In traditional media, having your TV show go from No. 1 to being shut down indefinitely is bad news, especially when paired with allegedly drug-induced public rants. But on the Web, it spells winning (or, more aptly, #winning) and it's that wave of Internet success that actor Charlie Sheen rides today.
Facebook has made a subtle but important change to the functionality of its Like button that will transform the way you share on the site and on the Web as a whole.
Back in October when Skype 5.0 client software appeared, it was heralded as a good thing all round. It integrated Skype's audio and video conferencing into Facebook's social media management, allowing Skype users to view and comment on Facebook friends' posts, and to communicate with them via SMS and Skype's voice service.
The average, everyday Twitter or Facebook user likely won't have much need for HootSuite, a Web-based social media management application. But power users -- especially those who rely on and manage multiple Facebook pages and Twitter accounts for their business -- may find this tool indispensible. HootSuite is available in two versions: a free (but ad-supported) plan that allows access to five social networks and two RSS/Atom feeds, or a $6-per-month unlimited plan that allows access for one extra team member. (Additional team members can be added starting at $15 per month.) The cloud-based service runs on any Web browser, and the company offers mobile apps for the iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry platforms.
The Twitterverse is abuzz with news that Twitter suspended popular mobile apps such as UberTwitter, UberCurrent, and twidroyd today. The services had not recently changed anything about the functionality or behavior of the apps, which leads one to wonder why Twitter suddenly decided to shut them down.
For small businesses, the conventional wisdom today is that social media have become the best way to reach out to potential and current customers, and that companies need to be out there participating actively on Facebook and other social sites. After all, that's where consumers are, right?
Facebook status updates don't have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. You can decide who gets to see a particular update -- or, if you prefer, who doesn't.
Social networking giant Facebook has a history of backtracking. On numerous occasions, the company has made an important move--especially with regard to user privacy--only to reverse its course after a public outcry. This isn't surprising, given Facebook's shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later approach to making strategic changes to its service.
A Flickr user says the site accidentally deleted his account -- with more than 4,000 photos on it - and can't recover it.
As you learned in last week's write-up of Meebo, the browser-based instant messaging service, I love apps that can live on the Web instead of having to clutter up my PC.
It's no secret that managing your contacts and communications has become a full-time job in itself. But the latest version of VoxOx, a free service that works in conjunction with a free application, certainly can make the job easier. VoxOx unifies most of your contacts and your communications services, allowing you to stay in touch with (almost) everyone, almost all of the time.
Facebook should overhaul its third-party developer program and require every app on the social network to go through an approval process, security firm Sophos says. The suggestion was part of Sophos' annual security threat report for 2011, published Wednesday. The report takes a look at threats from 2010, and offers advice on how to stay secure for the coming year. Sophos said in 2010 it analyzed 95,000 pieces of malware every day, almost double the amount the company tracked in 2009.
MySpace will reportedly lay off more than half of its employees on Tuesday as the website scales back its social networking ambitions.
Whether you like Facebook's new profile feature or not, you're going to have to use it from now on.
Some of the world's biggest social networks are gearing up to go public, according to news reports this week.