The Onion Counters Hack, Twitter’s Media Power, 9 Predictions

The Strategist picks the day’s most interesting stories for the content aficionados who love the backstory and reading between the lines. Here are the gems you need to kickstart your Monday:

Why the Onion Is Awesome for Publishing Details of Its Twitter Hack (AllThingsD)
By now, you’ve probably heard that the Onion’s Twitter account was hijacked by a Syrian hacker group last week. What did they do about it? Leverage the attack as a public service opportunity.

In a detailed post, the website’s tech team released a thorough report on how the attack happened. In a world where most companies keep their vulnerabilities quiet, the Onion owned it in a way that helps the public at large. That’s awesome.

News Flash: Twitter doesn’t Have to Hire Journalists to Be a Powerful Media Competitor (PaidContent)
There’s no question that Twitter is a powerful media entity. The key value proposition? Communication and distribution — not journalism.

So what happens when Twitter posts a req for ‘head of news?’ Twitter says it’s not a media operation but has become a powerful counterpart in journalism. The argument of this article is that Twitter is a media partner but also a competitor.

What Happens Next in Media? 9 Predictions (AdAge)
Key highlights: Larry Page will rethink privacy settings, conspiracy theorists will launch countless websites and forums to try to fixate on Obama’s HuffPo use, and the next generation of Groupon will make its debut for “frictionless” shopping.

 Email and Social Media: Why Marketers Need Both (Social Media Examiner)
If you’re not coupling your social media and email marketing efforts, you may be missing out on customer acquisition.

It all comes down to retention. The key claim is that it’s easier to convert users via email than social. You need to move your most active social users to email. Here’s how.