Items tagged with Social Networking
Activision has added that Nov. 8 will include more than just the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. It will also launch Call of Duty: Elite, a social-networking twist to a first-person player shooter's multiplayer component. There will be a free version of Call of Duty: Elite, and a premium (paid) version as well. It's unclear how much the paid version will cost. In addition, Activision will hold a public beta this summer for Elite using their last Call of Duty Release, Call of Duty: Black Ops. In a press release, Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing said, "The average Call of Duty player spends 58 minutes per day playing multiplayer. That is more than the average Facebook user...
Read more...
Let's face it, all the cool kids are using Facebook these days. Heck, with over 500 million members, even the uncool kids are using Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg's baby is exactly what MySpace wanted to be, at least in terms of numbers, and at this point it's tough to see MySpace sticking around for too much longer. Here's the thing. MySpace has put a lot of effort into reinventing itself through its streaming music service, but it doesn't appear people are buying it. According to the U.K.'s Telegraph, MySpace lost 10 million unique users between January and February 2011, going from 73 million to 63 million in just four weeks. That's not how you want to start the year off. The social networking...
Read more...
Color, a new free app for iPhones and Android devices, launched today. This new app lets people in close proximity capture and have real-time access to photos, videos, and text simultaneously from multiple smartphones. Color uses a patent-pending technology that identifies nearby smartphones. Using Color, you can share your photos, videos, and text instantly with surrounding phones. Although we haven't tested Color for ourselves yet, we have to wonder about privacy and decency issues that could arise. As the company puts it, "Color requires real-life etiquette and accountability for all actions. Any violation of decency can result in permanent suspension of service for a specific smartphone."...
Read more...
Google may still be considering a dive into the music realm, but they aren't considering going head to head with Twitter or Facebook, despite rumors. Google has shown in the past that they aren't scared to battle with the best. Google TV challenged the entire DVR model, and Android has obviously done well against iOS. And some were suggesting that Google Circles would be coming soon to get the company into the social networking game, which is hotter than ever these days. The news emerged at the South by Southwest conference in Texas. Google’s Chris Messina, who was rumored as being one of the frontrunners to lead up Circles, confirmed that he didn't know what any of the rumors were about,...
Read more...
Remember the Twilight Zone episode, Nightmare at 20,000 Feet? If only Facebook, digital cameras, and the Internet as we know it today had been around in the 1960s, William Shatner, who played the part of a nervous salesman on his first airplane flight since having a nervous breakdown, could have posted proof that there was a gremlin on the wing trying to tear the engine apart. We're not saying that gremlins remain a problem for domestic flights (they've all but been eradicated since the 1980s), but just in case, we're stoked to learn that Gogo Inflight Internet is running a promotion with seven major airlines to offer free access to Facebook. The social networking service is available starting...
Read more...
The Social Network was an amazing film about an amazing technological innovation that has definitely changed the way we communicate with friends and family. Facebook was recently valued at around $50 billion, and it's easy to see why. Millions of people visit the site every single day to post status updates, and it has become the homepage of so many users. It's hard to even imagine a world where we couldn't easily "Like" something, and it's easy to imagine that this is just the start of a social networking revolution. But until this weekend, the star of The Social Network had never actually met the star of Facebook. You can thank Saturday Night Live for finally bringing the two together. On the...
Read more...
What have you 'Liked' today? Anything? Probably a lot of things. Well over 500 million Facebook accounts exist, and that number is growing rapidly every single day. The world is becoming more of a digital one, and it's safe to say we're living in a "digital age." With social networking becoming so prominent and playing such a huge role in our everyday lives, it's oftentimes easy to forget about the humans that actually surround us. Are we more fixated on online friends than our actual, physical neighbors? It's a real question, and it's a real concern according to Pope Benedict. The Pope touched on a number of digital aspects in a speech on Monday, praising social networking for its ability to...
Read more...
After reports surfaced that News Corp. is considering selling Myspace, a News Corp. spokeswoman has confirmed that the company is exploring “strategic options” for Myspace. News Corp. purchased Myspace in 2005 for $580 million. Since then, the social networking site has struggled in comparison to its competitor, Facebook. Reports that News Corp. was looking into options for Myspace surfaced after the social network cut 500 employees, which is nearly 50 percent of its staff. The Wall Street Journal, also owned by News Corp., reported the Mike Jones, chief executive of Myspace, had told employees in a companywide meeting on Wednesday that News Corp. was exploring a sale, merger, or...
Read more...
Social networking is huge. No one will dispute that. But we're still seeing the category as a whole grow, and it's probably nowhere near its peak. There's Twitter, Facebook, FourSquare, and now, Bumped.in. This particular networking site is geared towards avid travelers, particularly business commuters. The company claims to offer travelers the chance to find out who is traveling with them, discover common interests, and make connections by digitally reaching out to the people around them to start in-person conversations. Additionally, Bumped.in offers real-time travel information, so that passengers and commuters can receive the latest status updates and transit alerts on everything from delays...
Read more...
A new report shows that gaming on tablets and social networking on mobile phones are becoming increasingly popular activities. According to the study, over half (52%) of tablet owners are playing games on their device. In fact, gaming is the second most popular activity on tablets (surfing the Internet was No. 1). The study also shows that mobile phones are becoming a popular means of access to social networks. As you might expect, smartphone users are leading this charge, with almost half (45%) of smartphone users accessing a social network through their phone. Tablet Gaming, Mobile Social Networking Beginning to Make Waves Gaming on the iPad and other tablets a popular activity Streaming TV...
Read more...
Attention all kids: if you're trying to drop hints to your mom about what to get you for Christmas, you might want to try dropping those hints on Facebook or another social networking site. According to a recent study by Child's Play Communications from The NPD Group, 23% of moms with children under the age of 18 who are active in social media have purchased a children's product as a result of a recommendation from a social networking site or blog. Unless your mom is one of the 21% of moms who are still holding out and don't use social media, your hint should be received loud and clear. 1 in 4 U.S. Social-Media Moms Report Purchasing Kids' Products Based on Online Recommendations --79% of All...
Read more...
Social networking: It's all fun and games until some scuzzball infects your system with malware, but that's not a concern on Facebook, right? Wrong, says security firm BitDefender, which claims that malware is mucking around in news feeds of some 20 percent of Facebook users. When you're talking about a userbase of more than 500 million members, well, let's just say we're concerned. To be fair, BitDefender didn't ping every user's news feed, 'just' 14,000 of them. That's still a significant sample, and if you're a glass half-empty kind of person, it's conceivable that the 20 percent figure is undershooting things (and if you sip from a glass half-full, it could be way too high once you analyze...
Read more...
Debt collectors have begun using Facebook as a tool, although it is unclear if that is legal under FTC regulations. Here we have a further example of why not to use social networking sites: the Israeli military has used Facebook to catch approximately 1,000 draft dodgers. These were women who lied about their religious background to avoid serving in the Israeli military. Israeli military service is compulsory, but Jewish women can be exempted if they are religiously observant. Two years ago, the military hired private investigators as, of late, drafting dodging has become more prevalent. The evidence ranged from one woman who was caught updating her Facebook profile on the Sabbath to another...
Read more...
It's beginning to look like this right here is the future of social networking. While it all started as a way to keep in touch with friends in rapid fashion, it's quickly evolving into something more. Groupon is a good example of this, and now Virgin America is taking things to another level as well. The new airline has just become the first airline to offer frequent flier points for location-based "virtual check-ins." Talk about a new way to keep customers coming back. The airline has always been one to embrace technology, with fantastic rear-seat entertainment options and in-flight Wi-Fi for their guests. But now they're teaming with Topguest in order to offer travelers the ability to earn...
Read more...
