Engaged Reading Time - Issue #53
Welcome to the…
Humpday Reading Edition
I've had a productive week so far, so here's a bonus edition of the free "interesting links" version of the newsletter — that will still be of interest to my paying subscribers, too.
Lead Story
Twitter says it wants to solve the “journalists’ careers end because someone digs up an old tweet” problem.
Well, now. This could be very interesting.
Platform Pain & Pleasure
Facebook is reportedly locking users out for reporting fake accounts
This is an on-going problem with the big platforms. It's quite possible for you to have your account effectively closed with no recourse. How comfortable are you building a business on there knowing that?
How Pinterest Built One of Silicon Valley’s Most Successful Algorithms
Pinterest is massively under-reported and discussed. And they're doing great things.
Mozilla unveils 28 horror stories about YouTube’s recommendation algorithm
Ugh. Just ugh. YouTube is a cesspool, and will remain so until a wider swathe of society takes it more seriously.
A brief diversion into politics
David Cameron’s For the Record ends where the sorriest three years in modern British history begins
Interesting look at Cameron's memoirs from somebody who was, until recently, part of the Tory party. Spoilers: Gove does not come out well…
Online Community
Shakesville’s unravelling and the not-so-golden age of blogging
This one pokes at the idea that crusty old netizens like myself sometimes promote - that the early days of the net were nicer. And there's lots of interesting stuff in here about community management.
The Anxiety-Inducing Peril of Old Slack Posts
Your company gets bought. Your Slack suddenly gets merged with your new owner - and their culture is very different. Where does that go?
Payment changes at Meetup
This is about to make most uses of Meetup unaffordable. Why the sudden cash grab? Let's see. Meetup is owned by… *checks notes* …WeWork. Ah-ha.
WTF?
How Over 25 People Got Scammed Into Working At A Nonexistent Game Company
I know gaming is a desirable industry, but…
What's Going On With Young Women Scribbling Out Their Faces On Insta? We Investigate
Fascinating dive into the psychology and culture developing around some platforms.
Zuck and Politics
That's not all all worrying. Nope. Not at all.
👀
Coda
See you at the weekend, or tomorrow for members.
Hope your week is going well!
Adam
