social networking

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Supporters Blast Obama on His Own Website

Barackobama.com flooded with protests over FISA flip-flop

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s abrupt about-face on new FISA legislation that would grant immunity to telcos that aided the Bush administration in warrantless wiretaps has some supporters hopping mad—and they’re using the forums on the candidate's own website to protest, the New York Times reports. During the primaries Obama...

Facebook to Ask Users to Specify Gender

But site remains sensitive to those who find gender limiting

(Newser) - Facebook announced a seemingly minor change today: Users will soon be prompted to specify a gender for their “mini-feed” updates. The site has been using the awkward “themself” to avoid gender specificity, but Facebook managers say that doesn’t work so well when the site is translated into...

When Is A Facebook Friend Just A Friend?

Social sites clash over letting users share info between services

(Newser) - There’s a movement among some social Web services, from MySpace and Yahoo to Plaxo, to let users share data, the MIT Technology Review reports. Take Google’s new Friend Connect, a service that lets users transport profiles and connections among sites. But Facebook, for one, is swimming against the...

Al-Qaeda Stuck in Web 1.0
Al-Qaeda Stuck in Web 1.0
OPINION
Jun 26, 2008 9:07 AM CDT

Al-Qaeda Stuck in Web 1.0

Osama not up on his Facebook, YouTube; US should exploit populist backlash

(Newser) - At its height, al-Qaeda had mastered how to amplify the effect of real-world attacks with virtual representations—videos, audio recordings, and articles reproducing its mayhem online. But as the Web has transformed into a more social entity, the terrorist organization is " stuck in 1.0," writes analyst Daniel...

Raise a Glass to the Joys (and Pains) of Happy Hour

One in five of us go out for drinks after work with co-workers; it's not all good

(Newser) - Is it happy hour yet? About 20% of Americans regularly go out for drinks with colleagues after work, says a survey from careerbuilder.com. Reuters runs down the highlights:
  • Most go out just to be social, but about 30% say they do so to gossip or only because they feel
...

Facebook Just 'Flavor of the Month': Murdoch

Rival that's overtaken his MySpace merely 'directory,' not network

(Newser) - Rupert Murdoch today insulted the rival of his popular MySpace, calling Facebook the “flavor of the month” and a mere “directory”—on the occasion of his social networking sinking to the No. 2 spot in worldwide traffic. The media mogul said Facebook was not a real social...

LinkedIn Scores $53M in Capital, $1B Value

All-business networking site plans European foray, acquisitions

(Newser) - LinkedIn—the buttoned-down, anti-Facebook social networking site for professionals—is about to up its profile with a $53 million infusion of private equity that will allow it to make acquisitions and expand its reach overseas, reports the New York Times. The new financing values the company at a hefty $1...

'Spam King' Owes MySpace $6M
 'Spam King' Owes MySpace $6M 
Jun 17, 2008 9:36 AM CDT

'Spam King' Owes MySpace $6M

Social networking site wins another multi-million suit against spammers

(Newser) - A Colorado company accused of spamming must pay MySpace $6 million in damages and legal fees after an arbitrator ruled for the social networking site, the AP reports. Media Breakaway and its CEO, aka the "Spam King," were accused of using hijacked or "phished" accounts to send...

Networks Social Indeed, But Ad Dollars Remain Elusive

MySpace's marketing-friendly makeover part of sites' evolving drive to cash in

(Newser) - A makeover planned to begin Wednesday for MySpace is the latest sign of the continued struggle to make social networking the cash cow many thought it would be when News Corp. bought the site three years ago, the New York Times reports. MySpace's user base has grown from 16 million...

'Lifestreaming' Challenges Traditional Social Networking

FriendFeed leads new aggregation services

(Newser) - A new kind of open social networking is gaining a foothold with online leaders. “Lifestreaming” services like FriendFeed—launched in February by ex-Google employees—let users bring online social activities from various sources together in one feed. Leader FriendFeed is logging 150,000 visitors a month, but the big...

Internet Killed the Video Star That Killed the Radio Star

One-time trendsetter can't connect with wired youth

(Newser) - The MTV generation is pushing middle age, and its favored video-delivery system is falling victim to YouTube, the Independent reports. Younger audiences–those key 16- to 24-year-olds–turn to the Internet for the hottest new music, and MTV's attempts to reconnect have failed. They include stabs at social networking and...

Making Web More Social Has Google, Facebook Less So

Friend Connect threatens social-networking business model

(Newser) - Though Facebook cited privacy concerns in pulling the plug on a partnership with Google aimed at making the Web more social, dollar signs are more likely behind its withdrawal from Friend Connect, the Washington Post reports. "What Facebook is after really is control over their users," one analyst...

Facebook, MySpace Derail Alumni Magazines

New generations of grads find keeping in touch easier over web

(Newser) - Once upon a time, the college alumni magazine was an invaluable resource. Keeping up on old friends and enemies was as easy as flipping to the “class notes” section. But that once-mighty column now looks antiquated next to the constant updates offered on Facebook or MySpace, and it’s...

Facebook Readies User-Friendly Makeover

Site wants to offer easier access to other applications

(Newser) - Social-networking stalwart Facebook is redesigning its site to allow users easier access to an array of applications that might include search options, Forbes reports, and give advertisers more ways to reach the Facebook community. CEO Mark Zuckerberg, speaking at the All Things Digital conference, said the company hoped to work...

Bad Habits: It's Who You Know
 Bad Habits: It's Who You Know 
May 26, 2008 4:48 PM CDT

Bad Habits: It's Who You Know

Study says social networks strongly influence behavior

(Newser) - If your friends all jumped off a bridge, you'd probably listen to your mom and not follow them, but how about if they started exercising? New research into social networks—in 3D, not on MySpace or Facebook—shows people are more likely to quit smoking or lose weight if someone...

Online Social Networks Redefine 'Friends'
Online Social Networks Redefine
'Friends'
OPINION
May 23, 2008 11:00 AM CDT

Online Social Networks Redefine 'Friends'

Isn't 5,000 too many? Even spuds do well

(Newser) - Online social networks such as Facebook and MySpace have altered the meaning of friendship, writes Steven Levy in The Washington Post. Instead of genuine chums, people are collecting hundreds and even thousands of friends without any real-world contact. When it comes to rejecting friend requests, "it's socially awkward, and...

Online Friending Grows Stranger
Online Friending
Grows Stranger
ANALYSIS
May 18, 2008 6:00 AM CDT

Online Friending Grows Stranger

Facebook, MySpace pals won't deliver chicken soup when you're sick

(Newser) - How many online friends is too many? Facebook insists users can only have 5,000—and that's not enough for some, discovers Stephen Levy in Newsweek. "Who am I to say no to friendship?" asks one user who spends 12 hours a day on Facebook and has a waiting...

MySpace Bully's Case Sets Risky Course: Experts

Site's obscure contract, which most ignore, is key to the case

(Newser) - A criminal indictment over MySpace bullying that led to a Missouri teen's suicide sets an unusual and perhaps dangerous legal precedent, experts say. Because her activities violated the site’s terms of use, Lori Drew faces charges of computer fraud and abuse related to the death of Megan Meier, Wired...

MySpace Wins Record $234M From Spammers

Two spammers sent nearly 750,000 messages to site members

(Newser) - MySpace has been awarded $234 million from spammers in what's believed to be the largest such judgment ever, AP reports. A federal court ordered two notorious spammers to pay damages for sending hundreds of thousands of messages to MySpace members. The social networking site hailed the award as a “...

Growing Pains Plenty Evident at Facebook

But Zuckerberg stays put, gets veteran help after hitting potholes

(Newser) - Facebook is seeing a lot of challenges lately, with ads selling at rock-bottom prices, revenue not nearly rivaling MySpace, and third-party developers defecting to OpenSocial networks (MySpace, again). But unlike other companies’ young founders, Mark Zuckerberg isn’t about to step aside. And thanks to his tight control of Facebook's...

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