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Machine Learning Explained, Fake Ads Found & Airbnb Reviews Mapped

When the Journey is the Goal
Many nonprofits use social media to promote education and awareness of a cause. They don’t necessarily have conversion in mind. So how can a savvy nonprofit communicator evaluate this type of social content and campaigns?  Well, MarketingLand does a nice job of explaining alternative metrics. (Interested in setting this up for your website? Reach out. )

Explain Like I’m Five: Machine Learning Edition
“Machine learning” is one of those buzzy terms that gets thrown around a lot. I was happy to stumble on this nice explanation of what it is (and is not).

And now that we know about machine learning… here’s Engadget explaining how Facebook uses the technology to detect fake ads.

Talking to Your Data
I recently covered Google Analytics’ new feature that is supposed to allow analysts and business people to get data by asking questions, rather than running reports. Well, it looks like Tableau is barking up the same tree. They recently acquired start up ClearGraph, a service that lets users visualize data through natural language queries (think “this week’s transactions over $500”).

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Make Your Own Data Gifs, Better Blog Posts & The Internet in 355 Slides

What’s New This Week?

What’s Up with the ‘Net?
You’d think that an entire year worth of online trends would be too much information to condense into one Power Point presentation. But you’d be wrong!  Each year, Mary Meeker, a partner in venture capitalist firm Kleiner Perkins, does a rapid-fire bazillion-slide-long (actually, 355) presentation of the year’s top takeaways. See this year’s presentation here and read Recode’s synopsis and analysis here.

Brits Slightly Dismayed at Facebook Political Ads
The Brits are having an ethical dilemma about the role of Facebook advertising in political elections. Until recently, political campaigns had spending limits on advertising and a ban on TV ads. But the rules don’t cover online advertising, so Facebook is suddenly cashing in. Here’s BBC’s coverage.

Artificial Intelligence Comes for… Me
Last week, I joked about robots taking over the world. But this article makes me worried that it’s really happening… to my job! Check out this scare tactic, oops I mean trend piece, on how artificial intelligence can help automate social media analysis and take the guesswork out of managing accounts.

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Local SEO Tips, More Creepy Ads & Google’s New Analysis Product

What’s New This Week?

Google’s Big Announcement

Google’s launching a new product, but coverage has been a mess of marketing gobbledygook. Here’s my nonprofit-friendly translation. If you track what traffic sources (Facebook ads, Google searches etc.) are leading to donations and other actions on your website, you probably do so with “last click attribution.” That means, you attribute credit for the donation to the most recent way the user entered your site. Google Analytics currently has tools to address this, but they are confusing and not too useful. But more is coming! It’s called Google Attribution. (But for now, it really only works with Google AdWords and DoubleClick campaigns. So get ready to better understand your Google AdWords grant use.)

Creepy Advertising Story of the Week

I’m starting to think that this can be a weekly feature in Bee Update. We’ve covered the perils of overly-personal ads before, but I have to share any piece entitled “Hey Instagram, Don’t Tell Me When to Freeze My Eggs.” Go ahead and bemoan the state of targeted advertising with Wired.

Topping Your Local Search Results

Trying to improve your search ranking in your local area? Here’s a read for you. SEO experts weigh in on what’s most important. The top three factors are quality and quantity of inbound links, on-page content (got your keywords?) and the rate of click-throughs on your search listing. Read some more in Search Engine Land.

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