Written by Gregory Manning on May 25, 2022
Facebook’s Messenger ads are bad and must be destroyed
Tech IndustryWhen Facebook removed messages from the main app, I swore then and there that I would never download Messenger . That’s been a pretty easy promise to keep, especially since they introduced the lovely idea of enormous ads that take up half your screen while you try to use the service. Today Facebook redesigned them
Written by Gregory Manning on May 21, 2022
Uber’s reported IPO filing puts it in same lane as Lyft
Tech IndustryOne day after Lyft submitted paperwork to the Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering, Uber sent in its own confidential filing, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing ‘people familiar with the matter.’ The move puts Uber and Lyft in a race to Wall Street, an indication that both companies expect investors
Written by Gregory Manning on May 19, 2022
Google walkout was ‘unprecedented.’ It could prompt more tech protests
Tech IndustryAt Google offices around the world earlier this week, employees gathered en masse for the Google walkout, a coordinated demonstration to protest the company’s handling of sexual harassment allegations against some key executives. At one point at the search giant’s global headquarters in Mountain View, California, thousands of Google employees streamed onto campus, through a
Written by Gregory Manning on May 13, 2022
Instagram Stories hits 150M daily users, launches skippable ads
Tech IndustryInstagram Stories now has as many users as the last number announced by Snapchat, the app Instagram copied. And it’s swiftly moving to monetize that massive audience. Along with the new 150 million daily user stat, Instagram today announced the launch of ads mixed into Stories. The unclickable five-second photo and 15-second video ads appear
Written by Gregory Manning on May 5, 2022
Zuck Says Ads Aren’t The Way To Monetize Messaging, WhatsApp Will Prioritize Growth Not Subscriptions
Tech IndustryFacebook won’t be throwing its advertising weight behind its new acquisition WhatsApp like it did with Instagram. But WhatsApp also won’t be focusing on rolling out the $1 a year subscription fee it currently charges in some countries. Instead, with the financial security Facebook brings, it will dedicate itself to growth. Monetization was the big
Written by Gregory Manning on April 27, 2022
Twitter’s Custom Emojis Make Their Debut As An Ad Unit With #ShareACoke
Tech IndustryA few months ago, I wondered out loud if Twitter was missing the boat by not charging for its custom emojis. I mean, brands want to spend money on ads. I bet they’re salivating over having their own custom emoji on the platform. Wonder no more. Coke has gotten its own custom emoji (previously called
Written by Gregory Manning on April 19, 2022
Amazon Moments lets developers reward customers with actual gifts, not just virtual ones
Tech IndustryApp and web developers are always trying to figure out better ways of keeping their users engaged on their platforms for longer. Today, Amazon is launching a service that it hopes those developers will use to do just that. Amazon Moments — as it is called — will let developers create actions — “moments” —
Written by Gregory Manning on April 17, 2022
Playstation Shoot by LA Photographer RJ Shaughnessy
Tech IndustryIrrepressible LA photographer R.J. Shaugnessy shot this sequence of images in his trademark energetic West Coast documentary style for Sony PlayStation.
Shaugnessy has photographed successful campaigns for brands such as Adidas, Nike and Vans. His work has been seen in the pages of magazines like Fader, Vice and Self Service, and in three published books including
Written by Gregory Manning on April 10, 2022
In Mobile Ads, iOS Is Still The Most Valuable Platform; Apps Drive 73% Of All Revenues, Says Opera
Tech IndustryWe’re seeing a lot of evolution and growth in the world of mobile ads — Facebook’s recent introduction of ads into its mobile platform being one key development — but some stats are proving harder to budge. The internet browser company Opera today released its latest State of Mobile Advertising report, which indicates that, despite the
Written by Gregory Manning on April 9, 2022
Facebook Beats Estimates In Q4 With $3.85B Revenue, User Growth Up To 3.2% QOQ To Hit 1.39B
Tech IndustryFacebook beat the street’s estimates for the 10th straight quarter in Q4 2014. It now has 1.393 billion users, up 3.18% quarter over quarter, which was a little faster than Q3’s 2.2% but slower than Q2’s 3.125%. The company brought in $0.54 EPS on $3.85 billion in revenue. Mobile made up 69% of ad revenue
