Path and Pinterest are getting some significant backlash because of recent decisions that appeared to put their interests ahead of their users and a lack of disclosure about that behavior. It’s a welcome reminder that the trust of users is not something to be taken lightly. Read More »
Tech
Google has taken the axe to several of its previous social efforts, including Buzz and Jaiku, in order to focus all of its energies on its new Google+ network. But has the web giant really learned that much from its earlier failed social projects? Read More »
The pressure is on for Google to develop a social strategy. It should leverage the combination of +1 and its users’ Google identities to come from behind on the social graph. With the concept of identity, Google starts it’s social play from a much stronger position. Read More »
Kik is a cross-platform chat application that has gone from zero users to almost 2 million in three weeks. But some users aren’t happy with the way the company has achieved that viral growth, and Kik’s CEO says it is changing the way the app works. Read More »
Before Google Buzz came along and stole its thunder, Google Wave was the hot new social networking tool from the world’s largest search company. Now Google has launched the ‘Wave This’ feature, in the hope that it will help spark some attention for the social service. Read More »
Google Buzz, which stumbled out of the gate due to privacy concerns, has made up for lost time by adding an average of a feature every week, says product manager Todd Jackson. The newest feature to be rolled out is a “reshare” button for the service. Read More »
Privacy authorities from 10 countries this morning released a joint letter at a conference in Washington, D.C., taking Google to task over the way it launched its social tool, Google Buzz, saying the new service “betrayed a disappointing disregard for fundamental privacy norms and laws.” Read More »
Google Buzz has launched Buzz buttons that web site publishers can add to their pages to make it easier for readers to share content on the Gmail-based social network. GigaOM is one of the launch partners for this new feature, along with several other media outlets. Read More »
Google is rolling out a confirmation screen where Buzz users can check who they are following and see whether they are displaying that information publicly. The service has seen a number of changes as a results of privacy concerns raised after it went live in February. 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 »
Google’s new Buzz service has generated a flurry of privacy concerns, but what has been Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s response? To suggest that users are overreacting, that “no one was harmed,” and to effectively blame users for misunderstanding the terms of the new service. Read More »
There have been plenty of complaints about privacy and other concerns with Google Buzz, but the biggest problem with it is that it’s just so darn hard to use, and so convoluted in its design. Even quitting Buzz is way harder than it needs to be. Read More »
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