Ads placed near offensive material set off controversy
Wall Street Journal Oct 19, 07 2:13 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Google's attempts to capitalize on its Orkut social networking site in Brazil blew up when ads began appearing next to child pornography and racist screeds, causing a round of controversy and a lawsuit for the online giant. Google immediately yanked the ads, reports the Wall Street Journal, but now wrestles with how to control content that can be posted by anyone.
More »
Economist finds holes in social net sites like Facebook, MySpace
Economist Oct 18, 07 3:15 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
While Facebook and other online social networks are growing like digital weeds in Silicon Valley, their popularity may be more a product of hyperbole than actual developmental potential, the Economist argues. But major internet speculators Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft don't seem to care, as each bids billions to buy Facebook, whose 2007 revenue may be only $100 million.
More »
Zuckerberg says going public is years away
CNET Oct 18, 07 12:21 CDT
(Newser)
-
Facebook's founder Mark Zuckerberg has quashed speculation over a possible initial public offering. Speaking to an overspill audience at the Web 2.0 conference, held in a ballroom of the ornate Palace Hotel in San Francisco, Zuckerberg said Facebook, the popular internet social network, would not be selling shares on Wall Street anytime soon.
More »
Networking site will work closely with New York attorney general's office
CNN Oct 17, 07 2:33 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Facebook will roll out new protections against online predators, CNN reports, after an investigation by New York's attorney general last month blasted the site for "significant defects." The improvements include a new disclosure for parents and an easier process for reporting unwanted advances. Facebook will also appoint (and pay) an independent examiner to keep tabs on the site's progress.
More »
Deal will offer MySpace users free online phone calls
New York Times Oct 17, 07 7:30 CDT
(Newser)
-
Online juggernauts MySpace and Skype will team to connect users of the social networking website to the free online phone call service starting in November. Skype's CEO called the move "an obvious fit," while the New York Times notes the potential crossover—MySpace claims 110 million mostly US-based users, while Skype has 220 million users mostly abroad.
More »
Site will match Facebook by opening itself to third-party apps for users
TechCrunch Oct 10, 07 4:07 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
MySpace will announce next week that it's making space for third-party developers, TechCrunch reports. Whispering began in June about the development of MySpace Platform, which will allow outside companies to create applications for the popular social-networking site. In a huge change, developers will also have a chance to include advertising with their wares—and keep the revenue.
More »
300K mobilize through social networking site
Wired Oct 5, 07 1:50 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Mammoth networking site Facebook is triggering a massive mobilization of protesters around the world who will hit the streets this weekend in support of the Burmese monks, Wired writes. Nearly 300,000 people have joined the Facebook group "Support the Monks' Protest" since a story on the movement broke last week, and thousands of those are expected to turn out for marches tomorrow in cities from Taipei to Vienna.
More »
Recent Harvard grads plan satirical look at web giant
Harvard Crimson Oct 1, 07 4:26 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
The kudzu of the internet will spread beyond the virtual world to bookstore shelves next year with the publication of The Facebook Book, a satirical look at the social-networking phenomenon. The authors, both recent Harvard grads, say they plan a "fictional and fanciful" take on Harvard dropout Mark Zuckerberg's brainchild, the Crimson reports.
More »
Poll says large majority have had 'issues' with what they encounter
Reuters Sep 26, 07 4:29 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
A new study of parents with children who use the Internet finds that 71% had at least one incident involving inappropriate content in the last year. But with most saying the web helps their children in school, and only 30% citing problems with overuse, parents are stepping up monitoring efforts instead of keeping their kids away, Reuters reports.
More »
Warning signs found in an earlier deal for a once-hot site
Wall Street Journal Sep 25, 07 11:56 CDT
(Newser)
-
As Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg contemplates a big Microsoft deal, the Wall Street Journal ’s Dennis K. Berman has a cautionary tale for him: GeoCities. The web community, once the third-most-visited site on the internet, fell into obscurity after Yahoo's huge buyout stymied its innovation. That’s relevant for Zuckerberg, who has already spurned one major, though smaller, buyout offer.
More »
Cuomo probe uncovers sex solicitation and poor response from company
ComputerWorld Sep 25, 07 3:49 CDT
(Newser)
-
The online social networking site Facebook is becoming a hangout for sexual predators hunting young victims, according to an undercover investigation by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Investigators pretending to be teenagers on Facebook were repeatedly solicited by adult sexual predators, reports Computerworld . But when complaints were filed with Facebook, the company usually ignored them, probers found.
More »
Bidding war with Google could net even more
Wall Street Journal Sep 24, 07 5:09 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Facebook is in talks with Microsoft about a $300-500 million investment that could give the software company as much as a 5% ownership stake in the social networking site. The deal could boost Facebook's value over $10 billion, and help Microsoft challenge rival Google for Internet advertising cachet, the Wall Street Journal reports.
More »
New social networking sites are aimed at 'sticky' baby boomers
New York Times Sep 12, 07 6:45 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Entrepreneurs are rolling out social networking websites aimed at those old enough to have spawned the devotees of Facebook and MySpace, the NY Times reports. Investors say it's good business—older surfers are more likely to stick with a site they like, and there are a lot of tech-savvy boomers. “I’ve discussed my divorce … and when do I dare go dating again," says one 52-year-old.
More »
Social-networking site to allow targeted ads based on user profiles
Wall Street Journal Aug 23, 07 1:30 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Facebook is at work on a way to sell ads based on information users and their friends post on the site, the Wall Street Journal reports. A basic version of the service could launch this fall, and the social-networking titan eventually might allow marketers to predict products and services users may be interested in before they specifically request them.
More »
Email? Shopping? News? Time picks the destinations you just can't live without
Time Aug 20, 07 9:01 CDT
(Newser)
-
You find a restaurant on Citysearch, buy movie tickets on Fandango, and then go home and Google the guy you shared a cab with. Was there a time before the Internet? Here are the first 10 of Time' s 25 can't-live-without websites: Amazon.com BBC.co.uk Citysearch.com
More »