Just in Time for the First Week of School, “The Big Lebowski” for Rent on Facebook
August 22, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
This post was at first going to be dedicated to the news that “Retweet” and “LOL” had just been added to the revered Oxford English Dictionary. However, even bigger news has surfaced in the social media fray: “The Big Lebowski” can now be rented directly from its Facebook page. That’s really no LOLing matter; the movie’s been available since last Thursday, to the glee of its approximately 950,000 adoring fans.
Benny Evangelista, from the beautifully foggy northern peninsula that the San Francisco Chronicle calls home, reports that although Universal Studios is not the first movie house to permit one of its films to stream through Facebook — Warner Bros. and Paramount have done just that multiple times before — it is the first to do so with the F-commerce app called “Social Theater.” That app comes courtesy of Milyoni Inc., which specializes in Facebook E-commerce platforms.
So, as California’s many French tourists are saying this time of year, combien?
It’ll cost you thirty Facebook Credits, the equivalent of three dollars, to rent the perennial college favorite for 48 hours. If, even as a self-proclaimed fan, you still need additional incentives to part with your Facebook Credits, well, you can also share a one-dollar-off coupon with five of your Facebook pals.
Read more:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/techchron/detail?entry_id=95693#ixzz1Vnsuo67P
http://www.facebook.com/BigLebowskiMovie?sk=app_190322544333196
Facebook Builds Momentum Among Recruiters
August 8, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
The Wall Street Journal’s Joe Light has just published a piece about a growing trend in job recruitment circles: trolling Facebook for job candidates. The use of social networks in the employment arena is nothing new, but the noticeable uptick in the use of Facebook for recruitment purposes is.
Facebook has traditionally been viewed as a place for personal connections, where the veneer of workplace formality is rubbed off or not bothered with at all. Jeff Vijungco, who oversees talent recruitment for Adobe Systems, Inc., told the WSJ that job candidates in focus groups reported being keenly disinclined to having recruiters reach out to them through Facebook.
Recruiters, however, are taking a closer look at the network’s advantages: Facebook has the lion’s share of users; people spend more time logged on Facebook than LinkedIn; and folks are, in general, more likely to apply for positions pointed out to them by friends and family than ones glanced at on job boards. Even job boards themselves, like Monster.com, are getting in on the trend — the popular employment site released BeKnown, a Facebook app, this past June.
Jobs2Web, a firm dedicated to keeping tabs on the origins of prospective and actual hires, crunched Facebook’s hire numbers and found that they “account[ed] for less than 1% of the total hires companies are making.” The same company is predicting that Facebook will become a real recruitment force in 2012.
Read more:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903885604576490763256558794.html
Facebook CEO Asks FB Aspirants Out on a Nature Walk
July 8, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
Lately, very similar tales have been springing up. Would-be Facebook aspirants have begun — anonymously, because of non-disclosure agreement niceties — to divulge the courting rituals of Facebook’s top brass for the recruitment of new talent. It all begins with an unexpected, but enormously welcomed, of course, email from the top man himself, CEO Mark Zuckerberg, inviting the recipient out on a stroll through a stretch of Palo Alto’s woods.
Those who take him up on the nature outing are then led all the way to a special high point overlooking the Silicon Valley. It’s here that, to go by the account of one of these prospects, Zuckerberg “point[s] out Apple’s headquarters, then Hewlett-Packard and a number of other big tech companies.” He then directs the invitee’s gaze toward the Facebook structure and declares that his company will “eventually be bigger than all of the companies he had just mentioned, and that if [the invitee] joined the company, [he/she] could be a part of it all.”
It sounds like an awesome way to be interviewed. Still, among those lucky enough to have the experience, there were reports of instances of “almost choking” on morning coffee at first blush of the surprise invitation and of general feelings of it all being “pretty disorienting.”
It seems some still prefer the old standard of sending out super-polished applications, going through multiple interview sessions, and waiting to hear back on whether they did, or did not, just land their dream job.
Read More:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/A-Walk-in-the-Woods-with-Mark-nytimes-1344654779.html?x=0
Video Calling Now at Facebook
July 6, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
Recently, Mark Zuckerberg had been talking about how Facebook would be “launching something awesome” very soon; today everyone found out what that “something” was: video calling. The new product was revealed this morning at a “news event” the company held in Palo Alto, CA.
Video calling will be integrated into every user’s Facebook in the coming weeks, but early-risers and go-getters can download a free update at the FB site and start using it now — it will be available in 70 different languages. Such multi-lingual capabilities can be expected to be kept up as Facebook also made it known that the number of users in its network had reached 750 million across the world.
Although a separate “multi-person chat” feature also had its unveiling today, as of now, Facebook video calling is only for person-to-person use. In contrast, Hangouts, Google+’s version, permits group video chatting for up to ten people. Another area where Google’s product has a clear advantage is that Hangouts can be used on mobile phones, while Facebook’s “Video Calling,” at least at this point, cannot. This is despite the fact that Skype — whose video calling service was operational on mobiles — was Facebook’s partner in this latest product’s development.
But in other not-trivial-at-all news for Facebook, its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg is the most followed person on Google+. Larry Page (Google’s CEO) is number two.
Read More:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2388073,00.asp
Facebook’s New VP of Global Communications is Joe Lockhart, Ex-White House Press Secretary
June 15, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
Joe Lockhart was White House press secretary during Bill Clinton’s indelible Monica Lewinsky years, and next month, in a testament to Facebook’s increasingly significant presence on the world stage, Mr. Lockhart will become that heralded company’s VP of global communications.
For the new gig, Lockhart is saying goodbye to his present post as managing director of Glover Park Group, a communications firm he helped establish, and which has represented the likes of Microsoft and Yahoo. But Lockhart isn’t the only D.C. heavy-hitter to recently bolster Facebook’s ranks. Lockhart is joining two very recent hires with close ties to the Washington scene: Joel Kaplan and Myriah Jordan, FB’s newly minted lobbyists. Kaplan was the White House deputy chief of staff under the last Bush while Jordan, as listed in her LinkedIn, worked in the same White House as a Bush Deputy General Counsel and Special Assistant to the President for Policy.
If it seems Facebook is gearing up for treacherous times, it’s likely due to the fact that the company’s incredible growth — it has over 600 million users — and projected-for-the-fall IPO is sure to make some very hefty demands of the current management. It’s speculated that the impending IPO will place the company’s value at a figure upwards of $100 billion dollars. And finally, the company can’t seem to stay out of the spotlight of criticism and praise. Blame it on its rough-handling of user privacy and its innovation.
Read more:
http://allthingsd.com/20110614/facebook-hires-former-white-house-press-secretary-joe-lockhart/
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/56978.html#ixzz1PNxR9YRg
Facebook’s Facial Recognition Feature Rolled Out to Rest of the World
June 7, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
At just about half a year old, the still relatively new facial recognition feature that enables Facebook photo tagging assists first became available to American users in December. Now, the Zuckerberg group is nearing completion of a worldwide roll-out.
Many are glad. The next time a photo album is uploaded, it will no longer be necessary to tag people individually on each photo because with the new tool, the process becomes more automatized. But others have already taken issue with the network’s insistence on introducing new sharing features by way of default privacy setting changes issued across the board.
If you find yourself undesirably tagged in an uploaded picture or two, you’ll have to untag yourself one picture at a time because there’s no way to opt out completely: if Facebook recommends your image for tagging, there’s nothing in place that can prevent your friends from heeding the recommendation. Justin Mitchell, a Facebook engineer blogging officially for Facebook explains it like this: “When you or a friend upload new photos, we use face recognition software — similar to that found in many photo editing tools –to match your new photos to other photos you’re tagged in. We group similar photos together and, whenever possible, suggest the name of the friend in the photos.”
It is possible to disable the suggested tags so that at least your name will not be suggested. This is probably a good time to have a closer look at your Facebook account settings.
Read More:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/229689/security_firm_issues_alert_on_facebook_facial_recognition.html
http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=467145887130
Facebook to Make Music-Sharing Even Simpler
May 27, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
Because the imaginations of those who follow tech news have momentarily been hauled away by the revelation that rosy-cheeked Mark Zuckerberg has just become the most literalist of cutthroats — he’s resorted to processing the stupendous wealth he’s amassed at the apparently still-tender and impressionable age of 27 (his birthday was a bit over two weeks ago) by only eating meat that comes from animals he himself has killed — news of Facebook’s latest scurry into the music scene may have been missed.
If you were one of those followers put in a trance by the revelation, please keep reading. The word has been circulating that Facebook and online music service providers like Spotify have entered talks about the joint development of music-sharing widgets. Unnamed sources, apparently privy to the confidential information discussed, are saying the not-so-hush-hush talks are likely to lead to a widget allowing Facebookers to more easily share their music data with their friends. For example, by using the hypothetical widget, two Facebook friends could know what songs the other listens to the most and immediately see links to places providing an earful of those songs. The same could be done with other online content, like video.
Social media insiders are saying that people’s identity is increasingly becoming tethered to the “media they consume.” So to keep up with the changing tides, the young folk at the helm of Facebook are eagerly — when not slitting goats’ throats, of course — finding ways to make music, news, and video content more sharable and accessible. Spotify’s music-streaming service is not currently available in the U.S., but it’s used in seven European countries.
Read More:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/facebook-teams-up-with-spotify-for-new-music-service-20110527
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/27/technology/27facebook.html?ref=technology
More Facebook Litigation: Another Actor Enters the Fray
May 13, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
The battle rages on between Facebook and Google. Meanwhile, this connected story has been extensively covered recently, and quite periodically over the last few years, but it’s not appearing here again because of the editorial fun to be had in selecting the many distinctive poses that the Winklevoss twins, both Olympic athletes, are capable of giving the press.
In fact, the case seems to be that Facebook’s growth and seemingly set path to ever greater popularity, power, and reach keep surprising everyone — users, media observers, and the very people who ever had anything at all to do with its origins — to the point that to not try to get a piece of it begins to look like the dumbest move ever.
So what’s going on now? Chang v. Winklevoss, coded SUCV2009-05397, has arrived. That is to say, Wayne Chang, a software developer in Boston, former owner of i2hub Organization, and a once — but to a debatable extent — business associate of Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, has been granted the right to proceed with his suit against the twins, ConnectU (their company), and Howard Winklevoss and Divya Narendra — both shareholders. Chang is arguing that is owed a part of the 2008, $65 million settlement reached between the Winklevoss brothers and Facebook. The cut Chang is filing for is fifty percent. As for the twins, they’re still trying to get out of the settlement themselves in order to be able sue later for an even bigger piece of Facebook.
Read More:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-13/winklevoss-twins-face-suit-over-failed-alliance.html
Fashion Registry on Facebook
April 15, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
Although it might be missing a more elegantly punning name, there’s no one here to claim that Fashism.com hasn’t come up with a good idea for social couture. The website now has “Got Dibs,” a registry usable through Facebook that lets uploaders get advice on fashion choices and perhaps more importantly, through the honor code, claim dibs on outfits likely to be reproduced at crowded events like a high school prom.
The website’s founders are Ashley Granata and Brooke Moreland — they jointly came in at a respectable 55 on the 2010 Silicon Alley 100 list. As background to the registry’s inspiration, Granata spoke freely of the fashion mishap that happened to her as an upperclassman in high school: “When I was a junior, a freshman came to my prom in the same dress. I was mortified.”
As a way to boost sales and its “cool factor,” no doubt, the department store Lord & Taylor has partnered with Fashism.com on the “Got Dibs” project. The registry lets users post pictures of outfits bought or tried on to let others know what they might be or are definitely wearing. Users are also encouraged to write their opinions on the fashion choices of others and get feedback on theirs from friends and the growing pool of like-minded fashion enthusiasts.
Now you know. Dress better with a little help from your friends, and stay informed on Facebook to avoid (unseemly) duplicate looks!
Read More:
http://www.businessinsider.com/sa100-2010#brooke-moreland-and-ashley-granata-55
Facebook Studies China, Wins One Legal Battle
April 12, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
If you’re in China, it’s really tough to get on Facebook or YouTube or Twitter because they’ve all been officially blocked since 2009. But just like it’s the case for every other business out there, everyone wants in because China has so many users, buyers, and consumers in waiting. Everyone knows it’s the largest market, but Facebook may be close to launching something big over there.
Word on the screens is that China’s search company Baidu and Facebook may work on a project together. It’s possible the two will launch a social network in China. There have been no official statements from either company, most reports of the agreement cite unnamed sources, but what has been confirmed is that Mark Zuckerberg and Robin Li (seen right), each company’s respective CEO, have been meeting and that Facebook is “studying and learning about China,” to quote Debbie Frost, Facebook’s spokeswoman.
And in a proverbial two-steps-forward, one-step-back type of deal, Zuckerberg and cohorts, received the great news yesterday from the pen of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, no less, that Facebook had been ruled the winner in the battle with (twins) Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. The ruling states that the Winklevoss’ 2008 settlement with Facebook was “valid and enforceable” — meaning Facebook owed the twins no more money or stocks.
What’s the step back, you ask? Well, Monday was also the day that Paul Ceglia submitted an “amended complaint” claiming “rights to half” of Zuckerber’s Facebook equity.
The twins’ lawyer has also already stated that his clients planned on asking for another review of the case.
Read More:
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2011/04/12/the-facebook-lawsuit-a-look-at-the-documents/
