//Kevin Anderson /October 19 / 2012

Required Reading: QR codes in Kenya, data journalism resource in Russian and changes to Facebook pages

Required Reading is our weekly roundup of some of the must-read stories on digital media from around the world. We’re constantly looking for the best sources of information on digital media. If there is a blog, business news website or digital media leader that you think we should be following, let us know in the comments.

CIS and Georgia

Data Journalism Handbook now available in Russian

The Data Journalism Handbook, an excellent brief guide to data journalism and how news organisations are using data journalism, is now available in Russian. The book is available online for free in both English and now in Russian.

Facebook targets Russia as Internet rivalry heats up

Russia Beyond the Headlines looks at how Facebook is trying to make progress against domestic competitors in Russia, such as social network vKontakte. The article explains how rapid growth in internet advertising and e-commerce in Russia are driving fierce competition.

Africa

Africa ‘prepared’ for migration to digital TV

IPPMedia says that African governments are planning to switch to digital television by 2015, but there is a catch: “Yet, most African countries are still not sure of the transmission signals and set top box standards to be adopted during the shift from analogue to digital technology.” Will they make the deadline, and if so, how?  

Print ads in Kenya go QR code crazy!

Moses Kemibaro looks at how QR codes, small square bar codes that can be read by many mobile phones, are appearing everywhere in Kenyan print media advertising. Gimmick or goldmine? Kemibaro knows which side of the fence he is on – read the post to find out.

Asia

Stricter Web Regulation in Southeast Asia

International blog aggregator Global Voices has provided a useful, albeit depressing, overview of new, stricter internet regulations across Southeast Asia. The blog post covers new regulations in Cambodia, Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia. Meanwhile, internet users and journalists in the regions are protesting the new measures.

Mobile advertising to grow from $6.6 bn to $25.3 bn in four years

A report from eMarketer and Starcom MediaVest Group predicts a dramatic rise in mobile advertising in the next four years. The Asia-Pacific region currently leads the world in terms of mobile advertising, but North America will see some of the highest rates of growth in the next four years. This is just one insight that looks at advertising and media trends around the world including in eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.

Social media

Case study: do Facebook promoted posts work?

Digital marketing firm Econsultancy looks at changes in the algorithm that governs how promoted posts are displayed in users’ newsfeeds. Many Facebook page administrators have been watching their traffic decline since the change, and Econsultancy said that it had seen reach for some of its own posts decline by 50 percent. These articles look at what is happening, why and how you might respond.

Facebook newsfeed changes mean newsrooms need new engagement strategies

Steve Buttry, the digital transformation editor at Digital First Media in the US, looks at how newsrooms need to remake their engagement efforts in light of the changes Facebook has rolled out. He suggests that photos work better than text updates. He also encourages his journalists to start conversations and not just re-post stories. Read many more of his recommendations in this lengthy post on his blog.

Article by Kevin Anderson