Let’s talk about the emoji. They’re everywhere: Facebook, You Tube, Twitter, all other social media. You may think you’re sending a smiling, loving, or funny emoji. But some studies are saying that emoji could be easily misinterpreted.
A study was done at a GroupLens lab through the University of Minnesota. They observed the Emoji ‘Grinning Face With Smiling Eyes’. This one differs, depending what app and what device you use. The version of this particular emoji on Samsung Galaxy looks happier than it does on Facebook or Apple, but they’re still the same emoji. This causes confusion of how the grinning emoji is interpreted. Samsung Galaxy users, for the most part, thought the ‘Grinning Face With Smiling Eyes’ emoji sent positive vibes. Apple and Facebook Messenger users thought this same emoji produced either negative or creepy vibes. If that wasn’t confusing enough, a good percentage of iPhone users thought this was a positive emoji. So there’s confusion even among Apple users. And what about the more neutral emoji? The rain emoji could tell someone it’s raining in their town, or it send the message that you’re very sad. The eggplant emoji could tell someone you’re eating healthy or encouraging someone to eat healthy. Or you could be sending someone an insult about their weight or health.
My advice before you send an emoji: Know your audience. This study proves that. Not only know your audience, know the device you’re sending your emoji from. What might be funny to one person might be offensive to another person, especially in this highly offensive politically correct environment we’re in now. What might mean happiness to another person might mean doom and gloom to another. How often do you use the emoji in your life? What message do you convey? Which ones are the easiest? Which ones are the most confusing?
Yesterday, I talked about this new app Mark Zuckerberg was building for Facebook. Now, within a 24-hour period, Facebook has made deals with two major ticket brokers.
Both Ticketmaster and Evenbrite will be selling concerts through Facebook in the coming weeks. Ticketmaster will start selling tickets through Facebook later this month. Plus, Facebook will get a fee whenever their tickets are sold through them. An Evenbrite spokesperson said they will offer Facebook no such fee; we don’t even know how Evenbrite will compensate Facebook. A Facebook representative said his company wants to reach platforms in all walks of life, saying, “We want to help not just people find events, but also get to events faster.? Ticketmaster and Evenbrite have something to gain too. Facebook has 1.6 billion users. Just think, it used to be just a billion. ?But now, that’s over 20% of the whole world’s population. The reasons of this business deal should be obvious. But one reason may not be. It’s getting pretty difficult for these ticket brokers selling on their own websites. This is thanks to mobile apps and other websites offering easier ways to get the same tickets at equal or lesser price. An Evenbrite VP expressed excitement and optimism about the deal by saying, “?Enabling a seamless purchase experience for consumers in places like Facebook where they are spending significant time is an important step in this mission.”
These are smart moves on the part of Ticketmaster and Evenbrite leaders. I can go on ESPN and get a sports ticket through them. Okay, Stubhub provides the tickets, but surely you know what I’m getting at. Believe it or not, there are ticket counters around my city where you can get the tickets, and even pay cash. Hard to believe in 2016, huh? But more and more people are using the Internet and their smartphones to get tickets. And if customers can’t find them on their regular website, then maybe Facebook and other social media is the way to go. Would you buy an Evenbrite or Ticketmaster ticket off Facebook?
Facebook is in a dilemma. People aren’t sharing enough to their liking. During a live demonstration, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg demonstrated changes to their live streaming app.
There’s the revamped interface for Facebook posting. In the demonstration a ‘What’s in your mind’ box. This box is always open for posts. When the post is finished, you’re given the option of writing a note, putting up a photo, or making a video. This design isn’t available to the public…not yet. Facebook headquarters have been working on it for the last couple of months. It’s meant to be a more fun way to share. This new app includes posting options, like sharing music and slideshows. This app would have a GIF button. I read an article that said, “Facebook doesn’t think we’re sharing enough.” I thought to myself, “No, people share on Facebook all the time.” Then I read some numbers. Facebook overall sharing has fallen over five percent in a one-year period. Sharing of thoughts and pictures declined over 20% between the summer of 2014 and summer 2015. Zuckerberg warned not all features will be made public. He says much of this will take time.
That shouldn’t alarm anyone. That’s how typical Facebook does things. They keep testing and re-testing to a smaller audience. They wait to see how accurate and effective it is. If it’s good enough, they’ll advertise it to ?larger market. So it could take months before we see this feature. What surprised me was Facebook was losing that much sharing. But it shouldn’t. Facebook is facing a lot of competition now. We can share with Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Periscope, and other options. Facebook isn’t the other candy store in town. Competition is forcing them to get better in sharing. This is what free market and capitalism is all about. It’s competition that makes you do better. We don’t know when this new Facebook app will be made public. Do you have any guesses?
A few days ago, the world was made aware of the Panama Papers. The documents expose people creating huge tax havens. Now there are documents out there called the Yahoo Books. They expose Yahoo’s dire economic situation.
This book is given to potential buyers to help them make a bid. I’ve reported before that Yahoo, one of the Internet’s first companies, was in a downward spiral. This book shows just how bad things are. According to this book, Yahoo’s revenue is down 15%. Their earnings are down 20%. The cash flow is drying up. So is their labor force. In December 2014, their roster consisted of 12,500 employees. By December 2015, it was 10,500. By December 2016, the roster is expected at 9,000. Yet CEO Marissa Mayer is paying her top exec and assistants double, just to keep them from leaving. Now, another $200 million vanished thanks to failed dealings with China’s Alibaba group. The future isn’t looking bright. In 2017, Yahoo expects to lose another $120 million due to another bad business deal from Japan. I’m no mathematician or anything, but some articles say Yahoo is buying revenue from companies like Mozilla and Oracle. We’re talking hundreds of millions of dollars worth. Buyers are asking questions about Tumblr, sales declines, and media unit cuts. These are questions no Yahoo exec entertains, and the first bids for Yahoo are due Monday.
From where I’m sitting, Yahoo reminds me of what used to be the best house in town, the house everyone went to, the house you knew you’d get treated right. Years later, you walk by and see that house in shambles. It’s barely staying upright. The homeowners are trying to repair the house, hoping it would stay afloat. But every repair they make seems to make things worse. Now, there’s no other choice but to get someone to buy the house. But it’s so bad that even buyers are weary of acquiring it. Would you invest in this Yahoo house?
North Korea is at it again. Dictator Kim Jong Un is using technology to further isolate and oppress his own people. He’s using it to threaten and intimidate the rest of the world.
First off, North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang, announced it’s total blockage of Facebook, You Tube, Twitter, and all South Korean websites. They’re also banning gambling and hard core pornography sites. For most North Koreans, they already have little or no online access. But visitors enjoyed basic, but heavily monitored online freedom. More than two million North Koreans have cell phones. But only officers and hand picked citizens had online access. Now, not even they or visitors have access to such sites. The law says anyone caught using Facebook, Twitter or ?You Tube will be subject to punishment, but Pyongyang was illusive to what that punishment would be.
Then, North Korea is jamming GPS signals. This tampering severely affects air and sea travel around the North/South Korean border. In the last month, this GPS jamming happened over 100 times. South Korean leaders say these jams haven’t caused major damage or incident. But they do believe this is blatant provocation on North Korea’s part. North Korea has had this jamming system since 2010, to be used in acts of hostility against the US and South Korea.
Why is North Korea doing this now? We all know how they sent satellites after the Super Bowl. They claim not only to have nuclear weapons, but they claim they can send them over the Pacific. Kim Jong Un, just like his grandfather and father before him, have always used extremely oppressive measures against their own people. This dictator is upping the ante. Why is Kim Jong Un blocking social media sites entirely, even for visitors and his own officers? And he’s toying with the GPS systems? I’m almost afraid to ask what the punishment would be if a North Korean did look at one of these websites? What is Jong Un trying to prove here?
Okay, why am I blogging about NFL football in April? The Super Bowl was two months ago. The regular season is five months away. But Twitter has gotten involved with the NFL in a major way.
Twitter won the rights to show NFL football games live on their social media site. They beat out tech heavyweights Yahoo, Verizon, and Amazon. Starting this upcoming season, Twitter will stream 10 Thursday night football games for free. Twitter stockholders have already responded. Their shares gained two percent. They’re already making up ground for the 26% they lost so far in 2016. It’s been Twitter’s dream for it’s service to discuss live events as they happen. The NFL knows more fans are streaming games. Twitter is expected to broadcast these games through their Moments feature. Obviously, Thursday night football isn’t as popular as the traditional Sunday or Monday night football. So Twitter takes advantage of this growing trend on the ground floor. Twitter knows in 2021, current broadcasting contracts will be up. They will resale rights. Twitter wants in on that sale. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey says Twitter’s role centers around world events, bringing live information about these events and sharing information about these events.
Dorsey should be very pleased with this new deal. The NFL is the most popular sporting entity in the United States of America. As Twitter celebrates their 10th anniversary this year, this is huge for them. I think celebrities post so much on Twitter that regular people think Twitter is just for celebrities only. That mentality can easily drive Twitter membership down. But the NFL will easily pick those numbers up. Now that Twitter will broadcast NFL games on Thursday, that gets their foot in the door for Sunday broadcasting in 2021. Twitter had better advertise this to the moon if they want be in the 2021 conversation. Could the NFL rights be the best thing that ever happened to Twitter?
