The flaws of teen social media bans
We’re coming up on half a year since Australia led the charge and banned children under 16 from major social media platforms. Since then, many other countries have followed suit, including the UK, Malaysia, Indonesia, Denmark, Greece and the United Arab Emirates. Other countries including Canada, Austria, France and Spain are working on digital safety bills that include a restriction on social media for kids under 15 or 16.
And while this may be the hottest thing going since doomscrolling videos of Scottish World Cup fans living it up in America, let’s have some real talk about these bans.
Here’s the problem: They don’t work.
Instagram’s “no breach” breach
About a month ago, millions of Instagram users including me received a password reset email that they did not request.
And even though a reported 17.5 MILLION users were impacted by this incident, Instagram still insisted: NO BREACH.
Instagram can get away with saying that it was not breached because technically its internal systems were not compromised. The hackers retrieved the information by exploiting the public API. What in the world does that mean?
Meta quietly launched a “Brand Rights Protection” hub – here’s what you need to know
Meta updates its Brand Rights Protection hub, adding more features. Here’s what you need to know about Brand Rights Protection, and my hottake on the potential of this tool and the pitfalls I see.
Third parties: the social media security weak point no one considers
Let’s say you are very diligent about the security of your home. You have a fancy video doorbell. You lock the front door, back door, windows and gate every time you leave the house. You probably think you’ve done enough to secure your residence.
But that’s not true. An enterprising thief could discover your spare key hidden in one of those fake rocks we all think are so clever. Or perhaps you still keep a spare key under the doormat, making you easy prey. Sadly, this analogy really speaks to what’s happening in social media security and governance.
Hottake: 4 Important Lessons From the Coldplay Accidental “Outing” (aka How NOT To Go Viral)
This week provided us with a classic example of how something goes viral because the people make it so – not the company. Enter: The public outing of Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and his affair with his head HR person. Trust me, in this case, the company really, dearly wishes this had stayed nice and quiet. Other than just rubbernecking like it’s a 20-car pileup, let us pause to evaluate what companies and leaders can and should learn from this incident.
Why I hate the word “viral”
“How can we make this go viral?” I cannot tell you how many leaders have asked me this exact question over my nearly 15 years doing social. Let’s set the record straight. “Going viral” has always been a bit of a misnomer, but the notion that you can make something go viral is kind of nuts. Most things that do go viral do so on their own because people drive the spread of the post. It is very rare that a company sets out to “make something go viral” and actually succeeds.
The top 5 password mistakes companies make
When it comes to corporate social media governance, here’s the point: If humans are terrible at managing their personal passwords, that means that those who are managing your company’s social media account passwords are probably doing it equally poorly. If you’ve never asked them about how this is managed, now might be the time. To help, here are my top five mistakes companies make.
Consolidation isn’t a dirty word, at least for corporate social media
Have you ever searched for a company’s social media channel only to find that there are 29 different accounts for the same brand? Unfortunately, that’s common, and it’s a fundamental mistake that even some of the world’s largest brands make.
The Top 5 Social Media Hiring Mistakes
It amazes me that more than 20 years after social media “became a thing,” companies still have no idea how to properly resource or hire for it. After years of interviewing and hiring social media professionals for my own team and for clients, here are my top 5 mistakes companies make.
Fake Facebook community standards violation messages & how to spot them
Did you receive a message saying your Facebook page will be disabled because it violates “42 u.s.c. § 1283 (2020) community standards?”
First and foremost: don’t panic. It’s almost assuredly a fake, and it’s a phishing attempt to try to get your Facebook login credentials. The crooks bank on you panicking and not engaging the logical part of your brain. Second, whatever you do, do NOT enter your Facebook login credentials anywhere.
Social Media Content Best Practices: Where Is Bed?
On Friday, this video popped up on my Facebook feed. It is the definition of “sticky content.” Comedienne Lou Wall tells us the craziest story of a Facebook Marketplace interaction — and she demonstrates the best content-making principles for social media while she’s at it.
An argument for sitting out April Fool’s Day on social
It’s almost here – April Fool’s Day is tomorrow, and thus marks the annual day of “you can’t believe what you read anywhere, especially on social media.” But let’s be honest: as a general rule, April Fool’s pranks from a company are almost always an average to terrible idea, and I would advise you to not do it. The bigger your brand, the bigger the risk.
In honor of Data Privacy Week, the top 5 social media governance mistakes
In honor of Data Privacy Week 2025, let’s revisit the top mistakes companies make when it comes to keeping their social media footprint secure and safe.
No one’s talking about social media professionals’ mental health. So let’s talk.
Friends, it’s time to talk about the mental health of social media professionals – the people on the front lines every day representing the world’s biggest companies on social.
Our mental health is in the toilet.
And here’s my response: Freaking DUH.
My 8 Takeaways from the NISM 2024 Social Media Job Study
My 8 top takeaways from the 2024 National Institute for Social Media Job Study. If you’re among the elite club of masochists who do social media for a living, I promise you will see yourself represented here and possibly gain some solace in knowing you are not alone. If you don’t work in social, this will help you understand and appreciate your social team more.
Is my Facebook page really disabled? Here’s how to check.
If you manage a Facebook page on behalf of a business or company, chances are pretty high that you have received a message saying something like “Your Facebook page has been disabled due to violation of our community standards.” But very often (read: almost all of the time) these messages are fake – and learning to identify the spam is important so you can tell if your page is really in trouble. And, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I just had a client report this same phishing scam on LinkedIn. So it appears the scammers may be migrating over to new platforms.
“The Bear” and my favorite two-word phrase
Like so many others, I spent the good majority of last weekend streaming Season 2 of FX’s “The Bear.” It’s been on my mind not because of the compelling story line, the great acting or the absolutely stellar musical selections. Nope. It’s because my favorite two-word phrase has now made an appearance in both Season 1 and Season 2 of “The Bear.” And I don’t think it’s an accident.
Your online security is up to YOU
Many consumers erroneously assume that companies like Facebook, Twitter and Apple are doing all they can to protect your online information. But it’s just not true. Bottom line: Your online security is up to YOU.
Companies: pull your heads out of the social media security sand
Here’s an ugly truth: most companies spend little to no time considering social media governance and security – even though ransomware, malware and other cyber attacks are on the rise and cost big-name companies millions of dollars every year. That’s the equivalent of sticking your head in the cybersecurity sand. But I think there are signs that 2022 may be the year this really changes.
Social media data is a competitive advantage, and your competition may already know it
A new report from Sprout Social showed executives expect an increase in their companies’ use of social media data, and – much more notably – in the number of departments throughout the company leveraging social media data. It’s about time.