Facebook and Social Startups Meme.

Tech News via RSS, venture news blog

Technology News

Topics: facebook

image thumb19 Stop Invading My Privacy Mom! Kid Sues Mom For Facebook Harassment

So much for reporting criminals and offensive strangers on Facebook. It appears the kids have taken up the role as well and want no compromise on parents invading their social profile in any manner. Well of course your page on any social network is yours, no one would want his or her mom to come out and leave remarks that you would find denigrating. But going out to actually file a lawsuit, sounds a bit too harsh.

The mom, Denise New, who says that the allegations put against her are baseless and all she is trying to do is watch over her kid, who is 16. The kid lives with his grandmother and the distance that exists in real quite justifies why he would find it criminal to have his mom drop by her social profile and leave comments. The mother on the other hand states that she has been aware of what her son has been up to by following his status updates, especially when she had received a couple of calls from his friends about rash driving, etc.

Read More »

image thumb18 Entrepreneur Makes Database Of 200 Facebook Users: So Much For Privacy!

Talk about democracy, eh, Facebook never ceases to surprise me especially when it comes to privacy. Now your privacy in Facebook’s own opinion means nothing if it is fooling around for the good, the bad or the ugly and the only justification it has for this is that it is making the platform more democratic by giving users more confused control over their privacy.

That doesn’t mean that anyone outside the Facebook secret service can make use of user information, for any purpose. That is exactly what Pete Warden was supposedly  doing by getting researchers to compile user data like statuses, news alerts, etc. He and his team had around 200 users whose data was used to create the data base. How did he happen to do that? Well as per reports the entrepreneur was working on a startup, creating a search engine for the same purpose when he got hands on all that. The social network watchdogs were immediately after him and threatened with a lawsuit, intelligently enough Pete destroyed the database. I bet anyone in the right state of mind would have done that, sure enough no individual has enough cash to pay for this.

Read More »

image thumb17 Facebook Connect’ iTunes: Apple Continues To Get More Social

Facebook Connect iTunes, no matter how incorrect it sounds grammatically Apple is planning to do the same; bring Facebook Connect functionality to iTunes. This would do the obvious, update your friends on the latest purchase you have made at the store. Quite a bit of promotion tactic, but I find it coming at quite a bad time. Why?

Well remember our earlier post about how a woman’s application was stripped off the App Store earlier when she created the same for the iPad? Of course that was an app in particular and the iTunes deals with songs but if Apple really wants such an open integration with Facebook, it must also open up the same for reporting content it strips off its stores or iTunes so that users are well aware. I mean using the same to talk about the goodies for your firm, you should also bring quite some openness to the policies due to which you moderate content.

Read More »

image thumb16 Super Scam: Become A Whole Food Fan And Get $500 Gift Card

Welcome another scam on the social network and this time it’s all about food. Whole Foods to be exact. That is happening right under the nose of Whole Foods that has its official fan page already and warns users to be aware of this out break. Apparently someone must have come up with an idea to have mouth watering people get clicky with the links in a bid to grab the ever alluring $500 gift cards.

The fake group that has sprung on the social network asks users to join the fan page and avail a chance to bag a $500 gift card. I bet many would have fallen prey to it already and God help them what malicious stuff they have been exposed to, or maybe someone has made to satisfy his or her lust for a bulk of followers. I admire the original Whole Foods pages getting active on this one and warning users to not join or fall to such scams. That in my opinion is quite a smart move to say the least.

Read More »

image thumb15 Facebook Ultimate App Disappears From The App Stores – Leaves Developer Lost

I am not sure what trademark infringement applies to on the Facebook Ultimate app for the iPad. The developer, who is a woman and a mother of two has had her application taken off just because the name must be Facebook’s property. The other issue is with the users confusing the app to be that from Facebook, which by large might triggered the expulsion of the same from the store for iPad as well as from the App Store for iPhone.

I simply don’t get the idea for this, I mean the woman, Dil, was never informed about the removal of the app and somehow she managed to come across AllFacebook, where she learned about the tyranny. That is unprofessional in my opinion, I mean the lady as per her letter speaks clearly that she did her best to have everything designed by herself, just to avoid anything similar popping up. Which at least makes me believe that she knows what she was becoming a part of, primarily because she went through all terms and conditions before putting up the apps. Other than that, she is quite a concerned developer as well, given she made efforts to teach users how to make use of the app.

Read More »

image thumb14 ChatShuffle Video Chat App Brings ‘Chat Roulette’ Flavor To Facebook

Do you remember Chat Roulette? The much famed web service that let you video/voice chat with total strangers on the Web? Well it was just a matter of time before someone would have come with an idea to bring the same to Facebook. i was tipped in an email about ChatShuffle.

The application lets you chat with strangers on Facebook in a similar manner like you can on Chat Roulette. Simply allow the app to connect to your profile. Once done the App would simply load up and you can voice/video chat with a total stranger on Facebook. The idea sounds good and quite worth a time killer but there is a hiccup, the terms state that users can take pictures of the chat partner and store them. Strangers, take pictures, store information for 24 hours, I am not stating that the app would use it for malicious purpose, but whenever the word stranger comes, the horrors of Facebook pop up. I mean you can’t really trust strangers, especially when they can take your picture.

Read More »

image thumb13 Fox Releases Interactive ‘Glee’ Trailer: Become A Fan Right From The Video

What ever has to go big, no matter how famous it already is, must make use of Facebook. The latest one if giving air to the fan base of Glee, one of the famous TV shows at FOX. The series is set to make a comeback next week and FOX thought that it would rather create some hype right from the trailers on numerous sites like YouTube and Facebook.

The promo is quite impressive and lets you become a fan of actors by clicking the headshots of the characters right from the player. It makes the most of your time and ensures that each viewer hit the Become a Fan button at the top of the player. It also lets you share the same on your social network’s profile. Powered by Coincident TV, the same name that put forth the Avatar trailer, it does quite a decent job. Glee isn’t the first show that is utilizing the social network to maximize reach and engage users. We have seen the American Idol pull a similar trick with the coming of its new season.

Read More »

image thumb12 ‘I Will Quit Facebook, If You Wont Change Privacy Policy’ Says German Minister.. Does Facebook Care?

You are asking for trouble when you trespass someone’s privacy. You also lose credibility if your consumers/users feel that their privacy is being put at stake and Facebook is a very real example of it. Late last month the social network released another tip on any update to privacy settings coming up that would potentially enable third party partners to have access to your information, even if you never visited the site. I, well almost everyone could have predicted a backlash in connection to this as always.

The news rolls out that the first reaction has come up from Ilse Aigner, Minister of Consumer Protection, Germany. The minister has announced that she will quit the social network, something quite obvious from anyone who is pretty serious about their privacy. Of course one user calling it quits over this issue wont create a choking difference but the position of the person quitting it has a great value. I bet it would expedite the concerns amongst many other users and have them question the social network.

Read More »

image thumb9 Facebook Status Finds Phyllis Frederick A Kidney Donor   Great

When you talk about the power of Facebook, you see a countless examples. Be they good; to make someone famous or promote a brand or to have people mocking one, the most recent is more touching. Reports state that a resident in Warren County, Phyllis Frederick got her prayers answered when an update on her daughter’s page got her kidney donor, something that her doctors has said would need time, perhaps years.

The status update from her daughter read:

Read More »

image thumb8 Facebook Acquires Photo Sharing Startup   Divvyshot

When you get big you want to bag anything that you think might be good for you. Names like Google, Microsoft and as per the new trending name; Facebook might just start off with acquisitions. The social network recently acquired Divvyshot, a photo sharing startup.

The acquisition is quite justified given that the startup was looking ahead to raise funds and apparently had Facebook to its rescue. With better options and now under its protection after the acquisition, We aren’t sure the sum that was paid for this buyout as both firms wont share the details. The startup was founded last year and provided its users an easy way to share photos among groups, families and friends, something which is what Facebook can definitely integrate into its growing platform.

Read More »