What happened in the world of technology, marketing and advertising? Read the weekly selection of news from Western media
No alcohol, gambling, drugs, or politics — YouTube’s new rules
On June 14, Youtube stopped advertising alcohol, gambling, politics and prescription drugs on the home page. In particular, it is about the top advertising banner, which is displayed on the site or in the application.
The ad slot on the top banner is the first thing users see when they open YouTube. Therefore, it is logical that banning the advertising of drugs, alcohol and gambling in this slot will make YouTube more acceptable to different categories of users. Abandonment of political advertising will also avoid scandals and debates such as the one that arose when former US President Donald Trump bought the slot for three days during the 2020 election.
Facebook is testing VR advertising and launching a service for podcasts
Facebook is starting to test advertising on Oculus VR headsets. Testing will begin with Resolution Games’ Blaston shooter, and will cover two other Oculus apps in the coming weeks.
Advertising on VR headsets can significantly increase Facebook’s revenue, more than 97% of which the company receives from advertising. Currently, advertising is mostly shown to users on social networks Facebook and Instagram. With advertising on VR headsets, the corporation will get new ways to generate revenue.
Also on June 22, a service for podcasts will appear on Facebook. Authors will be able to link the RSS feeds of their shows to Facebook, which will then automatically generate posts in the news feed as new episodes are released.
Spotify breathes into the back of the Clubhouse’s neck
Streaming service Spotify has introduced its own audio platform Greenroom. From now on, Spotify users from 135 countries will be able to create and join audio rooms. The Greenroom app is now available on iOS and Android.
To join Greenroom, you need to register with an existing Spotify account. Next is the onboarding process based on the interests of users. Greenroom features are identical to competing Clubhouse, Twitter Spaces and Facebook Live Audio Rooms. In the application you can mute the sound, moderate conversations, use text chat and more. The rooms can accommodate up to 1,000 people.
The company’s plans to expand its ecosystem with its own audio service became known in March this year, when Spotify acquired Betty Labs, the developer of Locker Room.
Google Workspace is becoming more accessible
On June 14, Google announced that Workspace, formerly known as G Suite, would be available to all users, including free Google Accounts.
For those who want to take full advantage of Workspace, a paid plan will be available for $9.99/month with a test price of $7.99/month. Subscription will give users access to premium features, including smart booking, professional video calls, personalized e-mail marketing and more. The company promises to talk about other updates later.
BuzzFeed got his Pulitzer
BuzzFeed received the Pulitzer Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in the fields of literature, journalism, theater and music. BuzzFeed received its first National Report award for a series of research papers on Chinese government repression against Uighurs.
The winner in the “For Service to Society” category was The New York Times for its coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. “News Journalism” was taken by the Minneapolis newspaper Star Tribune, which wrote about the murder of George Floyd. There are two winners in the Analytical Report category: The Atlantic magazine and Reuters news agency.
