How to create social content that isn't 'dead in the water'

by IJNet
Oct 30, 2018 in Social Media

Ways to expand your reach on Twitter, how social media censorship is hurting publishers in Bangladesh and more in this week's Digital Media Mash Up, produced by the Center for International Media Assistance.

How to maximize your reach on Twitter

In the world of content marketing, creating great material is only half the battle. If enough people read your content and like it, their shares, links and engagements could easily propel a piece to viral status — but what if you can’t generate that initial audience of readers? Even the best-written content can be dead in the water.

To maximize your reach, you need to harness the full power of social media and other syndication channels. (Forbes, 11/30)

Social media censorship in Bangladesh hints at long-term problems for publishers

Two weeks have passed since the government in Bangladesh blocked access to Facebook, WhatsApp, Viber and other social media sites. In Dhaka, some people have crowded into hotel lobbies to access private networks, while others are gaining access through proxy servers. The reason for the ban, according to the government, has to do with security, in light of the recent terrorist attacks and local political violence, but there is concern that it’s part of a creeping pattern of censorship that’s having a negative impact on publishers, especially after the temporary block in January and reports of journalists being harassed. (Columbia Journalism Review, 12/2)

How freelance journalists can (mostly) avoid working for free

Imagine punching in and out for time spent on researching, interviews and writing. Now imagine making nothing or next to nothing for that time. Welcome to the minefield of freelance journalism in the age of the Internet. (Poynter, 12/3)

"Why not be all the way in?" How publishers are using Facebook Instant Articles

As soon as Jeff Bezos heard about Facebook Instant Articles, he wanted to participate.

“We saw [Bezos] in Sun Valley,” Dan Rose, the VP of partnerships at Facebook, said in a recent panel at the Paley International Council Summit. “He said, ‘Hey, The Washington Post isn’t participating yet. Would you please let us in? I think that we’d be your best partner.'” And, Rose said, Bezos — the CEO of Amazon and, since 2013, the owner of The Washington Post — was true to his word: The Washington Post is putting all of its content on the platform. (Nieman Lab, 11/30)

CIMA offers the Mash Up free via email. Sign up here.

Main image CC-licensed by Flickr via Flickr by Esther Vargas.