Jack Morse says, “There’s nothing quite like a clean slate — especially one that’s pre-populated with a generous helping of algorithmically generated spam. Perhaps realizing that the News Feed has over the years morphed into a cluttered mess, Facebook has started testing an entirely new feed with a subset of its users. After all, why have one feed when you can have two? Double the ad-serving pleasure, double the ad-revenue fun. This new feed, identified by a rocket-ship logo, isn’t the same as your current stream of family-focused updates. Instead of pushing out every... [...]

Karissa Bell says, “For many, Google+ may still be seen as the punchline to jokes about failed social networks, but the Google product still has a large and loyal following — just not necessarily among the groups you might think. And, for better or worse, Google is still invested in supporting the network and its users. The company announced Tuesday that it’s officially phasing out the site’s “classic” design in favor of a redesigned look that emphasizes photos and minimizes the amount of white space. The redesign was actually unveiled last year, but up until... [...]

Emma Hinchliffe says, “Referring a friend to your company is an easy way to earn some extra money, but it requires keeping track of current job openings — and who all your former colleagues are. The career site Ladders has a solution: automating the referral process so that a website can tell you who in your network would be a good fit for all the jobs your company has open. That way, you don’t have to pay too much attention to what your company needs or troll LinkedIn looking for someone who might be a good fit. “Referrals are great hires for companies to make. They’re... [...]

Karissa Bell says, “It’s now possible to squeeze in a few extra characters on Twitter. Beginning now, usernames will no longer count toward the service’s 140-character limit, Twitter announced. The change also means that replies will look a whole lot different than before. Instead of beginning with usernames, tweet replies will contain only the text of the tweet itself and the handles you’re replying to will appear inline. Tweets will still be limited to 140 characters but usernames will no longer count toward that limit in replies. While this means that Twitter will finally... [...]

Ariel Bogle says, “It takes only minutes on YouTube to find ads from major brands next to hateful videos promoting extremism and racism. Though the issue has been longstanding, a global brand boycott of the platform has been gathering steam. It’s now reached Australia, with Telstra and Foxtel swearing off YouTube. At least, for now. As first reported by Fairfax Media, the Australian arms of Vodafone and Nestlé have also joined the boycott. A spokesperson for the cable TV provider Foxtel said the company is “actively engaged with Google” to ensure its ads are not run next... [...]

Kerry Flynn says, “Twitter has opened up another place for video ads, the buzziest online advertising sector, as it looks to find more revenue for its flight to profitability this year. Starting Tuesday, select partners can apply to have ads run in front of Periscope videos. These pre-roll ads come at an important time for Twitter — though isn’t it always an important time (cc @realDonaldTrump)? The company, which Wall Street has obliterated for a lack of user growth and an utter loss of faith in leadership, is trading at record lows. Meanwhile, Snapchat is gaining the respect of... [...]

Patrick Kulp says, “Google can’t say for certain that ads placed with its various massive platforms won’t end up near an offensive video or website. At least that’s the opinion of Eric Schmidt, chairman of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, and the most prominent public face of the search giant. Schmidt conceded the point during an interview on Fox Business Network Thursday in response to a growing advertiser boycott against the company. More than 250 brands have pulled ads after reports that they were appearing near YouTube videos from terrorists, Nazis and other... [...]

Patrick Kulp says, “Google has apologized repeatedly to outraged British brands and government groups that found their ads surfacing on hateful YouTube videos.better. The company announced a host of changes to its advertising systems on Tuesday meant to give brands more control over where their ads appear. The move comes after the Times of London set off a firestorm with reports that major advertisers were being featured alongside terrorist sympathizers, Nazis and other extremists on YouTube. Several big brands have pulled their ads from the platform in response over the past few days, and... [...]

Patrick Kulp says, “Ads sold through Google have turned up in some pretty horrific corners of the web lately, and many big advertisers are outraged. The search giant responded to the growing uproar among its client brands on Friday with an unusual public apology and a promise to “do a better job.” “We’ve heard from our advertisers and agencies loud and clear that we can provide simpler, more robust ways to stop their ads from showing against controversial content,” Google U.K. managing director Ronan Harris wrote in a blog post. Google is the biggest advertising... [...]

Colin Daileda says, “”We are committed to building a community where people can feel safe making their voices heard.” That’s how Facebook’s deputy chief privacy officer opened his public policy announcement on Monday, in a declaration aimed at users who fear that Facebook and others are mining their social data to track their behavior. “Today we are adding language to our Facebook and Instagram platform policies to more clearly explain that developers cannot ‘use data obtained from us to provide tools that are used for surveillance,'” wrote Rob Sherman,... [...]