Search Results for: Facebook

The Case Against Google

Longreads Pick

An explainer on Google’s challenges with privacy, its competition with Facebook and Twitter, and two big questions: Is search no longer central to its mission? And are Google’s recent moves “evil” by its early company standards?

“It’s hard to understand how Google could screw up its core product like that. But there’s a remarkably simple explanation: Search is no longer Google’s core product.

“One Googler authorized to speak for the company on background (meaning I could use the information he gave me, but not directly quote or attribute it) told me something that I found shocking. Google isn’t primarily about search anymore. Sure, search is still a core product, but it’s no longer the core product. The core product, he said, is simply Google.”

Author: Mat Honan
Source: Gizmodo
Published: Mar 22, 2012
Length: 16 minutes (4,021 words)

Inside the social media factory created by former Huffington Post cofounder Jonah Peretti—how they’ve cracked viral content, invested in original content, and made money: 

At around 5 p.m., Stopera published ‘48 Pictures That Perfectly Capture the ’90s’ on BuzzFeed. ‘These pictures are all that and a bag of chips!’ he wrote at the top of the list. A BuzzFeed visitor with an appetite for ’90s nostalgia could scroll down, gawk at the 48 retro images, read the deadpan captions, recall Bob Saget, Tipper Gore, and Scottie Pippen, laugh at the crazy fashion, and resurface to the present day in a matter of minutes. It racked up 1.2 million page views.

“BuzzFeed, the Ad Model for the Facebook Era?” — Felix Gillette, Bloomberg Businessweek

See also: “Can CollegeHumor’s Ricky Van Veen Turn Viral Funny into the Future of TV?” — Adam Sternbergh, New York magazine, Dec. 13, 2010

Introducing Travelreads: The Best Storytelling for the Best Places in the World, Presented by Virgin Atlantic

One of the coolest things about Longreads is when someone tweets: 

“I’m at the airport about to fly to San Francisco / New York / London / India / Argentina. I need some #Longreads for the trip.” 

This got us thinking: What if we started gathering the best #longreads for every destination in the world? 

It’s a big job, so we might as well start now. Today we’re announcing the launch of Travelreads, a new channel curated by Longreads and presented by Virgin Atlantic to help you find and share the best stories about the best places in the world. 

You can find Travelreads at Longreads.com/travelreads, and you can find our curated picks on Twitter and Facebook. Share your favorite stories by tagging them #travelreads, and tell us where you want to go next. 

We couldn’t be more thrilled to team up with Virgin Atlantic for this new endeavor. 

For those interested in the business side of this: With Travelreads, we’re creating a sponsorship model that serves both the Longreads community and Virgin Atlantic’s community, by doing what we do best—providing a service that finds the best stuff on the web and links directly to the original publishers’ work, on Twitter, on Facebook, and on Longreads.com. We think this approach works well for everyone in our community. 

If you’re a brand and would like to work with Longreads, here’s more information on the services we provide. You can also drop a note to Joyce King Thomas, director of brand partnerships for Longreads. 

[Not single-page] Sara Blakely went from auditioning to play Goofy at Disney World to founding an undergarment empire: Spanx. She still owns 100% equity in the company, making her the youngest female billionaire at age 41:

Like many startups, Spanx began life as an answer to an irritating problem. The panty hose Blakely was forced to wear at both Disney and Danka were uncomfortable and old-fashioned. “It’s Florida, it’s hot, I was carrying fax machines,” she says. She hated the way the seamed foot stuck out of an open-toe sandal or kitten heel. But she noticed that the control-top eliminated panty lines and made her tiny body look even firmer. She’d bought a new pair of cream slacks for $78 at Arden B and was keen to wear them to a party. “I cut the feet off my pantyhose and wore them underneath,” she says. “But they rolled up my legs all night. I remember thinking, ‘I’ve got to figure out how to make this.’ I’d never worked in fashion or retail. I just needed an undergarment that didn’t exist.”

“Undercover Billionaire: Sara Blakely Joins The Rich List Thanks To Spanx.” — Clare O’Connor, Forbes

See also: “The Billionaire King of Techtopia.” — Jonathan Miles, Details, Aug. 23, 2011

Inside CEO Dick Costolo’s efforts to perfect the company’s revenue model and compete with Google and Facebook for ad dollars:

Twitter still makes money with licensing deals—Microsoft pays to get a real-time feed of tweets for its search engine, Bing. But Costolo firmly established the company’s primary identity as a communications tool that lets advertisers contribute content along with other users free of charge—and then pay extra to make their messages more prominent. The centerpiece of Twitter’s plans, what Costolo calls “the atomic unit of our ad strategy,” is the “promoted tweet,” a message from an advertiser that appears near the top of a user’s feed. Advertisers pay only when a user “engages” with the tweet—retweets it, say, or clicks on a link. The more people click on an ad, the more the ad appears. Twitter executives trumpet an engagement rate of 3 percent to 5 percent, compared with less than 0.5 percent for normal banner ads.

“Twitter, the Startup That Wouldn’t Die.” — Brad Stone, Bloomberg Businessweek

See more #longreads about Twitter

Twitter, the Startup That Wouldn’t Die

Longreads Pick

Inside CEO Dick Costolo’s efforts to perfect the company’s revenue model and compete with Google and Facebook for ad dollars:

“Twitter still makes money with licensing deals—Microsoft pays to get a real-time feed of tweets for its search engine, Bing. But Costolo firmly established the company’s primary identity as a communications tool that lets advertisers contribute content along with other users free of charge—and then pay extra to make their messages more prominent. The centerpiece of Twitter’s plans, what Costolo calls ‘the atomic unit of our ad strategy,’ is the ‘promoted tweet,’ a message from an advertiser that appears near the top of a user’s feed. Advertisers pay only when a user ‘engages’ with the tweet—retweets it, say, or clicks on a link. The more people click on an ad, the more the ad appears. Twitter executives trumpet an engagement rate of 3 percent to 5 percent, compared with less than 0.5 percent for normal banner ads.”

Author: Brad Stone
Source: Businessweek
Published: Mar 2, 2012
Length: 12 minutes (3,172 words)

Reading List for 'Uncovering the Cover Story' with Longreads and The New Republic

Reminder! We’ll be in D.C. next Wednesday, Feb. 29 for a special night with The New Republic at Busboys and Poets. It’s a free event, and you can RSVP on the Longreads Facebook page. 

“Uncovering the Cover Story” will feature The New Republic’s Rachel Morris, Eliza Gray, Alec MacGillis, Timothy Noah and Editor Richard Just.

Want some #longreads to check out beforehand? Here’s a reading list: 

• Eliza Gray, Assistant Editor: “The Collector.”

• Alec MacGillis, Senior Editor: “The Guy Who Fires You: What voters really think about Romney’s wealth.” and “Temperamental Journey: The peculiar anger of Mitt Romney.”

• Timothy Noah, Senior Editor and TRB columnist: “The Mobility Myth: Why everyone overestimates American equality of opportunity.”

More than 100 police officers from 18 different agencies accessed the driver’s license records of Rasmussen, a former officer. She’s now suing for invasion of privacy:

Rasmusson’s lawsuit, which will be filed in the coming weeks, alleges that not only was her privacy compromised, but that her story is merely a symptom of a larger culture of data abuse by police. Her attorneys charge that while police are trained to use the driver’s license database for official purposes only, in reality it’s more like a Facebook for cops.

The agencies involved have maintained that this is an isolated incident. But one officer, who would not use his name for fear of further discipline, says that the practice is commonplace.

“I get Anne’s side of it,” he says. “But every single cop in the state has done this. Chiefs on down.”

“Is Anne Marie Rasmusson Too Hot to Have a Driver’s License?” — Jessica Lussenhop, City Pages

See also: “The Web Means the End of Forgetting.” — Jeffrey Rosen, New York Times, July 21, 2010

Is Anne Marie Rasmusson Too Hot to Have a Driver’s License?

Longreads Pick

More than 100 police officers from 18 different agencies accessed the driver’s license records of Rasmusson, a former officer. She’s now suing for invasion of privacy:

“Rasmusson’s lawsuit, which will be filed in the coming weeks, alleges that not only was her privacy compromised, but that her story is merely a symptom of a larger culture of data abuse by police. Her attorneys charge that while police are trained to use the driver’s license database for official purposes only, in reality it’s more like a Facebook for cops.

“The agencies involved have maintained that this is an isolated incident. But one officer, who would not use his name for fear of further discipline, says that the practice is commonplace.

“‘I get Anne’s side of it,’ he says. ‘But every single cop in the state has done this. Chiefs on down.'”

Source: City Pages
Published: Feb 22, 2012
Length: 11 minutes (2,956 words)

Coming Wednesday, Feb. 29!

The New Republic and Longreads present: “Uncovering the Cover Story,” featuring Rachel Morris, Eliza Gray, Alec MacGillis, Timothy Noah, and The New Republic Editor Richard Just.

Busboys & Poets

Washington, D.C., 7 p.m., Free

RSVP on our Facebook Event page