Neville Hobson joins Shel Holtz for the December installment of “The Hobson & Holtz Report.” The stories Neville and Shel covered include…

* The passing of PR fixture Jack O’Dwyer

* Marketers are turning their attention to messaging apps

* Not everyone is free to leave Facebook, even if they want to

* The death of keywords (or is it?) as audiences become key to targeting in search

* Rising Instagram stars post fake sponsored posts to get brands’ attention

* What we learned about GDPR in 2018

* Research reveals how journalists can rebuild trust in media; could it work in business?

* Dan York reports on the Quora data breach, rural connectivity, free (for now) LinkedIn Learning courses, more on Facebook’s woes, Slack banning users with links to Iran, and a new podcast all-in-one mixing desk.

Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.

You can find the stories from which FIR content is selected at Shel’s Link Blog.

About Neville Hobson

Neville Hobson was co-host of The Hobson & Holtz Report for over 10 years. For over 15 years, Neville has been a voice of experience and influence when it comes to speaking about digital technologies, disruptive change in workplaces and marketplaces, relevant trends to pay close attention to, and what it all means for your business. His experiences embrace deep understanding and subject-matter expertise in contemporary business issues that include social, digital and cognitive technologies, connecting that with a career in traditional public relations, marketing communication, employee compensation and benefits communication, and investor relations. Based in the Thames Valley some 30 miles west of London, Neville works either from his home office or from a client’s location; or from wherever he has a good network connection.

Links from this week’s episode:

* Jack O’Dwyer, Chronicler of PR, Dies

* Going where the customer is: Marketers are coming for messaging apps

* Why Marketers Need to Use Ads in Messaging App

* Tips for Marketing through Messaging Apps

* Why Should Anyone Believe Facebook Anymore?

* Facebook says companies got access to data only after user permission

* NAACP Joins Growing List of Civil Rights Groups Criticizing Facebook

* Facebook’s Sandberg cites need to do more after reports of Russia meddling

* ‘We want these platforms to be healthy’: Why top marketers won’t quit Facebook after 2018 scandals

* ‘They don’t care’: Facebook factchecking in disarray as journalists push to cut ties

* Cost to walk away from Facebook for a year? More than $1,000, new study finds