Note: To make the Digital Intelligence Report a little easier to read (or even to look at) this week, I have reduced MORE to a rooster-inspired R for links through to the articles.

PROGRAMMATIC/DISPLAY: The deal between Facebook and Google either was a predatory move from monopolistic industry leaders or something most wouldn't understand. R ... Google believes it is the later (It probably is!). R ... Taboola is joining the social "stories" fray with Taboola Stories. R ... Fraud is difficult to uncover but not impossible. R ... The targeting challenges get the headlines but the measurement issues will be the most painful with the loss of the third-party cookie. R ... Are you up to speed on the cookieless future? Take this test to see. It's a tough one but teaches as well. R

SOCIAL: The increasing conversation on social around hot topics also increases the brand unfriendliness of social. R ... A social media management solution needs to include all key platforms, scheduling, rescheduling, rough image editing, inbox controls, audience data controls, listening, team tools and metrics. R ... 2021 will see marketers spending on more social platforms than Facebook. R

EMAIL: If you aren't using email to bolster your first-party database, you might be the only one. R ... Test every email campaign to eliminate mistakes, improve reach, protect yourself and expand your tool usage. R

SEARCH: You need a search strategy. R ... An India company has released a group of free SEO tools. They are worth checking out. R ... AI, voice and mobile are the key themes in SEO in 2021. R ... Pillar pages increase the power and ability for you to create a strong link-building strategy. R ... But the power of links in search is possibly overstated. R ... Duck, Duck, Go has grown substantially but is still dwarfed by Google. R ... SEO is an unending trash heap full of your money if you allow it to be. Here are some ways to justify and optimize the spend. R

DATA: So I know third-party data is dangerous and first-party data is the bomb. But how should I feel about second-party data? R

AUDIO/PODCASTING: Apple is planning to start a podcasting subscription service. R ... eMarketer sees huge growth in podcast spending in 2021. R

PRIVACY: Marketers are now lopsided in their response to privacy issues, worried most about the legislation rather than the issues the legislation is trying to combat. R ... Legal wins in 2020 included use of facial recognition, personal data demands and the need for encryption. R

DIGITAL MARKETING: How do you keep track of your competition? Google Alerts, SEM Rush, Alexa, Moz ... Here are a handful of upcoming webcasts that you can access to learn more.