The idea behind Unvarnished, a new web service that launched this week, is that your online reputation is already being crowdsourced via the web and various social networks, and that you need the tools to manage it better than you can through sites such as LinkedIn. Read More »
Tech
Some younger Facebook users are changing their names — using their middle name instead of their last, and so on — to try and keep their profiles hidden from prospective employers. But that could play havoc with Facebook’s claims about the verified identity of its users. Read More »
In a blog post on its updated privacy policies, Facebook dropped some hints about what the social network has in mind in terms of future location features. But will they co-exist with Foursquare and Gowalla, or will Facebook become the one ring that rules them all? Read More »
A British public health official has blamed Facebook for a rise in cases of syphilis, in the latest example of a wave of stories blaming social networks such as Twitter and Craigslist for most of the evils of mankind, regardless of a lack of evidence. Read More »
Social web behavior is increasingly filling the need for a traditional search engine, but you can’t monetize the social web by transferring over search advertising. What does that mean for Google, and what are some of the most promising ways startups are filling the gap? Read More »
Swiss and German privacy regulators say they are taking a close look at the practice by Facebook and other social networking sites of allowing users to upload photos, email addresses and other information without the consent of all the individuals who own or appear in them. Read More »
Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes has launched a new startup called Jumo, which he says is creating “an online platform to connect individuals and organizations working to change the world.” In addition to co-founding Facebook, Hughes orchestrated the social-media efforts during Barack Obama’s presidential bid in 2008. Read More »
After weeks of speculation about what Twitter was going to launch at SXSW, the company unveiled @anywhere. But even after founder Evan Williams’ keynote, it’s not clear what the new service is exactly, apart from the fact that it provides popup windows on participating sites. Read More »
At SXSW today, Twitter CEO and co-founder Evan Williams announced the availability of Twitter’s @Anywhere platform but offered scant details. On Twitter he promised that all details will be announced at Twitter’s official developer conference that will be held on April 14-15 in San Francisco. Read More »
As Google continues to try and adapt Buzz to the changing needs of users, debate continues over whether the service should be its own separate publishing platform, like a blog, or whether it should be used to aggregate content from other social networks such as Twitter. Read More »
Researcher Danah Boyd brought fighting words to SXSW, where she delivered a well-received keynote on the subject of online privacy and publicity, calling out Google and Facebook for being cavalier with their users’ personal information, including repurposing it for a larger audience. Read More »
Reuters has issued new social-media policies, but the wire service has made the same mistakes other mainstream media have: assuming the worst, and trying to control something that can’t be controlled, instead of trusting their staff and focusing on the benefits of using social media. Read More »
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