Social Networking

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 reports—and the charges involve a contract that few users even bother to read. More »

After her case was dropped by the courts, a 16-year-old girl turned to YouTube to share her story of rape, CNN reports. “It's the only way I know that someone out there in the world is going to listen to me," says the tearful girl in her video. She joins a growing number of young people seeking help with abuse via the Internet—a method that can be dangerous, experts warn. More »

A Missouri woman has been indicted in the case of a teenage girl who killed herself after receiving cruel messages on MySpace, the AP reports. The woman, Lori Drew, is charged with pretending to be a teenage boy on the site and having a helper taunt the 13-year-old victim. Drew faces up to 20 years in prison on counts of conspiracy and accessing protected computers. More »

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 “landmark.” More »

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 board, he’s not about to be pushed out, either, Fortune reports. More »

Today's youth are dangerously dumb, Mark Bauerlein writes in his new book, The Dumbest Generation. Here's why : Check out Jay Leno's "Jaywalking," where "the ignorance is hard to believe." They boast "a new attitude," taking pride in their illiteracy. More »

Google is unveiling a new service that could effectively turn the whole Web into a social network, the Washington Post reports. Friend Connect allows visitors to participating sites to meet and interact with others who visit the same site. "Wherever people go on the Web, they want to have their friends with them, and this makes it possible," says one Google worker. More »

In a surprise move, Facebook’s Chief Technology Officer is leaving the company, CNET reports. Adam D’Angelo, 23, felt the job no longer suited his skills and interests, sources told BoomTown. But there were also rumors of increasing tension between D’Angelo and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who have been friends since high school. Meanwhile, the company has borrowed $100 million to expand its server base. More »

Rumors that Microsoft is about to buy Facebook are just rumors: Despite the press corps’ desire to keep the Microsoft acquisition jones alive, it's not going to happen anytime soon, writes David Kirkpatrick in Forbes . And talk of the Yahoo deal suddenly resurfacing? Forget about it. Still, Microsoft may be interested in Facebook far down the road—the possibility of gaining the bank of personal info is endlessly tempting. More »

Facebook has implemented more than 40 additional measures to protect users from pedophiles and online bullying, the AP reports. The site now limits results for older users searching for minors, and has banned sex offenders from registering. "Building a safe and trusted online experience has been part of Facebook from its outset," said the site’s chief privacy officer. More »

MySpace fell short of revenue targets in the most recent quarter, but, Adam Ostrow argues in Mashable, it’s still proven a phenomenal deal since Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. bought it for $580 million in 2005. Revenues from its unit are pulling close to its purchase price and it’s on track to make more with music downloads, sponsorships and targeted ads. More »

As its talks with Yahoo began to break down, Microsoft turned its attentions to Facebook as its possible Internet portal solution, reports the Wall Street Journal . Microsoft already has a $240-million stake in the $15-billion company, but it's uncertain if Facebook would consider a full acquisition. The Journal's source says there are no active discussions ongoing. More »

Barack Obama’s massive donor and networking list—stuffed with data on 2 million people—will make him a major power broker even if his campaign falters, Bloomberg reports. Unlike past hopefuls, Obama has inspired donors to reveal addresses, phone numbers, and even views on specific issues. "It's gigantic," a database company CEO said of the list. More »

After some high-profile blunders, Facebook is looking for older and more seasoned executives to round out its team. Former Google veep Sheryl Sandberg has already joined up, and the social-networking site is looking for a new general counsel and a vice president of communications and public policy, Forbes reports. More »

Questionable postings and photos on social-networking web pages are becoming an issue with younger US teachers, the Washington Post reports, raising questions about where to draw a line between private expression and standards for public employees. A case in point is a substitute special-education teacher whose page includes a so-called "bumper sticker" reading, "you're a retard, but i love you." More »

French website Vie de Merde is receiving all the misery it can handle, Der Spiegel reports. Since its February launch, France’s answer to group therapy (translated "life is shit") has posted 2,400 tales of woe. Another 40,000 are waiting in the wings, says its founder. More »

A humanitarian group is using Facebook to search for two war criminals involved with genocide in Darfur, the BBC reports. The War Crimes Watch List issued an open call on the social network for sightings of Ahmed Haroun and Ali Muhammad Ali Abd al-Rahman, who face 51 counts of crimes against humanity for allegedly planning atrocities by Janjaweed militias. More »

Call it therapeutic or call it revenge, but more ex-spouses are airing their dirty laundry on the Internet—and courts are supporting them even if their former partners are not. Personal blogs have quadrupled since 2003, the New York Times notes in a look at the trend, with many using them to dish about everything from marital affairs, divorce proceedings, or their ex's profile on Match.com. More »

Facebook widgets have been wildly popular, but they haven’t always been wildly profitable. “The fascinating thing about widgets is it turns out that distribution isn't really the challenge,” says the CEO of VideoEgg, the developer behind Scrabulous and Flixster. "The question is how do you monetize that attention?” VideoEgg and companies like it think they have the answer, BusinessWeek reports: advertising. More »

Israel is taking steps to neutralize its newest security threat: Facebook. The army is tightening rules on what soldiers can and can't post on the social-networking site, the BBC reports. Apparently, some were putting up photos of themselves posing with top-secret weaponry. "Most of the soldiers don't understand how much damage it may cause," said one Air Force official. More »