Media Insider: Obama to Guest-Edit Wired, Facebook Displays Vertical Video on Mobile, and Chatbots Explained

Welcome to Media Insider, PR Newswire’s round up of journalism, blogging and freelancing stories from the week.

Photo by Wired Photostream used under CC BY-NC 2.0.

President Obama to Guest-Edit Wired (FishbowlNY)

President Barack Obama will serve as the guest-editor of Wired’s November issue, FishbowlNY says. This is the first time Obama has guest-edited a magazine and the eighth guest-editor for Wired, the site continues. Previous Wired guest-editors have included Serena Williams, Christopher Nolan and Bill Gates.

Time Inc. Cuts 40 Editorial Staffers, ‘Real Simple’ EIC Exits (MediaPost)

Another round of cuts is coming to Time Inc.’s editorial department, just as Kristin van Ogtrop announced she is leaving as Real Simple’s longtime editor-in-chief, MediaPost reports. Roughly 40 people will be cut from across Time’s brands. The editorial cuts were made just weeks after more than 100 were cut from Time’s sales and marketing division.

2.2 Billion Views: How NBCU and BuzzFeed Scored on Snapchat During Rio Olympics (Digiday)

NBCUniversal turned over its Snapchat account to BuzzFeed for the Olympics, and it appears to have paid off with 35 million viewers over two weeks, Digiday reports. The media giant announced a partnership with Snapchat in April. NBCU distributed Olympics-related content on Snapchat through a Discover channel and several daily Live Stories.

Facebook Displaying Vertical Videos in Mobile News Feed (SocialTimes)

SocialTimes reports Facebook has begun displaying vertical video in the News Feed in its flagship mobile application. A Facebook spokesperson told Tim Peterson, of Marketing Land, via email that its tests found users watched vertical video for longer periods and with audio when they were presented vertically in News Feed.

Chatbots Explained: Why Businesses Should be Paying Attention to the Chatbot Revolution (Business Insider)

Advancements in artificial intelligence, coupled with the proliferation of messaging apps, are fueling the development of chatbots — software programs that use messaging as the interface through which to carry out any number of tasks, from scheduling a meeting, to reporting weather, to helping users buy a pair of shoes, Business Insider reports. So, businesses are starting to heavily invest in the bot economy.

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Christine Cube is a senior audience relations manager with PR Newswire and freelance writer. Follow @cpcube or check out her latest on Beyond Bylines on PR Newswire for Journalists.