Archive for the ‘Web Communities’ Category

Well well well, if this isn’t a prompt response to the new features on Google+: at the developer conference F8, the founder and CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg introduced some dramatic changes to the largest social network. Facebook will be developing the profiles, or the core of Facebook, into Timelines. The Timeline will allow users to tell the story of their lives on a page. In addition, the team introduced a ticker that shows news in real-time. Read the rest of this entry »

The test phase that began in just three months ago has finally come to an end. Google+ has officially been made available for all, and with its release, there are also a number of new features that Google has integrated with its other services. Read the rest of this entry »

So we all know that Facebook’s strongpoint hasn’t exactly been the way that it handles data. And since Zuckerberg’s big announcement last week about the new Timeline project, which is supposed to be a collective “story of your life” available for others to see online, has made data protection agencies a bit anxious – just how does Facebook plan on ‘collecting’ all of the information needed to create a Timeline for its 800 million users? The answer can be a bit disturbing to some: it already has it. Read the rest of this entry »

Google+ is making waves in the social media domain. After the site officially went public last week, traffic increased 1269%, according to new data from Experian Hitwise. Google+’s ranking thereby went from 54th to 8th within one week in Hitwise’s Social Networking and Forums category. The new success should cause for some unrest amongst the competitors at Facebook, which conveniently released a number of new features last week, many of which have been criticized as ‘copying’ Google+. Nevertheless, Google+ is proving itself to be a serious threat to other social networks out there. Read the rest of this entry »

Quicker has finished its Beta phase and is now introducing itself with new functionalities and the first regional offers. The location-based service portal, which launched in September last year, will put its regional product offering in residential trade into focus. Read the rest of this entry »

Just one day after announcing the improved friends lists, Facebook employee Zach Rait introduced the new “subscribe” button in a blog post. The new function reminds users a bit of Twitter, als the following option, or subscribe option, allows users to subscribe to posts from others with whom they are not even friends with on Facebook. Read the rest of this entry »

Facebook is finally making sure there will be more transparency and differentiated identities with some new features. Mark Zuckerberg’s giant social network is reacting to the growing competition with Google+ and pressure from data protection agencies. Read the rest of this entry »

Local search in communities and mobile are ever-developing into a hype, according to the latest user study from the US pollster Pew. More than fifty percent of all smartphone users search for local information on-the-go. Read the rest of this entry »

Last week, the search engine giant Google announced its acquisition of the prestigious restaurant rating organization Zagat. Google executive Marissa Mayer stated that Zagat will become a “cornerstone” for Google’s local services division in the near future.
“Their iconic pocket-sized guides with paragraphs summarizing and ‘snippeting’ sentiment were “mobile” before “mobile” involved electronics,” continues Mayer. Read the rest of this entry »

Nearly half of the 312 million people in the United States use a social network. And of all adults who use the internet, about two-thirds are on a social network. This is displayed in a recent study by Search Engine Journal, who agrees that social media is here to stay.

“[T]ake a look below at the steep curve of the user growth rate in all age ranges and demographics, and the continuing pervasiveness of social networking into every facet of work, play and life in general. It’s hard to argue that social media hasn’t changed forever how we interact and connect online,” writes Jenise Uehara Henrikson at Search Engine Journal. Read the rest of this entry »