Organizations are coping with the challenge of processing unprecedented volumes of data. However, the processes involved with using a large cluster to run applications like Hadoop are error-prone. So IT managers are turning to cluster-management solutions to automate tasks associated with cluster creation, management and maintenance. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The debate continues over which model is better for social networks: free and ad-supported or paid for by users? Dalton Caldwell says the latter and is building a paid alternative to Twitter, but VC Fred Wilson argues that free is the only model that works. Read more »
New York-based 33Across, an ad tech startup that uses vast amounts of social data to target audiences, has raised an additional $13.1 million from Pelion Ventures, Flybridge Capital, Greycroft Partners, First Round Capital and others. Read more »
Apple and Google still dominate the smartphone space, but look out for Microsoft, which finally has some muscle behind its mobile strategy. Meanwhile mobile-browser developers went head-to-head with native apps, and Facebook continued to buy mobile expertise via acquisition. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Social TV is any application, website or software that allows viewers to interact with television programming and share that interaction with others. Startups in this space hope to combine ubiquitous second-screen technology with well-established audience behavior to drive new value around shows. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Dalton Caldwell, the man behind failed startups Imeem and PicPlz, recently ruminated on what Twitter could have been. Now, he’s moving ahead with his own paid alternative called App.net that promises to shun advertising and focus on customer trust. Read more »
Not that long ago, Digg was seen as one of the kingpins of the social web — BusinessWeek put founder Kevin Rose on the cover and said he was worth $60 million. Now, what’s left of Digg has been acquired by Betaworks for a reported $500,000. Read more »
Margaret Atwood may be a literary legend, but she isn’t resting on her laurels — instead, she is working with the online writing community at Wattpad to encourage new writers, and crowdfunding a new platform for artists called Fanado. Read more »
One of the biggest risks for Facebook, as it tries to justify its multibillion-dollar market valuation, is that its attempt to monetize attention through advertising will fail — in part because the nature of the social network simply isn’t conducive to commercial messages. Read more »
As Twitter clamps down on what third-party developers can do with the network, some have proposed creating an open-source alternative — but would enough users switch to a new network? Others who have tried such a move have largely failed to gain much traction. Read more »
Minor updates to Instagram’s website today come as the originally mobile-centric site begins to move further toward desktop interactivity. Users will now be able to like and comment on Instagram photos through the Instagram website, and they’ll be able to follow new users as well. Instagram […] Read more »
Facebook announced Thursday that mobile developers using the company’s API will now be able to cleanly integrate Facebook’s iconic like button into their design, allowing users to perform the equivalent of a “like” within another app and then cross-posting that action to Facebook. Read more »
UK politician Louise Mensch has got a ton of publicity for her new startup, Menshn — a Twitter-like messaging service that has pre-determined topics for people to talk about. But here’s the thing: it’s an idea that’s rotten from top to bottom. Read more »
According to Parse.ly CEO Sachin Kamdar, the problem with shares data is solvable. And as accurate social data becomes increasingly important, the first publisher to fully take advantage of this information will reap massive benefits and potentially reinvent how editorial decisions are made. Read more »
Privacy discussions took a new turn when Newspepper.com founder Hermione Way asserted that women have been raped as a result of location-based apps “like Facebook and Banjo,” and Banjo CEO Damien Patton responded that “more people have been harmed by the Catholic Church” than social networks. Read more »
HarperCollins has launched Epic Reads, a digital community designed to connect readers with HarperTeen authors and books. But this is not a retail site. Read more at paidContent »
A comScore study of consumer behavior following exposure to marketing messages on Facebook shows that both fans and friends of fans are more likely to buy things after they see such messages, data that Facebook badly needs to prove the value of its social platform. Read more »
The company behind German Facebook clone StudiVZ has changed its name to Poolworks and decided to focus on its social network for school-age kids, IDPool. It seems there’s simply no point competing with Mark Zuckerberg’s juggernaut any more. Read more »
Social virtual goods revenues will grow from $2.1 billion in 2010 to $4.1 billion in 2016. Leading this growth are disruptive factors such as mobile, regulatory changes and alternatives to the traditional OS. But the most important disruption vector will be increasing the universality of virtual currencies. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
One of the world’s leading credit agencies is courting controversy with an experimental program that will use data from Facebook and other social networks to inform its ratings decisions. And the biggest surprise? It’s happening in privacy-mad Germany. Read more »
Facebook is said to be working on new features that would allow children under 13 to access the network. Is this a way of helping parents encourage their children to develop better online skills, or does it open kids up to privacy problems and other issues? Read more »
There are reports the giant social network is taking another run at building a dedicated “Facebook phone.” But is this a clever strategic gamble on the future or an expensive bet that takes the company beyond its core competencies and is doomed to fail? Read more »
In this busy new world of multiple social networks and recommendations tools, the discovery process itself is being disrupted by innovation and by the changing ways in which consumers now interact online. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
By now, we know that our online reputations hold implications for our employment, love lives and even insurance claims. But some emerging companies believe that our online identities – and our social data in particular – are valuable sources for evaluating and even managing credit risk. Read more »
With Facebook’s IPO scheduled for later this week, we decided to poll GigaOM readers and other technology watchers on the company’s longer-term prospects. So put the immediate future out of your mind, and think about how Facebook might evolve in the next 2 to 5 years. Read more »
Engagio, a social inbox that organizes people’s online conversations, is take a big step toward becoming a social network of its own. The Toronto-based start-up is rolling out a handful of new features including the ability to follow the conversations of other users. Read more »
Social marketing platform operator Buddy Media is rolling out a bunch of updates to its suite of tools including a unified social data API, the ability to track conversions and campaigns across their entire social media efforts, and a new mobile content development platform. Read more »
A new EU child safety strategy calls for parental controls to be built into all internet-capable devices, for apps to get their own age ratings — and for a proposed electronic ID system to be used for proving your age online. Read more »
Google is doing everything it can to integrate the Google+ social network into all of its properties, so that it can become a “social layer” across the entire company. But that same behavior is irritating users like actor — and prominent Google+ user — Wil Wheaton. Read more »
As it gets closer to what could be a $100 billion stock offering, Facebook faces increasing pressure to prove it is a powerful advertising platform. But some advertisers still appear to be skeptical about how much value they are getting from the giant social network. Read more »
Businesses are hungry to understand more about the public perception of their products and services by tapping social networking sources. That demand is why DataSift, which sorts through tons of social network data, garnered $7.2 million in additional funding from existing backers. Read more »
Media issues like advertising and discovery along with commerce dominated the activity in social and real-time Web technologies during the first quarter. Google raised some hackles, Facebook responded to demands from traditional advertisers, and Yahoo got a new chief executive. Read more in the full report. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Google-co-founder Sergey Brin recently said he believes the future of the “open Internet” is at risk. Then why is the company trying to build its own closed network? Because the open vs. closed debate is more complicated than it first appears when it comes to Google. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Tumblr is finally ready to start opening the doors to brands and will begin with a new tool for placing branded Tumblr posts into its Radar feature starting May 2, said Tumblr founder David Karp, speaking at the Ad Age Digital Conference. Read more »
In the first quarter of 2012 all eyes were on the screen, both big and small. Apple’s new Retina display pushed video streaming, and broadcast-TV streaming service Aereo’s launch was quickly followed with litigation. These events and more are discussed in a new quarterly report. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Don’t be too quick to think that Facebook is abandoning its HTML5 mobile strategy in favor of apps. As a defensive movie, acquiring Instagram would lock down Facebook’s strong position in photo-sharing, leaving little room for would-be competitors, but it gives Facebook few new weapons and ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Index Ventures co-founder Neil Rimer has helped steer his company to success with investments in Skype, Betfair and many more. He explains why he’s obsessed with education and marketplaces — and why he wishes he’d invested in Kickstarter. Read more »
The newest version of Sincerely’s Postagram app adds a QR code to all post cards sent out, which — when scanned by a QR reader that was just added to the app — lets recipients download a digital copy of the photo and share it on Twitter. Read more »
Members of social sites can get prickly when it comes to advertising. But even the most buzz-worthy social media startups need revenue to survive. Whether you use sponsorships, ads, or affiliate marketing, SkimLinks’ CEO Alicia Navarro has tips to help you monetize your social site. Read more »
Has Pinterest created an entirely new way for users to share content? A survey conducted on GigaOM asked just that question, and a new GIgaOM Pro report delves into the various implications for the social network. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
