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Facebook Downranks Video Clickbait and Fake Play Buttons (techcrunch.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the tricks-of-the-trade dept.

In a blog post, Facebook announced that it has started downranking the News Feed presence of links that display a fake play button in the preview image, as well as videos that are actually just a static image uploaded as a video file. While Facebook won't completely delete these posts unless they violate its other policies, it will be decreasing the distribution of these stories. TechCrunch reports: Facebook has prohibited the use of fake play buttons in advertisements under its policy against depicting non-existent functionality for a few years, News Feed Product Manager Greg Marra tells me. But the scourage has remained in the News Feed. Facebook says that if publishers want to denote there's a video behind a link, they should indicate that through Open Graph meta tags. They could also use words like "Watch" or "Video" in the headline or description. Meanwhile, Facebook's emphasis on video in News Feed has inspired the new menace of publishers uploading a static image as a video to get more eyeballs. These static image videos will be downranked too. Facebook is using a "motion scoring" system that detects movement inside a video to classify and demote these clips.

25 comments

  1. Nazis are Rubbish by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Donald Trump loves Robert E Lee, because he's a traitor against America too.

    1. Re: Nazis are Rubbish by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      can anyone provide evidence of trump being a nazi? Everyone seems to think that because the kkk voted for him its this big deal...do you think they never voted for any other president before?

    2. Re: Nazis are Rubbish by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Even Steve Bannon says Nazis are Rubbish:

      He dismissed the far right as irrelevant and sidestepped his own role in cultivating it: "Ethno-nationalismâ"it's losers. It's a fringe element. I think the media plays it up too much, and we gotta help crush it, you know, uh, help crush it more."

      "These guys are a collection of clowns," he added.

    3. Re: Nazis are Rubbish by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      can anyone provide evidence of trump being a nazi?

      Can he provide evidence of him not being a supporter of the modern day Nazis?

      Everyone seems to think that because the kkk voted for him its this big deal

      Not everybody. See the problem?

      ...do you think they never voted for any other president before?

      Do you think we never complained about this sort of thing before?

    4. Re: Nazis are Rubbish by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And how is the iconoclasm progressing? Have you already started removing every image or statue of presidents of the US before slavery was abolished?

      Also don't forget to burn books that contain offensive racist slur while you're at it.

      Oh, and how can I forget music and movies. Destroy all music of white people who covered songs of black artists. This cultural appropriation is such really the most disgusting example of institutional white supremacist racism!

      Don't give up. It will take a while, but soon nobody remembers the old racist US anymore and the people will in total equality know no hatred, no poverty and no envy anymore.

    5. Re: Nazis are Rubbish by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Provide evidence of him not being..."

      Can you provide evidence that you are not a fucking moron?

    6. Re: Nazis are Rubbish by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Can you provide evidence that you are not a fucking moron?

      Yes, I'm smart enough to denounce Nazis and their ilk for the foul, bigoted, oppression-seeking rabble they are, rather than try to equivocate and falsely pretend both sides are equal, and I didn't contradict myself by saying I needed to wait for "evidence" to condemn them, then days later immediately blast out a remark in a foreign country that makes me look like I can do so for others, and combine it with a disproven story that only reflects my own biases.

      Now why isn't Trump, who should have advisers reminding him of how to present his image, able to do the same?

  2. manspreading, itd by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    manspreading, itd

    mmmaaaahhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

    WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWIDE

    PRIDE WORLD WIDE

  3. monkeys feel sorry for us by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    they have more fun, compassion, good spirits etc... than us.. plus no hymens for some stranger to look for.. prosperitarianism has its' drawbacks,,, cease fire stand down.. no heart no spirit no life...

  4. lol by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "We'll only let our partners try to rip you off some of the time now instead of all of the time"

    Fucking hipsters.

    1. Re:lol by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "We'll only let our partners try to rip you off some of the time now instead of all of the time"

      Exactly.

      Facebook won't completely ban the clickbait bullshit because the GREEDY FUCKING JEWS don't want to miss out on one penny of ad revenue.

  5. Here you go by Okian+Warrior · · Score: 1, Troll

    can anyone provide evidence of trump being a nazi?

    Here you go.

    1. Re:Here you go by Whibla · · Score: 1

      ^ Highest scored troll I think I've ever seen.

      I'd say this goes some way to proving his point!

    2. Re:Here you go by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Read his posts, Okian Warrior's admitted to being a troll a dozen times.

  6. Oh dear! I know how this goes! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    First they come for the sex workers, and I don't speak up because I dislike the exploitation in the prostitution industry!

    Next they come for the Neo-Nazis, and I don't speak up because I oppose bigotry, intolerance, and oppression!

    Now they come for the Spammers and Fraudsters, and I support this because I dislike their cons and scams!

    But what next? Politicians? Churches? The GIRL SCOUTS?

  7. Find a better cartoonist by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It turns out we were right about Trump's method of governance too.

  8. Re:Oh dear! I know how this goes! by rudy_wayne · · Score: 1

    But what next? Politicians? Churches? The GIRL SCOUTS?

    Yes. Yes. And yes.

  9. Finally! by meerling · · Score: 1

    Though I have been blacklisting anyone that does that junk, maybe this will reduce my workload.

    1. Re:Finally! by antdude · · Score: 1

      Go work for Facebook. ;)

      --
      Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
  10. Nice try, Zuck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    " While Facebook won't completely delete these posts unless they violate its other policies,"

    So, like, make it the fucking policy that your dumb shit will get deleted if you do that.

    This isn't exactly hard.

    1. Re:Nice try, Zuck by Cinnamon+Beige · · Score: 1

      Given Facebook's market, I suspect you'd have problems as a result unless you combined it with sufficient idiot-proofing that you have to work to do this kind of thing.

  11. Easy solution by allo · · Score: 1

    Use scan lines and alternate 50 times per seconds between the two images. Full motion in each frame and still a static image.

  12. Don't care.... by MerlTurkin · · Score: 1

    I'm not on Facebook.