Facebook making privacy controls easier
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, sent an open letter to the social network's users announcing some good news both for the company and for users. He announced Facebook now has over 350 million users. To put that into perspective, the Facebook population is larger than those of all of the countries in the except China and India.
The other, and arguably more intriguing, bit of information from Zuckerberg was the announcement of updates to Facebook privacy settings:
"The plan we've come up with is to remove regional networks completely and create a simpler model for privacy control where you can set content to be available to only your friends, friends of your friends, or everyone.
We're adding something that many of you have asked for — the ability to control who sees each individual piece of content you create or upload." (emphasis added)
Make good privacy choices
This is an important change because it will provide individuals a way to have better control and hopefully filter their postings for appropriateness. Perhaps this is Facebook's way of letting users help themselves and making good choices online. I especially liked how Zuckerberg leads users down the path of choosing privacy settings:
"...the best way for you to find the right settings is to read through all your options and customize them for yourself. I encourage you to do this and consider who you're sharing with online." (emphasis added)
If you're a Facebook user, will this change be helpful to you? Do you think people will take the time to update their privacy settings? The comments are yours.
Images:http://www.flickr.com/photos/36521958135@N01/3016389517
Story: http://nextcommunications.blogspot.com/2009/12/facebook-making-privacy-controls-easier.html
Labels: Facebook, Facebook news, Facebook Privacy Control
Facebook Groups Redesign Becomes Official
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Last week we wrote about Facebook testing out a new design for Facebook groups which is almost identical to Facebook Pages. As of today, that new design has become official. One significant component of the upgraded version of groups is that updates to them will now be delivered to the homepage News Feed. With the new design the Pages versus Groups debate will continue to rage on.
It’s clear that the design of groups is almost identical to Facebook Pages and at this point there are few benefits of using groups over Pages which makes me think that the debate is moot to a certain extent. This new groups design also make one wonder whether or not groups will become a platform for applications. With over 45 million groups, it would only make sense to grant developers access to them.
For now we’ll have to wait and see how the groups evolve but this is most definitely a significant upgrade. While I’d like to personally see Facebook Pages and groups merge together, many users argue that Groups have their own use case. With tons of invites to groups about different issues I’ve stopped using them for the most part, however many users still flock to groups daily.
Do you think this redesign is useful? Should Facebook just merge groups and Pages or is there a reason for keeping groups?
Source:http://www.allfacebook.com/2009/10/facebook-groups-redesign-becomes-official/
It’s clear that the design of groups is almost identical to Facebook Pages and at this point there are few benefits of using groups over Pages which makes me think that the debate is moot to a certain extent. This new groups design also make one wonder whether or not groups will become a platform for applications. With over 45 million groups, it would only make sense to grant developers access to them.
For now we’ll have to wait and see how the groups evolve but this is most definitely a significant upgrade. While I’d like to personally see Facebook Pages and groups merge together, many users argue that Groups have their own use case. With tons of invites to groups about different issues I’ve stopped using them for the most part, however many users still flock to groups daily.
Do you think this redesign is useful? Should Facebook just merge groups and Pages or is there a reason for keeping groups?
Source:http://www.allfacebook.com/2009/10/facebook-groups-redesign-becomes-official/
Labels: Facebook, Facebook news, Facebook Pages
Benefits and Trends of Social Media Marketing
Monday, September 07, 2009
Social media marketing is the most effective marketing techniques available today. It is the practice of creating quality content related to your website or business and promoting it through social media channels. Attaining a fan following through social media sites like Facebook, MySpace and YouTube can generate massive amounts of traffic, much of it more relevant than what you'd get through typical banner advertising.
Many people are still wondering exactly how to benefit from the new networking possibilities. Here is a list of some of the biggest benefits that come from a successful social media marketing campaign .
Generating a strong base
Fabricating a strong, core base of supporters is essential to expand and grow, and creating compelling social media content is one of the best ways to do this. A loyal fan following assure that you will always have a market ready to buy what you have to offer, and if your offerings are good, it will ultimately add to your goodwill.
Brand Awareness
It adds in enhancing your brand's awareness. As more people watch your business name and the link to your site, your logo, and other details found in social media profiles, you establish more brand awareness among your potential client base.
Featuring High Quality Sites That Engage and Persuade
Always remember content is the only dominating factor, and has the ability to glued the casual onlookers to your point of view. Sites such as Xanga, Friendster, Bebo, Flickr and imeem are just a few that provide a well-formatted presentation to your following. This effect only serves to enhance the predominant message or image conveyed.
Improved Conversion Rates
The conversion rates comprises of the website visitor percentage that turn into leads and then customers. This concept is also known as sales funnel in which there are multiple stages through which prospects progress over time. Social media can improve this rates by allowing prospects to know, like and trust you more than in years past.
Affordable Method Of Globalizing Your Business
SMm helps business owners in making their products affordable and the company name visible to the global market. In return, they get clients in large number from the same forum and through the reference of the former. Henceforth, you are making friends and extracting cash from similar location at the same time.
The Social Media is not a destination but consider it as a tool in an integrated marketing plan which connects like-minded people. Your community will naturally grow given you provide quality content that engenders passion and loyalty to those relationships.
Many people are still wondering exactly how to benefit from the new networking possibilities. Here is a list of some of the biggest benefits that come from a successful social media marketing campaign .
Generating a strong base
Fabricating a strong, core base of supporters is essential to expand and grow, and creating compelling social media content is one of the best ways to do this. A loyal fan following assure that you will always have a market ready to buy what you have to offer, and if your offerings are good, it will ultimately add to your goodwill.
Brand Awareness
It adds in enhancing your brand's awareness. As more people watch your business name and the link to your site, your logo, and other details found in social media profiles, you establish more brand awareness among your potential client base.
Featuring High Quality Sites That Engage and Persuade
Always remember content is the only dominating factor, and has the ability to glued the casual onlookers to your point of view. Sites such as Xanga, Friendster, Bebo, Flickr and imeem are just a few that provide a well-formatted presentation to your following. This effect only serves to enhance the predominant message or image conveyed.
Improved Conversion Rates
The conversion rates comprises of the website visitor percentage that turn into leads and then customers. This concept is also known as sales funnel in which there are multiple stages through which prospects progress over time. Social media can improve this rates by allowing prospects to know, like and trust you more than in years past.
Affordable Method Of Globalizing Your Business
SMm helps business owners in making their products affordable and the company name visible to the global market. In return, they get clients in large number from the same forum and through the reference of the former. Henceforth, you are making friends and extracting cash from similar location at the same time.
The Social Media is not a destination but consider it as a tool in an integrated marketing plan which connects like-minded people. Your community will naturally grow given you provide quality content that engenders passion and loyalty to those relationships.
Labels: Facebook, MySpace Mail, Social media, Social media marketing, Social Media News, YouTube
4 Facebook Mobile Updates You Should Know About
Yesterday Facebook made a number of mobile announcements in addition to a number of partners that made announcements about support for their Facebook mobile offerings. Rather than posting a bunch of articles about each of the news announcements, we’ve compiled all the announcements into a single list. It’s clear that an increasing percentage of Facebook users are using Facebook’s mobile services as their default method of accessing the site.
Facebook Surpasses 65 Million Users
Yesterday Facebook announced that they had surpassed 65 million mobile users, accounting for approximately 25 percent of all Facebook users. As Facebook expands globally, there is no question that the percentage of Facebook users that access the site on their mobile devices will increase over time. While the best interfaces are found on the iPhone and Blackberry (and soon on Android devices), any mobile device with internet access can view the site.
Nokia Announces Ovi Lifecasting With Facebook
Yesterday Nokia announced a new service called Ovi Lifecasting. In a relatively lengthy video (embedded below), Nokia highlights a new system which makes it possible to connect to your friends in real-time through a layer that’s built on top of Facebook. While the full functionality of the service isn’t really clear, it’s obvious that Nokia has realized that they need to provide integrated Facebook access in order to sell more phones.
T-Mobile Announces Sidekick Support For Facebook
Yesterday, T-Mobile announced that more sidekick devices can now access Facebook through a free application. The company is also attempting to sell a Twitter application for $1.99 (for some unknown reason) but all Facebook users can log in to Facebook for free. Over 65,000 people are already using Facebook for Sidekick but with this new version being accessible to older versions of the Sidekick, I’d expect that number to increase.
Facebook Announces Connect For The Mobile Web
Developers now have another library for developing Connect-enabled versions of their applications for all mobile devices. While there is already services for the iPhone and the web in general, enabling Connect on basic mobile sites was not an easy task until now. Yesterday the company launched Facebook Connect for the Mobile Web. It functions like all other connect applications but increases the number of people that will now be able to view the apps.
Source:http://www.allfacebook.com/
Facebook Surpasses 65 Million Users
Yesterday Facebook announced that they had surpassed 65 million mobile users, accounting for approximately 25 percent of all Facebook users. As Facebook expands globally, there is no question that the percentage of Facebook users that access the site on their mobile devices will increase over time. While the best interfaces are found on the iPhone and Blackberry (and soon on Android devices), any mobile device with internet access can view the site.
Nokia Announces Ovi Lifecasting With Facebook
Yesterday Nokia announced a new service called Ovi Lifecasting. In a relatively lengthy video (embedded below), Nokia highlights a new system which makes it possible to connect to your friends in real-time through a layer that’s built on top of Facebook. While the full functionality of the service isn’t really clear, it’s obvious that Nokia has realized that they need to provide integrated Facebook access in order to sell more phones.
T-Mobile Announces Sidekick Support For Facebook
Yesterday, T-Mobile announced that more sidekick devices can now access Facebook through a free application. The company is also attempting to sell a Twitter application for $1.99 (for some unknown reason) but all Facebook users can log in to Facebook for free. Over 65,000 people are already using Facebook for Sidekick but with this new version being accessible to older versions of the Sidekick, I’d expect that number to increase.
Facebook Announces Connect For The Mobile Web
Developers now have another library for developing Connect-enabled versions of their applications for all mobile devices. While there is already services for the iPhone and the web in general, enabling Connect on basic mobile sites was not an easy task until now. Yesterday the company launched Facebook Connect for the Mobile Web. It functions like all other connect applications but increases the number of people that will now be able to view the apps.
Source:http://www.allfacebook.com/
Labels: Facebook, Facebook Applications, Facebook news
Watch Out Twitter! Facebook Launches Realtime Search
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Facebook’s on a roll today. Earlier today, Facebook acquired FriendFeed, one of the largest and most-discussed social media acquisitions we’ve seen in a long time. The deal is partly seen as a move by the world’s largest social network to boost their social technology, specifically realtime streams, conversations, social media aggregation, and search.
That’s what makes Facebook’s latest move so intriguing. In June, Facebook announced it was building a new real-time search to rival Twitter Search. It not only would search status updates, but photos, notes, images, videos, and links. Facebook has also made changes that will allow users to post their status updates publicly in anticipation of the new search.
Fast forward to today: Facebook just announced that it is rolling out the new Facebook search. With realtime search and FriendFeed (FriendFeed) in its pocket, Facebook is gunning directly for Twitter .
More story on:http://mashable.com/2009/08/10/facebook-launches-realtime-search/
Labels: Facebook, Facebook news, Friend Feed
Facebook employees are offered $14.77 a share
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
SOCIAL NOTWORKING SITE employees at Facebook who want to make a quick buck off their company are being allowed to sell stock for $14.77 per share under an agreement with Digital Sky Technologies.
The Russian outfit wants to buy $100 million of Facebook common stock from current and former employees. It already announced a separate $200 million investment in Facebook's preferred shares in May, which means it thinks the value of the company is $10 billion.
From a Facebook staff member's perspective this means that they can get some cash out of the outfit at last, particularly before it goes to a public float and Wall Street starts wondering if it is really worth all that much.
Although Facebook is doing much better than Rupert Murdoch's MySpace, it is expected to make only $500 million in revenue this year.
More on Facebook Offering
Labels: Facebook, Facebook news
Facebook Rocks With a Different Look
Monday, June 15, 2009
Everyone have probably noticed that Facebook looks different today. It all began when Facebook began accepting registrations at midnight New York time on June 13. Facebook debuted usernames for companies, individuals and groups, in order to finally enable everyone to grab an easy-to-remember, easy-to-share URL for profile or page on a first-come, first-served basis. Within 15 minutes, more than 500,000 user names were assigned.
The new service, which went live at 5am BST on Saturday morning, allows account holders to register more distinctive URLs for their profiles by choosing a specific username, which will then be displayed in the URL link to their profile.
People can enter a Facebook username as a search term on Facebook or a popular search engine like Google, for example, which will make it much easier for people to find friends with common names.
According to Facebook Inc., more than 3 million people registered user names in the first 12 hours after the social-networking site offered members the chance to claim a personalized Internet address.
Facebook, the most-popular social-networking site, introduces the new feature which is designed to make it easier to find people. Users that have claimed their names can direct friends to a simplified Web address, such as http://www.facebook.com/username. Previously, those addresses had strings of letters and numbers, making them difficult to remember. The change also makes it easier to find Facebook members through search engines such as Google Inc.
According to different reports, within seven minutes of the service being available, 345,000 users grabbed one and within 15 minutes, over a half million had, Facebook usernames.
The new service, which went live at 5am BST on Saturday morning, allows account holders to register more distinctive URLs for their profiles by choosing a specific username, which will then be displayed in the URL link to their profile.
People can enter a Facebook username as a search term on Facebook or a popular search engine like Google, for example, which will make it much easier for people to find friends with common names.
According to Facebook Inc., more than 3 million people registered user names in the first 12 hours after the social-networking site offered members the chance to claim a personalized Internet address.
Facebook, the most-popular social-networking site, introduces the new feature which is designed to make it easier to find people. Users that have claimed their names can direct friends to a simplified Web address, such as http://www.facebook.com/username. Previously, those addresses had strings of letters and numbers, making them difficult to remember. The change also makes it easier to find Facebook members through search engines such as Google Inc.
According to different reports, within seven minutes of the service being available, 345,000 users grabbed one and within 15 minutes, over a half million had, Facebook usernames.
Labels: Facebook, Facebook news
Using Twitter and Facebook to Find a Job
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Brian Ward lost his job on a Friday afternoon. Eleven days later he had a new one. With nearly 1 in 10 people out of work and the typical job search lasting 12 weeks, how did the Cleveland-based software architect pull it off? In a phrase: online social networking.
Welcome to the new rules of the job hunt. Gone are the days of simply posting your résumé on CareerBuilder, e-mailing former colleagues and trolling company websites for open slots. These days, if you're serious about being hired, you really put your computer and PDA to work. That means getting word out on social sites like Facebook and MySpace, sending instant job-search updates via messaging feeds like Twitter, and meeting new people who might be able to lend a hand through Web-networking outfits like LinkedIn and Ryze.
Why? Because for all our technology, the best way to land a job is still by having someone who already works at a company mention your name. Each year, the staffing consultancy CareerXroads surveys large firms about where they find new hires, and since at least 2005 the top spot has held steady: some 27% come from referrals. (Job boards, by comparison, have fed firms a consistent 12% of new hires; the rest come from recruiters, company websites, etc.)
The difference today is that a lot more of those recommendations start with connections made through online networks. A recent report by market researcher Nielsen found that people now spend more time using social networking sites than they do personal e-mail.
By Barbara Kiviat for Time.com
Read full story on: www.time.com/time/business
Welcome to the new rules of the job hunt. Gone are the days of simply posting your résumé on CareerBuilder, e-mailing former colleagues and trolling company websites for open slots. These days, if you're serious about being hired, you really put your computer and PDA to work. That means getting word out on social sites like Facebook and MySpace, sending instant job-search updates via messaging feeds like Twitter, and meeting new people who might be able to lend a hand through Web-networking outfits like LinkedIn and Ryze.
Why? Because for all our technology, the best way to land a job is still by having someone who already works at a company mention your name. Each year, the staffing consultancy CareerXroads surveys large firms about where they find new hires, and since at least 2005 the top spot has held steady: some 27% come from referrals. (Job boards, by comparison, have fed firms a consistent 12% of new hires; the rest come from recruiters, company websites, etc.)
The difference today is that a lot more of those recommendations start with connections made through online networks. A recent report by market researcher Nielsen found that people now spend more time using social networking sites than they do personal e-mail.
By Barbara Kiviat for Time.com
Read full story on: www.time.com/time/business
Google Wave Aims To Reinvent E-mail, IM
Friday, May 29, 2009
The Google I/O conference at San Francisco ended with Google dropping a bomb. Say hello to Google Wave, a unique service from the company that, according to many, has the potential to be the next big thing after e-mail. As we file this story, the latest wave from Google has already hogged the headlines and it has managed to hold on to be a trending topic on Twitter.
So, what exactly is the Google Wave? To simplify things, consider it to be an extension, or rather an evolution of existing e-mail, IM and file-sharing technologies. With Wave, users can share images, videos, converse in what Google terms a collaborative conversation stream.
If that bounced off your head, here we go again. In real world conditions, what you can potentially do is to start a Wave. Now, everyone on your wave will be able to enhance it with rich HTML, pictures, videos even presentations and with possibly anything you can do on the web. You can talk to them (your wave buddies, of course) while this is happening and see in real time how the wave of yours has started to evolve.
Cool, Huh? Now, if you sign off and come back the next day and you see that the wave has changed a lot since you last saw it, what do you do? You can actually go back and see how the evolution happened - a sort of rewind and playback thing. Of course, there is a lot more to the Google Wave than this, but that has to be experienced to be talked about.
Another facet of Google Wave is that this happens to be an Open Source project, and more of a platform, less a finished product. So, what we're talking bout here is an entire new API that allows developers to do almost anything they please, like integrating a Twitter client, playing games on to a wave. From gaming or official work to a simple chat, the Google Wave might just change the way we communicate with our buddies, in the near future
Google Wave is the creation of the same team that was behind Google Maps and the bunch seems to have run into something revolutionary, right from the outset! This five-person startup looks all set to be one of the most talked about Google products ever.
Google has not announced a release date for Google Wave as yet, but assures that it will be made available from later this year. If you want a preview, you do have the option to let Google know your interest here at http://wave.google.com.
For more check it here at http://googleblog.blogspot.com
Source:http://www.techtree.com
So, what exactly is the Google Wave? To simplify things, consider it to be an extension, or rather an evolution of existing e-mail, IM and file-sharing technologies. With Wave, users can share images, videos, converse in what Google terms a collaborative conversation stream.
If that bounced off your head, here we go again. In real world conditions, what you can potentially do is to start a Wave. Now, everyone on your wave will be able to enhance it with rich HTML, pictures, videos even presentations and with possibly anything you can do on the web. You can talk to them (your wave buddies, of course) while this is happening and see in real time how the wave of yours has started to evolve.
Cool, Huh? Now, if you sign off and come back the next day and you see that the wave has changed a lot since you last saw it, what do you do? You can actually go back and see how the evolution happened - a sort of rewind and playback thing. Of course, there is a lot more to the Google Wave than this, but that has to be experienced to be talked about.
Another facet of Google Wave is that this happens to be an Open Source project, and more of a platform, less a finished product. So, what we're talking bout here is an entire new API that allows developers to do almost anything they please, like integrating a Twitter client, playing games on to a wave. From gaming or official work to a simple chat, the Google Wave might just change the way we communicate with our buddies, in the near future
Google Wave is the creation of the same team that was behind Google Maps and the bunch seems to have run into something revolutionary, right from the outset! This five-person startup looks all set to be one of the most talked about Google products ever.
Google has not announced a release date for Google Wave as yet, but assures that it will be made available from later this year. If you want a preview, you do have the option to let Google know your interest here at http://wave.google.com.
For more check it here at http://googleblog.blogspot.com
Source:http://www.techtree.com
Labels: Facebook, Google, Google wave, Twitter
Facebook launching an App Directory
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Facebook just launched it Apps Directory which seems very much like Apple Appstore. Are we going to be seeing a full fledged app store in the future. Facebook is rumored to be working on a virtual ecommerce system.
Washington Times - Is Facebook Directory the precursor to a paid appstore
Washington Times - Is Facebook Directory the precursor to a paid appstore
Microsoft announces the Facebook application for Windows Mobile
Monday, May 18, 2009
Here’s an exciting news for Windows Mobile users as they can now stay connected with friends and family through Facebook. Microsoft has officially launched the Facebook application for Windows Mobile phones and lets users access Facebook’s standard features.
This application enables a user to update status, write on wall, add videos and photos as well as amend and edit profiles. It seamlessly integrates with the phone’s features in order to make direct calls from the Facebook profiles.
The Facebook app features News feeds and provides users the ability to compose, view, reply and delete items. It also allows users to change and update photos and videos as well as post comments and read photo details. With this application, you can access your friend’s profile, invite them, view full profile, accept notifications, comment on their status and more.
Additionally, the Facebook app utilizes the Windows Mobile menu metaphor that pops up activities when a user taps their finger on the touchscreen. Microsoft claims that this is the only Facebook app which allows users to upload videos directly from their mobile phones.
The Facebook mobile version is already available for many smartphones and other mobile phones but with limited functions as compared to the desktop version.
This Facebook app is now available for Windows Mobile 6, 6.1 smartphones and it will also be available to Windows Mobile 6.5 later this year.
Read On : http://www.mobiletor.com
This application enables a user to update status, write on wall, add videos and photos as well as amend and edit profiles. It seamlessly integrates with the phone’s features in order to make direct calls from the Facebook profiles.
The Facebook app features News feeds and provides users the ability to compose, view, reply and delete items. It also allows users to change and update photos and videos as well as post comments and read photo details. With this application, you can access your friend’s profile, invite them, view full profile, accept notifications, comment on their status and more.
Additionally, the Facebook app utilizes the Windows Mobile menu metaphor that pops up activities when a user taps their finger on the touchscreen. Microsoft claims that this is the only Facebook app which allows users to upload videos directly from their mobile phones.
The Facebook mobile version is already available for many smartphones and other mobile phones but with limited functions as compared to the desktop version.
This Facebook app is now available for Windows Mobile 6, 6.1 smartphones and it will also be available to Windows Mobile 6.5 later this year.
Read On : http://www.mobiletor.com
Labels: Facebook, Windows Mobile
Facebook and the Afterweb
Monday, April 27, 2009
Two years ago Facebook changed the equation with myspace by opening the site to 3rd party developers to build app which would interact with it. This allowed an ecosystem to develop where 3rd party sites are using facebook to allow people to do everything from login with their facebook id to see feedback with facebook itself.
In a recent gamechanger announcement, facebook announcement that it was opening more of its core services to developers.
Source: http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1894307,00.html
For more coverage on this:
- NYTIMES
- Techcrunch Live Facebook Stream
- Readwriteweb
In a recent gamechanger announcement, facebook announcement that it was opening more of its core services to developers.
Early today, Facebook announced that it was opening up the "stream"-the real-time feed of members' status updates, Wall posts and such-to outside developers. Developers can now create new programs that mash-up and remix that core data, making it more useful and fun for members.
Source: http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1894307,00.html
For more coverage on this:
- NYTIMES
- Techcrunch Live Facebook Stream
- Readwriteweb
Labels: Facebook
Report: Facebook to open up to developers
Facebook plans to announce at a developer event Monday that it will open up user-contributed information to third-party developers, according to a report Sunday in The Wall Street Journal.
The move would allow developers to build applications and services that--with users' permission--access user videos, photos, notes, and comments. The move would be a significant change for the social-networking site, which had previously retained tight control over the site and how developers interact with it.
To allow developers to take advantage of the free feature, Facebook users would have to give the companies access to their data, and users' privacy settings would extend to new services built, according to the report.
Allowing developers to track shared data would be another salvo in its assault on micro-blogging site Twitter, which allows third-party developers to build applications and services on top of its service.
The move seems a continuation of APIs (application programming interfaces) Facebook launched in February that let developers access content and methods for sharing in Facebook apps including Status, Notes, Links, and Video.
Of course, all this hinges on persuading Facebook's 200 million users to share their personal data, a topic that ruffled some feathers in February. Facebook users threatened to revolt after the company announced changes to its terms of service that had meant that its license on user content--a longstanding but little-publicized claim to an "irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license" for promotional efforts--would no longer expire if a member deleted his or her Facebook account.
But facing a rebellion from thousands of users and a possible federal complaint from the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the social-networking service returned to its previous terms.
Read More Here:News.Cnet.com
The move would allow developers to build applications and services that--with users' permission--access user videos, photos, notes, and comments. The move would be a significant change for the social-networking site, which had previously retained tight control over the site and how developers interact with it.
To allow developers to take advantage of the free feature, Facebook users would have to give the companies access to their data, and users' privacy settings would extend to new services built, according to the report.
Allowing developers to track shared data would be another salvo in its assault on micro-blogging site Twitter, which allows third-party developers to build applications and services on top of its service.
The move seems a continuation of APIs (application programming interfaces) Facebook launched in February that let developers access content and methods for sharing in Facebook apps including Status, Notes, Links, and Video.
Of course, all this hinges on persuading Facebook's 200 million users to share their personal data, a topic that ruffled some feathers in February. Facebook users threatened to revolt after the company announced changes to its terms of service that had meant that its license on user content--a longstanding but little-publicized claim to an "irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license" for promotional efforts--would no longer expire if a member deleted his or her Facebook account.
But facing a rebellion from thousands of users and a possible federal complaint from the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the social-networking service returned to its previous terms.
Read More Here:News.Cnet.com
Labels: Facebook
MySpace profile is being changed up by the upcoming of IM
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
With the passage of time previous MySpace’s desktop-only instant client, MySpaceIM, is transferring in-browser. It is under planning that it will be rolled out to other English-speaking countries (including the U.S.) in the coming few weeks though the company is beta-testing it with Canadian users at present.
From the Web-based Meebo, MySpaceIM is already accessible. At the bottom of the browser window in its own toolbar the new MySpace is attached and is very much akin to the Facebook Chat.
Also it can be popped out into its own browser window. Not only this you can also IM with MySpace users who aren't on your friends list, something that I don't quite understand the benefits of, or you can toggle the privacy settings to always be "invisible" or to only accept IMs from people you've already approved as friends.Whereas MySpace owned by News Corp is not ditching its downloadable desktop IM client. It is said that they both are interoperable.
Though it is suspected that Facebook users have simply turned off Facebook Chat still a younger, more entertainment-focused feel, MySpace may have better luck with in-browser IM. It is like a planned scheme to loose the membership-count battle to Facebook many months before. And finally MySpace is making its efforts to increase its edge in user engagement.
From the Web-based Meebo, MySpaceIM is already accessible. At the bottom of the browser window in its own toolbar the new MySpace is attached and is very much akin to the Facebook Chat.
Also it can be popped out into its own browser window. Not only this you can also IM with MySpace users who aren't on your friends list, something that I don't quite understand the benefits of, or you can toggle the privacy settings to always be "invisible" or to only accept IMs from people you've already approved as friends.Whereas MySpace owned by News Corp is not ditching its downloadable desktop IM client. It is said that they both are interoperable.
Though it is suspected that Facebook users have simply turned off Facebook Chat still a younger, more entertainment-focused feel, MySpace may have better luck with in-browser IM. It is like a planned scheme to loose the membership-count battle to Facebook many months before. And finally MySpace is making its efforts to increase its edge in user engagement.
Facebook's fbfUND Is Accepting Applications For FB Connect and iPhone Apps
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
fbFund, a $10 million seed fund focused on supporting entrepreneurs who are building their business around Facebook.com or with Facebook Connect, is now accepting applications for its third funding round. The fund, which is backed by Facebook, Founders Fund and Accel Partners, is shifting its focus to funding Web and iPhone app developers leveraging Facebook Connect. In the past, fbFund focused on the broad spectrum of successful and promising applications built on the Facebook Platform.
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the fbFund at TechCrunch40 in 2007.
Facebook will choose 50 teams based on app metrics, developer talent and potential to succeed. From those teams, a subset will later be chosen and offered the opportunity to receive up to $100,000 in equity investment and an invitation to participate in an incubator program in Silicon Valley later this year. While there, the teams will be able to meet with Facebook engineers, venture capitalists and other tech executives.
Read more : www.techcrunch.com
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the fbFund at TechCrunch40 in 2007.
Facebook will choose 50 teams based on app metrics, developer talent and potential to succeed. From those teams, a subset will later be chosen and offered the opportunity to receive up to $100,000 in equity investment and an invitation to participate in an incubator program in Silicon Valley later this year. While there, the teams will be able to meet with Facebook engineers, venture capitalists and other tech executives.
Read more : www.techcrunch.com
Labels: Facebook
Facebook Adds Chat to Apps, Foresees Adoption Jump
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Applications created for the Facebook platform can now feature live chat, a capability the company foresees will not only make programs more appealing but also boost their usage and rate of adoption.
Adding Facebook Chat could result in end users interacting more with an application, as well as in making it easier for them to invite their friends to install the application, increasing its user base through word of mouth, according to Facebook.
"There are countless ways applications can integrate this feature. For instance, users can invite friends to start a live game, a couple can plan a trip or their wedding together sharing links, or friends can exchange reviews on music/restaurants/gadgets -- all without leaving your application," wrote Facebook software engineer Yariv Sadan in the company's official blog for developers on Thursday.
Playfish, a developer of games for social networks, plans to incorporate the Facebook live chat feature in the coming weeks, a spokeswoman for Facebook said via e-mail.
In an interview last month, Dave Morin, Facebook's senior platform manager, said the company this year will make it easier for members to discover applications that are relevant and useful to them.
Facebook opened up its Web site in May 2007 so that external developers could create applications for it, thus enhancing the appeal of the social network for end users and giving developers a chance to generate revenue from advertising and other methods.
Currently, there are more than 52,000 applications available to Facebook members. "We're doing lots of testing around giving users more ways to discover applications that their friends are interacting with, so you'll see some of that work come out this year," Morin said at the time.
Facebook members browse a directory for applications, or search for them using the site's search engine, while developers in turn can promote their applications by buying ads on the site. Facebook wants to improve on these methods of finding and promoting applications.
Last year, when Facebook rolled out a major redesign of member profiles' layout, some developers complained, arguing that the changes robbed applications of visibility. Facebook's position is that the opposite is true.
In their eagerness to promote their Facebook applications and help then stand out from the crowd, some developers have resorted to deceitful practices to get members to install them, resulting in spam and other annoyances. Facebook has regularly taken policy and technical steps to curb these practices, but t remains to be seen if some developers will find ways to misuse this new live chat capability to aggressively promote their applications.
Source of this :PC World
Adding Facebook Chat could result in end users interacting more with an application, as well as in making it easier for them to invite their friends to install the application, increasing its user base through word of mouth, according to Facebook.
"There are countless ways applications can integrate this feature. For instance, users can invite friends to start a live game, a couple can plan a trip or their wedding together sharing links, or friends can exchange reviews on music/restaurants/gadgets -- all without leaving your application," wrote Facebook software engineer Yariv Sadan in the company's official blog for developers on Thursday.
Playfish, a developer of games for social networks, plans to incorporate the Facebook live chat feature in the coming weeks, a spokeswoman for Facebook said via e-mail.
In an interview last month, Dave Morin, Facebook's senior platform manager, said the company this year will make it easier for members to discover applications that are relevant and useful to them.
Facebook opened up its Web site in May 2007 so that external developers could create applications for it, thus enhancing the appeal of the social network for end users and giving developers a chance to generate revenue from advertising and other methods.
Currently, there are more than 52,000 applications available to Facebook members. "We're doing lots of testing around giving users more ways to discover applications that their friends are interacting with, so you'll see some of that work come out this year," Morin said at the time.
Facebook members browse a directory for applications, or search for them using the site's search engine, while developers in turn can promote their applications by buying ads on the site. Facebook wants to improve on these methods of finding and promoting applications.
Last year, when Facebook rolled out a major redesign of member profiles' layout, some developers complained, arguing that the changes robbed applications of visibility. Facebook's position is that the opposite is true.
In their eagerness to promote their Facebook applications and help then stand out from the crowd, some developers have resorted to deceitful practices to get members to install them, resulting in spam and other annoyances. Facebook has regularly taken policy and technical steps to curb these practices, but t remains to be seen if some developers will find ways to misuse this new live chat capability to aggressively promote their applications.
Source of this :PC World
Labels: Applications Development, Facebook
