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April 06 2012
That Whole “Shoulder-Surfing Facebook Accounts At Job Interviews” Thing? It’s Probably Not Really Happening
imgres
I think the folk tale of employers asking to see a candidate's Facebook account was apocryphal at best, but it seems like it's even being debunked in HR circles. Andy Lester a blogger on high-tech career-hunting, has noted that the tale, which surfaced in an AP story a few weeks ago, has been picked up as an example of the horrible state of hiring in this country. Pundits have opined, ink has been spilled, and now interviewees are ready to go into future places of work full of righteous indignation, just waiting for the mention of Facebook. But for the most part it's an urban legend.
imgres
I think the folk tale of employers asking to see a candidate's Facebook account was apocryphal at best, but it seems like it's even being debunked in HR circles. Andy Lester a blogger on high-tech career-hunting, has noted that the tale, which surfaced in an AP story a few weeks ago, has been picked up as an example of the horrible state of hiring in this country. Pundits have opined, ink has been spilled, and now interviewees are ready to go into future places of work full of righteous indignation, just waiting for the mention of Facebook. But for the most part it's an urban legend.
April 05 2012
Wipe It! Security Hole In Facebook Mobile Apps Threatens Jailbroken / Stolen Phones
Facebook Mobile Security
There's panic about a security hole in Facebook's iOS and Android apps that surfaced today, but the threat of identity theft is being blown out of proportion. You only need to worry if your phone is actually stolen, and even then a hacker would need it to be jailbroken or they'd have to take the device apart. At that point you have a lot more than Facebook to worry about, as the thief could steal your contacts, cookies, and access all your apps if the phone was unlocked. Really, this security hole highlights the new dangers of having your phone stolen. Owners should make sure they have a remote wipe solution ready to nuke all their data or else things could get ugly quick.
Facebook Mobile Security
There's panic about a security hole in Facebook's iOS and Android apps that surfaced today, but the threat of identity theft is being blown out of proportion. You only need to worry if your phone is actually stolen, and even then a hacker would need it to be jailbroken or they'd have to take the device apart. At that point you have a lot more than Facebook to worry about, as the thief could steal your contacts, cookies, and access all your apps if the phone was unlocked. Really, this security hole highlights the new dangers of having your phone stolen. Owners should make sure they have a remote wipe solution ready to nuke all their data or else things could get ugly quick.
LeFeed Learns Your Preferences, Shows You Only Le Cool Stuff On Le Facebook
Screen Shot 2012-04-05 at 3.28.51 PM
Popping over to Facebook is always a crapshoot. Will it be a picture of a swaddled, newly born baby or your weird uncle spouting Jack Handey-esque aphorisms? You never now. That's what LeFeed.com is for. It makes sense of your Facebook feed and brings up almost exactly the content you prefer. LeFeed, launched on April 1, is clearly a work in progress and is, at best, a toy. However, the intelligence behind it is very compelling. Founder Serdar Yildirim says LeFeed has "two main goals: organizing users Facebook news feed and recommending new content to the user that don't suck." I also suspect his tertiary goal will be to not get sued by Facebook for using a similar logotype and color scheme, but that wasn't in the FAQ.
Screen Shot 2012-04-05 at 3.28.51 PM
Popping over to Facebook is always a crapshoot. Will it be a picture of a swaddled, newly born baby or your weird uncle spouting Jack Handey-esque aphorisms? You never now. That's what LeFeed.com is for. It makes sense of your Facebook feed and brings up almost exactly the content you prefer. LeFeed, launched on April 1, is clearly a work in progress and is, at best, a toy. However, the intelligence behind it is very compelling. Founder Serdar Yildirim says LeFeed has "two main goals: organizing users Facebook news feed and recommending new content to the user that don't suck." I also suspect his tertiary goal will be to not get sued by Facebook for using a similar logotype and color scheme, but that wasn't in the FAQ.
Apple and Facebook Should Be Terrified Of Google-Tinted Glasses
Project Glass Logo
Google's augmented reality eyewear is coming to disrupt your face and your business model. If you don't even have to pull your phone out to take a photo, get directions, or message with friends, why would you need to buy the latest iPhone or spend so much time on Facebook? It could be a year before Google eyewear reaches stores, but that's why these and other tech companies need to strategize now. If they wait to see if the device is a hit, the world could be seeing through Google-tinted glasses by the time they adapt. Apple and Facebook's best bet might be to team up...
Project Glass Logo
Google's augmented reality eyewear is coming to disrupt your face and your business model. If you don't even have to pull your phone out to take a photo, get directions, or message with friends, why would you need to buy the latest iPhone or spend so much time on Facebook? It could be a year before Google eyewear reaches stores, but that's why these and other tech companies need to strategize now. If they wait to see if the device is a hit, the world could be seeing through Google-tinted glasses by the time they adapt. Apple and Facebook's best bet might be to team up...
April 04 2012
How Facebook’s Winning The War Against Yahoo, Patent By Patent
Facebook Vs Yahoo Boxing Logo
Facebook has executed a masterful response to Yahoo's patent trolling that protects it legally but still makes it look like the victim. Here I examine how for almost every patent Yahoo claims Facebook infringes upon, the social network has countersued with a stronger, more specific patent for content feed sorting, advertising, and privacy. Facebook will maintain the moral high ground, and likely bypass a costly settlement. But there's none of Facebook's blood in the water, nothing for the sharks to circle. It could have gone much worse.
Facebook Vs Yahoo Boxing Logo
Facebook has executed a masterful response to Yahoo's patent trolling that protects it legally but still makes it look like the victim. Here I examine how for almost every patent Yahoo claims Facebook infringes upon, the social network has countersued with a stronger, more specific patent for content feed sorting, advertising, and privacy. Facebook will maintain the moral high ground, and likely bypass a costly settlement. But there's none of Facebook's blood in the water, nothing for the sharks to circle. It could have gone much worse.
April 03 2012
Facebook Threatens To Sue TechCrunch Commenter
rick-mugshot
Last year, Alexia covered a funny Chrome web browser extension called "Defaceable" that allowed you to comment anonymously on Facebook and on other websites using Facebook Comments. Instead of having to associate your comment with your real name and identity, the Defaceable extension let you once again post your troll-isms to friends' walls and blogs like TechCrunch (which uses Facebook Comments) using the names of fruits. For example, instead of "John Smith," your comments would identify you as "Peach" or "Watermelon." Oh ha ha. As it turns out, Facebook didn't think it was so funny, and has since taken legal action against the company for violating its Terms of Service. But it hasn't stopped there. Facebook also went after one of the commenters on that blog post, too - a guy named Rick Stratton, who gleefully discovered he made it into the screenshot used to accompany the post. Stratton doesn't work at Defaceable, to be clear, he was just commenting on the post. Apparently, posting "Hey! I made TechCrunch!" is now worthy of legal action.
rick-mugshot
Last year, Alexia covered a funny Chrome web browser extension called "Defaceable" that allowed you to comment anonymously on Facebook and on other websites using Facebook Comments. Instead of having to associate your comment with your real name and identity, the Defaceable extension let you once again post your troll-isms to friends' walls and blogs like TechCrunch (which uses Facebook Comments) using the names of fruits. For example, instead of "John Smith," your comments would identify you as "Peach" or "Watermelon." Oh ha ha. As it turns out, Facebook didn't think it was so funny, and has since taken legal action against the company for violating its Terms of Service. But it hasn't stopped there. Facebook also went after one of the commenters on that blog post, too - a guy named Rick Stratton, who gleefully discovered he made it into the screenshot used to accompany the post. Stratton doesn't work at Defaceable, to be clear, he was just commenting on the post. Apparently, posting "Hey! I made TechCrunch!" is now worthy of legal action.
Ustream Integrates With Facebook Timeline For Sharing Live Videos With Friends
TC_Horizontal(1)-2
Live video streaming website Ustream today is launching an integration with Facebook's new Timeline user interface. This means that users will be able to share the live videos they're watching on Ustream with their Facebook friends in real-time. The Ustream launch is one of the first video app integrations with Timeline. Of course, just like the articles you read and the songs you listen to, your tastes in video viewing are very personal -- and not always something you're willing to share with your entire social network of friends and acquaintances. Ustream says it has been very careful to implement strong privacy controls with the Timeline integration to make it completely clear to users what they're sharing and when.
TC_Horizontal(1)-2
Live video streaming website Ustream today is launching an integration with Facebook's new Timeline user interface. This means that users will be able to share the live videos they're watching on Ustream with their Facebook friends in real-time. The Ustream launch is one of the first video app integrations with Timeline. Of course, just like the articles you read and the songs you listen to, your tastes in video viewing are very personal -- and not always something you're willing to share with your entire social network of friends and acquaintances. Ustream says it has been very careful to implement strong privacy controls with the Timeline integration to make it completely clear to users what they're sharing and when.
February 29 2012
How To Use Facebook Timeline For Brand Pages: New Feature Details
Screen shot 2012-02-29 at 11.48.50 AM
What does the launch of Facebook Timeline for Pages mean brand? Unprecedented control, an opportunity to boost engagement, but also lot of initial work. A host of new features became available this morning when Facebook gave all Pages around the globe the option to upgrade to the Timeline redesign. Here's how they work, and how to use them to benefit your business.
Screen shot 2012-02-29 at 11.48.50 AM
What does the launch of Facebook Timeline for Pages mean brand? Unprecedented control, an opportunity to boost engagement, but also lot of initial work. A host of new features became available this morning when Facebook gave all Pages around the globe the option to upgrade to the Timeline redesign. Here's how they work, and how to use them to benefit your business.
February 23 2012
Facebook Redesigns Groups To Be More Timeline-y and Purposeful, Less Spammy
Facebook Groups Timeline Redesign
Today Facebook rolled out a limited redesign of Groups, featuring a big new Timeline-style cover image, and a prompt for users to prominently label "What should people post in this group?". See, if you're not careful, your intimate Facebook Groups can balloon in population and stray off topic generating annoying notifications for everyone. This redesign makes Groups feel more close knit, and will encourage them not to devolve into a chaotic array of kitten photos, political diatribes, and self-serving announcements. After all, that's what the news feed is for.
Facebook Groups Timeline Redesign
Today Facebook rolled out a limited redesign of Groups, featuring a big new Timeline-style cover image, and a prompt for users to prominently label "What should people post in this group?". See, if you're not careful, your intimate Facebook Groups can balloon in population and stray off topic generating annoying notifications for everyone. This redesign makes Groups feel more close knit, and will encourage them not to devolve into a chaotic array of kitten photos, political diatribes, and self-serving announcements. After all, that's what the news feed is for.
Facebook Ad Partner Experian Launches New Platform For Timeline, Sponsored Stories
facebook-timeline-fb
As we approach the date for Facebook’s meet-up with brands and marketers in New York, another development in the world of Facebook that points to growing sophistication around social advertising. Techlightenment, a division of Experian and Facebook’s first partner when it launched APIs for ads in 2010, has now upgraded its Alchemy platform to work more closely with Facebook’s Timeline and Sponsored Stories features, a move that also puts the platform in position for any future advertising developments that Facebook has in store.
facebook-timeline-fb
As we approach the date for Facebook’s meet-up with brands and marketers in New York, another development in the world of Facebook that points to growing sophistication around social advertising. Techlightenment, a division of Experian and Facebook’s first partner when it launched APIs for ads in 2010, has now upgraded its Alchemy platform to work more closely with Facebook’s Timeline and Sponsored Stories features, a move that also puts the platform in position for any future advertising developments that Facebook has in store.
February 11 2012
Is Facebook Finally Going To Do Something Interesting?
facebook_people
I can think of few subjects less interesting than Facebook's forthcoming IPO. There, I said it. I honestly don't get what the big deal is. So a few thousand people will finally liquidize their locked-up wealth, and the hoi polloi will at last be able to buy Facebook shares. Stop the presses! (It won't meaningfully affect their ability to buy other companies; they already have $4 billion in cash on hand, and I seriously doubt they have any multibillion dollar acquisitions in mind.) I guess if you measure innovation by keeping financial score, this seems exciting, but if you measure by, you know, actual innovation, this is a total nonevent. However. All the IPO furore has introduced one interesting data point: Mark Zuckerberg's S-1 letter, which includes the unexpectedly striking--daring, even--paragraphs
facebook_people
I can think of few subjects less interesting than Facebook's forthcoming IPO. There, I said it. I honestly don't get what the big deal is. So a few thousand people will finally liquidize their locked-up wealth, and the hoi polloi will at last be able to buy Facebook shares. Stop the presses! (It won't meaningfully affect their ability to buy other companies; they already have $4 billion in cash on hand, and I seriously doubt they have any multibillion dollar acquisitions in mind.) I guess if you measure innovation by keeping financial score, this seems exciting, but if you measure by, you know, actual innovation, this is a total nonevent. However. All the IPO furore has introduced one interesting data point: Mark Zuckerberg's S-1 letter, which includes the unexpectedly striking--daring, even--paragraphs
We hope to change how people relate to their governments and social institutions.
Whale Hunting: Facebook Hooks 1st-Time Buyers With $5 Of Game Credits For $1
Free Facebook Credits
Only about 5% Facebook gamers pay to play freemium games. If Facebook could up this percentage, it and its third-party app developers could make a lot more money. That's the idea behind a new promotion Facebook announced today where those who've never bought Facebook Credits virtual currency before will be offered $4 in free Credits when they buy $1. This gets users to set up their credit card and experience the rush of paying for an enhanced gaming experience.
Free Facebook Credits
Only about 5% Facebook gamers pay to play freemium games. If Facebook could up this percentage, it and its third-party app developers could make a lot more money. That's the idea behind a new promotion Facebook announced today where those who've never bought Facebook Credits virtual currency before will be offered $4 in free Credits when they buy $1. This gets users to set up their credit card and experience the rush of paying for an enhanced gaming experience.
February 10 2012
Facebook Starts Turning Listen, Read, and Watch Stories Into Ads
Open Graph Sponsored Stories Mockup Done
When you listen, read, or watch through a Facebook Open Graph app, a few of your friends hear about through the news feed, Ticker, or Timeline. Starting this week, Facebook is allowing advertisers to pay for more exposure of listen, read, or watch stories that mention them by turning the stories into a new form of Sponsored Story social ads. Open Graph action Sponsored Stories could further Facebook's goal of turn all ads social, and boost revenue by filling the new inventory from Facebook now permitting Sponsored Stories ads in the news feed.
Open Graph Sponsored Stories Mockup Done
When you listen, read, or watch through a Facebook Open Graph app, a few of your friends hear about through the news feed, Ticker, or Timeline. Starting this week, Facebook is allowing advertisers to pay for more exposure of listen, read, or watch stories that mention them by turning the stories into a new form of Sponsored Story social ads. Open Graph action Sponsored Stories could further Facebook's goal of turn all ads social, and boost revenue by filling the new inventory from Facebook now permitting Sponsored Stories ads in the news feed.
February 06 2012
Brands Scored 2X Facebook Likes By Posting About Super Bowl
Facebook Super Bowl
Want to win some extra visibility for your brand on Facebook? Post about current events. Brands grabbed 99.7% higher engagement on their Page posts by talking about the Super Bowl yesterday, and 60% higher engagement over the past 6 weeks compared to the average post. The data from a Buddy Media study of 1,400 of the world's largest brands indicates they should make sure to post about holidays, sporting events, breaking news, and other trending topics. Here's how this strategy works:
Facebook Super Bowl
Want to win some extra visibility for your brand on Facebook? Post about current events. Brands grabbed 99.7% higher engagement on their Page posts by talking about the Super Bowl yesterday, and 60% higher engagement over the past 6 weeks compared to the average post. The data from a Buddy Media study of 1,400 of the world's largest brands indicates they should make sure to post about holidays, sporting events, breaking news, and other trending topics. Here's how this strategy works:
February 04 2012
Facebook Javascript API Goes Down, Taking Down Likes, Comments And Apps With It
Screen Shot 2012-02-03 at 8.18.55 PM
I dare you to Facebook Like or even comment on this post. You can't, because the Facebook Javascript API, the backend system which allows developer applications and Facebook's own apps like Likes and Comments to communicate with the data available on the social network, is down, and has been down for at least an hour as far as I can tell, begging the question, "If article falls on a blog and no one Likes it, does it make a sound?"
Screen Shot 2012-02-03 at 8.18.55 PM
I dare you to Facebook Like or even comment on this post. You can't, because the Facebook Javascript API, the backend system which allows developer applications and Facebook's own apps like Likes and Comments to communicate with the data available on the social network, is down, and has been down for at least an hour as far as I can tell, begging the question, "If article falls on a blog and no one Likes it, does it make a sound?"
February 03 2012
Facebook Tests Photo Viewer That Encourages Comments, Google+ Comparisons
Facebook Photo Viewer Edited done
Facebook is testing a new photo viewer layout that mounts engagement buttons and comments to the right rather than beneath images. See, Facebook doesn't want you to just view comments, it wants you to start a conversation. Apparently the company doesn't care about being accused of copying Google+, since the viewer's layout is distinctly similar to that of its competitor.
Facebook Photo Viewer Edited done
Facebook is testing a new photo viewer layout that mounts engagement buttons and comments to the right rather than beneath images. See, Facebook doesn't want you to just view comments, it wants you to start a conversation. Apparently the company doesn't care about being accused of copying Google+, since the viewer's layout is distinctly similar to that of its competitor.
Hitwise: Facebook.com Now Accounts For 1 In Every 5 Pageviews On The Web (In The U.S.)
facebook_logo
In case you happened to be the victim of a day-long coma yesterday, it was a very exciting day for Mark Zuckerberg, Silicon Valley, and that quaint little social network we've all come to know, love, and be terrified of. Facebook filed its S-1 on Thursday with the crystal clear intent to go public on a market near you very soon, and will be raising $5 billion ahead of its IPO at an expected valuation of between $75 and $100 billion. In fact, there was so much excitement and noise around Facebook's IPO yesterday that the volume of visitors looking to check out Facebook's filing succeeded in crashing the SEC's website. Hitwise tells us that SEC.gov apparently saw a 15 percent increase in total visits, compared to the day before and a 42 percent compared to previous Thursday. And guess who was the number two source of traffic for the site? That's right, TechCrunch.com -- less than 3 percent behind the top source, Google.com. Thanks to you, readers, we gave the SEC all the traffic they could handle. And apparently more.
facebook_logo
In case you happened to be the victim of a day-long coma yesterday, it was a very exciting day for Mark Zuckerberg, Silicon Valley, and that quaint little social network we've all come to know, love, and be terrified of. Facebook filed its S-1 on Thursday with the crystal clear intent to go public on a market near you very soon, and will be raising $5 billion ahead of its IPO at an expected valuation of between $75 and $100 billion. In fact, there was so much excitement and noise around Facebook's IPO yesterday that the volume of visitors looking to check out Facebook's filing succeeded in crashing the SEC's website. Hitwise tells us that SEC.gov apparently saw a 15 percent increase in total visits, compared to the day before and a 42 percent compared to previous Thursday. And guess who was the number two source of traffic for the site? That's right, TechCrunch.com -- less than 3 percent behind the top source, Google.com. Thanks to you, readers, we gave the SEC all the traffic they could handle. And apparently more.
February 02 2012
Visualizing Facebook’s Media Store: How Big Is 100 Petabytes?
fb-photos
Just a little tidbit from everyone's favorite reading material this week, the Facebook IPO filing: the company noted that it now stores over 100 petabytes of media (photos and videos) uploaded by its 845 million users. In case "100 petabytes" didn't blow you over, the filing further explains that's equal to "100 quadrillion bytes." OK, now you're just showing off, Facebook.
fb-photos
Just a little tidbit from everyone's favorite reading material this week, the Facebook IPO filing: the company noted that it now stores over 100 petabytes of media (photos and videos) uploaded by its 845 million users. In case "100 petabytes" didn't blow you over, the filing further explains that's equal to "100 quadrillion bytes." OK, now you're just showing off, Facebook.
Payments Are A $557M Business For Facebook — That Could Expand From Games To Apps
payments-1
Within Facebook's S-1, the social network revealed that its Payments business is bringing in $557 million in revenue per year. As the company explains, it currently requires Payments integration in games on Facebook. But according to the filing, Facebook is considering what could be very big moves in the payments space. From the filing, Facebook writes that "we may seek to extend the use of Payments to other types of apps in the future." It's not specific about what these other apps are, but they could include anything that somehow uses Facebook. Dating apps, social shopping apps, news-reading apps -- who knows? The filing is meant to paint a broad picture of where Facebook is headed, and the line could just be a simple aside for potential investors. But still, any developer running payments in a way that connects to Facebook should keep it in mind.
payments-1
Within Facebook's S-1, the social network revealed that its Payments business is bringing in $557 million in revenue per year. As the company explains, it currently requires Payments integration in games on Facebook. But according to the filing, Facebook is considering what could be very big moves in the payments space. From the filing, Facebook writes that "we may seek to extend the use of Payments to other types of apps in the future." It's not specific about what these other apps are, but they could include anything that somehow uses Facebook. Dating apps, social shopping apps, news-reading apps -- who knows? The filing is meant to paint a broad picture of where Facebook is headed, and the line could just be a simple aside for potential investors. But still, any developer running payments in a way that connects to Facebook should keep it in mind.
February 01 2012
Facebook’s IPO: An End To All The Revenue Speculation
Screen Shot 2012-02-01 at 3.45.49 PM
Facebook just revealed its financials in preparation for its public offering. Bear with me: This means no more "leaks" of Facebook's revenue numbers to spike its valuation in secondary markets. No more banal and vague conversations about how Facebook is "killing it" at San Francisco bars. It means that I'll never have to write another one of these "Report: Blah Blah Blah" posts about Facebook revenue using this Zuckerberg dollar graphic I made for Mike.
Screen Shot 2012-02-01 at 3.45.49 PM
Facebook just revealed its financials in preparation for its public offering. Bear with me: This means no more "leaks" of Facebook's revenue numbers to spike its valuation in secondary markets. No more banal and vague conversations about how Facebook is "killing it" at San Francisco bars. It means that I'll never have to write another one of these "Report: Blah Blah Blah" posts about Facebook revenue using this Zuckerberg dollar graphic I made for Mike.
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