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Social networking sites have their place, but so does predecessor

(NEWSER) - Email’s had a good run, but its day is done, according to Jessica Vascellaro of the Wall Street Journal. Email is an outdated form of communication, better suited to a time when we logged online and off, she argues. Now that we’re always connected, Twitter and Facebook are faster—and more fun. And, not coincidentally, they’re growing faster, according to the latest Nielsen data. More»

(NEWSER) - The surge in Internet traffic yesterday as Michael Jackson fans searched for information about his death had a deep impact on the Web, Ars Technica reports. Sites as diverse as Twitter and the iTunes Store slowed to a crawl, but perhaps the most profound effect was on Google. The search engine interpreted the high volume as a cyberattack and went into so-called “self-protection mode.” More»

Phishing scheme scores password information

(NEWSER) - Hackers went Facebook-phishing yesterday, nabbing the passwords of an undisclosed number of users, Reuters reports. Facebook is working to restore the site and has blocked accounts hit in what it believes was a ploy to spread future spam. Hackers broke into accounts, sending users’ friends emails that contained links to fake sites resembling the Facebook homepage; these sites asked visitors to log in, thereby giving up their passwords. More»

It hurts environment and productivity, authors say

(NEWSER) - Spam e-mails consume 20% of companies' energy budgets, enough collectively to run 2.4 million houses, says a study commissioned by the security firm McAfee. Most of the waste results from end users sifting through the 62 trillion junk items sent annually, eWeek reports. Eliminating spam would be the equivalent of taking one car off the road for each 200 employees in a 1,000-person company, according to the report.. More»

Social networking explosion attracting users but not advertisers

(NEWSER) - Social networking has become more popular than email—but that popularity hasn't translated into profitability, a new Nielsen study finds. Social networking "member communities" such as Facebook are now the most popular Internet activity, according to Nielsen's figures, attracting 67% of global Internet users and still growing fast. Email trails at 65%, Adweek reports. More»