Woman looking at phone

Is email the future of local news?

Summary: Traditional news outlets struggle because their offerings are much more limited now. The internet has taken away most of the money makers, and what they have left is “news,” which is not the greatest seller. Some local news outlets are doing well by focusing on email as a content delivery mechanism. But email is…

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Checklist

Two frameworks for CDP use cases

Summary: Use cases are more important than identity in constructing a customer data platform. To understand their relative roles, use the device framework and the person framework. The former involves understanding device requests, activity, and collecting identifiers, while the latter deals with complex individual identities across devices. The article stresses the need to consider both…

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violin player

Fine-tune CDP personalization with these two use case frameworks

Summary: The article explains how to use two frameworks — device and person — for refining CDP (customer data platform) use cases. It applies these frameworks to personalization. Under the device framework, personalization involves responsive design, contextual links, and location-based changes. The person framework focuses on individual profiles, devices, identifiers, and personas, emphasizing the need…

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digital woman

Deterministic v probabilistic matching in a customer data platform

Summary: The article delves into deterministic and probabilistic matching in CDPs (customer data platforms). Deterministic matching seeks exact attribute matches like email addresses, while probabilistic uses statistical algorithms for likely matches. It notes deterministic isn’t always accurate and suggests a confidence-based approach tailored to use cases. It underscores the need for caution in merging profiles…

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the worldwide web

Publishers should consider text-to-speech to open up new ways to reach their subscribers

Summary: Norwegian company Schibsted embraced text-to-speech technology to enhance audience engagement. Focused on riding the podcast popularity wave, they leverage “Beyond Words” to convert text into audio instantly, catering to changing article versions and potentially cloning the voices of popular podcast stars. Serving the audio from their own site allows them better data insights and…

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AI-generated angry man smashing a voting booth

You need a “no man” — The power of “no” in project management

Summary: “Yes” represents the allure of possibility and affirmation, while “no” signifies discipline, focus, and resource control. “Yes” is alluring, but can lead to illusions. “No” is a tool for maintaining focus, setting boundaries, and adhering to principles. “Yes, and” is a good tool for creativity, and “no, but” is suggested as a way to…

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Afraid of AI

4 things publishers should do right now to defend themselves against AI

Summary: The article discusses the evolving role of large language models (LLMs) in answering questions and the potential threat they pose to content creators. It advises four steps for content creators to protect their intellectual property from being used to train LLMs by modifying robots.txt files, blocking server access, updating terms and conditions, and training…

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complicated spreadsheet

Analytics tips from a pro — how your data can deceive you if you don’t have the larger context

Summary: The article discusses the importance of questioning assumptions about data to ensure accurate interpretation. A conversation with data expert Michelle Drewek highlights key observations. Firstly, the shift from “average time on page” to “average session duration” led to better content decisions. Secondly, eliminating anomalies from page views and considering context aids accurate analysis. Lastly,…

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gorgeous woman reading notebook

Peter Houston’s 9 lessons creating an indie print magazine

Peter Houston’s article, “Nine things we learned making an indie print magazine,” explores lessons from creating The Grub Street Journal, a B2B magazine. It emphasizes prioritizing enjoyment over profits, the unique considerations of print layout, the importance of covers, and embracing both print and digital aspects. The article stresses community, navigating challenges in distribution and…

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