Jason Ojalvo

I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about Charlotte Klein’s well-reported New York Magazine piece on the so-called “traffic apocalypse.” Most of our customers want to know: Is it really that bad? The short answer is: no, not yet. The longer answer is: it could get worse — and now is always the best time to invest in building a direct audience, outside the control of platforms. Our data science team analyzed trends in referred traffic across the U.S., drawing on years of data from thousands of publishers. The topline result? 🅐 Overall referred traffic (Search + Social) is flat year-over-year. 🅑 Since May 2023, Google referrals (from both Search and Discover) have held steady at 24% of page views. 🅒 Facebook, meanwhile, has declined — from ~5% in 2023 to 2.5% now — but it’s been a gradual drop, not a cliff. That said, the aggregate masks real challenges. ● AI summaries are impacting evergreen content far more than real-time coverage like news, sports, or entertainment. ● Google Discover, which now makes up about half of Google referrals, is fickle and a major distraction for audience teams trying to build sustainable strategies. One day it boosts celebrity gossip, the next day, in-depth political analysis. So what should you do? ★ Build a direct relationship with your readers. Deep engagement is the key. One of our earliest insights — from back in 2011 — remains true today: the best predictor of whether a reader will return is how deeply engaged they are during their first visit. To help you understand how you’re doing, we just launched a new product: **Chartbeat Cohorts**. It lets you benchmark your performance against anonymized peer groups across the industry. I’ll be back with data on the rest of the world in short order. If there are other studies you’d like us to run, please leave a comment. We’re here to help.

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Hearst Television has found that about 30% of its digitized archive video can be monetized by licensing or used in creating new programming, according to Ernie Mourelo, who joined Fox Corporation's Ben Ramos, Sinclair Inc.'s Mike Palmer, Veritone's Paul Cramer and veteran technology writer Glen Dickson on last week's TVNewsCheck webinar, Mining the Archive for Content and Revenue. Great story, which links to the video of the event. https://lnkd.in/em_zteYb

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big question Olga Usvyatsky and Francine McKenna address in Dina Bass' Bloomberg article: How long do high-speed and AI GPU chips last? - Call it the chip-replacement cycle: Fortunes were won and lost in the electronics bubble of the go-go 60s by ignoring/exaggerating how long first gen corporate computers would go between replacements, see the rise and fall of Saul P. Steinberg's Leasco https://lnkd.in/ecb2p_hQ

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Really important point Dave. Regulations may force change, but trust is what sustains platforms longterm. Privacy first, on-device protection shows that safeguarding children doesn’t require surveillance alone and that’s a critical distinction more developers need to understand and adopt.

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Founders build companies. Ecosystems build founders. 🚀 Behind every "overnight success" is a powerhouse of support, the people who provide the capital, the coaching, and the connections to bridge the gap from a raw idea to a fundable venture. The Reed Smith LLP ROCKY Award by Tech Coast Venture Network (TCVN) is our way of recognizing these pillars of our community. As a Founder’s Choice Award, it is unique because the winners are chosen by the entrepreneurs themselves and the TCVN board. Who we celebrate: We honor the "rock-solid" individuals who help founders become investor-ready, including: * Angel Investors: For providing the critical early-stage belief and capital. * Mentors & Advisors: For guiding founders through the highs and lows of the journey. * Community Champions: For building the infrastructure that makes our ecosystem thrive. By honoring our champions, we ensure the next generation of innovators has a foundation to build upon. Watch this video for a behind the scenes look at the pre-show set up. 👉 Want to see who's leading the way? Check out the full press list to see this year's incredible winners and nominees. #TCVN #ReedSmith #StartupEcosystem #AngelInvestors #Mentorship #FoundersFirst #CommunityChampions

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