How Well Do You Know Your Facebook Friends? Facebook App Review

April 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment



As someone who frequently uses social media for gaming, I was thrilled to be one of the first people to test the new game Face-Off. Face-Off, like the popular Words With Friends and Draw Something, is a new free application you can play with your Facebook friends.
Face-Off is the modern day version of the classic board game Guess Who? Watch the trailer here.

Like the board game, you pick from a pile of cards. These cards aren’t of random characters but of your actual Facebook friends. You have the option of choosing mutual friends with the person your playing against, you can choose from their friends, or you can even have the game chose the selection for you by selecting the random button.

Once you and your challenger pick your person, you ask yes or no questions back and forth to each other trying to narrow down which possible Facebook friend your competition picked. Asking the questions is extremely simple. You just type it in as if you were texting. Answering the questions is just as easy; you just type yes, no or I don’t know back.

Asking good questions is a little bit harder. In the board game, if you asked if it was a girl and the answer was yes, you eliminated 95% of the candidates. This is clearly not the case when it comes to your facbeook friends. This makes the game more fun and interesting, as you have to be creative to which questions to ask.

This really made the game fun for my friend and me. Simple questions like hair color and eye color were clearly not going to cut it. I found myself asking things like “Is he always drinking?” “Did I kiss him in high school?” “Is he a nerd?”

To eliminate people from the pool of choices you just tap their picture and they disappear. Once you think you have the correct answer you just hold their picture down to guess. I of course defeated my friend. And a big congratulations popped up on screen and gave me the option to post this on Twitter and Facebook.

One aspect that I really love about Face-Off is the fact that you can unlock achievements, which really gives the game an addictive quality because you just want to keep unlocking them! The one thing that I really didn’t like, but like most social media games are the ads that interrupt game play. But this can simply be fixed by purchasing the ad blocker for a dollar. Another cool feature is that they offer additional card packs for $1.

Overall, it was a really fun game. Taking a classic board game and giving it a super modern edgy twist. I found myself playing it for hours and laughing myself silly. I really recommend downloading it by clicking here. Or use the QR code. 

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Liberty VS Security: The Future of the Great Debate

September 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

London RiotsThe British government flirted with the idea of restricting the public’s access to the internet and social media in the wake of the riots that shook the nation. British officials met with representatives from Facebook, Twitter, and Blackberry on Thursday to discuss voluntary ways to limit social media access in the interest of preventing crime and civil and unrest.

Theresa May, the government’s home minister said the purpose of the meetings were not to “discuss restricting Internet services,” but to “crack down on the networks being used for criminal behavior.” Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said the government was exploring its options. “We’re going to look at whether or not it might be right to do this.” He assured the BBC “We are not going to become like Iran or China. We are not going to suddenly start cutting people off.”

revolution screenshot

Iran, criticized by the West for impeding internet access and limiting free speech, seemed to relish Britain’s identity crisis. The Tehranbased semi-unofficial Fars News Agency offered to “send a human rights delegation to Britain to study human rights violations in the country.”

“You do not want to be on a list with the countries that have cracked down on social media during the Arab Spring,” said Jo Glanville, the editor of Index on Censorship a magazine that promotes freedom of expression, stating that such actions could “undermine democracy.”

A Twitter spokeswoman said the company was "always interested in exploring how we can make Twitter even more helpful and relevant during times of critical need" after the meeting.

A Facebook spokesperson said: "We welcome the fact that this was a dialogue about working together to keep people safe rather than about imposing new restrictions on internet services." The company stressed the positive role Facebook played during the riots, such as keeping people in contact and organizing cleanup events. "There is no place for illegal activity on Facebook and we take firm action against those who breach our rules," said the spokesperson.

Social media has also played an instrumental role in the Arab spring. It is the only bastion of free speech an emerging class of intelligent young people has access to and its message of free speech and liberty is the only narrative the Middle East has seen that is more powerful than that of Jihad against the West. Western governments should be encouraging a universal acceptance of social media and free communication, not attempting to limit it.

British Riot Instigators Sentenced

Perry Sutcliffe-Keenan and Jordan Blackshaw were jailed for four years for Facebook incitement

Google accused the Chinese government of disrupting its Gmail service in March. The NY Times reported cell phone calls that mentioned the word protest more than once were immediately disconnected. Hosni Mubarak attempted to shut down the internet during the revolution. If liberal western governments threaten to block internet access or dole out harsh sentences to young men for creating Facebook events it will set a disturbing example for the emerging world about the government’s power over free speech.

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Facebook Unveils the Future of Communication

July 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Thousands of viewers streamed into Facebook’s live presentation of their new products mid Wednesday. Mark Zuckerberg and his company unveiled a huge step forward in social media and, of course—a huge step forward in their competition with the Google+ project.

Facebook’s new products included an upgraded sidebar, group chat, and the very buzzed about feature: video chat in partnership with Skype. But most interestingly was their collaboration of major messaging systems: email, SMS, and IM. Zuckerberg described the idea for this new product, saying, “We don’t think a modern messaging system is email.” Though, he did later elaborate that he doesn’t expect the product to replace emailing, and he certainly doesn’t expect people to immediately shut down their email accounts and only use the new facebook.com email address.

But he did explain why emailing isn’t modern. He listed seven concepts people want out of their electronic communication as seamless, informal, immediate, personal, simple, minimal, and short. Records show that 4 billion messages are sent across Facebook daily—most of which are one-on-one and private via the Messages feature or the instant messages of Facebook’s Chat, supporting Zuckerberg’s theory.

And on top different types of Facebook messaging systems, people have SMS and emailing, and different people prefer each method. So Facebook thought to centralize all of this into one, life-long stream of one-on-one conversation. If your friend prefers e-mail, and you prefer Chat, you can both communication using your medium of choice. You can view the history of your conversations as a timeline across all the mediums, not just in separate chunks of email, texts, etc. No matter where you are or what medium you use, you can pick up where you left off.

That covers the seamless messaging and conversation history idea, but course, that’s not all. The new product includes a 3 part social inbox that automatically filters messages based on who Facebook knows you care most about. Messages (including your emails, SMS and Facebook features) will be divided into “Messages”, “Other”, or “Junk”.  You can also manually move different people into folders and set privacy settings to limit messages to people you’re friends with.

Andrew Bosworth, Director of Engineering for Facebook, insisted he be called Boz, then continued to tell heartwarming stories and scenarios that all concluded with the need to use Facebooks new message features. Like his Grandma kept all of her letters from his Grandfather since they were early dating, he could view the first messages with his girlfriend from “it was nice meeting you” to their apartment buying and cat naming plans. Basically, Facebook is appealing to real life emotions and relationships.

So it looks like Facebook is still in the running against their soon-to-be major competition Google+. But if you’re wondering what’s so innovative about Google’s social media, here’s a quick summary:

Google+ includes three main features called Circles, Sparks, and Hangouts. The Circles feature allows you to easily share things with certain people, without complicated privacy settings. The Sparks Feature will keep you coming back to your Google+ homepage whenever you’re bored, because it automatically feeds you news and media according to your interests. And of course, Hangouts allows for group video chat.

Currently, Google+ is still a project, so accounts are only available to some people. Likewise, not all of Facebook’s new features are available to the whole network. They’ll continue to add more people, clean up the glitches, and eventually (soon!) expand to everyone. We’ll have to wait a little longer to see how the Google+ versus Facebook battle turns out. In the meantime, you can go group video chat with your Facebook friends.

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A New Place for News

May 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment


Probably less than a week into the month, you unknowingly click the headline of your 20th article and an online popup halts you, insisting that “to keep reading, sign up today.” Alas, the time has come that The New York Times will no longer allow free riders of the Internet to mooch off their professional paper.

It’s been long theorized that online articles will stimulate the demise of paper journalism, so it’s no surprise that nytimes.com has implemented a fee for online subscriptions. But the truth is, even professional online news carriers aren’t necessarily society’s top informer anymore.

Instead, word of mouth—or word of fingertips, rather—has become the first source of top news: through social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Status updates and tweets infiltrate news feeds (in which you can even select if you want to see the most popular posts or the most recent) and inform virtual friends and followers of top news—usually including the writer’s personal feelings on the subject. It almost becomes a competition to have the wittiest one-line comment on the matter, instead of the most intellectual, well-developed news report.

Take Osama Bin Laden’s death, for example. Late that Sunday evening, Facebook was flooded with the subject from patriotic exclamations to mobile-uploads from rallies to the simple “Bin Laden is dead.”

Site users worldwide were updated with this information simply by being “social.” Many people who would otherwise not be watching the news or reading an online paper at that time, but do frequently check their social networking sites or receive notifications to their phones, received and spread the news quite quickly. And the same holds true for even smaller scale news like sport event turnouts and television show finales.

Evidently, credible and prestigious news carriers aren’t necessarily needed for the simple informative part of news spreading. There’s no denying that people still follow up with real stories after encountering news off a social network, but there’s also no denying that many people don’t.

And aside from relying on peers, the New York Times itself can even be followed on Facebook and Twitter. So instead of connecting users to news reports, social networking sites may be nudging their way into being the news for many people.

 

 

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Social Media Creates Unprecedented Advertising Methods

April 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

A new form of direct advertising has been created through social media.  Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites have made it possible for advertisers to create content that meets the needs of their demographics, thus making it possible to effectively advertise over the web.

Advertisers are providing engaging and interactive content over social media sites to capture people’s attention and drive them into action.  Social media has made it possible for companies to create one-on-one conversations about products and services, formulate low-cost direct marketing strategies and enhance the perception of brand images by directly communicating with the public.

Consumers are constantly searching through social media for recommendations and reviews of products and services.  Companies can directly communicate with consumers via their social media pages, providing on-the-spot information and compelling messages that drive consumers to make the purchase.  Companies have used Twitter as a way to exchange knowledge with followers, and to create personal connections through @ replies and re-tweets.  Likewise, Facebook allows consumers the opportunity to post directly on the company’s website.  The company can reply to the consumer through their personal Facebook page, providing timely and honest information catered to the consumers needs.  Directly contacting consumers through social media sites creates personal relationships between companies and the public, allowing businesses to create messages and direct advertisements that are trusted and valued by consumers world-wide.

The web provides low cost options for direct advertising through the collaborative nature of social media.   Consumers seek to connect with people of the same interests.  Therefore, people in specific demographics create groups and forums on social media sites to share their thoughts and reviews of products and services.  These groups can be targeted by direct advertisers, cutting out the cost of focus groups, surveys and research.  Companies no longer have to go to extreme lengths to find their target consumers for direct advertising because consumers have already sorted themselves into interest groups all over social media.

Social media marketing can be used to increase exposure of brand images and to distribute messages and advertisements to the masses. Syndication sites provide opportunities for messages to be dispersed among large audiences, adopting the interactive and direct nature of the original advertising message. Syndicating advertising messages to various social media sites creates a pyramid effect- the message reaches the masses through a line of websites and postings.  However, it still provides the direct business-to-consumer message and continues making personal relationships.  By providing a consistent message and brand image through the various social media sites, businesses gain a reputation of being a company that cares about their consumers.

Social media has changed the nature of direct advertising; no longer do marketing messages need to have content.  Rather, the companies are the content that convinces audiences to buy products and services.  By generating trust within the community and creating personal relationships, companies gain value that is unprecedented by other marketing efforts.

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Libyan Revolutionary Fire Ignited and Fueled by Social Media

April 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Social media is the new tool in rallying for revolutions and igniting fire within Middle Eastern countries.  After the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions used social media platforms as effective means to stir up dissent, Libya quickly caught on to the trending strategy.  Utilizing social media as an aid for protests, Libya uses the hashtag #Feb17 to sprout conversation and provide information across the world.

Muammar Gaddafi instructed Libya to refrain from using social media sites after Facebook and Twitter were being used to call for reform.  Gaddafi understands the threat of social media's power and the influence it has in revolutions.  He has arrested activists using Facebook and Twitter as means to rustle up the community and encourage dissent of the regime.

Reporters across the globe have been left without facts and information because of Gaddafi's censorship, making the Libyan revolution appear to be a hazy subject including a lot of “he said, she said”.  But activists in Libya have created Twitter accounts to correct the false information that is circulating, despite Gaddafi's orders.  They've found social media as a way to provide their own news feeds and footage of the protests, and to stand against the government in support of the revolution.

A report by the Associated Press stated that the Libyan protests were not directed toward President Muammar Gaddafi.  The report quickly sprouted tweets in disagreement across the globe.  An angry Libyan protester named Libyan4Life tweeted “@SMH @HuffingtonPost @AP Protests in #Benghazi were solely towards #Gaddafi despite direct evidence, continue to report misinformation #Feb17?.  Another Libyan under the Twitter name Cyrenaican responded to the misled media conglomerate, “They say the revolution will not be televised. Fine. Can we at least get it reported correctly? @AssociatedPress #Benghazi #Feb17 #Libya”.

Despite the restrictions of the protest on television, Libyans used social media to publish the first video footage of the revolution.  The video was posted on YouTube by a Libyan protestor and shows images of people, young and old, fighting verbally and physically.

Through Facebook, Lybian journalist Mahmud Shammam rallied over 200 people to join in overcoming the false information and video restrictions by creating a satellite channel named Libya TV.  After calling for volunteers on his Facebook page, a team quickly assembled to create the station.  Their goal: to provide news and commentary while countering Libyan state propaganda.

“We need a heavy dosage of dialogue,” says Shammam, “we want Libyans to think about the future: the rule of law, civil society, a new constitution.  We want to promote a culture of forgiving.”

After hundreds of years of dissent and protest, it’s incredible that social media became the powerful outlet that finally made it possible for Middle Eastern countries to be heard across the world.

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Censoring your Social Media Page for Employment

March 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Companies are using social media websites as an information gateway in hiring and monitoring employee behavior.  Sites like Facebook and Twitter are influential in the hiring process for employers, and can also result in termination if they see information that is not “appropriate employee behavior.”  Employers monitor social networking sites for provocative or inappropriate photos, drinking and drug use, bad-mouthing coworkers and much more.  They even measure your communication and creativity skills from monitoring your social networking sites.

While we all use our social networking sites to display information regarding our private life for friends and family, employers fear that proprietary information will be revealed over the web and they will be negatively represented in the online world.  If you are looking for a job or currently employed, follow this list of Do’s and Don’ts to clean up your page and remain in the safety zone of social media.

  1. DO delete or hide anything on your profile that employers may view negatively.  Remove pictures of spring 
    break, vulgar comments or posts, rude language, and any commentary you may have posted about previous employers.  Remember there is no sense of “free speech” that is regulated in social media.  We’ve all heard the recent stories of New York teachers being fired for their online commentary of unruly classrooms and scandalous private lives.  It can happen to anyone, so keep your private thoughts and comments about your job to yourself.
  2. DON’T use social networking sites to vent about your job.  While you may need to talk about an overpowering boss or an arrogant coworker, never do it online.  While you may think your page is private, a coworker that you forgot you “friended” could take the page directly to your employer.  What you say online is permanent and is valid evidence that can be used against you in court and certainly by your employer or prospective employer.
  3. DO promote yourself socially and professionally online.  Update your pages to show your creativity and work ethic.  Write about accomplishments that you have made inside and outside of work.  Include your interests and passions and your goals.
  4. DON’T post anything that could be incompatible with your work persona.  For example, if you claim a disability or injury that alters your job responsibilities, refrain from posting pictures of you partaking in physical exercise.  If you are claiming worker’s compensation, investigators will often look at your social media sites to ensure that they are consistent with your claims.  An employer cannot discriminate against you because of disabilities, but you can be terminated if they unveil inconsistencies within your social media pages.
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Facebook in History

November 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment



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Facebook's New Messaging System

November 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Facebook has recently shared its new social networking messaging system with the public. Although the site claims that “it’s not e-mail” nor an “e-mail killer,” over 350 million people already use the system to send more than 4 billion messages a day.

I personally do not fully understand the concept of the new social networking system, but hopefully the video above will help you understand a bit about how the system will work. It might be a while until you get to try it out for yourself, since temporarily Facebook Messages is invite-only. The company says they will “be launching [it] and email addresses gradually and making it available to everyone over the next few months.”

A few Mashable staffers have access to Facebook Messages. Check out the gallery they have put together at this mashable site where this original article is found.

Author: Adam Ostrow

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New Web Browser: RockMelt

November 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

RockMelt is a brand new web browser that is arguably the biggest threat to Google. After jumping into beta Monday, the new "Facebook browser" received mixed reviews from bloggers. Some bloggers do not believe that RockMelt has fundamentally changed the browser game so far. Also, because RockMelt is still a beta, the public can still expect many refinements.

RockMelt has received $10 million in funding from some well known Web executives, most notably, Andreeseen Horowitz, from the venture capitalist firm.

The reason RockMelt poses such a threat to Google is that Google's biggest competitor is probably Facebook, and Rockmelt is based on Chromium. In fact, the browser is set up to look like a fancy implementation of Google Chrome. In order to first launch RockMelt, you have to sign in with your Facebook account, after consenting to Facebook permissions, like allowing the site to access your information. By doing this, Rockmelt stores and synchronizes your data on its servers.

ZDNet's Violet Blue speaks about the new browser:

"The real heartbreak with RockMelt came when we realized there was no way to really fine-tune the mess known as our Facebook contacts. RockMelt allows you to see who is online, and separate out “starred” favorites into a separate list. But then that list is in alphabetical order, and that’s that.

What about all those people you don’t care about who you are sorta friends with but don’t want to share anything with? They’re right there! That guy – you know, that guy – the one who comments on everything you do and is online all the time just in case you are too? That guy who makes you feel like Facebook is humping your leg every time you log in? He’s right there!"

Blogger Chris Dawson reflects on his use of RockMelt. He claims that when he tries to sign in through his Twitter feed in one of the sidebars, when he clicks the embedded link to "Go to Twitter," it fails to sign him in using the credentials provides him the feed.

Dawson, in his blog article for ZDNet, discusses the terms of the competitive landscape for the new browser:

To make your own opinions on RockMelt, go to the RockMelt website and request an invitation to the browser.

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