Five things on Friday #163

Things of note for the week ending Friday February 12th, 2016.

Hello and welcome to this week’s Five things on Friday. It’s been 163 editions of this bad boy now and, as I write this to you, I wonder if you’re out there… and how you’re doing.

Do let me know.

Shall we?

1. THE TWITTER ALGORITHM (AND HOW TO TURN IT OFF)

^ Which was pretty much the reaction of the entire Internet ^

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past two months, you’d be forgiven for not knowing a single thing about this:

If you missed the memo: Twitter now has an algorithm. The point of which is to serve up the Tweets that it thinks you’ll want to see first. And by ‘first’, it means – when you open the app. After that, you can just pull down on the app as per and you’ll go back to your normal timeline.

Lovely.

A few things to note –

First, it’s not that bad! Give it a go, you might like it.

Second, any marketers out there throwing your toys out because you want traditional Twitter, just stop. Think about it for a moment – all those [average] users out there who’ll wake up with this feature switched on and just won’t switch it off? I’d gamble the number would be quite high. These users, they’re the ones you’re talking to. So why not ensure you’re having the same experience as those people? Y’know, so you’ve got an idea about what you’re actually talking about?

Third, if you’re still freaking out about it – here’s how you turn it off:

Web:

iOS:

Android:

So that’s that. All clear? Great.

Shall we move on?

Oh! Wait! Bonus Twitter stuff!

I got asked for a quote about what it this all means for brands. The published version looked like this:

“These changes will have little to no impact,” claimed James Whatley, digital director Ogilvy & Mather, “ultimately the best content will shine through.”
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Discussing tests Twitter ran around organic tweets and posts from events, both of which noted an increase in user engagement, he told The Drum: “As a result, two kinds of things will happen. On one hand you’ll have the knee-jerk marketer, who will quickly try to fill their content calendars with more organic content covering a vast array of live events.
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“On the other, the savvy marketer, who will continue with their well thought-through content strategy and perhaps keep an out on when this change might become relevant to the brand that they work on.”

The unedited version is below (my answers in italics):

How will brands adapt their content to riff off and make best use of these latest developments?

For our many of our clients, these changes will have little to no impact. Ultimately, the best content shines through. Twitter itself stated that with this feature switched on, users Tweet and Retweet more on the platform meaning brands such as Pizza Hut Delivery, Kronenbourg 1664, or WWF can reach a more engaged potential audience.

What impact will the move have on the way brands produce organic content around trending topics?

Twitter ran some tests that proved that organic Tweets from brands, as well as Tweets around live events; both saw an increase in user engagement. As a result, two kinds of things will happen. On one hand you’ll have the knee-jerk marketer, who will quickly try to fill their content calendars with more organic content covering a vast array of live events. On the other, the savvy marketer, who will continue with their well thought-through content strategy and perhaps keep an out on when this change might become relevant to the brand that they work on.

What will be the main concerns for brands/marketers around new timeline?

The main concerns will be around how it’ll effect the monthly reporting. The lower end of the poor performing content will get poorer and poorer. And explaining that one away YoY will be tough. There’s one simple rule: [it’s like Facebook all over again] don’t make awful content.

I’ve been quite bullish on things like this of late. Maybe it’s the now 10 years I’ve been working in digital now. Crumbs. Maybe.

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2. A NEW 3D PRINTER (IT’S SO FAST)

I’ve 3D printed stuff before. It’s amazing but it takes TIME. And lots of it. Hours, days, weeks even. Especially for complicated jobs. It’s hard enough to make the tech go mainstream as it is – even in the face of such expensive hardware – that level of time investment just isn’t viable.

There’s a new process in town though, it’s called ‘The Intelligent Liquid Interface’, and it speeds up 3D printing to this level –

Well, that might be sped up slightly but look at the minute counter on the bottom left – 0 to 8mins and boom, super quick 3D printing!

I think this is awesome.

Fastco.exist has more.

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3. TARANTINO (TWICE)

I stumbled across these couple of videos this week. They’re pretty old but I really enjoyed them. They’re two interviews with Tarantino as he discusses one of his all time favourite films, Taxi Driver. If you’re a fan of either Tarantino or Taxi Driver, then go watch them.

That is all.

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4. FORMATION DOESN’T INCLUDE ME (AND THAT’S JUST FINE)

The above image, and title, are taken from an incredible piece by Kate Forristall. There is a lot that’s been both said and written about Beyoncé’s performance at the Superbowl.

This is one of the many that stood out.

(the article she links to halfway through it pretty amazing too)

If you missed it, then go educate yourself.

If you didn’t miss it, then go read it and add more to your POV.

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5. THE EX-AMERICANS

How’s this:

According to the US Treasury, a record 4,279 individuals renounced their US citizenship or long-term residency in 2015 – an increase of 20% on the previous year, which was itself a record-breaking year. In 2010, just 1,006 gave up being US citizens, but since then the numbers have risen every year.

The main suspected reason? Tax. Or in the case of Americans working overseas: double taxation. I’d heard of this before but the BBC has a really good piece on it and once you read it, you’ll understand why so many US citizens are considering renouncing the nation that makes them so proud.

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Bonuses this week are as follows:

• Things to stop saying to Dads.
• Instagram ads? They’re longer now.
• Everyone’s got an opinion on Twitter – including Wall Street.
• Steve Waddington is one of the most useful men on the Internet.
• GRAVITATIONAL WAVES!!!

Right then, that’s me.

Off to bed.

Whatley out.

 

Last updated by James Whatley at February 13, 2016.