Facebook gives a summary about its plan to insert ads into Live videos

Facebook knows you like live video and it’s pretty sure that you won’t mind if those real-time clips start playing automatically with audio, then have ads appear in the middle.

Facebook product director Fidji Simo revealed the new details about the social network’s video strategy during in an interview  with CNN’s social-news director Samantha Barry here at the Online News Association’s conference. Barry was less successful in getting Simo to explain the complex relationship status between Facebook (FB) and news organizations.

Live a product that Facebook launched only last August as a celebrities-only feature, but which now stands as a key part of its strategy took up much of Simo’s time.

Facebook takes Live seriously enough to pay some sites and social-media stars to stream Live video. But it also stumbled badly when it took down the video of Philando Castile’s death after he was shot by a police officer.

Simo said Facebook has to decide if videos of violence glorify it or report it. If the video is reporting on violence, Facebook will keep the clip but add a warning, disable it from playing automatically and hide it from users under 18.

Simo added that the company has teams of people working worldwide around the clock to police videos.

When asked by Barry if the News Feed will become all video something a Facebook executive said could happen within five years. Simo said it won’t be entirely video, but will definitely feature a lot more, much of it 360-degree, virtual-reality clips.

“You want to feel like you are part of the action,” she said.

At some point, you may be able to watch Facebook video on a media player like a Roku, depending on how many people take advantage of a new option to cast it to an Apple TV or a Chromecast.

Facebook is also considering two changes that may not earn many Likes. One is inserting “mid-roll” ads into video streams, which Facebook plans to bring to Live this year and may add to non-Live videos later on. “People really understand the concept,” she said.

The other is having video play automatically with the sound on today, it autoplays silently. As a result, only 50% of the time spent watching video on Facebook involves audio.

Simo said the company is running a test to turn sound on by default in News Feed. “We think that actually could be a much better experience.”

(Yes, I’m aware that Yahoo Finance stories sometimes feature videos that automatically play with the sound on.)

Simo also offered two tips about using Live well: Offer some suspense (she cited police chases and stormy weather but somehow did not mention BuzzFeed exploding a watermelon by tying rubber bands around it), and have the stream run at least 10 minutes to give your audience time to find it.

Worries over the Trending list

Simo was at her least helpful when Barry asked if Facebook has become a media company, something founder Mark Zuckerberg recently denied. She repeated that denial, explaining that Facebook doesn’t create content of its own.

But after saying that “we play a big role in the media industry, and we take that responsibility very seriously,” she touched on the various ways Facebook does not let the News Feed run itself.

Facebook has repeatedly changed the algorithms that determine what shows up in each person’s Feed to try to address what its users want and to make life harder for clickbait and falsehoods.

“We care a lot about making sure that what’s shared on Facebook is authentic,” she said.

We have a word in journalism for that sort of involved attention to what a reader sees: editing.

Barry quizzed Simo at length about the part of the News Feed that looks most like a news site: Facebook’s list of trending stories. It’s been in the news itself lately, and not in good ways. First, conservative critics accused Facebook of burying stories hostile to Democrats, then Trending publicized a few phony stories.

“We do not want any fake news trending,” Simo said. “We know we’re not where we want to be.”

But this isn’t a problem Facebook plans to solve by hiring more people, she added — that would be too hard for a product that must work worldwide (Yes, that’s the opposite of what Simo said about policing Live videos.) Instead, the company is betting on smarter algorithms and better tools for users to flag fake stories.
Sources; Yahoo News.

South Africa's retired Archbishop Tutu returns to hospital due to infection

Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu was readmitted to a South African hospital on Saturday, just days after he left following three weeks of treatment there.

The 84-year-old retired archbishop returned to the hospital "as a precaution after his surgical wound had shown signs of infection," a family statement quoted Tutu's wife, Leah, as saying.

Tutu "underwent the surgical procedure 10 days ago to address the cause of recurring infections resulting from past treatment received for prostate cancer," the statement said.

Tutu, who has been treated for prostate cancer for many years, was also hospitalized several times last year. His family has previously said that the cancer is under control.

He was an outspoken opponent of apartheid, South Africa's former system of white minority rule, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

The Game's car shot multiple times in Miami after dissing Meek Mill

                                           
Just hours after threatening Meek Mill with bodily harm, rapper Game was the target of a drive-by shooting at a Miami hotel. According to TMZ.

Police said that at around 7:30 AM a Mustang convertible drove past the valet outside the Fontainebleau Hotel and fired multiple shots into a white Mercedes-Benz G Wagon, which cops are saying that it is associated with Game's beef with Meek Mill.

The SUV was empty. The Game was hosting and performing Thursday night at STORY Nightclub, just down the street from the hotel. Cops says no other vehicles were hit and there were no injuries.

Mel Gibson and girlfriend Rosalind expecting a child- It will be Gibson 9th child

                           

60-year-old actor Mel Gibson who is already father to 8 children is expecting his 9th child with his girlfriend Rosalind Ross,  26-year-old girlfriend Rosalind Ross and Gibson been dating for 2 years.

Mel Gibson has children between the ages of 36 years to 6 years. Mel Gibson shared 7 kids with his ex-wife, Robin and one with former partner, Oksana Grigorieva.
This will be Rosalind's first child.

President Obama set to meet Iraqi leaders and Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari

                          
United States of America  President Barack Obama has scheduled meetings with the leaders of Iraq, Nigeria and Colombia and plans to promote trade between the U.S. and Africa, as he continues his efforts to defeat the Islamic State group, the white house said Friday.

Obama plans to sit down Monday with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to discuss progress the country has made countering the Islamic State group, a coming Iraqi military operation to take back the city of Mosul from IS militants, and a brewing humanitarian crisis inside Iraq, said Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser.

Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this week while visiting Baghdad that Iraqi forces aided by the U.S.-led coalition against IS had retaken half the territory that militants once held in the country. He also announced more than $181 million in aid to address a humanitarian crisis that has festered in Iraq as a result of the insurgency. Despite a series of major defeats in recent months, IS has maintained its grip on Mosul, Iraq's second largest city.

Meanwhile, North Korea continues to defy the international community with its recent nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

Obama also plans to meet Tuesday with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, to talk about continued U.S. support for security and economic changes in the country, as well the government's efforts to counter the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram. At a summit on refugees that the president is hosting, Obama is expected to press more nations to open their borders and help double the number of refugees who are resettled around the world.

Obama will devote a portion of Wednesday, the final day of the General Assembly session, to promoting trade between the U.S. and Africa.

Dettol aims to educate millions across 19 countries on Global Handwashing Day

            
Considered as the gold standard in germ protection, Dettol has been committed towards spreading the awareness around hand hygiene amongst children across the globe.

As a part of the Global Handwashing Day celebrations, Dettol has launched a global campaign which aims to reach out to millions of people across 19 countries and educate them about importance of handwashing.



Led by digital, the campaign emphasises on creating a big impact of saving lives by taking small steps like inculcating good hand washing habits.

Global Handwashing Day is an annual global advocacy day dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing with soap as an easy, effective, and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives.

Consistently ranked amongst the most trusted brands in the country, Dettol has educated over 6 million childrenand their parents since 2010, about the importance of hand washing through its School Hygiene Program, which is a mass consumer education program to educate about proper handwashing habits.

Talking about Dettol’s mission of a healthy Nigeria, the Marketing Director, RB West Africa, Mr. Rahul Murgai, said “as Reckitt Benckiser, makers of Dettol, our global vision is to have a world where people are healthier and live better. In achieving this, we will continue to make a difference by giving people innovative solutions for healthier lives and happier homes.”

According to him,
“Dettol has been at the forefront of providing health and hygiene messages via its products and initiatives to Nigeria for more than 50 years”. Regular handwashing is the first line of defence from preventable diseases like Diarrhea. To protect our children from getting sick, the first thing to do is to educate them about washing their hands properly.”
“Promoted on a wide enough scale, handwashing with soap can be thought of as a ‘do-it-yourself’ vaccine because it is easy, effective, and affordable.Ingraining the habit of handwashing could save more lives than any single vaccine or medical intervention.

To know more about the campaign, click here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDJwcb4bvw0&feature=youtu.be

For every share of this video until 31stof October, 2016, Dettol pledges to educate 1 child about the importance of hand washing for leading a healthy and happier life. Be a part of this initiative, take this small step to make a big difference.

Video: Wing Flap Found Off Africa Is From Vanished Malaysia Airlines MH370

A large piece of aircraft debris discovered on an island off the coast of East Africa in June was from missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, an official announced Thursday.

A search stretching more than two years has turned up few traces of the Boeing 777 that disappeared in March 2014 with 239 passengers and crew on board. The outboard flap found on Pemba Island, off the coast of Tanzania, will be examined further to see if it can yield any insight into the circumstances around the fate of the jet, Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said in a statement.

Australian and Malaysian officials examine aircraft debris that was found on Pemba Island at the Australian Transport Safety Bureau headquarters in Canberra on July 20.

Australian Transport Safety Bureau / Handout via Reuters Investigators have previously confirmed a piece of plane debris found on the French island of Reunion in July 2015 as being part of MH370. They are examining several other pieces of debris found in Mozambique, South Africa and Rodrigues Island, a territory of Mauritius.

Key Details for Malaysia Air Flight 370 | Graphiq