Jan. 13, 2013 — This week in social media: Mark Zuckerberg wants $100, Chelsea and Pyongyang hot spots, and the first meme of 2013

Posted: January 13, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Newsfeed, Twitter | Tags: , , | Leave a comment »

We’re only three weeks in and 2013 is already a mess. Yes, CES was a great success but I’m not even going to go there.* A ton of other news that will change our world took place.

*Ok, maybe just one thing. The iPotty, below, is perfect for lazy parents who don’t want to potty train their kids. (There are tons of apps for that.) CES next year will feature an upgraded version where the iPotty will have arms that wipe your kids’ butts for you…controlled by another app that you access from your iPhone 15. I hear competitors are already building the iPad attachments for adult-sized toilets.

Need potty training? There’s an app…and a potty for that.

And now, on to the real head-scratchers from this week…

1. Message Mark Zuckerberg for only $100, tax included

The Mashable team discovered this week that it costs $100 to send a message to Mark Zuckerberg. More specifically, the $100 fee will insure that a message gets delivered to Mark’s Facebook inbox rather than thrown into his “other folder.”

Facebook announced that it would be testing this pay-to-ping feature last December. For a dollar, users can send messages to total strangers, they said. Now, it appears that if the stranger happens to be a well-known public figure or has a ton of followers, that fee jumps to $100.
While Facebook spokespeople are saying that they’re testing “extreme price points to see what works to filter spam,” it’s seems to me that the company’s just a bit desperate to create more revenue streams to please investors.

This week, Eduardo Ustaran, who heads the privacy and information law group at Field Fisher Waterhouse, warned that European regulators are proposing new rules that would restrict companies like Facebook from using personal data for advertising. He also said that they “wouldn’t be able to rely on consent” either. ZDNet’s story also quotes Facebook’s head of EU policy for Brussels, who said that Facebook is “concerned” that the new rules conflict with online business models.

If the proposals are approved, millions of European users will be relieved of “sponsored stories” in their News feeds, not to mention targeted adds for “Bridal Uggs” or becoming the spokesperson for personal lube. Everything is just so much better in Europe.

Thankfully the stock actually climbed above $30 this week, the first time since its IPO more than six months ago. So, maybe they’ll drop that pay-to-ping price down to $50.

How much would I pay to message Mark Zuckerberg? A hundred if I knew he would definitely read my message and respond. If not, I’m happy to take my chances in the “other folder.” (It’s like paying for VIP cover at a club where Kim Kardashian is hosting a party. You at least know that she knows you’re kinda in her vicinity.)

By the way, the existence of an “other folder” was news to me. Apparently, the “other folder” is akin to a spam folder and the opposite of Gmail’s “priority” label. Facebook throws into the “other folder” messages it thinks you won’t want to read. I’ve been so out of the game…

2. Chelsea and North Korea cheer for Google…

Cheers across the world for Google this week, who deployed their senior executives to the two most contrasting places on earth: the Meatpacking district and Pyongyang.

Google rolled out free Wi-Fi to residents living within a 10-block radius of its Chelsea office on Tuesday. This new “hot spot” (wink wink) is the largest contiguous Wi-Fi network in the entire city. Google’s joint effort with city and state lawmakers and local developers may be a hint that Google is looking to expand its New York office — its second largest — even more. Good news for all, especially people who hate San Francisco but want to work in tech, starving artists living in huge Chelsea lofts, and apartment hunters. “FREE internet!” and “More jobs!” cry the Craigslist postings. The Associated Press has the full report on the story here.

While Chief Technology Officer Ben Fried was unveiling the new network on the cobblestone streets of Chelsea, executive chairman Eric Schmidt visited a computer lab at Kim Il Sung University in steely Pyongyang. Schmidt was there with his daughter, Sophie, former New Mexica Gov. Bill Richardson and Google Ideas think tank director Jared Cohen. The reason for the four-person entourage’s four-day trip to North Korea is not yet known. According to the Associated Press, Richardson has called the trip a “private, humanitarian” mission. Many speculate that he was there to negotiate the release of detained Americans. (In 1996, Richardson secured the release of two Americans from Iraq, negotiating one-on-one with Saddam Hussein. That same year, he played “a major role in securing the release of American Evan Hunziker from North Korean custody[16] .)

Unlike the denizens of the meatpacking district however, most North Koreans have never accessed the World wide Web. Those who have are required to apply and receive clearance from the government. (Getting into Le Baron is a piece of cake comparatively.) Even after receiving approval to use the web, the government imposes strict limits and rules on users. University students, for example, are carefully monitored internet access and are instructed to only access educational materials. Even so, when asked how they look for information, the students at Kim Il Sung university said that they “Google it.”

Those without clearance can access the country’s domestic Intranet service, which provides access to state-run media and government-culled reading materials. According to CBS news: “North Koreans with computers at home can also sign up for the Intranet service.” Interestingly enough, Kim Jong Un highlighted science and technology as a way to build the country’s weak economy in his New Year’s Day speech…Let’s see if the Google visit will help him achieve his goal.

3. Soccer is boring, the clubs pay too much, cause professional players to become Twitter addicts…and racists

There’s nothing funnier than watching athletes go after each other on social media. It seems like soccer players are the worst or best offenders, depending on how you look at it. Usually, however, one player or spectator has to go and ruin it for everyone else with some racially-charged remark and pay a huge fine, blah, blah, blah.

The latest footballers in the spotlight for Twitter misuse are Hiberian striker Leigh Griffiths and Bolton Wanderers forward Marvin Sordell.

Griffiths told user Zak Iqbal to “go back to your own country” in response to another tweet. Griffiths has restricted access to his Twitter account and later apologized, saying it was out of order. His club said in a statement that:  “The player will be subject to a disciplinary process which will be a private matter between the club and the player.”

Sordell on the other hand had his phone confiscated this week to help with his “possible obsession with Twitter.” The Daily Dot reported that his manager “claimed that ‘there have been small issues off the field with his tweeting.’” He’s a young player, only 21, and has sent over 5,000 Tweets since joining Twitter in 2009. Though they took away his phone, he still continued to Tweet the next morning from his computer.

Didn’t think through the treatment of his obsession very well, did they? Maybe they should think about deactivating his account.

4. Rapper live-tweets his own suicide, 4chan instigates #CuttingforBieber
Some unfortunate trends have started online. First, over the weekend, a 23-year-old rapper from Seattle posted a dozen messages with suicidal undertones before taking his own life. According to The Verge, this is “the second time in three months that a suicide attempt has been broadcast live over Twitter.”
The Tweets are online but I haven’t been able to bring myself to read them.
Beliebers posted photos of themselves “cutting for Bieber,” not knowing it was a hoax. It made me sad and sick. Morality seems to be disappearing under the cloak of “jokes.” Everyone seems to be a comedian now.
“In the case of Operation Cut for Bieber, however, it seems that the prospect of hurting teenage girls hasn’t raised such a pushback as hurting cats. The site’s hard core will claim that everything Anonymous does is for the “lulz”- humour comes unencumbered by moral considerations. They will claim to be an ectoplasmic body, free from the typical constraints of morality. But the truth is this isn’t the truth. At its roots, /b/ is just a bunch of people, not some impersonal online force. And so long as human beings are involved, morality is too. When it comes down to it, encouraging teenagers to cut themselves is wrong, no matter the context, and a shame on the site that supposedly has none.” — Memphis Barker, The Independent
My guess is that suicide prevention hotlines, counselors and support groups will start incorporating social media monitoring as part of their routine. I’m sure efforts have already started.
The biggest trouble, as both of these Twitter travesties/tragedies demonstrate, is how do we tell when someone is just looking for attention versus someone who is looking for real help?
5. 　”1776 will commence again” is the first meme of 2013 

 On Monday night, CNN played ringmaster to the circus show that was the Piers Morgan/Alex Jones interview. Jones, co-creator of an official White House petition petition to deport Piers Morgan, lambasted the British journalist on his views for greater gun control. It was a spectacle that made me respect Morgan a little more than I have in the past. To keep his head on straight and be as cool and collected as he was in the face of an irate middle-aged man on national TV is why they pay the big journalists the big bucks. Right?

Facebook embedding itself in Android phones; who will care?

Posted: April 3, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , | Leave a comment »

Brian X. Chen and Nick Bilton of the New York Times wrote this article last week about a Facebook-powered Android phone. They, like me, wonder if there is even a desire for a phone like this.

The idea of a Facebook-powered Android phone is not new. In 2008, Inq, a phone maker based in London, released a phone called the Inq1 that integrated Facebook services into crucial areas of the device. In 2011, it said it would release an Android phone called the Inq Cloud Touch, which had some of Facebook’s services integrated into the home screen.

But early last year, Inq pulled the plug on theCloud Touch, saying it would instead focus on other products. Frank Meehan, the former chief executive of Inq, said in an e-mail interview that the Inq had felt too threatened by Samsung Electronics, now the biggest maker of phones in the world, so it abandoned its plans.

“Samsung was already on a path to crush everyone, and we decided to get out of hardware and turned the company into software only,” Mr. Meehan said.

Facebook’s approach to modifying Google’s Android software is similar to Amazon’s, said a former employee of Facebook who had been briefed on the product. For its Kindle Fire tablets, Amazon removed Google’s apps and promoted its own services, like the Kindle e-book store, Amazon’s video service and Amazon’s own app store. The tablet is essentially an Amazon-powered shopping console.

A smartphone that gives priority to Facebook services is good for Facebook, but it is unclear whether that is something consumers want. Jan Dawson, a telecommunications analyst at Ovum, said the concept was “a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.”

“There are lots of people who love Facebook, but I doubt if any of them feel like they need a more Facebook-centric experience on their phones,” he said. “There isn’t anything obviously missing.”

He agreed that it was unlikely that wireless companies would put much support behind such a device, because they are already worried about the way Google and Facebook are supplanting carriers in people’s minds as providers of content and communication services.”

Facebook truisms that happen to make you LOL

Posted: February 16, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: | Leave a comment »

Facebook truisms that happen to make you LOL

Teen gets paid $33.34 per month to quit Facebook

Posted: February 6, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , | Leave a comment »

Teen gets paid $33.34 per month to quit Facebook

“It was her idea,” Baier told the Daily Dot. “She wants to earn money and also finds Facebook a distraction and a waste of time sometimes. She plans to go back on after the 6 months is over”

Facebook fatigue

Posted: February 6, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: | Leave a comment »

Facebook fatigue

Jan. 6, 2013 – This week in social media: Google’s drastic measures, a tale of two Al’s, the French Minister of Women’s rights, and an Oscar or two

Posted: January 6, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Twitter | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Week one of the New Year has already proven to be quite exciting.

1. Google forces public exposure, intensifying Google+ integration

Google+ gets about a third of the traffic that Facebook does on a monthly basis. This data, based on an October 2012 comScore report, is not acceptable news to Larry Page.

On January 2, the Wall Street Journal reported that as Chief Executive, Page has set a new, draconian measure forcing anyone who creates a Gmail, YouTube, Zagat restaurant review account, or any other account for a Google service, to be part of the Google+ network. At the time new users set up an account, Google also sets them up with a public Google+ page, which can be viewed by anyone online…

2. Current TV: From one Al to another

Al Gore inked a deal to sell Current TV to Al-Jazeera this week. The New York Times first broke this story on Wednesday.

Gore, co-founder and chairman of the online- and television-based network, said of the decision:

“We are proud and pleased that Al Jazeera, the award-winning international news organization, has bought Current TV… Current Media was built based on a few key goals: To give voice to those who are not typically heard; to speak truth to power; to provide independent and diverse points of view; and to tell the stories that no one else is telling. Al Jazeera has the same goals and, like Current, believes that facts and truth lead to a better understanding of the world around us.”

Al Jazeera, a broadcast and multimedia outlet based in Doha, Qatar, is funded by the Qatari government. It launched its English-language channel in 2006, one year after Current TV was founded. Today, Al Jazzera purports that nearly 40% of its online views come from the United States. The company will receive entrance into an additional 40 million homes (at least) through the deal.

The news came as a surprise to most, although everyone knew Current TV has been struggling since its start.

In addition to Al Jazeera, interested buyers of Current TV included Glenn Beck’s online network TheBlaze. Gore reputedly rebuffed their offer “within 15 minutes.” Glenn Beck’s producer Stu Burguiere said of his surprise about the deal:

“The guy who was vice president of the United States and was 537 votes away from being president during 9/11 is ideologically aligned, by his own definition, with the network that Osama bin Laden went to every time he wanted to get a message out.”

Gore will have an unpaid seat on the board of the new Al Jazeera channel…

3. French Minister calls on Twitter to ban hate speech

Najat Belkacem-Vallaud is France’s Minister of Women’s rights. She wrote in Le Monde this week that Twitter should ban hate speech and that she would start working with the social media site starting January 7 to explore ways to do so.

Belkacem-Vallaud has become increasingly concerned about a slew of recently trending topics that are anti-semitic, racist and homophobic.

According to the story on Mashable, #SiMonFilsEstGay (“If my son is gay”), #unjuifmort (“a dead Jew”), #unbonjuif (“a good Jew”) and #SiMaFilleRamèneUnNoir (“If my daughter brings home a Black”) have trended in France over the past two months.

She argued that this sort of speech is illegal according to national law in the French newspaper Le Monde. Belkacem-Vallaud wrote:

“…I want, without prejudice to any legal action, to call upon Twitter’s sense of responsibility, so that it can contribute to the prevention and the avoidance of misbehavior like this…I want us to be able to work together, along with the most important associated agencies, to put in place alerts and security measures that will ensure that the unfortunate events that we have witnessed in recent weeks will not occur again.”

4. Oscar nominations delayed due to glitch in email voting system

Seems like the word “deadline” has lost all meaning to everyone — everyone in Washington, and now everyone in Hollywood. This week, the voting period for Oscar nominations was extended by a day. The reason? A glitch in the new email voting system.

Early last year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences moved voting for the Oscars to an online, e-voting system for the first time in its history. No more paper ballots, they said. However, due to a glitch that causes members to receive faulty passwords to log in with, paper ballots are being sent out once more.

Morgan Spurlock posted this Tweet about the problem: “@DavidPoland @jenyamato @eug the password they sent didn’t work for my log in – and they couldn’t email me a new log in, only snail mail”.

E-voting sounds like a great idea, except when you consider that some voting members don’t even have internet access. Observers say that these “moves into the future” and glitches will have an impact on the types of films that get nominations (more progressive and contemporary) and take home the gold guy.

Winners of the Oscars will be voted on using the same “Everyone Counts” system. Let’s just hope that everyone’s vote does get counted on time.

The nominations will be announced on January 10. The Oscars will take place on February 24. You can bet Seth MacFarlane will do at least one joke about this during Oscar night.

Read Marketplace Technology’s story on why the Academy has been so resistant to online voting. A hint: security.

———

Let’s review what we’ve learned this week:

  1. Larry Page is still scared shitless of Mark Zuckerberg
  2. The only green thing Al Gore ever cared about is money
  3. Not all French are laissez-faire
  4. Ted is going to win best film at the Oscars this year
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