With this episode of The Hobson and Holtz Report, FIR 181, Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz embark on a renewed journey every month with conversation at the intersection of business, communication and technology, just as when they first started out in January 2005. In this episode for March 2019, H&H discuss these stories: Print is still a viable communication tool; Raspberry Pi is distributing multiple print magazinesPandora is the first streaming service to introduce a sonic logoIn the … [Read more...] about FIR 181: Some decisions to consider about social media
Online Media
The fork in the road for social media and our society
The horror from Christchurch, New Zealand, that exploded across newspaper pages and television, computer and smartphone screens this weekend captured imaginations in ways that no one could possibly have imagined beforehand. The fact that one individual armed with a semi-automatic rifle could visit such an outrage upon people worshipping in a place of religion isn't the worst of it, awful and distressing though this event is with at least 50 people shot dead and scores wounded, some in … [Read more...] about The fork in the road for social media and our society
SDF Podcast 19: Is GDPR much ado about nothing?
Ten days after the EU General Data Protection Regulation came into action, the SmallDataForum convened to provide initial assessments and perspectives. This episode's show notes were written by Thomas Stoeckle. Are we witnessing comedy or drama? Much ado about nothing or the end of the world as we know it? Clearly it is much too early to tell, and yet (of course) we found a lot to discuss, from varying levels of preparedness (not just on businesses’ side, but also among governments, … [Read more...] about SDF Podcast 19: Is GDPR much ado about nothing?
How to be a magazine publisher with Flipboard
In the summer of 2010, a new visual way of consuming news stories was launched for iOS mobile devices - especially the iPad which had been released a few months earlier - in the form of Flipboard, an aggregator app that brought together content from social media, news feeds, photo sharing sites and other websites, and presented it in magazine format. This highly-appealing visual communication tool became popular very quickly on iPads and iPhones, enabling users to "flip" through the articles, … [Read more...] about How to be a magazine publisher with Flipboard
Fake news is a global concern says BBC survey
To many people, the phenomenon known as fake news is something that's moved beyond just a news item itself and into the realm of trust. With so much reporting and commentary about fake news, it's no surprise that we're placing greater importance on verifying the truthfulness of what we read, listen to and watch that is called 'news.' Whether it's online or via the traditional mainstream media, or from companies, governments and others, we want to feel assured that what we encounter as news is … [Read more...] about Fake news is a global concern says BBC survey
How to play your part in fighting fake news
One of the scourges of modern connected times is the rise of so-called fake news, a phenomenon that's invasive and pervasive and a driver of distrust about what you read, see and hear online as well as fear, uncertainty and doubt about the sources that publish it. And not only such reactions upon immediate discovery, but also the unwitting spread of fake news by those who publish, talk about or share such content without knowing it's false. It's not new by any means - in the pre-internet … [Read more...] about How to play your part in fighting fake news
How Twitter Works – a legal opinion
Most reasonable people are aware that if you publicly publish something defamatory about someone else that is false, you can be sued for libel. If you lose the legal case, it can be expensive for you in terms of damage to your reputation as well as a financial cost. (Related: the difference between libel and slander in UK law.) And I'd add that most reasonable people are also aware that the same rules on libel apply to all methods of public communication, including online. So, for … [Read more...] about How Twitter Works – a legal opinion
Addressing privacy and fake news on the web: Tim Berners-Lee’s call to action
The recent rise and spread of so-called fake news is a topic that's generating a great deal of opinion on what to do about it. I've weighed in, too, in a recent episode of the Small Data Forum podcast. Now, on the 28th anniversary of the founding of the World Wide Web, its creator Tim Berners-Lee offers compelling perspectives on this contemporary phenomenon, outlining three challenges for the web and, as he puts it, what we must do to ensure it fulfils his vision of an equalizing platform … [Read more...] about Addressing privacy and fake news on the web: Tim Berners-Lee’s call to action