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.
Just a few years ago, AI was the stuff of science fiction for most of us. Now, it’s an indispensable tool for many bloggers. While AIs like ChatGPT and Midjourney have dominated the headlines, there are a host of other AI tools out there that can help with many different aspects of the content creation process. AIs can assist with many different tasks, including brainstorming ideas, conducting research, polishing prose, or creating graphics. This allows bloggers to spend less time on the parts of the creative process they find tedious and focus on parts they actually enjoy. In this post, we’ll look at some of the best AI tools available to bloggers in 2024.
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.
While social media can foster connectivity and creativity, it can also be a powerful vector for the spread of false information. In a 2005 survey by the Pew Research Group, only 5% of adults reported using at least one social media platform. By 2021, that number had grown to 72%.
The ancient Romans had a secret weapon. Hidden away in the Temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill was a collection of oracular pronouncements written in Greek hexametric verse known as the Sibylline Books. In a world that seemed to be governed by unseen and capricious forces, they offered much-needed certainty. The Romans took comfort in the fact that, when things seemed to be going wrong, the Books would show them what they had to do in order to make things better, whether that was establishing a festival in honor of the goddess Flora or burying Greeks and Gauls alive under the forum. For modern content creators, it can feel like we’re in the same boat as the Romans.
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.”
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.
About the author,
José Mauricio Duque
