Blog Posts by José M. Duque

Newstex Blog

March 25, 2024
Content syndication platforms in 2024

Content is the linchpin of the digital marketing realm, crucial for fostering engagement and building brand identity. However, the challenge of reaching beyond your direct audience persists. This is where content syndication platforms step in. These platforms republish your content on third-party websites to broaden your audience, increase brand exposure, and potentially drive more traffic back to your original site. With the dual benefits of expanded reach and enhanced SEO through strategic backlinks, choosing the right content syndication platforms has never been more important. This article outlines the best content syndication platforms of 2024. It discusses general audience platforms, B2B and professional platforms, precise targeting options, and authoritative content distribution networks. It also delves into optimizing content for syndication, addressing format flexibility, keyword integration, clear CTAs, and internal linking strategies. Finally, it highlights the importance of maintaining SEO integrity, tracking performance, and navigating potential drawbacks such as content saturation and loss of control. The comprehensive guide aims to empower you with the knowledge to leverage content syndication effectively, ensuring your content not only reaches a wider audience but also contributes significantly to your brand's digital presence.

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March 12, 2024
The plagiarism pandemic: safeguarding intellectual property online

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.

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March 7, 2024
Balancing AI and human values: the Vatican's call for ethical AI

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.”

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October 23, 2023
Digital literacy and the mastery of communicating (part 2)

This is the second installment of our two-part series on digital communication (you can read part 1 here). In this post, we’ll be looking at challenges in digital communication, its social/emotional aspects, and the importance of being a good digital citizen. 

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October 16, 2023
Digital literacy and the mastery of communicating (Part 1)

Despite being a fundamental part of human existence, it can be easy to overlook the importance of communicating. After all, it’s all around us, from the fussing of a hungry baby to a billboard selling fulfillment through consumerism. It wasn’t long ago that most of humanity lacked any kind of platform beyond the people in their immediate vicinity. Now, however, many of us are just a few mouse-clicks away from being heard by the whole wide world. But while this affords us a wealth of opportunities, it also requires creators to demonstrate new levels of agility in order to succeed.

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September 28, 2023
Digital literacy and the mastery of creating content online (Part 2)

This is the second part of our series about digital literacy and the mastery of creating content online.

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September 21, 2023
Digital literacy and the mastery of creating content online (Part 1)

The Agony and the Ecstasy is one of my all-time favorite films. Based on actual events, it’s a lavish period drama about the relationship between Michelangelo Buonarroti (played by Charlton Heston) and Pope Julius II (played by Rex Harrison). Although Michelangelo considers himself a sculptor first and foremost, Julius forces him to paint the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel. This conflict highlights a dilemma that has bedeviled creators for centuries. Since they often needed the support of powerful patrons in order to create, the wishes of their patron often took precedence over their own. Thankfully, the digital age has tipped the scales in favor of creators. It’s now easier than ever for creators to produce work that aligns with their distinctive vision, but it also adds new challenges. Content creation in the 21st century requires a solid understanding of digital literacy. This article is the first installment of a two-part series looking at content creation.

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September 11, 2023
Digital literacy and the mastery of evaluating information online

The mimic is one of Dungeons & Dragons’ most iconic monsters. They are protean creatures that can take on the appearance of inanimate objects such as chests. If someone unwary attempts to open the chest, it springs to life and attacks. Savvy adventurers learn that not everything is as it seems, and they need to pay careful attention to their surroundings if they hope to avoid an ambush. Alas, the Internet can feel like a dungeon filled to the brim with mimics. Anyone can be taken in by misinformation or disinformation, which is why it’s imperative that we carefully evaluate the information we find online. This is particularly true if you’re an authoritative content creator, as drawing on false information will inevitably erode your credibility.

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August 28, 2023
Designing authority: building a powerful online presence

Whether you’re an influencer or an academic, having a solid online persona is essential. It’s the lens through which your readers will view your work, and just as you wouldn’t show up to a job interview in cutoff shorts and a t-shirt with a dirty joke, you also don’t want your online persona to undermine your credibility. My colleague Jason wrote an article on the subject last month, but today we’re going to look at some specific tips to help you perfect your online persona, including the use of curated pieces of content and the promotion of thought leadership.

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August 14, 2023
Digital literacy and how to master finding information online

In Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose, the protagonists visit a monastery with a fabled library that’s reputed to have one of the best collections of books in all of Christendom. However, access to the books is strictly controlled. The library consists of a labyrinth of 56 different rooms. The tomes within are organized according to a complex system based on verses from the Book of Revelation, and the librarian and his assistant are the only ones with the knowledge to navigate it. Even if an outsider managed to sneak inside the library, they’d struggle to find anything specific. Moreover, the library is even rigged with traps to further disorient intruders. Searching the Internet can feel a bit like trying to navigate Eco’s labyrinth, and it can be easy to get waylaid on your quest for knowledge. Today, we’re going to talk about how to find knowledge effectively. This article is the first part of a larger series that aims to help creators level up their content through digital literacy.

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August 7, 2023
The many facets of digital literacy: what every content creator should know

The other day, I happened to be taking a virtual stroll through the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and I was struck by a statue of the Egyptian pharaoh Horemheb that was carved before he ascended the throne. At the time of its creation in the 14th century BCE, Horemheb, (whose name can also be transliterated as ‘Haremhab’) was a high-ranking military officer, but you’d never guess that from looking at the statue. We might expect to see him depicted as a warrior with weapons at the ready; instead, he’s depicted as a scribe sitting cross-legged on the ground with a papyrus scroll laid across the front of his linen kilt.

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