Google and Meta Found Exploiting Loopholes to Advertise to Teenagers

According to the Financial Times, Google and Meta had teamed up to boost ads that targeted younger audiences (i.e. underage - between 13 to 17 years). Even though underage based ad targeting is against Google’s rules, it found some loopholes to use ad targeting for young audiences. Google worked on the project to advertise Instagram on YouTube to audiences within the age ranges of 13 to 17 years old.

The Times reports that Google’s staff proposed the idea of advertising to Meta because there is a group of users Google has labeled as “unknown”. Google also told Meta that they get more daily engagements from 13-17 years old than Instagram and TikTok. The report also stated that Google and Meta partnered up with a media agency called Spark Foundry which helped them launch this marketing strategy in Canada between February and April.

As this marketing program was doing good, Meta and Google decided to try it out in the USA in May. There were plans that Google will expand this program in other regions too, along with campaigning for other Meta apps. But Google soon shut down the project after it was contacted by The Times.

When The Times reached Google, the company told the publication that their company prohibits ads being personalized to younger audiences. Google said that it didn't target audiences under 18 directly and only rolled out ads for groups of the audience which were unlabeled. That being said, Google didn't deny using the loopholes for ads on YouTube and only said they are enforcing additional measures to keep advertisers and agencies away from younger audiences on the platform.

Image: DIW-Aigen

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• How to Automatically Post Blog Content on Threads App via RSS Feed Using IFTTT and Buffer (Without Spending A Dollar)
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

How to Automatically Post Blog Content on Threads App via RSS Feed Using IFTTT and Buffer (Without Spending A Dollar)

This step-by-step guide will walk you through setting up an automation system that posts your blog content (or anyone else’s) from an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed to the Meta's Threads app using IFTTT (aka IF This Then That) and Buffer. Perfect for bloggers, content creators, curators, and social media managers, this free method helps you streamline your content distribution effortlessly—no cost, just pure automation magic!

Who Is This Automation For?

• Bloggers: Those who regularly update their blog and want to share new posts on Threads automatically without spending a fortune on simple social sharing.
• Social Media Managers and Curators: Professionals managing multiple social media accounts looking to save time by automating content sharing from multiple sources.
• Content Creators and Small Business Owners: Individuals who produce or consume fresh content and want to maintain an active presence on Threads without manual posting.

Who Is This Automation Not For?

• Non-Technical Users: Individuals who are uncomfortable with setting up automation tools might find this process challenging.
• Those Preferring Manual Control: Users who prefer to manually curate and personalize each post for social media may not benefit from this automation, as this is kind of set it and forget it strategy.

Pros and Cons of This Automation

Pros:

• Time/Money-Saving: Automates repetitive tasks without spending a dollar, freeing up time for other activities.
• Consistency: Ensures your Threads account is regularly updated with new content.
• Broad Reach: Helps in reaching a wider audience by sharing your blog posts on another platform.

Cons:

• Initial Setup: Requires time and effort to set up the automation.
• Limited Customization: Automated posts may lack the personalized touch of manually crafted posts.
• Potential Errors: Automation might fail due to technical glitches, requiring monitoring and troubleshooting.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Setting Up Buffer

1. Sign Up / Login to Buffer:
   • Sign up for Buffer's free plan here. If you are already a user, go to login page.
   • Enter your email and password, then click "Log In".
     
     
     
     
     
2. Add Threads Channel in Buffer app:
   • Once logged in, go Publish tab, navigate to the "Channels" section (from left side of the Page).
   • If Thread is not visible, click on "Show all channels".
   • Select "Connect Threads" from the list of available channels.
     
     
     
     
     
   • Follow the prompts to authorize Buffer to access your Threads account. This will involve logging into your Threads or Instagram account and granting necessary permissions and confirmations, just like below screenshots. (side note: Be sure, your Threads account is open for Public view and not set as Private profile from privacy settings).
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
3. Set Custom Posting Times in Buffer:
   • Go back to the "Publish" tab in Buffer app and you'll see the Threads Channel there.
   • Select your Threads account from the list of connected channels.
   • Click on "Settings" next to your Threads account. And then "Posting Schedule".
     
     
     
     
     
   • Configure the posting schedule by setting the times, hours and days you want your posts to be published. Let's say you are a reader of Digital Information World (DIW) blog and you want to update your Threads feed after every 30 minutes as the RSS feed of DIW gets updated, you'll need to select the Threads channel in Buffer's "Publish" tab, then go to "Settings", and then in the "Posting Schedule" tab, look for the "Add a new posting time" section. Select "Every Day" from the drop down menu and choose a time according to your preferences, for example, if you want to auto-post the content from 12:06 AM and onward, you've to choose 12:06 AM along with "Every Day" in the "Add a new posting time" section and then click on "Add Posting Time" button, this will add just one posting/scheduling time, for more frequent updates, you can add more timings as per your requirement and content calendar. Here is how my posting schedule looks like for your inspiration.
     
     
     
     
   • You can always edit, remove and change these time settings but be sure to have at least two three posting times.

Step 2: Setting Up IFTTT account

1. Login to IFTTT:
   • Go to IFTTT and create a new account with a free plan. You can safely skip the Pro or Pro+ trials. If you already have an account, move to the next step.
   • Go to "Log In" page. Enter your email and password, then click "Sign In".
     
     
     
     
2. Create a New Applet:
   • In you IFTTT dashboard look for Create button, if you could not find it go to this page.
     
     
     
     
   • Click on "Create" and you'll be redirected to a new page (like the below one).
     
     
     
     
   • Click on "If This" or "Add" button. And you'll be redirected to "Choose a service" page.
     
3. Configure RSS Feed Trigger:
   • In the "Choose a service" search box, type "RSS Feed".
   • Select the "RSS Feed" service from the search results.
     
     
     
     
   • You'll be redirected to a new page called "Choose a trigger". On that page choose the "New feed item" trigger.
     
     
     
     
   • Enter your RSS feed URL (that may look something like this https://ift.tt/XhFEnJs or https://ift.tt/fks5otS) and click "Create trigger".
     
     
     
     
     Side note: if you don't know how to find the RSS feed of your or any other website, be sure to read this guide.
     
     
4. Set Up Buffer Connection and Action:
   • Click on "Then That".
     
     
     
     
   • In the "Choose a service" search box, type "Buffer".
     
     
     
     
   • Select the "Buffer" service from the search results.
     
     
     
     
   • Now you will get 2 actions. First, "Add to Buffer", this will post the link thumbnail to your Threads (which often get less user interactions). And second "Add photo to Buffer" action, which will upload a header photo from blog (if there is any in the post, if no this action will produce errors) along with a link in description, (which often gets more engagement from users). Pick your required option and in the next window you'll be asked to connect to your Buffer account with IFTTT. 

Step 3: Connecting IFTTT and Buffer

1. Authorize IFTTT to Access Buffer:
   • During the first time setup of the Buffer action, you will be prompted to authorize IFTTT to access your Buffer account.
   • Follow the authorization steps, which typically involve logging into Buffer and granting permissions to IFTTT.
     
     
     
     
   • Be sure to connect the Threads channels during the Buffer and IFTTT integration for our automation to work properly, That is, when you were asked "Which profile would you like to use with IFTTT?", select Threads from "Your buffer profiles" drop down options and press Update. Now you've to go back to IFTTT creation page (as IFTTT won't take to automatically to the next step).
     
     
     
     
   • The IFTTT page will now be showing the "Complete action fields" page with already added descriptions. If not juts be sure in your Buffer Account section you have your Threads channels connected and in the "Update" box EntryTitle and EntryUrl are appearing that changes into this when you click on them:  , which is how this command works. So leave theme as is and click on Update/Create action. And then click on the Continue button.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
2. Review and Finish:
   • Review the applet settings on IFTTT to ensure everything is configured correctly.
   • Click "Finish" to activate the applet.
     
     

Step 4: Finalize and Test the Automation

1. Test the Setup:
   • Publish a new blog post or update an existing one (with updated current time) to trigger the RSS feed (or if you don't own the blog just wait for them to push new updates).
   • Check Buffer to see if the new post appears in the queue for Threads.
   • Verify that the post is published on Threads at the scheduled time.
2. Monitor and Adjust:
   • Regularly monitor the activity on IFTTT and Buffer to ensure the automation works smoothly.
   • Be sure to turn on "Notify me if this fails to run" from IFTTT My Applets page, in case this automation fails you'll be notified.
     
     
     
     
   • Make adjustments to the posting schedule, post format, or any other settings as needed.

Additional Tips

• Regular Monitoring: Keep an eye on the automation to quickly address any issues that may arise.
• Custom Post Text: Customize the post text in IFTTT to include relevant hashtags, custom message or mentions to increase engagement on Threads.
• Buffer's Analytics: Utilize Buffer's analytics to track the performance of your posts on Threads and adjust your strategy accordingly.
• Short Links: By default Buffer and IFTTT automatically set their Link shortening service to On mode, if you want to turn that off, first go to this page https://ifttt.com/settings and scroll down to "URL shortening" section and turn off "Auto-shoten URLs". Secondly, go to Buffer > Publish Tab > Settings > General > Link Shortening. And here change "buff.ly" to No Shortening.

By following these steps, you can set up a reliable automation system to post your blog content from an RSS feed to the Threads app using IFTTT and Buffer. This ensures that your Threads audience stays engaged with your latest blog updates without requiring manual posting.

If you've any question regarding any step, feel free to ask in the comments or if you want me to set this automation for your blog or profile (and willing to pay me for my time) with your custom needs or want to connect any other social network like LinkedIn then feel free to DM me on X.

Read next: How To Use Google Docs Secret Feature to Detect AI Content Writing

If you are a blogger you might like these tools:

• Slug Generator

• Blog Post Text/Formatting Cleaner - Remove Unwanted HTML Tags

• URL Unshortener Tool

by Unknown via Digital Information World

Facebook Gives Creators New Option To Avoid Jail Due To Policy Violations

Facebook is giving creators a new option to avoid digital jail. The popular app from Meta just rolled out a feature to avoid ‘Facebook jail’ when violating Community Standards.

The latest change unveiled yesterday by the app says making a violation for the first time will not result in serious consequences. You can consider this as a warning. However, repeated offenses will cost the creator, the company confirmed.

The alert comes with an offer to take part in a training course. This provides more insights on where the creator went wrong and how they can improve next time. Furthermore, after completing the course, the warning is removed from the creator’s account.

On most occasions seen previously, creators received a penalty for policy violations. This came in the form of jail time. Here, creators were restricted from performing certain functions which they would normally take part in.

Last year, the app launched another initiative designed to combat the unpopular jail option. Creators were provided with a few warnings before a final penalty was awarded. Now, Facebook is giving creators the chance to get rid of the warnings too.

The latest change will secure reach and ensure visibility remains unchanged, helping creators in the long run. Moreover, it’s quite similar to the penalty system seen on the archrival app YouTube.

After committing a violation, creators enroll in a short informative course to remove the warning under the latest guidelines. Meta says it's all about educating creators and not punishing them.

For now, we can confirm that this new option is only for users having Professional Mode activated. They will receive in-app alerts, followed by a training option that details more about the violation.

Additionally, creators can take part in training that helps them remove warnings if no similar violation is done in the same year. But if another similar violation does occur, Facebook will not remove the warnings. Instead, the warnings will result in penalization. For instance, creators will suffer from less reach and fewer options to monetize.

Meta explained in the new blog post that this whole system is to guide creators and make the app more approachable. Especially when a creator is new, they’re clueless about the guidelines. With such changes, the playing field is leveled for all, and a healthy creator ecosystem is maintained.

Before we forget, Facebook has warned against committing serious violations. These come with a zero-tolerance policy and cannot be reversed. Common examples of serious offenses include selling drugs, promoting danger, and displaying explicit content.

We can see how Meta is trying hard to promote Facebook as an attractive option for both new and old creators. The app did witness great success in its last earnings report. Hence, changes like these can only help in portraying Facebook in a more positive light.

Image: DIW-Aigen

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

New Data Shows Google is Still Dominating the Search Market Despite Competing with Several AI Search Engines

New data by Datos’ clickstream panel analyzed by Sonata Insights and shared Sparktoro shows that there was a 1.3% growth on Google from May 2023 to May 2024. This means that Google experienced more desktop visits in May 2024 as compared to May 2023. This data seems surprisingly good because everyone thought that the rise in AI search engines will impact Google search but this doesn't seem to be the case.

There are many AI models that users treat as search engines like Microsoft’s CoPilot and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Among these AI search engines, Perplexity was the largest search player with 42% growth from last year. Rand Fishkin, who covered all this data in detail, said that Google has 290 times more search users than Perplexity as of May 2024. Perplexity users are 7.5% as active on the platform as Google users are on Google.

This suggests that even with numerous AI models and search engines, Google is still doing well in search market share. On the other hand, ChatGPT had 10.40 web page visits per month per visitor on average in May 2023 but that increased to 14.68 visits in May 2024. Claude jumped from 6.39 webpage visits per month in June 2023 to 10.67 visits in May 2024.

The data also shows that Google is way larger than other platforms in terms of search activity. Followed by Google are YouTube, Amazon and Bing but they are way lower than Google. So, this means that even if there are many AI search engines being introduced, it will be hard to dominate Google. Users aren't going to stop using Google and it shows through Google’s search market.

Read next: These Are The World’s Most Visited Websites In 2024
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Reddit Posts Q2 Performance Report For 2024 With Steady Rise In Revenue And Users Amid Tests For AI Search

Reddit just rolled out its latest performance report for 2024. The company delineated a steady growth in users and revenue for the second quarter.

Additionally, Reddit spoke about seeing growth in different markets. This is all related to its keen interest in adopting new technology and delivering better returns on advertising.

For starters, Reddit’s stats included 8.5 million more users during this time, hitting the 91.2 DAU (daily active users) mark. This is a great rise as the growth was coming from both American and global markets.

Several social media platforms witnessed similar growth in developing countries but when it comes to the US and EU, it fell short. The former and latter are the biggest markets for spending on social media ads. This is why seeing Reddit expand its reach in these markets is a good sign of growth.

As per experts, expanding in both markets of the world is a great sign for more growth in the future.

As far as its figures for average users every week were concerned, Reddit stood at 342 million during Q2. This was a 57% growth from 2023, marking another significant gain for the company.

When you come to think of it, Reddit is seeing a fourfold growth in users every week, similar to what it sees each day. This is much higher than any social media platform’s average and can be thought of as like 2:1 ratio.

The company’s audience is more transitory in nature. By this, we mean users who check subreddits less often. Therefore, the app could give rise to a bigger and better outreach than what’s suggested here for daily users. This is where advertisers might benefit.

Moving on to revenue. Reddit recorded $281 million for the second quarter which is a 54% growth from the previous year. On that note, Reddit claims that it’s close to double the figures seen in 2023 with great improvements to advertising products and more emphasis on SMBs. this could assist in getting more ads.

The company also made headlines for its plans to introduce more Generative AI. Thanks to Memorable AI, Reddit’s partners will benefit from greater ad performance. But it’s not just ads that are making headwaves. The company’s ‘other’ category for revenue saw the arrival of $28 million which is a massive 690% growth YoY.

The news comes as Reddit gears up to introduce more AI projects and use large language models. At the moment, its prices for API access are at an all-time high. Meanwhile, it’s garnering more partnerships with different companies such as Google to better revenue opportunities.

We similarly saw the company raise concerns when it prevented other search engines from crawling its pages. In response to that, Reddit says that this past quarter was all about greater protection and control of its content.

It wished to restrict access to web crawlers and explore more options for licensing partnerships and better financial opportunities. To put it simply, the platform is looking out for its best interests. Anyone planning on scraping data online from its pages for free will no longer be allowed to do so.

If you ask us, Reddit’s report card displays great promise and potential for the future. It hopes to better usage and revenue options with time. This combined with the rollout of AI summaries to its Search pages will assist in exploring more communities.

So if you’re an avid Reddit user, be ready to see greater AI features as that’s currently trending on the app’s radar.

Read next: The Truth About Google’s Market Power: New Research Unveils Its Stranglehold on Vertical Searches!
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

The Truth About Google’s Market Power: New Research Unveils Its Stranglehold on Vertical Searches!

Google’s dominance in the search engine sector has long drawn scrutiny from regulators, legal experts, and industry players. While it's widely acknowledged that Google commands a substantial portion of the general search market, the tech giant contends it faces fierce competition from specialized search engines tailored to specific needs. A recent study sheds light on this claim by examining Google’s market share within these vertical segments.

With a staggering revenue of $307 billion in 2023, Google’s search engine remains its one of the most lucrative asset, generating billions of dollars. Regulatory bodies argue that Google’s overwhelming presence in the general search market, where it contends with competitors like Microsoft Bing and DuckDuckGo, borders on monopolistic behavior. Google, however, insists it competes against a variety of specialized search engines, such as Amazon for shopping, Kayak for travel, and OpenTable for dining.

Researchers from institutions including the University of Zurich and Northeastern University undertook an empirical analysis to validate Google's assertions. Using data from U.S. residents’ web browsing activities over five months in 2020, they scrutinized search behaviors across Google, Bing, and various vertical search engines.

Searches were classified into 90 distinct verticals, covering areas like Shopping, Health, and News. The study aimed to determine Google’s true market share in these specific segments, assessing whether users viewed Google Search and specialized engines as interchangeable.

The study found that Google’s products dominate in 21 of the top 30 vertical markets, capturing over 50% of searches. These markets alone account for 94.1% of all search activity. Notably, users initiated more than half of their search sessions on Google’s platforms in 24 segments, underscoring Google's role as a primary entry point for online searches.

Despite Google's claims, the study indicates users do not see Google Search and vertical search engines as direct substitutes. Even when utilizing vertical search engines, many sessions started with a Google product, highlighting Google’s significant influence in directing users to its vertical offerings.

These insights carry considerable weight in the context of antitrust litigation. The data suggests Google may be leveraging its dominance in the general search market to bolster its position in specific verticals. In the Travel segment, for instance, Google garnered 51% of the searches among participants, potentially skewing results in favor of Google Flights and Google Hotels.

Regulatory bodies have already targeted Google’s practices in vertical markets such as Shopping and Travel, leading to significant actions like the European Commission's penalties against Google Shopping. The study’s outcomes reinforce the call for continued regulatory oversight and the consideration of both structural and behavioral remedies. Proposed measures include separating Google Search from its vertical search engines and restricting exclusive contracts.

This comprehensive analysis of Google’s market share in vertical search segments offers fresh perspectives on the digital search landscape. It challenges Google’s narrative of facing substantial competition from specialized search engines, highlighting the necessity for rigorous regulatory measures to address Google’s market power. As the debate over Google’s influence continues, this research provides critical data for shaping future antitrust policies and ensuring a competitive digital marketplace.

Image: DIW-Aigen

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• CreatorIQ’s Report Shows Insights About How To Win Customers on TikTok
by Asim BN via Digital Information World

CreatorIQ’s Report Shows Insights About How To Win Customers on TikTok

CreatorIQ recently conduced research with TikTok to find out how brands are doing marketing on TikTok and which brands are seeing the most success. The full report talks about how brands should collaborate with content creators to achieve more engagements and customers. According to the analysis, 55% of TikTok users say that they are more likely to trust brands if a content creator is talking about them, rather than seeing brands on ads on their feeds.

The analysis shows that brands should work more with content creators but not all content creators can help brands grow. CreatorIQ says that content creators should have consistency to win customers’ trust. If a content creator talks about a brand just for a few days, not many users show interest in buying the product. But if the creator talks about a brand for months or even years, then users are more likely to buy the product.

This means that brands should do long term partnership with content creators if they want to attract more customers. It is also best if brands research about creators who align with the brand’s interests. Engagement rates play an important role in spreading a brand’s message. Based on Earned Media Value (EMV), beauty and fashion are most popular on TikTok. The beauty and fashion brands should work harder to advertise on TikTok as it is a key to attract many customers in this category.

CreatorIQ’s report also talks about top 100 brands on TikTok which can help in providing insights about how to approach the platform and which categories can help brands. Amazon is the most popular brand on TikTok, followed by NBA, NFL and Sephora.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World