Founder of new satire site Double Bay Today says comedy can beat Facebook’s news feed changes
Simon Palan, the founder of four-week-old satire site Double Bay Today, has told Mumbrella he expects comedy pages will better navigate Facebook’s news feed changes than traditional news outlets and brands.
Speaking exclusively to Mumbrella, Palan explained how his “pieces do get a lot of engagement because people tag their friends in it. I think Double Day Today might be able to navigate the changes somewhat.”
The site, which posted its first article on December 22, was launched by Palan as a solo “passion project”.
“It’s really about humanity and society and the different things we all get tangled up with,” he said.
Although he admits “it may take a hit” in the short term, he adds that “it’s not a serious news report or some niche business talking about the merits of their product, which is not relatable to many people.”
Despite starting just four weeks ago, Palan said his Facebook page is getting around 100 new page likes every day, with his traffic coming almost exclusively from the social media site.
On the news feed changes, he added: “Ultimately I see it as a positive, I think it was a smart thing to do by Facebook, because it is increasingly becoming a vehicle for advertisers which isn’t good for the long term of the platform.”
Palan was previously a TV news reporter and anchor at ABC Sydney for 10 years, before leaving to start Refine Media, a content marketing agency focusing on branded video production and executive media training.
Unlike rival satire site The Betoota Advocate, Double Bay Today is based on a real area in Sydney’s affluent eastern suburbs.
“Calling it Double Bay Today has helped, because people who see it in this area, they think ‘oh there’s a new publication for Double Bay’.”
Palan admits this has led some followers to confuse the satire site with a real publication, causing them to “unleash their own assessment of how terrible the goings on are” in the comments thread.
Is it supposed to be funny?
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How many satirical sites can there be..?
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At least he didn’t call it The Double Bay Advocate..
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A 4 week old satirical site no one has ever heard of is newsworthy?
I know January is quiet and all but….
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Today in the Double Bay Day Today…
Facebook Algorithm Change Causes Satirical CEO’S Algorithmic Aneurysm
A satirical website founder’s feverish fondness for Facebook traffic is believed to have been a key contributing factor in a disturbing incident that occurred yesterday .
Witnesses said that the man first began acting strangely when he appeared unable to seamlessly use the word algorithm in a sentence, whilst discussing how buoyantly resistant his website’s business model was to recent changes in Facebook’s algorithm.
“His left eye began twitching and then his face turned blue,” said one witness. “I thought he was going to explode, he looked like Violet Beauregarde.”
The man then began foaming at the mouth before he collapsed to the ground writhing and shouting, “algorithm, algorithm, algorithm” at any passers-by.
A video clip of the incident posted on Facebook received several likes and two shares and is believed to have reached almost three thousand people.
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Hah this comment is way too authentic to have not come from betoota. Quality.
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