Switched http://www.switched.com Switched http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.switched.com/media/feedlogo.gif Switched http://www.switched.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Your Friends' Tweets Could Actually Be Ads]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/11/23/your-friends-tweets-could-actually-be-ads/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/23/your-friends-tweets-could-actually-be-ads/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/23/your-friends-tweets-could-actually-be-ads/#commentsFiled under: ,

As part of the latest trend in online advertising, ad companies are paying normal people to pimp companies or products to their online friends or followers. According to the New York Times, companies think that consumers will be more likely to trust the opinions of their Facebook friends than they are a faceless commercial -- even if those "opinions" are formed with the promise of financial incentive. Ad agencies are willing to pay staggeringly high sums to not only celebrities, but to targeted civilian bloggers and tweeters, as well. One everyday guy interviewed for the article said he made $3,000 in October -- just from clicking a button on behalf of an agency. Amazon.com has also announced that it'll start paying customers who refer their friends to the site via Twitter.

The trend, not surprisingly, has been met with controversy. Technology blogger Robert Scoble told the Times that "[it] interferes with your relationship with your friends and your audience," and claims that he unfriends people who send him ads. Joey Caroni, co-founder of the Peer2, a division of a major Hollywood ad agency, insists that he and his peers aren't trying to "create an army of spammers" (although that's sort of what it seems like to us).

Continue reading Your Friends' Tweets Could Actually Be Ads

SwitchedYour Friends' Tweets Could Actually Be Ads originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>advertisingblogsendorsementsethicssocialnetworkingtoptwitterMon, 23 Nov 2009 12:50:00 EST<![CDATA[Woman Uses Facebook to Track Down Attacker]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/11/23/woman-uses-facebook-to-track-down-attacker/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/23/woman-uses-facebook-to-track-down-attacker/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/23/woman-uses-facebook-to-track-down-attacker/#commentsFiled under: ,

When regular old police forces can't hunt down an evildoer, Facebook, like Batman, is there.

The social networking site swept into crime-fighting action recently when the victim of a brutal attack used it to track down her assailant. The Telegraph reports that, on the night of March 20th, 20-year-old Jennifer Wilson, of Hertfordshire, England, was at a nightclub when another woman, Ashleigh Holliman, slammed a pint glass into her face for no apparent reason. Police who arrived at the scene found much of the evidence to have been cleared away by the club's staff members, and weren't able to sufficiently identify Holliman in security tapes. The club's bouncers had been unable to apprehend Holliman, who wasted no time in getting out of Dodge. Wilson, who got an inch-long scar from the incident, decided to take matters into her own hands -- with the help of Facebook.

Continue reading Woman Uses Facebook to Track Down Attacker

SwitchedWoman Uses Facebook to Track Down Attacker originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>crimefacebookpolicesocialnetworkingtopMon, 23 Nov 2009 10:24:00 EST<![CDATA[Facebook Photos Lead to Underage Drinking Fines]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/11/21/facebook-photos-lead-to-underage-drinking-fines/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/21/facebook-photos-lead-to-underage-drinking-fines/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/21/facebook-photos-lead-to-underage-drinking-fines/#commentsFiled under: ,

We've seen wives pose as teens to bust cheating husbands and collections agencies impersonate cute girls to catch debt dodgers, but this is the first time we've ever heard of police using their precious time to send teens friend requests on Facebook just to troll their photos for evidence of underage drinking.

Students at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse have found themselves on the wrong end of a seemingly major sting operation. According to the La Crosse Tribune, at least four students from the school have been invited to court and fined for underage drinking over the past few weeks. The pieces of evidence presented in all the cases have been photos taken from the students' Facebook pages. One of those in trouble, Adam Bauer, told the Tribune that he believes the photos were obtained by police who posed as a "good-looking" 19-year-old girl and sent him a friend request about a month ago. Shortly thereafter Bauer was asked to come into the local police precinct.

Continue reading Facebook Photos Lead to Underage Drinking Fines

SwitchedFacebook Photos Lead to Underage Drinking Fines originally appeared on Switched on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>crimefacebooklawpoliceprivacytopunderage drinkingUnderageDrinkingSat, 21 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Depressed Woman's Facebook Pics Ruin Her Insurance Benefits]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/11/20/womans-facebook-pics-lead-insurance-company-to-revoke-claim/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/20/womans-facebook-pics-lead-insurance-company-to-revoke-claim/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/20/womans-facebook-pics-lead-insurance-company-to-revoke-claim/#commentsFiled under: ,

It seems that placing privacy settings on your social networking profile isn't enough to keep snoops away. Nathalie Blanchard, of Quebec, Canada, learned that lesson when her long-term, sick-leave benefits were stripped from her because of photos on her Facebook account.

For the past year and a half, Blanchard had been on leave from her job at IBM as the result of being diagnosed with serious clinical depression. Since the diagnosis, she had been collecting a monthly check from Manulife, her insurance firm. But after Manulife investigators discovered photos on her private Facebook page that showed her out partying with friends at a bar and vacationing on sunny beaches, the company decided to cut off benefits. The insurer considered the photos evidence that Blanchard was no longer depressed, according to a report by the CBC.

Continue reading Depressed Woman's Facebook Pics Ruin Her Insurance Benefits

SwitchedDepressed Woman's Facebook Pics Ruin Her Insurance Benefits originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>facebookfacebookfacelosshealth insuranceHealthInsuranceprivacysocialnetworkingtopFri, 20 Nov 2009 14:56:00 EST<![CDATA[Artist Creates Twitter Avatars From Pop Culture Figures]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/11/19/artist-creates-twitter-avatars-from-pop-culture-figures/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/19/artist-creates-twitter-avatars-from-pop-culture-figures/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/19/artist-creates-twitter-avatars-from-pop-culture-figures/#commentsFiled under: ,

Creative folks have been using personalized avatars on Twitter for a while now. But artist Adam Koford, who goes by the pseudonym "Ape Lad," has created a whole flotilla of new designs in the style of Twitter's highly recognizable bird icon. Primarily featuring cartoon characters or sci-fi heroes from yesteryear, Ape Lad's avatars are all uniformly designed -- in the same comma or teardrop shape as the bird -- but each has its own quirky uniqueness. (It's weird to see just how docile a Wolverine-styled avatar can be when cast in a Twitter bird mold.)

You can find the full slate of 11 avatars here, running the gamut from Buzz Lightyear to 'Where the Wild Things Are.' (We'd probably go for Chewbacca, on cuddliness alone.) It's a clever motif, and one that could easily be expounded with greater extremes, and in different contexts; isn't Obama's caricature kind of tailor-made for this shape, anyway? [From: Ape Lad on Flickr and Neatorama]

SwitchedArtist Creates Twitter Avatars From Pop Culture Figures originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>artavatarsocialnetworkingtoptwitterThu, 19 Nov 2009 07:32:00 EST<![CDATA[Twitter Moves Into Sleek New Digs in San Francisco]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/11/18/twitter-moves-into-sleek-new-digs-in-san-francisco/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/18/twitter-moves-into-sleek-new-digs-in-san-francisco/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/18/twitter-moves-into-sleek-new-digs-in-san-francisco/#commentsFiled under: ,

What's the best part about moving into new digs? Well, decorating it and showing off the space to your friends, of course. That's the thrill Twitter employees are feeling right now. According to Tech Crunch, the company moved into its new, massive San Francisco office space, which had previously housed Bebo, on Monday. Employees are posting online photos more quickly than we can click through them.

Here's a peek of what we've seen so far: The design is super sleek and modern -- from the furniture to the art. According to the Huffington Post, it's the brainchild of Sara Morishige Williams, wife of CEO Evan Williams. There are plenty of birds and '@' symbols plastered around the office. There's a shot of a vanity mirror placed in a spacious bathroom stall (which is a little creepy). And just to prove its own hipness, the company installed a DJ booth for employees to spin records and unwind after long hours of coding. In keeping with Web 2.0 style, there's a kitchen/break room worthy of its own cooking show.

While the micro-blogging service has an estimated worth of $1 billion, it might be a good idea for it to work on a proper business model before splurging on a new crib. You know, the kind where your company makes a profit. We're not economists, but isn't this the kind of reckless behavior that got us into our current financial mess? [From: Tech Crunch and Huffington Post]

SwitchedTwitter Moves Into Sleek New Digs in San Francisco originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>designluxuryofficesocialnetworkingtoptwitterWed, 18 Nov 2009 16:10:00 EST<![CDATA[Parents Worried Girls Becoming Addicted to Facebook]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/11/18/parents-worried-girls-becoming-addicted-to-facebook/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/18/parents-worried-girls-becoming-addicted-to-facebook/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/18/parents-worried-girls-becoming-addicted-to-facebook/#commentsFiled under: ,

On top of all the natural insecurities and volatile emotions that characterize adolescence, you can now add the girlish gossip-mongering of the Facebook age, where high school dating drama follows gals home and the family laptop becomes the central location of anxiety, woe, and "Oh no, she di-int." Granted, they may just want to have fun, but growing girls don't always have an easy time of it.

To add to the worry, the BBC reports that parents of teenage girls in the U.K. now cite addiction to online social networking as their number one concern. As Jill Berry, the president of the Girls' School Association, puts it, girls are now apparently "permanently connected" to sites like Facebook and Bebo, and parents are worried. At the association's annual conference, Berry detailed parents' concerns over "what to do about their daughters being on the receiving end of 'We hate x' sites or 'honesty boxes' where comments about each other can be posted anonymously."

Continue reading Parents Worried Girls Becoming Addicted to Facebook

SwitchedParents Worried Girls Becoming Addicted to Facebook originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>facebookgirlsinternet addictionInternetAddictionparentssocialnetworkingteenstopWed, 18 Nov 2009 07:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Facebook Displays Couple Photos When They Get Engaged]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/11/17/facebook-displays-couple-photos-when-they-get-engaged/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/17/facebook-displays-couple-photos-when-they-get-engaged/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/17/facebook-displays-couple-photos-when-they-get-engaged/#commentsFiled under: ,

Facebook Displays Couple Photos When They Get EngagedThe latest Facebook redesign has been begrudgingly accepted by the whiny masses, and now that everyone has stopped complaining and started actually paying attention, some interesting new features are being revealed. One of those tweaks, caught by Nick O'Neill at All Facebook, is how relationships now appear in the news feed. Specifically, when friends get engaged, the corresponding update is automatically accompanied by a photo of the couple in order to help the post stand out.

It seems that Facebook randomly selects a photo in which both halves of the couple are tagged, and places it next to the relationship status update in the news feed. It's a subtle, but nice, touch that adds a little more personality to the often ignorable changes in people's romantic entanglements.

Continue reading Facebook Displays Couple Photos When They Get Engaged

SwitchedFacebook Displays Couple Photos When They Get Engaged originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>engagedfacebookrelationshiprelationshipssocialnetworkingtopTue, 17 Nov 2009 13:40:00 EST<![CDATA['Unfriend' Named Word of the Year]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/11/17/unfriend-named-word-of-the-year/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/17/unfriend-named-word-of-the-year/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/17/unfriend-named-word-of-the-year/#commentsFiled under: ,

After a year that saw so much action and chaos on the political, economic, and pop cultural fronts, the New Oxford American Dictionary has decided that 2009's vaunted Word of the Year should be firmly planted in the new social media lexicon. The envelope, please...

That's right, ladies and gentlemen, "unfriend" is your 2009 Word of the Year (cue applause). The Oxford Dictionary defines this year's winner thusly:

unfriend - verb - To remove someone as a "friend" on a social networking site such as Facebook.


Continue reading 'Unfriend' Named Word of the Year

Switched'Unfriend' Named Word of the Year originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>facebooklanguageNew Oxford American DictionaryNewOxfordAmericanDictionarysocialnetworkingtopword of the yearWordOfTheYearTue, 17 Nov 2009 11:05:00 EST<![CDATA[Sarah Palin: Not a 'Maverick' When It Comes to E-Politicking]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/11/16/sarah-palin-not-a-maverick-when-it-comes-to-e-politicking/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/16/sarah-palin-not-a-maverick-when-it-comes-to-e-politicking/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/16/sarah-palin-not-a-maverick-when-it-comes-to-e-politicking/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Matthew Continetti, associate editor of the conservative political rag the Weekly Standard, has an interesting editorial on CNN.com, in which he argues that Sarah Palin is "a pioneer in the political use of new social media." He claims that Palin is leading a quiet revolution based on Facebook and that she hasn't received any credit for it.

Party affiliation aside, there are gaping holes in Continetti's argument that Palin is quietly remaking the face of tech-enhanced politics. His main point is that Palin is using Facebook and Twitter to speak directly to her supporters across the country, resuscitating her political career after the presidential campaign -- during which she painted herself as a bumbling idiot during disastrous interviews with Katie Couric and Barbara Walters.

Continue reading Sarah Palin: Not a 'Maverick' When It Comes to E-Politicking

SwitchedSarah Palin: Not a 'Maverick' When It Comes to E-Politicking originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>expire-images:2010-11-16palinpoliticssarah palinSarahPalinsocialnetworkingtopMon, 16 Nov 2009 17:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Twitter Sticks With New Retweet Format, Despite Complaints]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/twitter-sticks-with-new-retweet-format-despite-complaints/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/twitter-sticks-with-new-retweet-format-despite-complaints/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/twitter-sticks-with-new-retweet-format-despite-complaints/#commentsFiled under: ,

Despite Complaints Twitter Sticking With New Retweets
Twitter has been going feature crazy over the past several months. First, it began attaching geolocation information to Tweets. Then it introduced lists, for sharing and for organizing the people you're following. Now, the micro-blogging service is rolling out a standardized format for retweets. While the location data is usually out of the average user's view, the new format for retweets is an obvious change to Twitter's basic interface. And, as Facebook users do every time that site so much as shifts a pixel, tweeters have erupted in revolt.

The new format for retweets replaces the familiar, if clumsy, "RT @username" with an icon that indicates a message is a retweet. Otherwise, it looks identical to the original message. This means that you might see messages in your Twitter feed that appear to come from users you don't follow. This has apparently caused some serious confusion among users, including Justine Bateman from 'Family Ties.'

Continue reading Twitter Sticks With New Retweet Format, Despite Complaints

SwitchedTwitter Sticks With New Retweet Format, Despite Complaints originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>retweetretweetssocialnetworkingtoptwitterFri, 13 Nov 2009 13:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Twitter Autobiographies: 140bio Feeds the Narcissism]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/twitter-autobiographies-140bio-feeds-the-narcissism/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/twitter-autobiographies-140bio-feeds-the-narcissism/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/twitter-autobiographies-140bio-feeds-the-narcissism/#commentsFiled under: ,

Getting published was once the true signifier of an established and bona-fide writer. With its new "paperback microbiographies," though, 140bio is allowing anyone with a Twitter account to join that formerly elite class of professional and accomplished scribes.

For $18.99, the company will actually print your last 3,200 tweets in chronological order, even the replies if you so choose, and then bind them in one of two paperback styles. So, if you're sick of boring your friends and holiday guests with insufferable vacation videos, you can now irritate them with the most self-serving and insubstantial publication that has ever been printed (with the possible exception of the Sarah Palin autobiography). [From: 140bio, via Textually]

SwitchedTwitter Autobiographies: 140bio Feeds the Narcissism originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>140biobooksself-publishingtopTwittertwitter autobiographiesTwitterAutobiographiesweirdFri, 13 Nov 2009 10:20:00 EST<![CDATA[Facebook Groups Hacked by Protesters]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/facebook-groups-hacked-by-protesters/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/facebook-groups-hacked-by-protesters/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/facebook-groups-hacked-by-protesters/#commentsFiled under: ,

Being the top social networking site also means that Facebook is a primo target for hackers, as we've seen time and time again. For the first time, though, a spate of Facebook hacks have come from hijackers claiming they did it for educational purposes.

Earlier this week, a group of disgruntled Facebook users created fictional accounts and took advantage of a loophole that allows any member of a small group without an administrator to take control of it. The hackers appropriated over 280 groups in that way, renaming each of them 'Control Your Info.' According to CNN, once the band took over a group, they would post on its Wall a message that read, "Think about the safety in your social media life to the same extent you do in your real life."

The 'Control Your Info' pranksters promised to restore the groups' names and to leave them by the end of next week. But Facebook went ahead and did it for them. The site's administrators also deleted several of the hackers' accounts. "In the rare instances when we find that a group has been changed inappropriately, we will disable the group, which is the action we plan for these groups," said Facebook, as reported by MSNBC.

Think the stunt is refreshing? Tell that to the affected groups. After all, one user's prank is another's headache. [From:CNN, MSNBC, and Control Your Info]

SwitchedFacebook Groups Hacked by Protesters originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>facebookfacebook groupsFacebookGroupshackprivacytopThu, 12 Nov 2009 18:10:00 EST<![CDATA[Facebook Alibi: Man's Status Keeps Him Out of Jail]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/facebook-alibi-mans-status-keeps-him-out-of-jail/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/facebook-alibi-mans-status-keeps-him-out-of-jail/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/facebook-alibi-mans-status-keeps-him-out-of-jail/#commentsFiled under: ,


We've heard of Facebook leading to arrests, but now there's a flip side to the story of social networking and the law. Today, a man can thank Facebook for keeping him out of jail. According to The New York Times, defense lawyers used Rodney Bradford's status update as an alibi when he was arrested in connection with an October 17th robbery. Lawyers say the update, which read "Where's my pancakes," was posted from a computer in the Harlem apartment of Bradford's father at the exact time the robbery in question occurred.

Lawyers subpoenaed the site's records to make sure Bradford's story held water. It did, and the charges were dropped (although Bradford faces previous robbery charges, too). However, some worry that anybody could've entered the man's user name and password and posted the update for him. "[Teenagers]...could develop an alibi," said Joseph Pollini, a law teacher at John Jay College. "They watch television, the movies, there is a multitude of reasons why someone of that age would have the knowledge to do a crime like that."

Continue reading Facebook Alibi: Man's Status Keeps Him Out of Jail

SwitchedFacebook Alibi: Man's Status Keeps Him Out of Jail originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>crimefacebooklawsocialnetworkingstatus updateStatusUpdatetopwebThu, 12 Nov 2009 14:25:00 EST<![CDATA[Spam Spreading on Twitter via Direct Messages -- Again]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/spam-spreading-on-twitter-via-direct-messages-again/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/spam-spreading-on-twitter-via-direct-messages-again/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/spam-spreading-on-twitter-via-direct-messages-again/#commentsFiled under: ,


Not to sound like a broken record, but there's a lot of spam on Twitter. Let us illustrate. If the Internet were high school, Twitter would be voted "Most Likely to be Spammed." So, it was no surprise when Mashable reported that a number of users have recently been flooded with spam via direct messages. A quick search on the micro-blogging site proves that people are pretty upset about it, too. There's still not a lot of details on the scam, but you should be on the lookout for any suspicious messages from people you don't recognize. For example, if you receive a message from a half-naked girl asking you about a quiz, don't click the link! We know that sounds obvious, but apparently some people are falling for the scam. After all, it takes hacked accounts to continue spreading the spam.

So what do you do if you become a victim? First, change your password right away. While Mashable has reported this wave of spam to Twitter, it's probably not a bad idea for you to report it to the site, too. Last, don't feel ashamed if your account gets hacked. Remember, this isn't the first time the Twitterverse has been plagued by spam, and we're sure it won't be the last, either. [From: Mashable]

SwitchedSpam Spreading on Twitter via Direct Messages -- Again originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>scamsecuritysocialnetworkingspamtoptrendstwitterwebThu, 12 Nov 2009 13:35:00 EST<![CDATA[Your Facebook Photo Says More Than You Think, Research Says]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/11/11/your-facebook-photo-says-more-than-you-think-research-says/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/11/your-facebook-photo-says-more-than-you-think-research-says/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/11/your-facebook-photo-says-more-than-you-think-research-says/#commentsFiled under: ,

A photo is worth a thousand words, as the saying goes, but your Facebook photo might be worth more. It is, after all, available to the entire world. Let's face it; we're all vain to varying degrees, and have some sort of self-image that we're constantly trying to project online. A newly released study aims to determine just what it means to project our avatar through the lens of social networking sites.

Researchers from Sonoma State University recently found that images can pretty reliably convey some, though not all, personality traits. In the study, 12 random people looked at photos of 123 undergraduate students in different poses -- both
"neutral" and "spontaneous." (The "neutral" poses were dictated by researchers, while the "spontaneous" poses were self-directed.) The subjects were then asked to rank the photos according to 10 traits: extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, openness, likability, self-esteem, loneliness, religiosity, and political orientation. In order to judge the accuracy of the subjects' appraisals, scientists compared them to the self-evaluations submitted by the photographed students.

Continue reading Your Facebook Photo Says More Than You Think, Research Says

SwitchedYour Facebook Photo Says More Than You Think, Research Says originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>facebookidentitypicturesprofileresearchsocialnetworkingtopWed, 11 Nov 2009 16:50:00 EST<![CDATA[Students Create 'Pro-Rape' Facebook Group]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/11/10/students-create-pro-rape-facebook-group/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/10/students-create-pro-rape-facebook-group/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/10/students-create-pro-rape-facebook-group/#commentsFiled under: ,

You can learn a lot in college. Apparently, though, courses in common sense and decency aren't offered at the all-male St. Paul's College at the University of Sydney in Australia. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, authorities and experts are in an uproar over a highly offensive Facebook group called "Define Statutory," which was created by a number of current and former students. The group's members described themselves as "anti-consent" and "pro-rape" on the page, which was listed under the sports and recreation category.

Although the page was taken down at the end of October, many people are still upset about the group. Linda Burney, New South Wales's minister for women, says it made her sick. "The idea that a group of young men that are going to become leaders within our community, leaders in the law, leaders in medicine, leaders in business, studying at an elite college, at an elite university, think it's okay to post information like this encouraging rape on a Web site is absolutely abhorrent," she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The university's vice-chancellor Michael Spence even spoke out to the Herald. "I am appalled by the reported behavior and apparent attitudes of some students," he said. But despite this uproar, the creators of the public group haven't been punished by the university.

Continue reading Students Create 'Pro-Rape' Facebook Group

SwitchedStudents Create 'Pro-Rape' Facebook Group originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>collegecrimefacebookrapesexual harassmentSexualHarassmentsocialnetworkingtopviolencewebTue, 10 Nov 2009 13:45:00 EST<![CDATA[French Prez Sarkozy Revises History With Berlin Wall Facebook Pic]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/11/09/french-prez-sarkozy-revises-history-with-berlin-wall-facebook-pi/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/09/french-prez-sarkozy-revises-history-with-berlin-wall-facebook-pi/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/09/french-prez-sarkozy-revises-history-with-berlin-wall-facebook-pi/#commentsFiled under: ,

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, known for his fastidious management of his own public image, may have posted a bit of historical fib on his Facebook profile. Earlier today, Sarkozy uploaded a photo of himself with Alain Juppé, former Prime Minister under Jacques Chirac, chipping away at the Berlin Wall with a pickax, exactly 20 years ago. He claims that (excuse our poor translation from the French) he left Paris for Berlin on the morning of November 9th, 1989, hearing reports that something was afoot in the blocs.

But at that time, Sarkozy was mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine and the assistant general secretary for the right-wing political party RPR. Thus, his whereabouts are well-documented. According to council reports, Sarkozy was in Paris at a celebration marking the 19th anniversary of Charles de Gaulle's passing. Alain Juppé, himself, remarked today that he did not even arrive in Berlin until November 11th.

Continue reading French Prez Sarkozy Revises History With Berlin Wall Facebook Pic

SwitchedFrench Prez Sarkozy Revises History With Berlin Wall Facebook Pic originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>berlin wallberlin wall anniversaryBerlinWallBerlinWallAnniversaryfacebookfrancehistoryhoaxNicolas SarkozyNicolasSarkozypoliticssarkozytopMon, 09 Nov 2009 17:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Purdue's 'Hotseat' Brings Twitter to the College Classroom]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/11/05/purdue-universitys-hotseat-brings-twitter-and-facebook-to-the/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/05/purdue-universitys-hotseat-brings-twitter-and-facebook-to-the/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/05/purdue-universitys-hotseat-brings-twitter-and-facebook-to-the/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Purdue University Bringing Twitter and Facebook into the Classroom
Schools have been surprisingly quick to embrace new online tools to enhance education and encourage participation both in and out of the classroom. Professor Dave Parry, from the University of Texas at Dallas, has taken his class to Twitter, The University of Missouri has required all Journalism majors to own an iPhone or an iPod touch, and Griffith University has an entire course dedicated to Twitter for it's Journalism students.

Purdue University, one of the first to institute an emergency text messaging system and an early adopter of Apple's iTunes U, is testing a custom developed app called 'Hotseat' that allows for students to comment and ask questions in real-time, via Twitter, Facebook, text message, and a Web interface. The university is testing the application in two classes right now, and of the roughly 600 students taking those courses, 73-percent have used 'Hotseat' to ask questions, critique their professor, or vote for topics to be covered.

Continue reading Purdue's 'Hotseat' Brings Twitter to the College Classroom

SwitchedPurdue's 'Hotseat' Brings Twitter to the College Classroom originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>educationfacebookschooltoptwitterThu, 05 Nov 2009 09:25:00 EST<![CDATA[Woman Sues Former Employer Over Lost Facebook Friends and Defamation]]>http://www.switched.com/2009/11/04/woman-sues-employer-for-lost-facebook-friends-and-defamation/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/04/woman-sues-employer-for-lost-facebook-friends-and-defamation/http://www.switched.com/2009/11/04/woman-sues-employer-for-lost-facebook-friends-and-defamation/#commentsFiled under: ,

Stick and stones may indeed break bones. But causing someone to lose Facebook friends? Well, that'll land you a lawsuit.

A Chicago-based woman is suing her former lover and employer for defamation, after rumors he spread about her being delusional and "post-partum" resulted in a loss of friends on Facebook. WBBM 780 reports that the plaintiff, Annmarie Swatos, asserts that she and Richard Gloor had an illicit affair while the two were working at a real estate agency in Chicago. When their cover was blown, they promptly put an end to both business and pleasure. According to Swatos, Gloor then proceeded to spread virulent rumors about her to former clients and potential employers, saying she was not only "post-partum" but that she was "stalking" him, as well. The complaint goes on to say that all these rumors caused a lot of her friends to "block [Swatos] from communicating with her through the social networking site Facebook." (*gasp!*)

Continue reading Woman Sues Former Employer Over Lost Facebook Friends and Defamation

SwitchedWoman Sues Former Employer Over Lost Facebook Friends and Defamation originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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