and in prime time news coverage - Press GazetteThe UK’s 11 biggest newspapers failed to feature a single bylined black journalist on their front pages across one week in July, according to new research. Women in Journalism also discovered that just six of 174 bylines were for a journalist of BAME (black, Asian or minority ethnic) background – th…Press GazetteCharlotte Tobitt](https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/new-research-finds-dearth-of-women-and-bame-voices-on-front-pages-and-in-prime-time-news-coverage/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Quick Links
- 👩🏽🏫 This is a [usefully educational quiz](https://spotthetroll.org/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), where you try to determine which accounts are real and which are misinformation actors. Worth sharing around.
- 💬 The [integration of Facebook's messaging backend](https://www.axios.com/facebook-launches-business-suite-to-link-messaging-apps-ee7a1271-f4ff-4784-a094-40d46b02a2b9.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) across its products continues apace.
- 😡 [Internal dissent is growing at Facebook](https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-to-curb-internal-debate-over-sensitive-issues-amid-employee-discord-11600368481?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). This is about the only thing bar government intervention that could force the company to start behaving better.
- 📲 TikTok (and WeChat) could be [blocked in the US](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tiktok-ban-exclusive-idUSKBN2691QO?utm%5Fcampaign=Geekout%20Newsletter&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=Revue%20newsletter) by the end of the weekend…
- 👩🏻💻 A misleading headline on this, but some interesting thoughts [on WordPress as a journalism CMS](https://medium.com/the-business-of-content/news-publishers-keep-abandoning-wordpress-for-other-cms-platforms-here-why-they-shouldnt-ae7e48cf1244?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
### Journalism needs members, not readers
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/09/journalism-needs-members-not-readers/
Last updated: 2020-09-17T13:59:34.000Z
Members and subscribers are not the same thing. We're at a moment of inflection in journalism, and understanding the difference might be crucial.
_This post is for subscribers only._
### Journalists: do NOT upgrade to iOS14 today
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/09/journalists-do-not-upgrade-to-ios14-today/
Last updated: 2020-09-16T09:28:38.000Z
Apple announced last night that iOS14 (and iPadOS 14) would be available today — probably early evening UK time. I don't usually say this, but I strongly recommend you *don't* upgrade if your iPhone or iPad is central to your workflow. This is an unusual situation, and it's really important that you don't rush to upgrade.
Here's why:
### Apple's short notice release shock
Although the new operating systems have been through their normal beta process, Apple traditionally gives app developers a week's notice of the release, and gives them access to the golden master (GM) build of the operating system. That allows them to build their app using the final version of the development tools, test it against the final version, and submit it to the App Store approval process.
This time, Apple didn't give developers a week's notice. *They gave them 24 hours.*
That means that many, and possibly even a majority, of iOS14-compatibility updates will not be available for your apps. Many will work fine, despite that. Some will not.
You DO NOT want to hit a bug right in the middle of a critical interview, or a piece of filming, or anything vital to getting your reporting out there.
*(Quite why Apple seems to intent on pissing off its developers at the moment is quite beyond me.)*
### Good upgrade advice
I'd hold off to the weekend at least, if you can. And it's generally good advice to hang on for the iOS14.1 release, which will probably only be six to eight weeks out.
I know the new shiny is so very tempting — I've been running the iPadOS 14 Beta on my iPad Pro for over a month now — but if you rely on your kit to get your job done, play it safe.
Don't believe me? Here's the BBC's mojo mastermind Marc:
> This is now today and it’s very good advice. I’ve seen lots of tweets from developers and others that their apps - as well as bits of iOS 14 itself - are just not ready. [https://t.co/tGsH0Js8ju](https://t.co/tGsH0Js8ju?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — Marc Blank-Settle (@MarcSettle) [September 16, 2020](https://twitter.com/MarcSettle/status/1306122757764251648?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
And here's the makers of FilmicPro, the video app must-have for iOS:
> Attention Creatives: We will be updating our app portfolio to [#iOS14](https://twitter.com/hashtag/iOS14?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) all this week. If you are in the middle of mission critical work, we suggest staying on iOS 13 until the weekend to minimize any possible complications. Thank you! [pic.twitter.com/xez0x9Kngy](https://t.co/xez0x9Kngy?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
>
> — FiLMiC Pro || Firstlight || DoubleTake (@FiLMiCPro) [September 15, 2020](https://twitter.com/FiLMiCPro/status/1306000817288142848?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
Play it safe, folks. Ignore the upgrade rush. You know it makes sense.
### On engagement metrics and Facebook malignancy
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/09/on-engagement-metrics-and-facebook-malignancy/
Last updated: 2020-09-15T13:05:49.000Z
Today's thesis: engagement metrics are unfairly maligned, but Facebook deserves every piece of criticism thrown at it.
_This post is for subscribers only._
### LinkedIn, TikTok and the dawn of the algorithm wars
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/09/linkedin-tiktok-and-the-dawn-of-the-algorithm-wars/
Last updated: 2022-05-23T18:35:59.000Z
Friday’s [piece on Apple News+](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/09/apple-news-plus-success-characterstics/) hasn’t met with universal agreement:
> You raise some good points about the WSJ, but I don't necessarily agree with you! Some points like this: "we would \*hope\* to graduate to a paid WSJ subscription over time". Hope is great but a year on, what's that funnel ACTUALLY looking like?
>
> — Esther Kezia Thorpe (@EstherKeziaT) [September 12, 2020](https://twitter.com/EstherKeziaT/status/1304716076685701120?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
*(Follow the thread for Esther's points of disagreement and my responses)*
I maintain that the underlying principle is right: it’s never wise to write digital tools off as failure until they are actually shut down (RIP Google+). We need as wide range of audience acquistion points as we can manage. The fewer we have, the more dependent we are on tech companies whose values do not align with ours.
History makes it clear that it's unwise to write products off, especially ones as young as Apple's offering. For a long time my go-to example of this was Reddit. Over a decade ago, it was written off as the site eclipsed by Digg. But Reddit remains a cultural force, and who visits Digg these days?
## The LinkedIn Renaissance
LinkedIn is shaping up to be another good example. It’s the oldest of the social networks, pre-dating both Twitter and Facebook, and yet is often written off by social media professionals. [This morning’s issue of Marie Dollé’s *In Bed With Social* newsletter](https://maried.substack.com/p/linkedin-from-the-capitoline-hill) is a case in point:
> History repeats itself: like Amazon, Craigslist, eBay or, right now, Reddit — it's time to unbundle. LinkedIn shares the splendors and miseries of all these tech giants. Its digital platform has reached a climax, stimulating and training a plethora of new competitors — competition that intends to devour pieces of the existing platform by positioning itself in specific verticals, creating a user experience or business model much more adapted to the unique attributes of that vertical. This is precisely what threatens LinkedIn.
Sure, one day those giants will fall. But today is (probably) not that day. Her list of interesting startups is worth keeping an eye on, but the network effect is powerful, and it is difficult to dislodge people from a well-populated network. I suspect LinkedIn will remain a social behemoth for a while to come.
More to the point, LinkedIn appears to be proving an effective additional source of audience conversion for one publication: *The Economist*:
> Of social platforms, LinkedIn is the publisher’s third-biggest subscription driver. The amount of organic traffic that LinkedIn refers back to The Economist site — where people can register to access several articles before subscribing — has doubled year over year. And subscriptions to The Economist generated organically from LinkedIn have tripled year-on-year, although it wouldn’t say from what base.
No figures, as usual, but the thing worth noting here is that *The Economist* is clearly working on a diverse range of acquisition sources; LinkedIn is number three on that list. This reinforces my point on Friday: a smart publication casts its net widely for new sources of subscribers.
If you don’t, you’re in hock to the whims of a single company and its algorithmic will.
### Habit-forming stories
There’s some useful detail about *The Economist*’s social team’s approach, too:
> The Economist’s social editors, a team of nine who work across all social platforms and are based in London and New York, select nine stories to go out on LinkedIn each day, scheduled for similar times to help build audience habit.
Worth your time:
[How The Economist has tripled the number of subscribers driven by LinkedIn - DigidayBehind Facebook and Twitters, LinkedIn is the third most effective social channel for driving subscribers — and it’s growing the fastest.DigidayLucinda Southern](https://digiday.com/media/how-the-economist-has-tripled-the-number-of-subscribers-driven-by-linkedin/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
## Pay to link coming to Instagram?
While we’re on the subject of algorithmic control, Instagram is a perfect example of their algorithm having a vice-like hold on the user’s attention, and not allowing anyone else to benefit. No links in captions, hence no traffic, bar the little you can garner with a plaintive cry of “link in bio”.
That might be about to change — [for a price](https://www.protocol.com/facebook-pay-for-instagram-links-patent?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).
> This patent outlines a payments function where when you to put a URL in a caption, a pop-up appears asking if you'd like to pay $2 for the ability to activate the link. That sounds like it could get very costly if you'd want to add links to every post, but this is probably welcome news to Facebook investors.
And it *might* be worth it for publishers. But it’s another example of algorithmic control of attention turning into a bottleneck that the tech companies can charge you to pass through.
---
## TikTok: the first battle in the algorithm wars
Finally, I don’t really have a lot to add to [the TikTok “sale” story](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-54148684?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Rather than actually *selling* TikTok, Bytedance appears to have agreed a technology partnership. It’ll be interesting to see if this is enough to assuage Trump’s concerns (although one rather suspects that as long as he can *claim* it as a win, he’ll be happy).
But, with Bytedance and China making it absolutely plain that the TikTok secret sauce — the algorithm — isn’t up for sale, this is clearly merely an opening salve. Whoever controls the algorithms, controls how people see the world.
People used to mock social media as being “photos of people’s lunch”. And now it’s a geopolitical battleground.
As I said, never be too quick to dismiss digital tools.
### The secret of Apple News+ success? Knowing your content and your audience
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/09/apple-news-plus-success-characterstics/
Last updated: 2020-09-11T21:27:10.000Z
Apple News+ is a strange product, even by the standards of news aggregators. It was rapidly built out of Apple’s [acquisition of Texture](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2018/03/apples-acquisition-of-texture-and-what-it-might-mean-for-the-ios-news-ecosystem/), but then, Apple has form in this area. A very long time ago, iTunes was rebuilt out an app [called Soundjam](https://www.macworld.com/article/1002145/11soundjam.html?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and then it had a music store, and various other stores, built on top of it.
That alone should give us pause. Apple upended an industry 15 years ago, on some fairly odd software. And yes, Apple News is not a perfect, shining example of Apple UI. And it’s unlikely to ever be an iTunes-level success. But it is part of Apple’s big services revenue push, and they’re pushing it forwards with [some integrations](https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/09/08/smart-banners-point-to-apple-news-instead-of-publisher-apps-in-ios-14?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) in this autumn’s big software updates. Oh, and unlike, say, Facebook and Twitter, it actually *does* push money to publishers.
So, why are publishers so very determined to hate it? When we *know* some publishers are doing well out of it, might it not make more sense to figure out *how* to make it work for you?
## The Doom of Apple News+
Esther Kezia Thorpe’s recent piece for *What’s New in Publishing* is a classic of the genre. It captures perfectly[ many publishers’ view on Apple News+](https://whatsnewinpublishing.com/apple-news-was-deeply-flawed-from-the-start-is-there-really-a-future-for-publishers-on-the-platform/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). Firstly, the headline does not beat about the bush:
> Apple News+ was deeply flawed from the start. Is there really a future for publishers on the platform?
Doom. DOOM. **DOOOOM**.
Flawed product, no future. Alas. Alack.
And the conclusion does not hold back, either:
> Apple News+ is not a failure of paid-for content. It’s a product failure, designed by people who don’t understand the complexities of the publishing industry.
Yikes.
## Where’s the WSJ in all this?
The only problem being, that just a week before, [I’d read this](https://nypost.com/2020/08/12/wall-street-journal-will-stick-by-apple-news-news-corp-ceo/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com):
> News Corp. will continue to allow tech giant Apple to disseminate its news articles through the Apple News platform because the arrangement is helping introduce new readers to The Wall Street Journal, CEO Robert Thomson said.
Not bad for a product failure. A major paywalled financial newspaper considers it a useful revenue and audience acquisition source? There must be something more to this than product failure.
And the *WSJ* is not alone. I’m aware of other publishers doing well from the platform, but who are reluctant to make too much noise about it. So, what’s going on here? Why the polarisation around [this mediocre product](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/08/whos-afraid-of-the-small-average-apple-news/)?
## Understanding the WSJ’s content model
Could there be a particular characteristic of the *WSJ*’s content that makes it a better match for the Apple News+ model than the people Esther talked to?
Oh, yes. One clue is in the fact that the *WSJ*, much like the *Financial Times,* is as much as B2B title for the financial industry as it is a mainstream newspaper. In fact, you could characterise it as having, broadly, two sets of content:
1. mainstream news and features journalism
2. the core financial journalism.
With that context, look at this quote:
> “That Apple News partnership allows us to focus on that **tier of content** and bring in a **significantly new audience** that we would hope to graduate to a paid WSJ subscription over time,” Thomson said in an earnings call last week. “And it is a **genuinely different audience**. It’s actually, of late, more women than men. For The Wall Street Journal itself, it’s more men than women.”
*(Emphasis mine.)*
## The Fried Egg model
Photo by [wenping wang](https://unsplash.com/@wifecooky?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit)
That phrase —“tier of content” — is the give-away here. This is a “fried egg” model. There are two distinct audiences:
- The egg yolk is the *WSJ*’s traditional audience: financial sector and business people, who are willing to pay for a full WSJ sub. These are the core audience, and the content they value is the publication’s crown jewels.
- The egg white is *other* people, a mix of potential *WSJ* subscribers, and people who might be interested in elements of the paper’s reporting, but not the whole package.
Framed in that way, the News+ deal is offering two advantages to the *WSJ*:
1. The ability to monetise their general reporting, features and lifestyle content via people who wouldn’t consider being *WSJ* subscribers. It’s extra money for existing content without cannibalising your core audience.
2. The ability to start bringing in new subscribers, who wouldn’t have considered the *WSJ* but find they like what they read in Apple News+.
Like I said, a fried egg strategy: monetise a non-core audience, and move some of them into becoming subscribers in that creamy, protein rich yolk.
## Upselling the News+ reader
You can see that in action on *WSJ* pages in News+. Every few articles you consume you get a call-to-action:
Right there we can see three different ways that you can start moving readers into a more direct relationship with the brand:
- a subscription (obviously)
- a podcast
- a calendar
One of those is a direct conversion, the other two indirect ones that move the potential subscriber that bit closer to closing the deal.
It seems likely to me that the *WSJ* sees the direct revenue as incidental (but welcome), while it’s the audience growth they’re actually after.
## Could you make Apple News+ work?
So, let’s look at the characteristics that make this work:
- Core content not in Apple News+
- Non-core content there, and earning additional revenue
- Access to new audiences, and multiple opportunities to move them up the engagement pathway
If I was a B2B title with a level on potential consumer interest — aviation, hospitality, beauty, even farming — I’d be taking a serious look at this. They’re the classic kinds of publication that have core content that’s valuable enough for people to pay for, but also some content that crosses over into more general consumer interest as well.
You can both monetise some of that content, and use News+ as a filtering mechanism, building a funnel to acquire subscribers.
The problem here, I suspect, is that most publishers don’t actually know what their core content *is*. What’s the “nice to have” stuff, and what’s the stuff that *really* matters, that people will pay for? Unless you understand that, you’re not in position to make that fried egg into a nutritious subscriber meal.
## What is your “crown jewel” content?
Conversely, if you really understand your content dynamics, you’re in a better position to take advantage of a fried egg strategy like this. For example, this is the reason that the *Financial Times* has some [weekend-based subscription packages](https://subs.ft.com/spa3%5Fweekendx?segmentId=f41acb70-e0cf-a8af-0be8-fa591da55ba1&ref=onemanandhisblog.com), looking to attract people who enjoy their lifestyle and features reporting, but don’t need the rest of it.
You could contrast this with the statement in the WNiP piece:
> Even if the bundles are enough to tempt a wave of new subscribers, not enough of the money will get back to publishers to make it worth it.
Sure. But what if the potential is *not* as a major revenue source in its own right, but as a showcase for your content, and a possibility to find new readers out there? In that sense, it’s a bit like Facebook or Twitter — a shopfront for your journalism, but one *you get paid for*.
If I may be as bold as to rewrite Esther’s conclusion:
*Apple News+ is not a failure of product design. It’s a publishing failure, limited by publishers without the imagination to understand their own content and audience engagement strategies.*
There’s currently over 1 billion active iOS users worldwide. Now, only a fraction of those will use Apple News or subscribe to Apple News+. But a fraction of a very large number still tends to be a very large number. That’s a huge surface for audience development work, with the right strategy, that we can ill-afford to ignore.
### When journalists go wil… uh, solo (and other useful links)
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/09/when-journalists-go-wil-uh-solo-and-other-useful-links/
Last updated: 2020-09-10T13:57:35.000Z
Entrepreneurial journalism, growing subs and the GoPro surprise: 6 useful links
_This post is for subscribers only._
### Subscribed: three magazines I love
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/09/subscribed-three-essential-magazines/
Last updated: 2020-09-10T11:47:09.000Z
It became very clear early in lockdown that this was going to be a brutal time for magazines. Even if some newsagents were still open, people weren't routinely passing through and picking up a mag as they did so. Even though my own financial position was under pressure, I made the decision to support the magazines I really enjoy via subscriptions.
And so, this morning, the post arrived with a poodle-killing\* "thump", and to my delight, I had three new issues to enjoy.
Here's what arrived, and why I subscribe to them.
## Country Walking
The one of these I've been subscribed to longest. For a long time, this was a kind of outdoor porn for me, giving a glimpse into a life I couldn't quite live. As I'm able to get out and walking with my daughters more, it's become less of an essential read — but I enjoy a couple of the columnists, and am reluctant to unsubscribe just yet.
- [*Country Walking* Magazine](https://www.livefortheoutdoors.com/magazines?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## For
This is one of those high-quality, high-price, infrequent schedule indie magazines I've become fond of in recent years. (City's proximity to [magCulture](https://magculture.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) fed my addiction, but I'll be going cold turkey this autumn, as all my lecturing will be delivered online.)
It's notionally a magazine about people who are making the world a better place, but it's the perfect blend of words, images and design that make it so enjoyable. But that's what a magazine should be, isn't it?
[Issue 1](https://formagazine.org/products/issue-one-maturing?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) came out a couple of years ago. I loved it and subscribed. Two years on, I got issue 2\. Looking forward to sitting down with this one over a good cup of coffee over the weekend.
I don't want to rush it. It might be *years* before I get another one…
- [*For* magazine](https://formagazine.org/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
## Standart
*Standart* is one of two coffee-centric magazines I subscribe to. Yes, I'm that much of a coffee snob. The mag [redesigned last issue](https://standartmag.com/blogs/journal/behind-the-scenes-standart-issue-19-cover?ref=onemanandhisblog.com), and looks great. It's a really wide look at the people who produce, sell, brew and consume coffee, with a global scale. An issue always leaves me feeling better informed. And, rather unfortunately given the current circumstances, it often gives me the desire to travel to other cities to experience new coffee shops.
Ah, well.
At least it comes with a great bag of coffee:
- [*Standart* magazine](https://standartmag.com/?ref=onemanandhisblog.com)
---
*\* A “real poodle-killer” was a phrase we often used in my Estates Gazette days to describe a really big issue. Back then, it was a perfect-bound weekly, often of quite impressive thickness.*
### Cancel Culture afterlife: Glinner and Substack
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/09/cancel-culture-afterlife-glinner-and-substack/
Last updated: 2020-09-09T22:39:48.000Z
Where do you go, if you've been banned from Twitter? Off to the newsletter platform, to start building an audience - and a revenue stream - there.
_This post is for paying subscribers only._
### Weaning media off its social addiction
URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2020/09/weaning-media-off-its-social-media-addiction/
Last updated: 2020-09-08T13:43:18.000Z
Kicking the social media traffic fix, plus links on the tricks of pseudoscience and the future of media.
_This post is for subscribers only._
_Includes the latest 500 public posts. Use `/sitemap.xml` for the complete archive of public content._