city scape at night

Social Media Crisis? Take ownership of the issue.

,
Yup - another airline incident caught on film. This time it was American Airlines flight 591 #AA591. While the incident was deplorable, the good news is  that American Airlines got out in front of the backlash.  They took ownership of the incident and defused any impending actions by the public.  See…
city scape at night

Social Media Crisis costs Target Millions

Last April, Target published a blog post highlighting their stance on transgender bathroom policies, and specifically their policy of inclusion.  As a result, nearly 700,000 consumers signed a pledge to boycott the store.  In the weeks that followed, numerous individuals posted opinions about the policy…
city scape at night

United Airlines in a Social Media Crisis as Twitter blows up over (gasp!!) spandex.

United Airlines made headlines over the weekend as a gate agent refused to allow two young girls to board a flight from Denver to Minneapolis because they were “not properly clothed”.  The infraction – spandex leggings. The young girls donned other clothing and boarded the plane.  The incident…
city scape at night

Hate Speech, Free Speech, or a business decision?

Many large social media channels are coming under fire for not being “tough on hate speech.”  Refer to this recent article in The Guardian – Face-off between MPs and social media giants over online hate speech.  In the US, while hate crimes are illegal, the constitution gives a great deal of…
city scape at night

Online Moderators Keep it Civil, But What About Where They Work?

Online Moderators Keep it Civil, But What About Where They Work? Mzinga moderators spend much of their shifts putting an end to flame wars, banning trolls, handling customer complaints, and keeping the peace.  As Mzinga’s Director of Moderation Services, I ensure that the team works in an environment…
city scape at night

Facebook Adds AI to Suicide Prevention Arsenal

Facebook Adds AI to Suicide Prevention Arsenal More than ten years ago, I complimented Facebook for encouraging its members to send in a report if they saw a post by a member or friend saying they were serious about harming themselves.  If a report was received, Facebook contacted the member with…
city scape at night

Google’s Jigsaw Gets a New Perspective: Learning Curve Still a Hairpin

Google’s Jigsaw Gets a New Perspective: Learning Curve Still a Hairpin Late last year, I commented on Google’s Jigsaw software, created to apply machine learning to detect and remove harassment and abusive content in areas where users interact online.  At the time, I said that no matter how much…
city scape at night

Twitter Throws the Bozo Flag on Trolls

Twitter Throws the Bozo Flag on Trolls Twitter used to brag that it was “the free speech wing of the free speech party,” but recently the party was crashed by the company’s security team, who launched a protocol aimed to decrease users’ exposure to abusive content.  It’s both a step forward…
city scape at night

Texas Anti-Harassment Legislation Threatens Lawful Online Interaction

Texas Anti-Harassment Legislation Threatens Lawful Online Interaction A new bill introduced in the Texas legislature seeks to criminalize cyber-bullying of children in educational settings.  The bill, called “David’s Law” (named after a 16-year-old victim of cyber-bullying who killed himself…
city scape at night

Lego Life App Combats Trolls and Bullies

A new app launched by Lego contains many features that minimize the ability of users to be harassed and bullied.  Called Lego Life, the app for iOS and Android (available in App Store and Google Play) allows kids under 13 to create profiles, watch videos, participate in challenges, upload photos of…