The Weekly Bulletin | August 29, 2023

Catch up on your members' content, check out the community buzz, and browse through job opportunities

Author

Vahe Arabian
August 29, 2023

Hi SODP community,

Let’s recap on what’s been happening last week, the new content, industry updates, tips, and more.

EDITOR’S NOTE

Is Google a publisher? It’s a question that’s been occupying my thoughts of late. On the face of it, the answer is simple: Google doesn’t create content, so it’s not a publisher.

That was part of the tech giant’s defense in court against an Australian defamation suit.

The Supreme Court of Victoria ruled in 2020 that Google was a publisher because it showed links to articles and images that an Australian lawyer claimed were defamatory. The High Court of Australia overturned that ruling two years later, saying that the search engine giant was not a publisher but a facilitator of internet navigation.

But the tech sector is no stranger to disruption, which are moments that add shades of gray to previously black-and-white questions. Take the rollout of Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) as an example. Does integrating a large language model (LLM) to provide summaries to user queries mean that Google is now in the business of creating content?

Consider for a moment how the tech giant pitches its new product. With SGE, users can “quickly get up to speed on a new topic, uncover quick tips for your specific questions or discover products and things to consider”. It sounds like a pitch a publisher might give.

SGE expands Google’s traditional role of web navigator into one of interpretation. Bard will summarize content found across the web to bring its users “up to speed”. Look at the example Google itself provides below to see what I mean.

Sure, Google has made it clear that these summaries will include article links, but I suspect that most Search users will be satisfied with these summaries. The rise of zero-click searches, driven by Google’s quest to answer user queries without leaving the SERPs, should justify that stance.

From where I’m standing, SGE is the featured snippet’s next evolution.

SGE moves Google closer to being a publisher than most of us appreciate. One could argue that the Think with Google newsletter, where the tech giant’s editorial team provides reading product-related suggestions, means the search engine is already dabbling in brand publishing. Still, the scope of that newsletter’s coverage is narrow enough that it doesn’t seem to have threatened anybody in the industry. SGE is a different matter.

Given that there isn’t an easy way yet to identify which of Google’s crawlers is used for training Bard, there’s no cut-and-dried solution for blocking Google from crawling for AI training.

So, what does this mean for publishers? Well, it’s still up in the air, with some publishers striking deals with AI developers while preparing to wage war with others.

Ultimately, Google’s goal is to keep its users on its platform so it can make more money from ads. Hardly shocking news. Where that affects publishers is when the librarian begins spoiling books before you’ve even checked them out. It’s a crude analogy, but I’m sticking with it.

Publishers may find themselves competing with tech giants for the same eyeballs. But until we’ve had enough time to analyze the technology in action, it remains difficult to know whether SEOs can optimize content to take advantage of SGE.

At the same time, I'm curious about what this new dawn looks like for Google and whether it's prepared for a future as a publisher with associated responsibilities. We’ve already seen one senior court rule that it’s a publisher from simply providing links. Even if that ruling was later overturned, I doubt that the search engine giant will be able to duck responsibility for content its LLM created.

What safeguards can it implement, given the sheer number of queries it processes daily? No matter how much I dislike singing off with “time will tell”, I’m afraid it’s the best I have right now. Keep calm and produce great content.

SODP POSTS

HOW PUBLISHERS CAN BENEFIT FROM USER-GENERATED CONTENT (UGC)

Thanks to the growing momentum of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, the digital publishing ecosystem is undergoing a seismic shift. These tools have the potential to upend how content creators work entirely.

At the same time, as more and more AI content is published, there’s a genuine concern that stories could become more vanilla and less personal. However, this should create an opportunity for publishers looking to stand out to create a emotional connection with their audience.

User-generated content (UGC) is one way to offer that personal touch. Moreover, search engines may place higher value on UGC as the flow of AI-generated content picks up pace.

Of UGC’s many benefits, social proof, community building and visitor engagement have enormous potential for publishers.

Join us as we explore how incorporating UGC can benefit a publisher’s content and search engine optimization (SEO) strategies.

6 BEST MAGAZINE APPS FOR PUBLICATIONS ON MOBILE DEVICES IN 2023

Digital magazine apps can transform static pages into interactive and engaging formats, significantly improving the reading experience on smartphones and tablets.

Mobile device use now dominates how people access the internet, with 91% of those aged 16-64% relying on a mobile device compared with less than 60% who use a personal laptop or desktop. At the same time, demand for unlimited reading access to digital publications is growing strongly.

For publishers, selecting the right digital magazine app can be the difference between effectively reaching their target audience or falling behind the competition.

Let’s explore the six best magazine apps for publications on mobile devices in 2023, shedding light on what to look for and how each app can tailor the digital reading experience to different needs and preferences.

ANNOUNCEMENT

As you know, at the end of last year, we launched a Publisher SEO online course – 7 chapters, 50+ modules, ready-to-use templates, monthly 1-on-1 support, and more.

We are excited to announce that based on the positive feedback from our community, we have now launched a spin-off – News SEO Playbook. This is a 4-week course on Maven. SODP’s Vahe Arabian will be teaching via live video session, covering all the essentials that news publishers need to know to increase their organic traffic.

The first cohort kicks off next week on Tuesday. You can join sessions hosted for the North American/European students or for the APAC region – up to you!

JOB BOARD

➡️ Stears is looking for sales associates to supercharge its new corporate business growth. (Remote, Nigeria). SEE MORE

➡️ Dejan Marketing is looking for an ML specialist to join its team on a contract basis (Brisbane). SEE MORE

➡️ MRANTI is looking for creative individuals to join its Digital and Social Media team (Cyberjaya). SEE MORE

COMMUNITY BUZZ

INDUSTRY NEWS

➡️ Can news outlets build a ‘trustworthy’ AI chatbot? A look at AI chatbot Smart Answers that Foundry trained only on Macworld, PCWorld, Tech Advisor, and TechHive content, and offered to their readers on August 1. READ MORE

➡️ The New York Times, CNN, Reuters, and other outlets block OpenAI's GPTBot web crawler from accessing their content; some have also blocked Common Crawl's CCBot. READ MORE

➡️ WordPress announces the availability of 100-year domain name registrations that include 24/7 assistance and managed web hosting. READ MORE

SOCIAL MEDIA DISCUSSIONS

➡️ Nick Broekema on LinkedIn:

Don't be original. Be repetitive.

Think of your content as a campaign.

You never see a TV commercial just once:

→ a few people would see it
→ it takes time to nurture buyers
→ brands need to stay on top of mind

Here's the reality:

- 2-10% of your network size sees your post
- Around 3% of your buyers are ready to buy
- The remaining 97% needs nurturing

These are the highlights for last week.

Until next!

Andrew Kemp and the editorial team at SODP