News Outlets Plan on Posting Articles Directly on Facebook for Users’ Direct Access

Facebook aims to inform people via media outlets’ insta-news posts.

Seems like Facebook is on the verge of expanding to whole new horizons: right now, the social media tycoon is planning on hosting news articles from nine big media companies. Another project includes the usage of Facebook Messenger for online shopping, which will be called “Businesses on Messenger.” Five American and four European media companies will be working together with Facebook to hopefully generate more attention for themselves.

• Facebook cooperating with news organizations
• Articles will appear on Facebook walls
• Some outlets are concerned about the effects it will have on readership

US gambling news reports that careful discussions between Facebook and news outlets have come to an end. The plan’s implementation has begun. Companies that will be jumping on the bandwagon include National Geographic, The Atlantic, NBC News, BuzzFeed, The Guardian, The Times, Spiegel Online BBC News, and Bild. However, if we come to think of it, providing information so actively on Facebook may jeopardize their own business.

The usage of colourful illustrations and videos is an absolute must when it boils down to smartphones

During the first period, the aim is to upload only a couple of articles and those reading news from their iPhones will really be pleased to see that news will load much faster. Other than that, lots of engaging videos and maps using photo tags will be used to spark the attention of avid newsreaders. Externally, this seems like a smart move from media outlets, since research shows that Facebook users don’t usually leave the site to read news elsewhere.

Just like when it comes to online sportsbooks, people tend to use mobile betting platforms on their smartphones instead of their computers. This will facilitate usage for people who shy away from clicking on links to read a specific article. News outlets will, most probably, with the help of Facebook, be able to reach quite a large portion of people: the social media site currently has more than 1.4 billion users around the world.

Nothing new under the sun: user information will most definitely be collected

Facebook will grant access to news outlets to acquire data on their readers. No surprises there; Facebook has been tracking the activities of its users for some time now. When it comes to advertisements, media companies are presented with two options: either they get all the proceeds from their own embedded ads or they let Facebook sell ads for 30% of the revenue. It will be interesting to see which alternative the media organizations will opt for.

The general atmosphere, however, doesn’t seem overly positive: James Bennet, editor in chief of The Atlantic, said that by publishing articles through Facebook is equal to “losing control over the means of your distribution.” According to gambling news, Bennet also added that there is a positive side to the plan: more people will read pieces and maybe that will provide a great footing for a solid base and an eager crowd hungry for information.

There’s a fear that Facebook will draw away too many visitors

Online media outlets are afraid that once the system is up and running, the number of visitors on their websites will slowly start to dwindle. Their anxiety is understandable, because less readers will mean a decrease in advertisers, too. Another concern is that Facebook tends to regularly change the algorithms which regulate what somebody can see in their news feed. The best example for this is Zynga, losing much of its traffic due to such changes.

Nonetheless, Facebook doesn’t seem to be concerned about their constantly changing rules. As Chris Cox, Facebook’s chief product officer told The New York Times, “We see ourselves as first helping people connect with friends and family, and second, helping people be informed about the world around them.” This pretty much sums up the social media mogul’s stance on these issues – naturally making partner companies more than cautious.