Russia’s Meddling, Analyzed
Last time Bee Update came out, the news about Russia’s election-meddling Facebook ads had just broken. This edition, I provide the analysis. $100K is such an odd amount to spend on ads, argues the Atlantic. It’s too much to go unnoticed, and too little to have much effect. Or did it? The low cost of Facebook ads means that $100K can go a surprisingly long way, says The Daily Beast. In this piece, a (colorful) Facebook ad expert estimates that the $100K in ads reached 26 million people. Oh yeah, and Wired explains how Facebook needs to fix itself.
Just Admit You’re Biased Already
I’m a big fan on the Digital Analytics Power Hour podcast. (Yup, there’s a podcast for everything these days). This episode from August on biases was a classic. As much as we want to be impartial, it’s hard to not fall into traps. Here’s some self-reflection from my favorite podcasting analysts.
Social Media Goes to Harvard
Harvard surveyed chief marketing officers and summarized its findings about social media. Social media spending is up 200% in 8 years. (I’m surprised that’s not higher), but nearly half the CMOs say they don’t know if it’s paying off. Here’s that portion and a link to the full survey results.
Snoop on Yourself
Think you are impervious to Facebook ads? Sorry, you probably aren’t. Now, you can use Facebook’s Recent Ad Activity feature to see what ads you’ve interacted with. Wow, I’ve clicked on that sponsored video of adorable zoo animals a lot.
… And in other links
Seriously Facebook? Pro Publica points out more issues with everyone’s favorite social media ad platform.
Lace trench coats and women’s fashion choices. Not 100% sure what I think here. But as someone who spends some time thinking about my clothes, I wanted to share.
Advice of the Week
Finding the Right Words (SEO style)
After I putting together a training on SEO for a client, I outlined my process for doing (free!) keyword research here. Screen shots and step-by-step instructions included.
Cool Visualization of the Week
The Most Meta Data Viz, Ever
Today’s visualization is a visualization of visualizations. MIND BLOWN. Check it out here.