Facebook Introduces Embeddable Posts

BY TODD WASSERMAN

In an effort to inject Facebook into more public conversations, the company on Wednesday introduced embeddable posts that will let blogs and news organizations include status updates, videos and photos in stories.

The posts work in the same way as embeds from Twitter and YouTube. Once your account is enabled, you will have the option to "Embed post." That will produce a code you can cut and paste into a blog entry or HTML file.

For a post to be embeddable, it must be set to public. In its announcement, Facebook used a status update from the British Monarchy about the recent royal birth as an example:

Mashable is one of a handful of media organizations to get early access to the embeds. Others include CNN, The Huffington Post, Bleacher Report and People magazine.

Though an estimated 72% of Facebook users set their posts to private, the company has lately been looking to tap its public posts for added commentary and color on topical issues.

With this in mind, Facebook introduced hashtags in June so users and journalists could track conversations on Facebook about various issues. The new embeds can also include hashtags, which readers can click on to see those discussions.

The intent of such efforts is to provide more inventory to advertisers looking to reach people during live events, like the Super Bowl or the Oscars. Until now, Twitter has offered the lion's share of such ad opportunities, but with 1.1 billion users, 28% of Facebook audience offers a viable alternative.

Image: Getty, Justin Sullivan

Audience and Marketer Insights on Digital Advertising

AUGUST 3, 2013 |  BY WES MAXWELL  |  BUSINESS, ECOMMERCE, INTERNET, MARKETING, TECH

Looking for marketing advice to add some leverage to your online advertising campaigns? Check out the IDG Knowledge Hub’s infographic displaying the benefits of utilizing more “native” style ads in your advertising campaigns instead of traditional, banner style advertising.

Internet advertising is a constantly changing business, and in order to remain successful within a progressive business, those pursuing internet advertising careers should open their eyes up to the substantial benefits of utilizing “native” ads instead of standard, banner-style ads.

Banner ads are your standard, stereotypical ads that show up at the top and bottom of webpages, almost completely out of context with whatever webpage you are visiting, that blandly attempt to draw viewers to whatever it is they are advertising. Although banner ads have proven to be successful in the past, we live in a very progressive, changing culture, with a very strong, youthful presence, who gets fed up with traditional, banner style ads.

With that being said, native ads offer webpage viewers a fresh alternative to advertising. Native ads are embedded within a webpage’s content, and are somewhat related to a webpage’s content. Additionally, native ads are more straightforward about their purpose as ads, unlike banner ads, that force their way onto a webpage just because their company “paid” to have their ad on a website.

In conclusion, native ads are the closest thing advertising can get to honesty, which in our modern-day culture is hard to come by, and greatly appreciated.

[Via]

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How to Live to 100

How to Live to 100 [Infographic]

JULY 29, 2013 |  BY GRAYSON  |  HEALTH, LIFESTYLE

Living one’s life more healthily can often be quite a big change from how they normally do things, but it doesn’t all need to be tackled at once. One step at a time, people can and do make themselves healthier every day and as a result, we’re living longer as a whole. There are as many proactive steps to a long, healthy life as there are preventative steps, and there’s never a better time to start the healthy lifestyle than at a young age.

Today’s infographic from BMI Healthcare gives us a look at some of the main health issues and problems that face young people, and what can be done in order to ensure everyone’s good health. After all, the path to living to 100 starts at a young age. Some of the best ways to stay healthy really seem like common knowledge, but it’s often easy to forget or overlook something that will make us healthier in favor of something easier instead. Making sure kids are active is key, along with a healthy, balanced diet. Your kids aren’t into traditional sports like soccer or football? You’re in luck, because there are literally hundreds of other active activities they could choose from that will keep them moving as well as entertained.

For more info on how to stay healthy (and maybe just reach that century milestone), have a look at the graphic below. [Via]