Facebook unveiled its new, updated search tool today, TechCrunch and a massive number of other news outlets reported. Its name "Graph" is from CEO Mark Zuckerberg's term "social graph," which means it's Facebook's version of social-network search – search personalized by algorithms to users' own social circles. Yes, it competes with Google's personalized search results that appear on the top of … [Read more...] about A parent’s-eye-view of Facebook’s new ‘Graph Search’
Social Media
Teens’ Top 5 social media picks: DIY survey
Nothing formal and scientific, but a quick up-to-the-minute snapshot: To get a handle on current social media use by teens and young adults, Silicon Valley investor Gary Tan blogged, he conducted a little survey with DIY market research startup Survata. He wrote that he asked just under 546 13-to-18-year-olds and 492 19-to-25-year-olds what social media services they use regularly. What he found … [Read more...] about Teens’ Top 5 social media picks: DIY survey
Instagram’s user-terms update
If Instagram's as popular among high school students in your community as it is at ours, you'll probably be interested in the implications of its latest privacy updates. When it announced that it was updating its Terms of Use and the New York Times noticed the update included the addition of advertising, a lot of users (and reporters) apparently got the idea that Instagram would be using users' … [Read more...] about Instagram’s user-terms update
Facebook’s new photo-syncing tool
Facebook just caught up with Google+, Dropbox, and its own little sib Instagram (which it acquired last spring) where photo-uploading convenience is concerned. [I've found photo-sharing much easier and more fun since my kid introduced me to Instagram last summer.] My ConnectSafely co-director Larry Magid explains here how to use the new Photo Sync feature in your Facebook app to upload photos from … [Read more...] about Facebook’s new photo-syncing tool
COPPA has likely increased minors’ risk: Study
If there were no Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, teens would be safer in social media, a new study from researchers at New York University indicates (pdf). Without COPPA, children under 13 would have little to no reason to lie about their age to set up a Facebook account, for example (this would be true of any COPPA-compliant site U13s want to join). We all know that, right? We also … [Read more...] about COPPA has likely increased minors’ risk: Study