Content cannibals, Bard behaviour, and paywall hacks - all in March 23 Content Aware media news highlights.
Corbidge comments on... content cannibals eating your lunch
So AI is already outright stealing premium publisher content, but it's OK because it's just "training data", right? Robert tears into the idea that publishers should just sit back and let tech firms waltz off with their value just one more time.
https://www.gpp.io/news/are-we-in-danger-of-eating-our-own-words-a0Cyr9C0hKTb
Copying homework and stealing credit? It's just Bard behaviour
AI claiming to be a tech writer and tester: content theft or just repeating known information? The fact it claimed to have conducted the tests doesn't help its case. If you are in this sector why not try it yourself with your own test results - who knows what else AIs are passing off as their own.
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/google-bard-plagiarizing-article
Copying each other's mistakes
If an AI just copies another AI, where does the chain of responsibility lead ?
https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/22/23651564/google-microsoft-bard-bing-chatbots-misinformation
Maybe the first TikTok video you'll ever see
Watch TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testify before US lawmakers currently considering a ban on the social media platform; if you miss the live session, here is Verge reporter Makena Kelly's Twitter coverage of the hearing
today. Read Chew's pre-hearing testimony here.
https://edition.cnn.com/business/live-news/tiktok-ceo-congressional-hearing-shou-chew-03-23-23
Make more money from paywalls
"5 simple hacks" articles are neither particularly simple nor hacks in the true sense of the word. However, in this case, it's possibly more eye-catching than 'Insight gleaned from people running paywalls on how to make more revenue'.
https://whatsnewinpublishing.com/5-simple-hacks-for-publishers-to-increase-paywall-conversion-rates/
Federal Trade Commission cancels hard-to-end subs deals
Is your firm's cancellation process as easy to do as signing up? It will need to be, if today's proposal lands. Click-to-subscribe and call-to-cancel is on the way out.
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/03/federal-trade-commission-proposes-rule-provision-making-it-easier-consumers-click-cancel-recurring
Fear and sadness = clicks
No surprise to plenty, but useful to see measured: negative words in news headlines generate more clicks, and sad words are the most effective. That's made us sad, and scared.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-023-01538-4
The engagement game
Press Gazette's great podcast
with NYT puzzles chief Jonathan Knight puts numbers and reason on just how effective games are at making subscribers engage more. Note for Wordle fans: you'll love the insight on the best and most effective starting words! Written summary below; podcast here (no app needed).
https://pressgazette.co.uk/north-america/new-york-times-games-puzzles-wordle-subscriptions/
Local news is local data
What do readers say they want most from local and hyperlocal journalism? Unsurprisingly, it's that 'local' aspect more than anything.
https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/03/hey-local-news-publishers-give-the-people-a-calendar/
Meta to soften publisher stance?
A particular move to or from Meta/Facebook isn't always noteworthy in itself, however this one might signal that the social giant is warming up its publisher and content-creator relationships a little.
https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/meta-rehires-nick-grudin-content-partnerships-nft-dapper-labs-1235561666/
