Engaged Reading Time - Issue #38

Adam Tinworth

Jun 20, 2019 — 3 min read

Over the past few years we've seen increasing numbers of publications close their comments and other forms of owned and operated community, and let all that migrate to Facebook and other services.

Now we know that there's a very human cost to that decision.

And the "days without a Facebook scandal" counter resets to 0.

Brace yourselves. This is not nice.

Facebook Moderation Hell

A few months back you might remember Casey Newton published an excellent piece digging into Facebook's content moderation facilities. Now he's followed it up, by getting some sources to talk about what's really happening.

And it's grim.

Facebook moderators break their NDAs to expose desperate working conditions

I don't often feel the need to provide warnings before you read a piece: but go in prepared. This is *brutal* reading. There's a particular intersection of the worst of humanity coming through the screens and through management that creates situations like this.

Inside Facebook's moderation hub: the realities of policing the dark side of the internet

Provided by way of contrast. I like the folks at The Drum — they're former clients — but this is the sort of story you get when PRs are in control.

Engaging Links

The latest key newsroom job: membership editor

Things that make me go "hmm": I'm not sure this is a great way of defining the job. You get what you define people's jobs as — and a membership editor will drive membership. An engagement editor will drive, well, engagement, of which membership is a part.

Instagram account recovery getting easier, and username hijacks less likely

About bloomin' time.

Lyrics Site Accuses Google of Lifting Its Content

This is interesting for two reasons:

Never base a business on commodity, replicable content
The very clear way that Genius set a fingerprint in its content that allowed them to prove piracy.

Fast-growing TikTok attracts The Washington Post & other publishers

Yes, folks, the time when you have to understand TikTok is here. That doesn't mean to have to have a strategy for it — but if you don't have a strategy you need a good reason why.

On Snapchat, Original Series Are Finding Return Viewers

Probably not directly relevant to most of us — but interesting to note how phone-mediated apps are starting to supplant TV in many people's lives. The whole media dynamic is changing, and for some the TV is the second screen, not the phone.