Newstex Blog
For many content creators, Facebook is an invaluable tool in their marketing arsenal. Consequently, there’s a good chance they’ll need to use Facebook’s brand assets at some point. This post will provide some tips on how to use them properly.
The other day, a colleague of mine was telling me about a conversation he had with a friend who works in higher education. She lamented the fact that more and more of her students are turning to AI for help with their assignments. Unfortunately, their use is often highly problematic. Sometimes, they’re simply too trusting, resulting in work that’s riddled with misinformation. But in other cases, they’re passing AI-generated content off as their own material. It doesn’t help that the world of AI is a lot like the Wild West at the moment. In a world where formal restrictions are few and far between, it’s up to individual creators to ensure that they’re using AI in an ethical manner.
You’ve written something you want to get in front of readers. Now what? If you don’t have any experience with content distribution, that is likely exactly what you’re asking yourself, “Now what?” You’ve devoted time and effort towards what you expect people want, maybe even need, to read. But how do you find an audience and what sort of magic do you need to weave to get it posted where they will see it? People have a passion project or possess expert knowledge that is just begging for an avid readership, but the process of disseminating content where people will read it can often elude even the most astute. Not anymore.
In my recent post about algorithms, I noted how they’ve helped create new genres of content, from the Let’s Play videos that turn gaming into a spectator sport to the beauty blogs that transform makeup enthusiasts into trendsetters. In this blog post, I’ll delve into the evolution of these genres and look at how they’ve redefined creativity and community in the digital age.
The other day, a friend was telling me about the new Lego kit he purchased. According to their website, the Hogwarts™ Castle Owlery is “the best kids’ toy to recreate the scene at the Owlery where Harry Potter™ invites Cho Chang™ to the Yule Ball, and more.” You probably noticed the three ™ symbols after the various proper names. With its cousin ®, it’s a ubiquitous part of our lives. But these symbols aren’t just ornaments, and there are rules governing their use. Think of this post as a field guide to these little heralds of intellectual property.
The other day, a colleague told me about a YouTuber called WilliamSRD who recently informed his audience that he was in a predicament. He’d recently uploaded a video about a VR game called Wraith: The Oblivion - Afterlife, and while it was well received by his viewers, YouTube unexpectedly decided to slap it with the ‘age restricted’ label. Their rationale for doing so wasn’t entirely clear. The video wasn’t graphic or offensive, but the game’s setting did have some very dark themes. This put the creator in a bind. If he left the video unaltered it would likely be doomed to languish in the backwater of YouTube–the algorithm doesn’t like age-restricted content, after all. But if he went ahead and scrubbed anything remotely controversial, he’d arguably be disrespecting the source material. It would be like doing a video about Jurassic Park without mentioning any dinosaur attacks.
Around 1589, an English clergyman named William Lee asked Queen Elizabeth I for a patent. He’d invented a machine that could knit stockings, and he was eager to have the royal seal of approval. But when she saw Lee’s device, the Monarch is said to have replied “thou aimest high, Master Lee. Consider thou what this invention could do to my poor subjects. It would assuredly bring to them ruin by depriving them of employment, thus making them beggars.”
Content syndication platforms republish your content on third-party sites, broadening audience reach and brand exposure while enhancing SEO through backlinks. Choosing the right platforms is crucial. This guide outlines the best options in 2024, including general audience platforms, B2B/professional sites, precise targeting capabilities, and authoritative content distribution networks. It covers optimizing syndicated content through format flexibility, keyword integration, clear calls-to-action, and internal linking strategies. Maintaining SEO integrity, tracking performance, and navigating potential pitfalls like content saturation are also addressed. Leveraging content syndication effectively ensures your content reaches a wider audience and significantly contributes to your digital presence.
YouTube recently wanted me to watch a video about the ancient Egyptian bureaucrat-turned-demigod Imhotep. I knew it was going to be a hot mess from the thumbnail alone. Obviously AI-generated, it made poor Imhotep look like he’d just visited the face-painting booth at the county fair. The actual content, such as it was, featured an artificial voice reading out nonsensical statements like “Imhotep lived in the ancient Egyptian period 267 BCE AD 648” (he actually lived around the 27th century BCE). Unfortunately, schlock like this has become all too common as many creators try to churn out as much content as possible with the least amount of effort. But while the Imhotep video was just cringy, there is a darker side to low-effort content. YouTuber Harry Brewis (aka hbomberguy) recently put out a four-hour video exploring the increasing prevalence of plagiarized content on the platform.
The other day I stumbled upon an interview that POLITICO did with Fr. Paolo Benanti, a Franciscan friar who advises Pope Francis on matters related to artificial intelligence. Until I read that article, I had no idea that the Vatican was paying such close attention to AI. But I’m glad they do because they can offer a unique and valuable perspective that’s often overlooked. Benanti’s core argument is that we need to have “human-centric” AI that operates within carefully prescribed limits. As he told POLITICO, “[s]ome people treat AIs like idols, like oracles, like demigods. The risk is that they delegate critical thinking and decisional power to these machines.”
I recently stumbled upon a video about all the YouTubers who are either quitting the platform entirely, taking an extended hiatus, or pivoting to different types of content. This includes creators like Tom Scott, Matthew Patrick (aka MatPat) of The Game Theorists, and Jordan Maron of Captain Sparklez. While they straddle many different niches, they’ve all been wildly successful–many of them have subscriber counts in the millions. But they’ve ultimately decided that it’s time to move on. But what caught my attention was the fact that many of them said they simply didn’t enjoy the act of creating content like they used to. Or in the words of MatPat, “I miss the days where I could just sit down on the couch with her and play video games and it's not for content, or I'm playing a game and I'm not thinking about what theories are gonna come out of that. I miss it.” This hints at an unpalatable truth of life as a creator: no matter how much you enjoy making your content, that doesn’t mean you’ll live happily ever after.
Last month, I talked about how I came up with my personal brand as a specialist blogger. Today, I’ll be talking about what it’s like to live with that decision. Identifying your brand is only the first step in the process. You need to sustain your brand on a day-to-day basis. This can be challenging when we’re constantly bombarded with unfiltered content, from eccentric relatives ranting about fringe political theories to celebrities who seem determined to prove that they have more money than sense. But if you’re looking to make a name for yourself as an authoritative content creator, you’d be well advised to resist the urge to share whatever crosses your mind and stick to the brand you’ve chosen for yourself.
