Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer Promises to Keep the Spirit of Tumblr in Buyout

It has been rumored all week that Yahoo is going to buy out Tumblr for 1 billion dollars. The blogging site is has grown incredibly popular among young people, but many worry that the site will end up as an ad farm for Yahoo’s main site, ads that bring in billions of dollars a year.

David Karp, CEO of Tumblr, is praised for staying away from traditional online advertising, and fans worry that this could be the end of its anonymous interface. What Tumblr fans most enjoy about the website is the lack of traditional advertising and the need to disclose who they really are in person. Mayer’s aggressive efforts to turn Yahoo into something renewed that users will use more often can either be a good thing or a bad thing for Tumblr.

However Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer reassures Tumblr fans that there will be no branding of Yahoo on the acquired domain and that Tumblr is to remain as a separate business operation with Karp in charge. She references how Google’s buyout of YouTube and Ebay’s purchase of PayPal were essentially undetectable by users. She asserts that the way Yahoo plans to monetize Tumbler will be meaningful to the user experience.

Mayer is famous for her first year on the job by redesigning the Yahoo homepage, Yahoo Mail, and Flickr to better increase user satisfaction. Positive commentary on the deal proposes that this will be a great relationship between both sites. Yahoo can benefit from Tumblrs millions of visitors per month, and Tumblr can piggy back on the giant.

Suspicious Risqué Activity Found on Linked-In

A recent update to Linked-In’s policies added the clause to the things not to do as “Even if it is legal where you are located, create profiles or provide content that promotes escort services or prostitution.” Hani Durzy, director of Linked-In’s corporate communications, claims that this story isn’t newsworthy. Durzy says is simply a clarification that to members that just because a profession is legal, it doesn’t mean that it has to be accepted on their site. Linked-In wants to keep a certain image that prostitution simply doesn’t support.

However, there are numerous profiles active that display suggestive keywords like “sensual massage” and “independent entertainment professionals”. Some are even more blatant by claiming that they are “professional courtesans” and “working girls”, and even have links to their “sex menus” off-site. Brothel owns and call-girls alike claim that they need site like Linked-In to advertise their business. Just because it’s legal in states like Nevada, it isn’t legal to advertise it.

Linked-In hasn’t stated what they are going to do to enfore their policies. They are very aware of the suspicious activity that is going on in their social platform. Executives understand that they get billions of page views every quarter and boast 225 million members. Will they exact a big purge on the thousands of profiles in violation, or will they take a gentler approach and request the users to change their information? Profiles have already deleted but Linked-In has declined to comment on them. It seems as if using Linked-In as a vehicle for prostitution is coming to an end.

LivingSocial Experiences Security Breach

The security of LivingSocial’s computer systems was breached through a cyber attack. Through their shenanigans, perpetrators were able to gain access to LivingSocial’s customer data. Apparently, the information of about 50 million customers was affected by the attack. Authorities were notified and they are actively looking into the case, it’s being reported.

Besides names and email addresses, dates of birth, and even some encrypted (hashed and salted) passwords were compromised in the attack. News outlets circulated a memo sent by company brass. In the memo, Tim O’Shaughnessy, LivingSocial’s CEO, said, “We recently experienced a cyber attack on our computer systems that resulted in unauthorized access to some customer data from our servers,” adding, “We are actively working with law enforcement to investigate this issue.”

So far it’s being assumed that no credit card or other financial information belonging to customers was accessed. LivingSocial is taking pains to reassure its users that the company is committed to making their site and services safe, and that efforts are underway to foil future attacks.

Customers whose information was accessed were asked create new account passwords. Some good news is that the attack did not affect the Facebook information of users who access LivingSocial through Facebook Connect.

 

Read More:

http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-livingsocial-cyber-attack-20130426,0,3291723.story

Submit Express in the News

Have you caught up on all the recent press coverage Submit Express has been getting? A piece that appeared recently in Yahoo Voices, by Lana Bandoim, discussing why responsive Web design cannot be ignored made reference to Submit Express’s recommendations for improved mobile site design and for providing site users with a “more valuable” experience through design upgrades.

Frank Bergman, over at Vatalyst, discussed in another article how “Submit Express Edges Out Other Competitors.” Bergman provided an overview of the services provided by Submit Express and gave a rationale for why search engine optimization is here to stay, though it’s undoubtedly undergoing changes.

Then, Bill Richards, in a posting on Dividend Kings, also brought up Submit Express when discussing how the “search engine optimization landscape” has changed since its start in the late ‘90s. Richards poses that the biggest change to have occurred in SEO is that keyword phrasing is no longer “the ultimate decider” for site rank.

Finally, Andrew Moran’s piece in Digital Journal touches upon Submit Express’s trajectory while also tackling the current sea changes seen in the industry. Check any, or all, of these pieces yourself to stay better informed. Links are below.

Links:

Lana Bandoim: http://voices.yahoo.com/responsive-web-design-still-matters-12064740.html?cat=3

Frank Bergman: http://vatalyst.com/40109/vatalyst-news/submit-express-edges-out-other-seo-competitors/

Bill Richards: http://dividendkings.com/2013/03/04/submit-express-recognized-as-leading-seo-firm/

Andrew Moran: http://digitaljournal.com/article/344824

Google to Glass Contest Participants: Pay Up

Interested in being a Google Glass early adopter? Submit your application to the contest going on right now. Glass, a mobile device developed by Google, can shoot video, take pictures, and look up information online. It’s worn like glasses and comes with a tiny screen. Glass responds to voice, touch, and head movements.

Folks of voting age, and living in the United States, have until February 27 to participate in the Google Glass competition. There is a social media application to submit — only through Google+ or Twitter, no Facebook applications accepted! — and $1,500, plus tax, to pay. Seems like a pretty steep price, and not very much in the spirit of contest fun, but perhaps Google is trying to weed out the uncommitted (or poor) right from the start.

At least the required application “essay” is mercifully short, it has a 50-word limit, though photos and videos are also being accepted. The prompt is simple: tell Google what you’d do with Google Glass and remember to follow +ProjectGlass or @projectglass.

Incredibly, there are other expenses to incur if you really want to be a Google Glass Explorer/early adopter. The device must be picked up at specified locations in New York, San Francisco, or Los Angeles. The contest’s substantial expenses jar and are out of character for Google, a company known the world over for its “perks” culture. If price is no impediment, or you’re just curious, read contest details here: http://www.google.com/glass/start/how-to-get-one/.

Read More:

http://www.google.com/glass/start/how-to-get-one/

Pinterest’s Ben Silbermann Speaks

Tom Simonite, a senior IT editor at MIT Technology Review, recently interviewed Ben Silbermann, Pinterest’s CEO and co-founder. The interview gives a glimpse at how company brass envisions the monetized future of the hugely popular, and still young, site.

It seems everyone is using Pinterest — amateur chefs, First Lady Michelle Obama, designer-types putting together outfits suitable for sundry fashion weeks, and even mothers of would-be supreme tech chieftains (Silbermann’s mom has a popular Pinterest board). But overall, since Pinterest gained wide popularity in early 2012, no one has flocked to it as much as women have.

So where does Ben Silbermann think the site he helped start in 2009 is going? In his words, it’s going to become “a better service for discovering things and taking action on them,” and by “taking action” he means activities “tied to commercial intent,” or buying. For instance, one day, Silbermann would like Pinterest to be able to recommend to users the “perfect crib” to buy, if they happen to be a new parent like he is.

Finally, Pinterest’s CEO uses the interview as an opportunity to emphasize Pinterest’s reliance on humans to organize and curate and “index,” instead of machines and algorithms, à la Google. Silbermann considers that to be Pinterest’s greatest advantage.

Read More:

http://www.technologyreview.com/qa/511096/pinterests-founder-algorithms-dont-know-what-you-want/

Facebook’s Graph Search Unveiled

What did Facebook’s January 15th media event unveil? Graph Search. It’s exactly what it sounds like, even that whispered allusion to Google Search that you’re considering. After all, couldn’t they have chosen another word that didn’t start with a ‘G’? In any case, search for your own Facebook content, and the Facebook content of others that you have permission to see, is now operable. However, if you’re not one of the “thousands” chosen to try out the feature starting today, you may have to wait a few weeks to use it with your account. If impatience gets the best of you, you can always request placement in the Graph Search waitlist by visiting www.facebook.com/graphsearch.

Search capability on Facebook was a long time coming. With the new tool, users will be able to organize and locate stuff with greater precision and efficiency — there’s a lot of data to mine! Keep in mind that the product out is only the initial version; progressively, more components will be added. Also, you still can’t access it through mobile.

For now, if you’ve got it, you can search for People, Photos, Places, and Interests. Graph Search makes it easier for everyone on Facebook to find information, so remember to update your account’s privacy settings as needed.

Read More: http://newsroom.fb.com/News/562/Introducing-Graph-Search-Beta

Business Owner Sues Negative Yelp Reviewer

The ability to post a negative review about a business’ products or services might come with a heavy price tag. In fact, writing a negative review on websites such as Yelp could get you sued. NPR reported this week that a business owner sued a previous client for defamation because of the things she wrote in Yelp review.

According to NPR, housing contractor Christopher Dietz took Jane Perez to court for $750,000 in defamation charges. She wrote a negative review about his company Dietz Development LLC, stating that her home was damaged and that jewelry was missing after the company was done with their work. In response to the review, Dietz sued Perez, and the judge ruled in his favor. He ordered that she remove parts of her negative reviews.

Although not unheard of, these types of cases are rare. Santa Clara University Law professor Eric Goldman told NPR that they’re still creating the rules on how to handle customer reviews, and as of now, there is no law supporting lawsuits for a “single, negative review.”

But there is a reason why businesses are motivated to use online reputation management. NPR reports that a 2011 Harvard study revealed that a one-star increase on Yelp review provides a 5 to 9 percent increase in profits.

While anyone can write a negative review, it’s important to remember that not everything is permissible. The key to writing a customer review on the internet is making sure it is accurate or truthful; if a business owner considers your words untrue, libelous, or defamatory, you could be faced with a lawsuit.

Twitter’s Inaugural Fiction Festival

This year, Twitter put together it first Fiction Festival. The celebration kicked off November 28th and ended this past Sunday, December 2nd. Those participating in the festivities seemed to have had a great time, but, in any event, the Fest was an excellent opportunity for Twitter to promote itself.

Like every other player in the content game, Twitter is trying to figure out how to ratchet up interest in the content its platform presents, so who better than established, and ascendant, literary personages to play with the Twitter content form? Over twenty authors were selected to tweet their “twitterature” before a nicely set stage — well, at least a designated “Showcase Page.”

Though said showcase page may not have been, exactly, the most bewitching of backdrops, there was some real excitement surrounding the Fest. Ryan Chapman, who was among eight publishers on the Fest’s selection panel, even mentioned to The Los Angeles Times a possible tweeting ur-text, Ernest Hemingway’s six-word story, which in its entirety reads: “For sale: baby shoes — never worn.”

Scott Hutchins, Alina Simone, Lucy Coats, Elliot Holt, and Andrew Schaffer were among the 20-plus authors Chapman and company selected to participate in the Fest. Though the festival is over, its rapid-fire output can still be read at the showcase page and at the respective authors’ Twitter pages.

Read more:

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/28/first-official-twitter-fiction-festival-begins/

Artist Engineers a Numberless Facebook

Most people have a keen appreciation for the metrics-driven nature of social media platforms like Facebook. Folks like Benjamin Grosser, an MFA candidate studying New Media at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, are no different, they just prefer putting a different spin on the whole matter.

Grosser, who studied music and composition before turning to New Media, created software that polishes away the starkness of Facebook profile numbers. His interest in the behavioral changes that Facebook’s numbers provoke in users has given way to the Facebook Demetricator. If you download his software, instead of seeing the precise number of people that liked a picture a Facebook buddy of yours uploaded, you’ll see a more ambiguous statement like “You and other people like this.”

The New Media artist gave an interview to Mathew Fuller and explained a bit more about his project saying: “I suspect that Facebook enumerates everything. If it resides within their databases then the counts are easily obtained. However, not all of these counts are shown to the user. So the question then becomes which metrics does Facebook reveal to its users and which does it keep to itself? What is the difference between them? Further, what drives those decisions?”

Got to http://bengrosser.com/projects/facebook-demetricator/install/ to download the Facebook Demetricator. It’s free.

Read More:

http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-facebook-demetricator-20121204,0,3755137.story

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