How to Spend a Billion-Plus on User-Generated Content, Google Edition (AllThingsD)
By now, you’ve probably heard that that Tumblr is now a part of Yahoo’s family of companies.

This article by Peter Kafka points out a key observation that the Yahoo-Tumblr deal closely resembles a high-profile integration from back in 2006  — Google and YouTube. Here’s a comparative then-and-now style look into financials, user acquisition, and year-over-year growth.

Viral Video Recap: Must-Watch Memes of the Week (Mashable)
Have a case of the Mondays? It’s all good.

Luckily, you work in the digital media industry where brain breaks are the equivalent of market research. Here’s a must-read story that you can ‘study’ away.

The Evolution of Hacker News (TechCrunch)
With so many media channels covering startup and tech, is there really room for another? Y Combinator seemed to think so. YC built Hacker News as a demonstration of a programming language that he was building.

All of a sudden, the platform evolved into a community — which is now responsible for generating 1.6 million pageviews and 200,000 unique visitors on any given day (engagement + user pull mechanism = awesome). Here’s a story that will have you ready to build a community around your brand — especially if you’ve been worried about the competition.

Content Marketing’s Got a Quality Problem (Digiday)
The vision of content marketing is that the tool presents a highly engaging and user-friendly path to sales.

The problem is that ‘quality’ is in the eye of the beholder. Here’s Jack Marshall’s take on the ever-pervasive content quality problem.

The Content Strategist is a daily magazine for forward-thinking publishers and content marketers, sponsored and created by Contently

Dislike: How Not to Treat Your Customers on Facebook (Inc)
Social media positions customer service as the heart and soul of your organization. Don’t muck it up.

The Internet is literally all-knowing, and if you’re slacking off, the community at large will know, and guess what? You’ll lose business. Here are key mistakes from one company’s blunders.

Let’s Talk about that 500 Startups Video (TechCrunch)
CEOs, marketers, and money-makers: listen up. If you mean business, you need to unwind. Be human, be hilarious, and don’t be afraid to put yourself ‘out there.’

The public at large will love you for it, as this 500 Startups video showcases.  Remember that behind great brand strategies are exceptionally awesome people.

Twitter Buys Another Analytical Startup (The Verge)
Online, conversations happen fast. That’s why Luckysort developed a product called TopicWatch, a text-mining application that pinpoints patterns in volumes of text data.

Twitter thinks that this technology is exactly what they need to help advertisers target users in real-time. Here’s one way that data overload is actually an information gold mine.

“Remember to Buy Milk”: Sends Texts Triggered by Location with LocoText (Tech Cocktail)
The digital and physical worlds are blurring. The culprit? Mobile.

Connections are infite and data is boundless. Here’s a geo-communications app that is mashing together two beautiful art forms: SMS and GPS for a new way to send messages.

Image courtesy of sofiabudapest/flickr

The Content Strategist is a daily magazine for forward-thinking publishers and content marketers, sponsored and created by Contently

The Truth About Reddit (AdAge)
Is Reddit a part of your content strategy? Here’s why you can’t ignore this platform.

Reddit’s foundational to mainstream media, highly engaging, and extremely human.

This Ad Has a Secret Anti-Abuse Message that Only Kids Can See (Gizmodo)
Spanish organization Aid to Children and Adolescents at Risk Foundation (ANAR) has created a safe and secret way for abused children to seek out help.

An adult looking at the ad sees an image of a sad child, but anyone shorter than four feet, five inches tall sees a bruised face with a helpline number. The ad’s goal is to empower kids, especially if they’re with their abusers.

Want a Job at Gawker Media? You Can Get a Head Start by Being a Regular Commenter (PaidContent)
Want to find awesome team members? Look for job applicants who are passionate about your company’s content.

It’s one of the most powerful ways to add value to your company’s community. But don’t forget about the lurkers – they’re awesome too.

About.com’s New CEO on How to Stay Relevant (Techcrunch)
About.com has 84 million unique visitors each month, but the website is rarely in the media’s public eye.

It’s about time that the company underwent some change – and with direction from the company’s CEO Neil Vogel, they will. The company’s key objectives? User experience, mobile, and social.

The Content Strategist is a daily magazine for forward-thinking publishers and content marketers, sponsored and created by Contently

Personalizing Health Online: Where Can You Go for Medical Information that Matches You? (GigaOm)

Americans rely on the Internet to self-direct their healthcare. The problem with online resources, however, is that there’s a huge disconnect with personalized experiences.

The human body is a complex thing, and your unique health history is a key influencer in the validity of what you’re researching online. That’s why HealthTap has created a robust content tagging framework. The moral of the story? Personalization is highly actionable.

Facebook Adds Weather Forecasts to Events and Public Places to Show Useful Info Where People Need It (Techcrunch)
As smart people say, it’s the simple decisions that oftentimes yield the most profound results.

To this end, Facebook has taken yet another step in positioning itself as a powerful event management tool. Its secret weapon? Integration of weather data.

8 Ways to Execute Your Brand’s Story Online (Mashable)
Amazing stories are essential to virtually all multimedia platforms. Think about it — what do your favorite books, blog posts, movies, and television shoes have in common? Compelling narratives.

To tell an amazing story, you need to rise above the status quo, provide a back-stage tour, and explore a range of interactive solutions. Most importantly, it’s integral that you tell your story from where it counts — your heart.

Meet the Most Suspect Publishers on the Web (Ad Week)
Ghost sites. We all know them. They’re the sites with unusually high traffic numbers but surprisingly low human presence.

And yet, advertisers pay a lot of money for exposure through these channels. What’s up with that?

The Content Strategist is a daily magazine for forward-thinking publishers and content marketers, sponsored and created by Contently

Buzzkill: Coca-Cola Finds No Sales Lift from Online Chatter (Ad Age)
According to a new study by Coca-Cola, there is no correlation between buzz and online sales. Coming from one of the biggest brand marketers in the world — the revelation is stunning.

According to the company’s senior manager of marketing strategy and insights, however, the study excludes other aspects of social media (sharing and video views) that could have more tangible value. It’s definitely possible that this buzzkill is only buzz.

Cheezburger’s Ben Huh on Why Founders and Companies Should Be More Funny (TechCrunch)
Why so serious, marketers? Humor is one of the best way to engage audiences on an emotional level.

It’s one of the key strategies for gaining a competitive edge in the business world — where everybody’s well, getting down to business.

Pushing Editorial Into World of Apps (WSJ)
A small startup called 29th Street Publishing has a big vision to transform the world of magazine publishing — and they’re taking an app by app approach.

The New York-based company is aiming to streamline the process of subscription revenue. It’s an invaluable way to support writers, says the company’s co-founder Blake Eskin.

Miller Lite Gives You Friends with Benefits (Ad Week)
What’s the best way to make an ad more interesting? That’s easy — just add some interesting people to it.

The celebrity approach need not be over-the-top. It’s amazing what tone you can convey with a group of down to earth famous people. That’s the premise of ‘Miller Time’ — a simple equation of down to earth dudes who want to hang out and have fun.

Image courtesy of slgckgc/flickr

The Content Strategist is a daily magazine for forward-thinking publishers and content marketers, sponsored and created by Contently

Then, there’s the question of value. Can Quora yield an effect that’s directly translatable into the language of business — that is, revenue and sales?

“Quora has brand marketing value because it can help brands and experts generate thought leadership and expertise in their given field,” explains Freya Waldern, a PR professional with a background in fashion, tech, and video for both consumer and enterprise organizations.

Then there’s the other end of the spectrum and the typical answer to the question — ‘What the best use of Quora good for ?’

“Procrastination,” says professional author, political consultant, and Daily Stag Hunt co-owner Patrick Atwater.

Quora and the Content Ecosystem

But if you’re not participating in the discussion, you’re at a potential disadvantage.

Content marketers may be surprised to learn that top Quora answers drive massive viewership numbers.

“Quora tells me active writers get over 30,000 monthly views and 350,000 annual values,” wrote Josh Constine for Techcrunch. “Its most hardcore contributors can get over 1 million views a year, and most great answers go viral and get tens of thousands of reads.”

That’s a big reason why Quora evolved its platform by launching a blogging platform. As of late January, Quora users can create blogs and posts within them.

“Authors can tag their posts or entire blogs with any of Quora’s 300,000 topics that are relevant to their content,” says Constine.

A natural next step is the ability to drive traffic back to your website. But will content marketing actually have a clear place in this ecosystem? Atwater has already jumped in and given the process a go, however, he’s still working on cultivating an effective audience development strategy.

“We’ve already carried over a Quora blog from the old boards program,” he says. “We’re still trying to figure out how to best integrate that venue with our existing Daily Stag Hunt website.”

Content that Transcends Traffic

Quora’s core value proposition is that it is not a sales tool or traffic-driving machine. The platform is, at is heart, a trustworthy place to exchange knowledge. If you start beating people over the head with an aggressive marketing message, you won’t be met with open arms. Your content will instead, be downvoted into total obscurity.

“Quora weighs thoughtful, considerate, and valid responses much higher than vapid, salesy plugs,” Waldern says.

It’s that dynamic that might be scaring marketers away, she suggests. “These types of responses require more time and energy to think through and thus contribution is not as widespread.”

But if you’re not participating in the discussion, you’re at a potential disadvantage.

“Businesses miss out if their competition responds to questions pertaining to their space because they gain name-brand recognition and could be considered more expert than those companies that don’t respond,” Waldern says.

Think Like a Leader, Not a Marketer

To succeed on Quora, you need to think past your content marketing agenda to zero in on personal connections, intelligent dialogue, and valuable information.

“I use Quora mostly to follow topics and people of interest both personally and professionally,” Waldern says.

Will content marketing actually have a clear place in this ecosystem?

It’s especially powerful in bridging connections with new audiences.

“Quora’s exposed me to fascinating thinkers I wouldn’t have found otherwise, like Venkatesh Rao,” explains Atwater.

Stop trying to sell, and start focusing on leading, influencing, and connecting instead. That in a nutshell, is how you’ll make Quora work for your brand.

The Content Strategist is a daily magazine for forward-thinking publishers and content marketers, sponsored and created by Contently

Inside the New York Times’ Web Redesign (The Verge)
It’s hard to believe that the NYT’s last redesign was in 2006 (when smartphones barely existed).

Earlier this week, the company announced that it will be overhauling its web presence across platforms with changes to be released this fall. Currently, previews are invite-only, but the Verge managed to get a sneak peak.

In efforts to improve user experience, pagination is going to go — all articles will be on one single page. There is also a push to make user experience between app and web platforms more continuous.

Google Reader’s Death Is Proof that RSS Always Suffered from a Lack of Consumer Appeal (TechCrunch)
If you haven’t heard, Google Reader will be shutting down later this week. Writer Drew Olanoff makes the bold claim that RSS is geek-only technology. Sure, it was functional in its ability to streamline all of your reading material into one place.

But was it sexy? The truth is that online media is just as much entertainment-driven as it is efficient and functional. Aesthetics count — people aren’t machines. RSS might be great technology for data communication, but it may fall short in connecting with human eyes.

Media Spot Me Launches to Connect Experts with Journalists Looking for Sources (BetaKit)
Thanks to technology, the distance between journalists and their sources is getting shorter. Media Spot Me is a new platform to help give journalists a quick way to research and access experts in specific fields.

It’s always a struggle to connect with the right people, and this company is leveraging social networking technology to solve that pain point.

The Content Strategist is a daily magazine for forward-thinking publishers and content marketers, sponsored and created by Contently

Whether you’re a chatterbox or lurker, there’s a niche on Quora for you. Beyond its entertainment value, Quora is a powerful audience building tool.

“Quora tells me active writers get over 30,000 monthly views and 350,000 annual views,” wrote Josh Constine of TechCrunch. “Its most hardcore contributors can get over 1 million views a year, and most great answers go viral and get tens of thousands of reads.”

Content marketers, you should have started using Quora yesterday. Here are eight discussions that you should start following now:

1. What is the difference between content strategy and content marketing?

If you are confused about this topic, here are six discussions to help you out. You could think of content marketing as the ‘what’ and content strategy as the ‘how.’

You can also think of content strategy as having both product and marketing components. Aligning your audience with your business objectives is integral to your content strategy – from which, marketing may emerge as the process.

2. How do you do content marketing without content?

You don’t! Just kidding. For some businesses, you can purchase a simple fact sheet. You can also find free, government content to promote.

Your best bet, however, is to hire a writer to help you out.

3. Should brands invest in content driven communities?

This discussion sounds fascinating, right? So you’ll be surprised to see that there are only two answers.

This is a great opportunity to chime in and bring some exposure to your own website.

4. Is good content more gift than science? What are the key elements of good content? 

Believe it or not, there is actual forethought that goes into the process of crafting a powerful story. There’s a psychological dimension as well as a strong language component.

Without a doubt, the ability to write is a true gift. But there’s definitely more to it than creativity, according to this discussion.

5. What companies have the best corporate blogs?

If you’re looking for some great examples to model, these examples will get you started. There are more than 20 on this list, so happy browsing.

6. How can social media tools help develop corporate innovation capabilities?

Social media is one of the most important ways that companies can improve their reach and products.

The technology marks a transition from corporate-led development to customer-led development, according to one Quoran in this thread. At is heart, social media is collaborative and communication driven.

7. What are the best strategies to gain traffic to a blog?

This discussion is crucial for website owners who are looking to launch a blog for the first time.

Make sure to pay attention to your headlines, and make sure to join conversations around the Internet. Make sure to create high quality content to generate incoming links. Keep in mind, however, that it’s not traffic that you necessarily want — your top goal is to build an engaged audience.

8. What are the best ways to overcome writer’s block?

Here are some highlights from the discussion: practice your writing, write in your own voice, and learn to type quickly.

Ask lots of questions, brainstorm ahead of time, or have a beer. You can always edit tomorrow morning.

The Content Strategist is a daily magazine for forward-thinking publishers and content marketers, sponsored and created by Contently

StumbleUpon Layoffs

Bad news for StumbleUpon: According to SocialTimes, the company recently laid off 30 percent of its workers. The rising popularity of Facebook and Pinterest caused referrals to fall by more than 50 percent in 2012.

Mike Mayzel, spokesman for StumbleUpon said, “As a result of these changes, the company will be profitable and will operate more quickly and efficiently and experiment more aggressively.”

Hunter Boots’ Facebook App for Photos

According to Lisa Lacy of ClickZ, Hunter Boots’ new Facebook app, Together Through Any Weather, encourages fans to create and upload photos based on the daily weather theme on the page.

Every day, one person will win a prize through January. We Are Social, which came up with the campaign, did so to “raise awareness of the brand at the time of year when many countries experience their most extreme weather conditions, as well as to drive engagement levels within the brand’s Facebook community.”

Don’t Make Grammar Mistakes 

WriteToDone reports on the pitfalls of grammar mistakes in online content.

Writers need to be clear and careful about grammar mistakes because “you’re asking readers to travel down your road to get to their destination: information, inspiration, and instructions. You want that road clearly marked so readers know where to turn, when to stop, how fast to go, and what’s up ahead. That’s why rules of written grammar are standardized like road signs. It’s why they’re important. And it’s why you need to use them.”

Building the Trust with Content

CopyBlogger’s Georgina El Morshy writes about what it takes to get known online, build likability, and foster trust.

Content producers need to know whom they are talking to, create the content that the target audience wants to consumer, and forge relationships with key influencers. To be liked, they need to be authentic, initiate two-way conversations with the audience, and be generous by sharing content and promoting others.

Building trust means apologizing when necessary, offering guarantees, and using case studies to “demonstrate your capability.”

Dennis Kuchinich Joining Fox News

The New York Times reports that former Democratic congressman from Ohio Dennis Kuchinich is joining Fox News as a contributor. On Thursday, he will make his first appearance on the network on “The O’Reilly Factor.”

Of his new position, he said, “Through 16 years in Congress and two presidential campaigns, Fox News has always provided me with an opportunity to share my perspective with its enormous viewership. … I look forward to a continuation of our relationship, this time as a Fox News contributor.”

Free Image Editing Online

Business2Community’s Lauren Barraco posted a roundup of the best free tools online to edit photos.

There is Pixlr, which includes an advanced, express, and Instagram-type option, and Paint.net, which “features layers, painting and drawing tools, special effects, unlimited undo history, and levels adjustments.”

Picassa is offered by Google, and allows for cropping, special effects, and basic color correction.

Crowdsourced Ad for Dundler Mifflin 

Yes, it’s a real company. Based on “The Office,” Dundler Mifflin, which produces paper products, tissues, notepads, markers, and other products, is looking for a crowdsourced ad to play during the Super Bowl on TV sets in Scranton, Penn.

The winner of the project will win $15,000. This is going to be the first TV ad for the business.

The Content Strategist is a daily magazine for forward-thinking publishers and content marketers, sponsored and created by Contently

Brands creating content these days often steal a few tricks from features journalism to tell stories. Even more commonly, brands hire former journalists to run content marketing initiatives.

For journalists, how do the two tasks compare?

Some traditionally trained journalists say they worry that articles or blog posts seem less trustworthy if the content is produced by a brand, but in practice that tends to not be the case.

Brands such as Birchbox and Behance have created editorial destinations that are utility driven and meet the readers’ needs the same way features writing always has.

The Content Strategist talked to Sean Blanda, associate editor and producer at Behance, about his experience moving from journalism to developing content for a brand, and the similarities and differences in each.

The Content Strategist: How did you get into brand content and what did you do before?

Blanda: Before this, I was in Philadelphia working on a company I started with two friends of mine called Technically Philly – it’s kind of the TechCrunch for Philadelphia.

We covered startups, entrepreneurs and venture capital, but out of that, one of the ways we made money in the early days, was with what people now call content marketing for brands.

The more I immersed myself in it the more I realized that features journalism — not like hard news, political reporting, investigative journalism — but features writing for the features section, or the style section, that kind of journalism and content marketing are not that dissimilar. They have a lot to learn from each other. I felt the skills readily transferred between each one and was kind of excited, I saw this whole untapped universe of brands not really being met.

In respect to content, what are your goals at Behance?

Blanda: The goals with content is primarily executed through 99U, which is a conference and a blog we run. The tagline is making ideas happen — we get enough inspiration every day but how do we put our nose to the grindstone and crank out all the great work we can do.

The blog is to kind of motivate and get people to that message and hopefully they’ll buy a notebook, or attend a conference, or join the Behance network. It’s another way for people to get sucked into the Behance universe.

How is what you do now similar to journalism, and how is it different?

Blanda: I don’t view what we do at 99U as that dissimilar to features journalism. So, like reaching out to people, interviewing them, getting the takeaway, its just like service journalism, finding ways to help our readers. Instead of selling subscriptions, we’re selling conference tickets.

The only different is we play a small role in also trying to monetize the things we do. In a traditional old school journalism environment that didn’t happen.

[At Technically Philly,] I acted as a publisher, publisher writer and editor all rolled into one as a necessity. Because you only have a staff of three, it’s hard to do the traditional walled-off gardens that used to exist. So I think nowadays, you’re doing a disservice if you want to create content but you’re not figuring out ways to monetize — in a way that makes sense. Not just ads or a paywall, but what does your audience want that based on your expertise and access you can give them, to make their lives better.

What are the most important skills to succeed in the space right now?

Blanda: You can learn how to write, you an learn how to edit, you can learn how to interview, but the one thing I think that you need in this space is a constant curiosity to try out new ways of reaching your audience and new ways of providing for your audience.

So I think it’s really easy to just say to yourself, I’m a writer, and not really bother yourself with that. I think those kinds of people are going to be left behind really quickly. If you’re not afraid to experiement and try new stuff you’ll eventually end up on top — it might be hard in the beginning, but youll eventually end up on top.

 What’s one thing you’re working on right now?

Blanda: The biggest thing we have coming up is our 99U conference, which is kind of like a lecture series, a bootcamp for creating, to come and really get a butt-kicking in making their ideas happen. So we’re gonna have a few days of speakers and some action classes as well as studio session tours all throughout New York City.

We promote it through the blog all the time. We interview people who have spoken or wil speak on the site, record the lectures, and those are then streamed up on 99u.com so if you got to 99u.com/videos you can see the last three years, I believe.

Any industry-related pet peeves? 

Blanda: A lot of journalists don’t recognize the power your sources have. Sources can make their own platform now, and sources can build an audience way larger than the journalists sometimes. And I think a lot of people aren’t really atuned to that, there’s still a few people catching up.

Think about 37signals, they have their film blog Signal vs. Noise, they have their book series, they talk often at a lot of conferences, but do they really need the attention? Probably not. And I think that’s a rising trend we’re gonna see.

If [journalists] don’t react quickly to that kind of trend they’re going to get left behind. They need to provide value. Before the value of a journalist doing an interview was, Hey I’m going to give you my audience but what happens when your audience is bigger than my audience? Does it matter anymore?

The Content Strategist is a daily magazine for forward-thinking publishers and content marketers, sponsored and created by Contently