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Facebook lets Americans try promoting their posts, won’t let you escape saccharine updates
Visiting your Facebook news feed can feel like a chat with parents eager for grandkids — it’s sometimes a flood of engagements, weddings and baby photos. Whether you enjoy it or not, that not-so-subliminal messaging is about to get more prominent with a US trial for promoted posts among everyday users. Just as with earlier deployments, American socialites can click a link to push a given post higher in others’ news streams and get feedback on just how many have taken a peek. The testing is limited to those with under 5,000 friends and subscribers to keep the celebrities and social media experts on the sidelines. However, anyone with a quiet life might want to duck and cover for the next few days while more sentimental friends push all their sugary updates to the top.
Connected To The Case to use Facebook for crowd-sourced crime solving
Ready the spandex and decide on a name for your alter ego, because come October 16th, you’ll have the chance to fight crime from the comfort of your computer. On that date, the “Connected To The Case” website goes live with the aim of crowd-sourcing tips from its users to help the cops solve active investigations. You’ll use your Facebook login for access, as the service pulls data from your profile to prioritize cases with which you might have a connection. Morgan Wright, CEO and Chief Crime Fighter of Crowd Sourced Investigations, told us its system looks at five key areas when digging for pertinent triggers: “date, location, time, relation and demographics.” It then uses that data to tailor notifications of unsolved crimes based on — for example — proximity to your school, or where you used to work. Rest assured that you control the privacy settings, and if you’ve got useful info to share, you can do so anonymously.
Law enforcement agencies can register to include their cases from today, with the initial roll-out targeting the US. The plan is to expand first to other English-speaking countries, with foreign language support in the future to build a global network of internet do-gooders. Including data from other social networks is also in the pipeline, starting with Twitter and later, Foursquare and Pinterest. A smartphone app is also on the agenda, so get your detective devices ready — we can be heroes, if just for one click.
Dropbox teams up with Facebook to let folks share stuff within Groups
You never really know what to expect when two of the bigger names in tech join forces and announce something fresh. In some cases you may see an end result of things like that RAZR i, but when Dropbox and Facebook are involved, you can surely bet it has to do with sharing something with your pals — and such is the case today. Dropbox announced earlier that it’s now allowing folks to share files with their friends inside Facebook Groups, giving users the ability to instantly post anything from notes to videos with a couple of simple clicks. Of course, those on the other side will be able to like what you share, leave comments, as well as be updated automatically as soon as an edit has been made. At the moment, not everyone’s seeing the changes just yet, though Dropbox has said it shouldn’t be too long before most people can spot the new feature.
Facebook trialling automatic Photo Syncing for Android app
It might not be the biggest Facebook-photo news of late, but if you like to share your life with the network’s Android app, there’s word of a new feature on trial just for you — photo syncing. Sound familiar? Sure, that’s because you might already be doing something similar with the Google+ app with your very same phone. But, if Facebook is more your jam, then it looks like you might soon be able to shuffle those food pictures up to your profile “automagically.” If you’re worried that you might accidentally share something a little more private, be assured that photos sent to Facebook won’t be public until you decide to share. Also, much like Google’s implementation, you can decide whether to use mobile data or WiFi for uploading, with images that are shared over cellular being crunched down to a smaller size. It seems that this is still in trial though, so don’t despair if you can’t see the option — or perhaps that’s just how you like it. More info at the source.
Facebook revamps Messenger for Android with friendlier chats, teases core app update soon (update 2: iOS refresh as well)
Facebook has already been making its mea culpas for the state of its main Android app, and it’s showing further atonement through an Android-first update to its Facebook Messenger companion release. The new app is imbued with a “more conversational” (if fairly familiar-looking) bubble-driven layout for chats. Likewise, it’s easier to see if a conversation is needed in the first place: a friend status list is always available with a swipe, while fresh support for texting directly from Messenger can keep the discussion flowing when SMS comes into play. Android users can get the Messenger upgrade today, with promise of an iOS equivalent soon. The regular Android app is getting an update as well, although we wouldn’t cry with joy just yet: it’s more of a parallel to the Messenger update than the speed-up that some of us crave.
Update: The company’s Christian Legnitto has posted a lengthy explanation that the Messenger rework and the core Facebook update (already available) are part of a new strategy that brings Android and iOS updates at regular intervals, rather than waiting solely for major features. If all goes well, the social network can provide speed upgrades and bug fixes at a much quicker pace.
Update 2: And the hits just keep on coming — although today is mostly about Android, Facebook has tweaked its main app’s iOS version (App Store) for iPhone 5 and iOS 6 support.
Twitter revamps its iPad app for expanded content, adds header photos and image streams
Twitter’s iPad app is sometimes the neglected stepchild of its mobile app family: newer features usually come to the Android and iPhone versions first and are handed down to the iPad later, if they come at all. The company is making amends for that in style with a major update to the iPad version as of today. Whether you like them or not, expanded tweets are now baked in and will optionally show some photos, videos and web links within the timeline rather than disrupting the entire experience. The Connect, Discover and Me sections we’ve seen elsewhere also come to the tablet-tuned app, albeit at the expense of more quickly finding direct messages and lists.
You’ll soon notice a much more visual spin on people’s profiles, regardless of whether or not Apple’s slate factors into the daily routine. Both the Twitter site as well as the official Android and iOS apps now show a header photo behind the bio to provide a little more color than avatars and background pictures can manage. If you’re on one of the mobile platforms, you’ll also see a photo stream in the profile that will help relive memories without hunting down individual tweets. The phone and tablet makeovers require an update to shine, so hit the relevant source link if you’re ready for a prettier (if not always more functional) social experience.
7 Ways To Manage your Facebook Wall Feeds Better
Not seeing what you like on your Facebook Wall anymore? Regardless of how many friends you have, your Facebook Wall can be such a mess from over-Shared materials, quotes and Instagram photos.
The new feature on Facebook Ads that allow Pages to feature their statuses all day long isn’t helping as well. Stories from close friends, like-minded peers and your actual favorite pages are being drowned in a sea of irrelevance.
Let’s take back some control over our own FB Walls now.
Some of the ways I’m describing below may take some effort and could be time-consuming (if you really want to go into details), but it will help reduce the time you spend clearing up the mess on your Facebook afterwords.
Source: hongkiat.com
Facebook SDK 3.0 for iOS arrives in finished form, mobile ads tag along in beta
Rapid turnaround just may be the name of Facebook’s game. Just a few weeks after its SDK 3.0 for iOS reached beta, the new developer tool has surfaced in a polished version. As it’s shipping, the SDK continues to emphasize a more iOS-native experience, better API support and slicker session management. Any iOS 6 integration will still have to wait until Apple finishes its software update; Facebook is keeping a separate beta track active to serve forward-thinking developers. The social network’s regular members aren’t quite getting the same reward, however. The expanded app support is being followed just as quickly by a mobile ad beta. While Facebook is still sparing us from a full-bore marketing assault, it’s letting developers pitch their Android and iOS apps from Facebook’s mobile portals, with a quick hop to the relevant app store if the title isn’t already loaded. While there’s no estimated completion date, we have a feeling that this is one Facebook beta where most customers won’t mind a delay or two… or ten.
Twitter brings search autocomplete to the web, helps find Biebs tweets in record time
Twitter had been hinting at a big search update today, and that’s just what it delivered. Instead of the (quite frankly clunky) search results page, a search box at top now provides autocompleting search results that split into keywords and people. The system is smart enough to check for spelling gaffes and related searches, and results can drill down just to followed users rather than the entire social network. Autocompleting has been a mainstay of the Android and iOS apps for some time, but we’re glad to hear that web users can now track down their favorite recently graduated teen pop stars faster than ever.
Apple integrates Facebook into iOS 6, App Store, Macs
The string of iOS 6 updates has brought one of the more heavily requested social networking features: Facebook integration. You can share from core apps like Maps, Photos and Safari, but it’s woven even more deeply than Twitter was in iOS 5: you can use Siri to make your commands, and there’s now a public API for Facebook so that other apps can do the same. The App Store gets its own share of integration, with app recommendations based on what friends are using, and contact syncing now makes sure your social network is all lined up. Best of all, the Facebook integration is coming to Macs as well — so you’ll have a consistent experience no matter what device you’re on.
Microsoft Launches So.cl Social Network
It looks like Microsoft is the latest company to try their hand at a social network, although Microsoft’s offering, So.cl is not designed to challenge the likes of Facebook.
So.cl is designed for students and it is aimed at giving them the ability to network with other students and to share information, and according to Microsoft it is in the experimental stage.
With So.cl you can share your search and help others discover what they might be looking for. Fun commentary & discussions usually follow.
What are you interested in? At So.cl you can find new interests and connect with like-minded people. The topics you care about are waiting for you.
You can find pout more details about Microsoft’s new social network over at So.cl.
Bing gets big remake with Snapshot, social sidebar, dig at Google (video)
Microsoft’s determination to ratchet up the search engine wars just got clearer with a major rethink of Bing that includes a few potshots at Google. While the search results themselves are still prominent, there’s now a Snapshot area in the middle that aggregates the common tasks linked to your search, such as booking a hotel room. Bing hasn’t avoided the siren’s call of putting social networking into search results, putting in both search hits as well as the option of asking friends, but has tucked the results into a social sidebar at the far right. Not surprisingly, Microsoft has already declared it a far better alternative to Google+ in-line results, which it sees “cluttering your results with social updates.” You’ll currently have to use a desktop web browser to see all the new Bingness, although Microsoft is promising a mobile-friendly update within weeks.
Editorial: Facebook’s my digital scrapbook first, social network second
I never wanted to join Facebook. I never wanted to join anything online, really. I was coerced into creating a Xanga at some point, and eventually — when Facebook opened up to NC State email addresses — I begrudgingly created an account there, too. I had a “thing” about opening my life up to the internet. I knew already that prospective employers would inevitably go digging through shots of me celebrating at an NCSU basketball game and spike my resume in the trash can beside his or her UNC degree. More than anything, though, I just didn’t care what anyone else was doing. I kept a handful of comrades close to my chest, and everyone else was a mere acquaintance. At the time, I blamed it on the 21 hours of courses I was taking entirely on Tuesdays and Thursdays — who has time for online networking when you’re in an educational torture chamber? — but now I realize the truth: I never wanted Facebook to be a social network.
Friendster reborn as a gaming site, wishes Facebook cared
Friendster’s as good as dead to the western world (it hasn’t really crossed our radar since 2005), but Forbes reports that the site is still huge in Southeast Asia — though not for the reasons you might think. It was the original social network when in launched in 2002, but its acquisition by e-payment provider MOL Global in 2009 led to its reincarnation as a top online gaming destination for countries such as India, Indonesia and Malaysia. The new Friendster just officially emerged from beta as a game-centric site, and the remaining vestiges of its social networking past — you can still add friends, after all — are gamified with reward points. Moreover, owner MOL Global has added e-payments to the mix, letting users buy Friendster Coins to purchase virtual goods. Given predictions that the Asian gaming community will exceed 1 billion by 2016, the site’s future is looking rosier than ever. That might lessen the sting of being plum blown out of the social networking game by the big dogs.
Facebook revealing the personal data it collects, won’t spare your drunk-poking blushes
Facebook’s massively expanding its Download Your Information service into an all-encompassing archive of the data Mr. Zuckerberg collects about your daily dose of people-stalking. DYL was introduced in 2010 and allowed you to pull down all the photos, posts, messages, friend lists and chat conversations in the archives — but now will also offer stored IP addresses, previous names you’ve used, friend requests you’ve made, with further categories due in the future. It’ll have to sate the concerns of privacy organizations worldwide, since it’s rumored to collect 84 different categories of information about you (85 if you count all those Instagramphotos it just bought). It’ll be gradually rolled out to all 845 million users in the coming weeks and is available from your general account settings.
Google+ gets a major update, simpler UI and heavier focus on Hangouts (video)
Google isn’t quite calling it version 2.0, but today’s update to its flagship social product is just that. As with most Mountain View projects, the new Google+ will rollout gradually, but as it does it may just lure back some of those who jumped ship early on. The UI has been greatly streamlined with a customizable ribbon of shortcuts on the left and your buddy list moved to the right. The main interface has been tidied up quite a bit and a new focus has been placed on one of the universally beloved features of the beleaguered social network — Hangouts. The video chat party lines will be getting their own dedicated home page too, allowing you to quickly peruse any Hangouts that are available to you. Even profiles are getting a dramatic facelift with larger photos and Sparks have officially been retired in favor of an Explore tab. Perhaps most welcome though is the enhanced multimedia sharing. To see all the fancy new features in action check out the videos after the break. And, of course, let us know if you’re seeing the shiny new layout on your end — we’re still waiting on Google to flip the switch for us.
Facebook updates photo viewer with hi-res images and full-screen mode
Facebook Messenger for Windows app now officially official
The fact that Facebook had a dedicated messaging app up its sleeve for Windows will go down as one of the worst kept secrets in the history of techdom. In fact, after the client leaked back in December, Zuck and Co. unceremoniously dumped the executableon the web, opened up the help page and did so without an ounce of fanfare. Now the program is getting a proper launch, complete with a landing page and a press release (which you’ll find at the source). There’s not much here to shock or surprise — Messenger for Windows allows you to chat with your Facebook friends in a simple tabbed interface, check your news feed and delivers notifications to your desktop. Hit up the source link to download it now.
Google+ Update Allows You To Share Your Circles (video)
Google has rolled out a new update for its Google+ social network that will now allow you to share your Circles with friends. So if you have created a few great Circles you can now share these with your friends, saving them the time required to recreate it.
When you share a Google+ circle, you are only sharing its members at that time. The circle name is always private to you, and any changes you make to your circle afterwards are private as well and will not be passed on to the users you have shared it with in the past.
Owen Prater, Google Engineer explains:
“From your circles page… select the circle you want, add a comment, and then share it. When your friends receive your circle, they can then pick and choose who to add to their own circles. Note that when you share a circle, you’re only sharing its members at that time. The circle name is always private to you, and any changes you make to your circle afterwards are private as well.”
The new feature is currently being rolled out by Google across all Google+ users.
Source: Google+
Instagram adds Photo Page to web: new colors, user comments, not much else
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Pubblicato da haroldsax5
Instagram’s been moving along briskly with its Android and iOS apps, but the hipster-tinter-photo-sharing-Facebook acquisition’s web presence has been lagging behind in comparison. But there’s good news now if you’re desk-bound thanks to the new “Photo Page,” which lets you log in, change your profile and add comments or likes to images. The other tweak is a fresh look for the site, matching the app with a blue, dare we say, Facebook-esque theme and larger images, no doubt to show off those mega-megapixel smartphone cameras. It’s likely a first step in unifying its web offering and apps, and with a name like Photo Page, no one can accuse it of wasting that Facebook booty on marketing whizzes.
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