social networking
Twitter as Mood Ring: We’re in a Funk
A group of mathematicians turned to Twitter to gauge global happiness for 2011, and it seems the last 12 months have not been humanity’s cheeriest. The team from the University of Vermont gathered 4.6 billion Twitter messages from Twitter’s 33 million users from around the world.
Timeline’s Coming – Better Tidy Up
Facebook recently began rolling out its Timeline feature, which will replace the social networking site’s traditional user profile. Everything ever posted on a user’s page will be included in Timeline. Members have seven days to review everything that appears on their Timelines before anyone else can see them, and Facebook lets them mark which items they want to keep private.
Tracking Friends and Family on the Legit
Facebook’s recent acquisition of location-tracker heavyweight Gowalla is an indicator of the potential strategic importance of location-tracking technology in the social network arena. Players in this marketplace include Gowalla, which lets users share favorite places with fellow Facebook and Twitter friends and then be rewarded with deals from local businesses, and Foursquare, which offers similar functions.
Tracking Friends and Family on the Legit
Facebook’s recent acquisition of location-tracker heavyweight Gowalla is an indicator of the potential strategic importance of location-tracking technology in the social network arena. Players in this marketplace include Gowalla, which lets users share favorite places with fellow Facebook and Twitter friends and then be rewarded with deals from local businesses, and Foursquare, which offers similar functions.
Facebook Tackles Suicide Prevention
Facebook has teamed up with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to help bring emergency counseling services to members in need. The partnership aims to provide Facebook with the ability to spot comments or material users post that could be indications of severe distress.
Facebook Tackles Suicide Prevention
Facebook has teamed up with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to help bring emergency counseling services to members in need. The partnership aims to provide Facebook with the ability to spot comments or material users post that could be indications of severe distress.
Google+ Tiptoes Into Facial Recognition Territory
Google+Photos is adding facial recognition technology that will let users be tagged automatically in photos. To pre-empt privacy concerns, Google has made the feature opt-in, said Matt Steiner, engineering lead on the Google+ Photos team. For it to work, the user must turn on the new "Find My Face" feature in the Google+ settings.
Twitter Trades Simplicity for Sophistication
Twitter has updated its site and dramatically streamlined its user interface with an eye to attracting new users — not to mention brands. The new look is based on tabbed sections where users can spruce up their profiles and better organize their content. Businesses get the same privilege, with the rollout of pages that let them create "an even more compelling destination on Twitter," the company said.
DealBook: Zynga’s Tough Culture Risks a Talent Drain
A data-driven culture, which has been at the root of Zynga’s success, could become a serious liability, several former senior employees warn.
Facebook Whittles Down 6 Degrees of Separation to 4.74
Six degrees of separation may be good enough for most people, but for Facebook members, it’s only 4.74 degrees, according to a study conducted jointly by the social networking giant and the University of Milan. Conducted earlier this year, the study examined all 721 million active Facebook users, who had 69 billion friendships among them, Facebook said.
Bits Blog: A Start-Up Offers Help With Advertising on Facebook
Trada, which crowdsources search engine ads, now does the same for social networking ads, which it says will change the future of search.
Bits Blog: Regulators Say Social Network Violated Child Privacy Law
The Federal Trade Commission said that a site called Skid-e-Kids had agreed to settle its charges that it had allowed children under the age of 13 to register without their parents’ consent, which is against the law. According to the F.T.C., the site c…
