In today’s Signal, covering the past five or so days, the Electronic Frontier Foundation examines Apple’s “beautiful crystal prisons” and proposes a bill of rights for purchasers; Ad Age delves into what Facebook’s loss of GM means for FB and its shareholders; Microsoft makes a move that delights the FTC but angers advertisers; Charlie Speight, FM’s Chief Product Officer, gets in on the apps vs. mobile Web debate, reminding us that the Web experience can be “wrapped” in an app, but not vice versa; and much more.
To the links …
- Photo by JD Hancock
Apple’s Crystal Prison and the Future of Open Platforms (EFF) On the heels of Steve Wozniak’s call to Apple to open its platforms for those who wish to get creative with internals, The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) delves into the kinds of restrictions that Apple and others have imposed, the excuses made when doing so, the dangers restrictions create, and why Apple should fix this mess. EFF also proposes a bill of rights for purchasers of smartphones and other pocket computers.
Big Spenders Push Ad Line, But Facebook Holds Ground (AdAge) To GM, Facebook’s audience was interesting; its ad formats were not. GM asked Facebook if it could take over an entire page, instead of running smaller ad units or sponsored stories that resemble posts. Facebook’s answer: No way. So, GM yanked its ads. Will FB’s efforts to put its users first anger advertisers and shareholders? Or win out in the end?
Microsoft Do Not Track Move Stuns Privacy Partners (Clickz) Microsoft’s Internet Explorer will automatically enable do-not-track for users in version 10, the preview version of which is already available. While the FTC believes this move is “another step forward in giving consumers choice about their browsing data,” Microsoft’s own ad network doesn’t acknowledge DNT, meaning it still tracks users who have by choice enabled DNT in their browsers. This is a big deal all around, but especially for advertisers, who are not at all happy with this move.
The Publisher Debate: Apps vs. Mobile Web (Digiday) Should publishers be investing their future in apps or the in-browser experience? Digiday asked, and several publishers and media specialists, including FM’s own Charlie Speight, answered.
Deutch’s Liz Gumbinner’s Must-Follows (Digiday) Liz Gumbinner, the EVP group director at Deutch, as well as author, publisher and editor-in-chief at coolmompicks.com and coolmomtech.com, reveals her Twitter must-follows. Listen up, folks. Liz, who has been an amazing FM partner for a number of years, is tuned in.
Online Advertisers’ Worst Enemy: Venture Capitalists (Forbes) The coverage of FM’s Conversational Marketing Summit in May continues with this piece focusing on John Battelle’s interview of ad veteran Randall Rothenberg, who shed a lot of light on the state of online advertising today and the prospects and challenges for wooing more brand advertisers from their obsession with television advertising.
Mary Meeker’s eye-popping annual Internet Trends report hits the web (VentureBeat) Mary Meeker, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers (and a very popular and regular speaker at FM conferences), has released her latest compilation of data concerning trends on the web and in mobile. The 112-page slideshow included in this piece is, in our opinion, Hall of Fame-worthy.
Why Twitter Is a Better Brand Platform Than Facebook (AdAge) The other side of the Facebook coin. Twitter’s ads are actually native, for example. Facebook, not so much. Yet.
Wired’s first issue (1993) plus 12,000 word oral history of Wired as a free iPad app (BB) Our own John Battelle (founding Managing Editor of Wired) is part of this great project. Speaking of which, there’s this gem: Why John Battelle Was So Pissed Off at Ari Emanuel Last Night (PD) Not quite John angry at Ari, rather, that we’re still where we are. Worth the six minutes if you have the time.
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