Blogs Find Their Audio Outlet

Commission aims to block media stranglehold

(NEWSER) - Comcast should only be able to go through with its plans to buy NBC Universal if it's willing to share the media giant’s content with its competitors, according to Julius Genachowski. The FCC chairman gave his conditional approval for the merger last week, proposing a set of rules that would force Comcast to allow rival cable providers and satellite TV companies access to NBC’s content at a reasonable price. More»

But television news remains most popular according to Pew study

(NEWSER) - More Americans get their news today from Internet sources than from local or national print newspapers or from the radio. More than 60% of respondents in a Pew survey get their news online, and most use a variety of sources. The most popular information is weather, at 81%, followed by national news at 73%. Only 54% go to the radio for updates, and just 50% pick up a paper, though 92% say they use more than one medium. More»

Web petitioners change actress' mind about case

(NEWSER) - Who says a blog can’t change anything? Not the folks at Shakesville , who assembled a petition opposing actress Emma Thompson’s decision to sign a petition of her own opposing Roman Polanksi’s arrest. Somehow, one member of the community finagled a meeting with Thompson, presented the document…and actually changed her mind. “She said, while she supported Polanski as a friend, a crime is a crime.” More»

Regime doesn't seem to mind as long as it doesn't challenge authority

(NEWSER) - Syria’s authoritarian regime has been quick to lock up bloggers who tweak it even slightly, but it seems to have turned the other cheek as a flame war over masturbation has erupted. One blogger’s call for a crackdown on the evidently widespread “secret habit” elicited a push for an “unprecedented Syrian Orgasm against absurdity, hypocrisy, and sanctimony,” while a third Web critic wants an entire week devoted to moral decay. More»

Data analysis tells you words to use and when to build your brand

(NEWSER) - You might think all you need to do to get your 140-character gems rebroadcast on Twitter is make them, well, good. Wrong. Fast Company looks at some data-proven tips from Hubspot's Dan Zarrella:

• Links work—If they're the right links: Retweets (or RTs) are three times more likely to have links than the general field, but use the right URL shortener. Newer services such as bit.ly are tops; old standby TinyURL is out to pasture.