1. YouTube Has a Twitch
Twitch, a platform acquired by Amazon back in 2014 and originally built for gamers, is now trying to takeover YouTube with its live video streaming services. The average Twitch user is a young male who has stopped paying for cable and blocks ads. Most visitors that come to the site watch others play video games. So, how is Twitch, with 15M daily subscribers (mostly gamers), going to compete with YouTube’s 30M daily users? By offering millions of dollars to celebs if they make the transition to their site and providing a share of advertising sales and subscription revenue. A few have taken the bait, such as Tanner Braungardt, a prankster from Kansas, and the National Basketball Association who struck a deal to stream their minor league games. Does anyone feel a Twitch yet?
(Source: Bloomberg, The Hustle)
2. Tuition, Board, and an Echo?
Alexa has decided to major in communications at Saint Louis University (SLU). SLU is planning on placing an Amazon Echo Dot in every college dorm room (more than 2.3K speakers). They’ve already invested in an exclusive SLU-specific skill to answer students’ questions about sports, concerts, student events, organizations, and other happenings on campus. Other schools, such as Arizona State and Northwestern University, have already tapped into similar programs. However, SLU is limiting what the speakers can access compared to other schools including student records and financial aid information. Didn’t sign up for another roommate, nor want one? The school says, “you can unplug the device and store it in a safe location in your room.” How many of us wish we could have done that with our real roommate?
(Source: Digital Trends, The Hustle)
3. Fake Job Openings
Smell something fishy? You might if you’re one of many people job hunting. Especially for those looking for jobs in PR and advertising, watch out for fake agencies. Yes, you heard that right. Scammers are using Gmail domains and taking the logo, company info, mission statements, etc. off of real agencies’ sites. What’s the point? To scam job seekers out of money and your social security number. According to Inc.com, “if you can’t find information online that provides validation and proof the job exists, then I guarantee it doesn’t.”
These are the sites you should be utilizing to research whether the job opening is legit:
- Glassdoor
- Indeed
- Company Website
- Facebook/Twitter/Instagram
(Source: AdAge)
