Content Aware media news: September 28, 2023

Big Tech becoming Big Publisher, author bios and why you need them, and blocking the Bingbot - all in this week's Content Aware.

Published: 09:13, 29 September 2023

Corbidge comments on... what will force Big Tech to become Big Publisher?
If all the search and social platforms end up being the same thing with the same stuff, the only thing that can end up separating them is the quality of the content they host. How do they ensure they get the good stuff? Sounds a bit like they need the expert input of editors and other such real people.
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Old fears, new laws
Politicians trying to conceive the short- and long-term impacts of AI range from those who resemble a dog looking at a Rubik's Cube, to knee-jerk reactionaries who think the Daleks are already at the bottom of the stairs. This piece describes something with a touch of both. A lot of AI legislation is coming, bad and good; choose your AIs with care!
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What are they aiming for
The first global AI Safety Summit is scheduled for early November, hosted by UK PM Rishi Sunak, ironically at Bletchley Park - workplace of the man famously most able to decode the machine-created enigmas of the day in WW2. Before he was hounded to death under the laws of the time. Anyway, we're sure they will approach it all wisely and in a considered fashion.
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Bios counter distrust
Have your writers got bios and author pages yet? They are good for SEO anyway, but soon might be needed for more fundamental matters: to prove they are not robots. Of course we have likely seen fake AI-generated authors already, so...
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Why have the young (journalists) abandoned Facebook?
It's not a secret to say the youthful generations abandoned Facebook some time ago for pastures anew, but some have doggedly stuck with the pallid blue F for professional reasons. Well, at least for some the obligation is now removed: we know Facebook hates news, turns out they hate student journalists too.
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How Buzzfeed quizzed their way towards irrelevance
Intrinsically, editorial people know that too much content of zero relevance doesn't make for happy audiences. So, use Buzzfeed's fall from grace as an example: it's about being interesting, not just volume.
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How to block the Bingbot
Amongst the guidance is the gem that if you want Bing Chat to be able to reference you, you have to allow it to use your data for training its database. If only there was some sort of sensible middle ground where a Bing reply credits the creator but doesn't feel the need to steal their content for its own use too - I'd better ask an AI what that middle ground could possibly be.
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Post non-haste on the Androids
Post, "the Twitter for publishers", has eventually wended its way to Android phones. If it's still yet to reach your horizons, it is good for allowing smaller creators to charge for content, and has an open-minded approach to doing deals with publishers.
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"A slimy cottage industry"
Obituary thieves are getting more creative at feasting on the misery of others. Be sure to report this sort of garbage on principle if you see it - YouTube might do something about it, since that's where they hang out.
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When is a niche a game?
The latest Google 'Helpful Content Update' is now completely rolled out: the feedback is that sites created by actual people are improving their ranking, while those which existed arguably only to game the Google algorithms are not.
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Masterclasses recap
Many of you have asked for more details on the Modern Media & Publishing Technology Masterclasses hosted earlier this month. Voila.
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