Facebook fired human editors from curating its trending topics section and instead relies solely on an algorithm to determine trending content. This has led to an increase in fake news and inaccurate stories trending. The document discusses how BuzzFeed could potentially adapt and leverage Facebook's trending algorithm by analyzing how their own content spreads and goes viral in order to get it trending on Facebook through catering to spikes in user interest, as the key aspects of Facebook's algorithm remain unknown.

1. Updated Facebook
Trending Algorithm
Aidan Meyer
Lexie Slavin
Rachel Workstel
Darby Malkin

2. The Algorithm
- Facebook fired human editors
- Personalized content
- High volume of mentions
- Spike in mentions

3. How Trending Works

4. How Trending Works

7. Condé Nast video site: The Scene

8. Create a universal “Most Popular / Latest” Sidebar
- Promote stories on different sites
- Use the algorithm to create headlines
- Pair with similar publications

9. Potential BuzzFeed Adaptations
- Buy algorithm from Facebook
- Unlikely unless the algorithm keeps having problems

10. Potential BuzzFeed Adaptations
- Content Analysis
- Predict how their own articles go viral
- Adapt their analysis around how other articles are
trending

11. Potential BuzzFeed Adaptations
- “BuzzFeed’s innovation doesn’t have anything to do with how content is
posted, it’s about how that content is tracked across the multiple sites,
platforms, and services through which it is distributed” (Ingram, fortune.com)
If they are already tracking it...begin to analyze it for the purpose of getting it
trending on Facebook.

12. Can BuzzFeed Leverage FB Trending Algorithm?
- Key components within algorithm
- Cater to spiked interest

13. Is it Disruptive?
Yes
Represents a shift in how information is consumed

14. Works Cited
Conde Nast. (2016). Brands/Media Kits. Retrieved September 13, 2016 from http://condenast.com/brands
Griffin, A. (2016, August 30). Facebook trending topics news editors fired, leading fake news and masturbation stories fill
news feed. Retrieved September 13, 2016 from http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/facebook-
trending-topics-news-editors-fired-leading-fake-news-and-masturbation-stories-fill-news-a7216721.html
Ingram, M. (2016, February 15). The real secret to BuzzFeed’s success isn’t cat GIFs, it’s data. Retrieved September 13,
2016 from http://fortune.com/2016/02/16/buzzfeed-data/
Ohlheiser, A. (2016, August 29). Three days after removing human editors, Facebook is already trending fake news.
Retrieved September 13, 2016 from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/08/29/a-fake-headline-
about-megyn-kelly-was-trending-on-facebook
Wagner, K. (2015, August 21). How Facebook decides what’s trending. Retrieved September 13, 2016 from
http://www.recode.net/2015/8/21/11617880/how-facebook-decides-whats-trending

15. Thank you!