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Ben Werdmuller

Ben Werdmuller

NotableLinks

Facebook news referrals: no sign of the slow-down stopping

"Aggregate Facebook traffic to a group of 792 news and media sites that have been tracked by Chartbeat since 2018 shows that referrals to the sites have plunged by 58%." I'll bang this drum forever: establish direct relationships with your audience. Do not trust social media

13 May 2024

NotableLinks

The SF Bay Area Has Become The Undisputed Leader In AI Tech And Funding Dollars

"Last year, more than 50% of all global venture funding for AI-related startups went to companies headquartered in the Bay Area, Crunchbase data shows, as a cluster of talent congregates in the region." In other news, water is wet. There was a moment during the pandemic when it

13 May 2024

The Philadelphia Inquirer is here to fight

SEPTA - the South Eastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority — trains are covered with these ads for the Philadelphia Inquirer: I’m curious to know if they actually work. They feel very negative to me: a pot-shot at the New York Times rather than an argument for why the Inquirer is great

13 May 2024

NotableLinks

British newspaper groups warn Apple over ad-blocking plans, FT reports

"British newspaper groups have warned Apple that any move to impose a so-called "web eraser" tool to block advertisements would put the financial sustainability of journalism at risk, the Financial Times reported on Sunday." Counterpoint: block the ads. The web is designed to be a flexible

12 May 2024

NotableLinks

Abortion bans drive away young talent: New CNBC/Generation Lab survey

"The youngest generation of American workers is prepared to move away from states that pass abortion bans and to turn down job offers in states where bans are already in place, a new survey from CNBC/Generation Lab finds." This stands to reason: why would you move to

12 May 2024

The itch

I’m really itching to build something new again. Not a new widget or open source project, but a new service. Something that makes peoples’ lives better. I love startups. And the ideas are brewing.

11 May 2024

Think twice before exercising your stock options

I recently wrote a short aside about stock options: But in general, for regular employees, I think options are rarely worth it. They typically require an up-front investment that many employees simply can’t make, so it’s a bit of a fake benefit to begin with, and their future

11 May 2024

Monetizing ShareOpenly

I was asked if I’m planning to monetize ShareOpenly. Short answer: I have no plans to do so. This is a personal project. If it’s wildly successful and the infrastructure costs skyrocket, I may look for donations or sponsorship of some kind in order to cover those costs.

10 May 2024

Some ShareOpenly updates

It’s been a little over a month since I launched ShareOpenly, my simple tool that lets you add a “share to social media” button to your website which is compatible with the fediverse, Bluesky, Threads, and all of today’s crop of social media sites. You might recall that

10 May 2024

NotableLinks

An Interview With Jack Dorsey

This interview is as interesting for what it doesn't mention - fediverse, for example - as for what it does. This helps explain why he distanced himself from Bluesky after he'd previously established it and ensured it had funding: "This tool was designed such that

09 May 2024

NotableLinks

Slop is the new name for unwanted AI-generated content

Simon Willison has a perfect name for unreviewed content that is shared with  other people: "slop". He goes on: "I’m happy to use LLMs for all sorts of purposes, but I’m not going to use them to produce slop. I attach my name and stake

09 May 2024

A letter to Russell T Davies

Here’s what I would say to Russell T Davies if I could: One of my very first television memories is sitting watching Peter Davison’s Doctor (and reruns of Tom Baker’s) on a tiny 12” TV set, my face probably too close to the screen. My imagination ran

09 May 2024
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Werd I/O explores the intersection of technology, democracy, and society. It's independently published by Ben Werdmuller, reader-supported, and always free to read.