Why isn't it good for us to be subjecting ourselves to the constant realtime stream of lightly fact-checked "news," talking heads, and the social drama of school or work? Not so much because of findings like those reported this week in The Telegraph, after all media (including radio and TV, not just Facebook and cellphones) were taken away from volunteers for 24 hours – findings that are … [Read more...] about Thoughts for a new year (in the digital age)
A look at Facebook’s ‘hate & harassment’ triage
This will give parents an idea of what's involved in keeping things civil in a site with 500 million+ members: Facebook's “hate and harassment team," which is "part of a virtual police squad charged with taking down content that is illegal or violates [the site's] terms of service," handles about 2 million abuse reports a week, the New York Times reports. Facebook took writer Miguel Helft behind … [Read more...] about A look at Facebook’s ‘hate & harassment’ triage
Ally Pfeiffer’s ordeal … and ingenuity
Two things struck me about University of Hartford student Allison Pfeiffer's cyberbullying story: First, there was the smart parting advice she left with the Today Show's viewers last week after being interviewed about the cruel fake profile two fellow students created about her in Facebook: "Don't fight with the bully, fight for yourself." The second thing is how intelligently she went about … [Read more...] about Ally Pfeiffer’s ordeal … and ingenuity
The MySpace-Facebook mashup
Facebook and MySpace have been integrating their content-sharing features in recent months, and the latest is literally called "Mashup." With it, MySpace users can "populate their MySpace page with the likes and interests listed on their Facebook profile, and then stream MySpace content to the page based on the Facebook information," Information Week reports. The feature is already being used by … [Read more...] about The MySpace-Facebook mashup
British bishop’s costly Facebook gaffe
There are an awful lot of teenage users who have a better sense of how impactful their Facebook comments can be than the white-haired Church of England bishop who just lost his job for saying exactly what he thought about the royal engagement on his Facebook page. "The Bishop of Willesden, the Right Reverend Pete Broadbent, said the union between Prince William and Kate Middleton would last about … [Read more...] about British bishop’s costly Facebook gaffe