Pee Wee doesn't have a son...

By

How do these websites expect anyone in their right mind to take them seriously when they post things like this?

Really?!  Pee Wee Herman did not have any children!  But many people will click this to find out if 'Lip' from Shameless or the incredible chef from The Bear is related to this man.  You would think this would be coming from some weird tabloid right? Instead, it's from what claims to be a 'Health and Wellness News Magazine/' (Link here). The Funny thing is, when I look at the website it looks pretty legit and seems to have some interesting articles - which also appear legit.  I took a peek through the rest of the website and its affiliates and I found quite a bit of good reads.  I kept digging and saw that the site is owned and operated by Exorigos which is based in Israel.  It just reminded me that you have to dig and dig and dig to find out who you are really listening to.  Sometimes we get lucky and sometimes we get garbage.  This company did get me to their site though, I will give them credit for that! Advertising at its best?  

Comments

  1. Samantha MatherneNovember 7, 2023 at 7:12 PM

    This reminds me how people complain about clickbait headlines and how headlines today are often written sensationally to entice people to click on them for the story. Of course, headlines are written that way! The goal of any news media is to pull readers and viewers in, so why wouldn't they write and post things that peak curiosity and attract an audience? Health and Wellness News Magazine did the same thing here. From consumer standpoint, I can see why the practice is annoying, but I understand why they do it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anna V.November 7, 2023 at 7:56 PM

    Exactly! It's the "How did they come up with this?! There is no way..." and then, we click on it. Looking at the content, it's almost overwhelming because the topics vary so much. If this magazine was on the table in an office waiting room, probably every person who came in that day could find something to read in there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Samantha MatherneNovember 7, 2023 at 8:05 PM

      And that, Anna, means the magazine does not have a firm targeted audience online or in real life. Clever marketing or confusing?

      Delete
  3. Ellen DooleyNovember 7, 2023 at 8:58 PM

    What surprises me about some of these weird fake stories is how they sit at the bottom of an otherwise reputable page for weeks at a time. I found this article when trying to find a name for them: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/04/business/media/online-advertising-chumbox-merger.html , but who knows how things have changed in that realm since the article was published a few years ago.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jourdan LNovember 13, 2023 at 1:29 PM

    Great point! I noticed this start to happen more and more around 2012-2015 when Facebook and twitter really started to pick up. It was almost like many news outlets thought that they would get more views if they made some fake clickable garbage vs just publishing the good stuff. That or they thought doing this would create a situation in which someone clicks on the garbage article, but sees all of their much higher quality content, thus in advertently creating more traffic for their website then if they had just published their regular material. Still I feel like most people have grown tired of this and choose to skip these sites now almost entirely.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Social Medial Platform for Libraries Only?

By
  The number of libraries, large and small, that have jumped into the social web is impressive and Choi’s literary review and marketing analysis indicates that libraries are more comfortable about the concept of integrating social media. A couple of small Maine libraries I am familiar with each handle things very differently, which makes me think about the staffing issues and user needs that our blogging group read about this week, but also information needs that are the core of our information science program. As if trying to strike a timing and outreach balance isn’t enough, libraries need to decide which platform(s) to use. Considering the wide age range of users they may be working with, it must be quite a challenge. Some people may have settled into their favorite platform, some simply don’t want to engage in social media through the library, and other members of the library community may be jolted by political issues such as those of X and TikTok. Pew Research  recently ...
Read more

Your book club is where?

By
When considering public libraries' involvement in social media, the biggest reasons for use tend to be marketing and communication with the community. Social media platforms are great avenues to connect with existing or potential library users, and I wonder about employing them more for virtual programming. I remember after the Covid-19 pandemic hit the US in March 2020, libraries like mine scrambled to still offer services to the community with virtual programming largely not being practiced. As a society, we often talk of how busy life is today and know nearly everyone has a device constantly at their fingertips, which begs the question... why are more libraries not using that knowledge to their advantage for virtual programming?  A popular library program that could be moved to or have additional groups in a virtual setting are book clubs. With an increasing number of social media platforms out there that promote book discussion or discussions in general, now seems easier than e...
Read more

We'll keep you posted!

By Anna V.
  After reading this week’s articles about social media and libraries, how to get (and keep!) the attention of one’s audience has been on my mind.  It seems to be an ongoing challenge.   I have very little extra time lately, so I am very selective about how I spend that time on social media.   I looked into this a little more and found several sources. Some addressed social media in libraries, others were libraries themselves that had been recognized for their social media.   These suggestions are from the New Jersey State Library.   I enjoy seeing   what other libraries are doing! Taylor and Francis provide some helpful information  here.   This library ’s TikTok and Instagram became extremely popular, and I want to follow them myself now!
Read more