social networking - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• Google restructures, naming parent company Alphabet

  Google will become a subsidiary of a new parent company called Alphabet, under a massive restructuring arrangement designed to let the company's businesses operate more efficiently.

• Psychologists find frisky texters everywhere

  Once thought to be the province of randy teenagers, exchanging sexually explicit messages over mobile devices, a practice known as "sexting," may be far more widespread than assumed.

• Reddit bans racist communities, 'quarantines' other offensive talk

  Reddit is removing several racist communities from its website, as well as other offensive discussion topics, part of an ongoing effort to clean up the most toxic content on its site.

• Facebook gives businesses more ways to privately message users

  Facebook is giving businesses more reasons to use Facebook Messenger to reach customers.

• Facebook says Flash security woes could hurt its business

  Earlier this month, a security vulnerability in Adobe Flash compelled Google and Mozilla to temporarily block the plug-in from their browsers. Now, Facebook says the problems with Flash could hurt its bottom line.

• Zuckerberg: Video today, virtual reality tomorrow

  When people grow tired of posting photos and videos on social media, what then? Virtual-reality posts, according to Mark Zuckerberg.

• Facebook opens Internet.org to more mobile operators

  Facebook is inviting additional mobile operators to take part in Internet.org, its project to bring Internet access to poorly connected parts of the world.

• Google to decouple Google+ from some of its sites

  Google is severing the ties between its social network and other of its services, so that users will not need to log in to other sites like YouTube using a Google+ account.

• Downloading your LinkedIn contacts can now take all weekend

  LinkedIn users now have to wait up to three days if they want a list of their contacts on the service.

• Get your vendor's A team

  Salespeople peddle the best-case scenario. When you're shopping for systems integration, outsourcing or other complex services, the salespeople will typically assure you that service delivery will be outstanding. They promise that the transition will be completed smoothly by a top-notch implementation team and that ongoing support will be provided by an equally talented operations team. They may well mean what they say, but the sad truth is that not every client can get the A team; somebody has to get the B team or in some cases, the C team.

• Fake Bloomberg news story causes Twitter shares to spike

  Twitter's stock spiked in midday trading Tuesday after a fake Bloomberg news report said the company had received an offer to be acquired for US$31 billion.

• Google to reopen Maps editing tool after closing it due to abuse

  After halting the service due to an influx of spam, Google is ready to open Map Maker again, with changes that hand much of the control back to users.

• To Hillary Clinton, Uber is a double-edged sword

  When voters go to the polls in next year's presidential election, could a candidate's stance on the sharing economy factor into their decision?

• Reddit chief Ellen Pao resigns amid vitriol, protests

  Ellen Pao is resigning as Reddit's interim chief executive after a week of tumult on the online message board with many users calling for her ouster.

• Facebook to use all renewable energy in its next data center

  Facebook is building a new datacentre in Fort Worth, Texas, that will be powered entirely by renewable energy.