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Posts with tag myspace

New Feature Lets You Take Your MySpace Profile to Other Sites

by Tim Stevens, posted May 9th 2008 at 9:10AMBreaking News

MySpace Launches Social networking is obviously a lot of fun, but if anything it's getting a little too popular; you can't pick a movie on Netflix or upload a picture onto Flickr these days without having to wade through a web of friend recommendations.

What's more annoying is that each network is completely disconnected -- sign up for some hot new site, pick a crew of friends, then move on to the next hot site and try to find the same crew of friends again. Annoying. MySpace is finally looking to end that with a new initiative called "data availability" that will let you take your profile with you to other profile-based sites and services, including Twitter, Photobucket, and Yahoo!.

The changes, set to go into effect in a few weeks, will let you effectively sync up your profiles at a number of partner sites with your MySpace profile. For example, on Twitter you would be able to set up Twitter to pull in your picture and other information from your MySpace profile, in real-time -- so, if you update your main pic at MySpace, it would be propagated over to Twitter as well. You'll be able to do the same with your eBay profile, creating a more informative set of information about you that will "yield a deeper connection between individuals," according to the press release.

It would also let eBay shoppers learn an awful lot about you, something that many people will be uncomfortable with. The opportunity to save time by syncing up your profiles sounds quite appealing, but making yourself more identifiable to potentially irate eBay buyers and sellers sounds a little -- unnerving. [Source: BusinessWire, via New York Times]

Scientology's New YouTube Channel Praises Openness, Blocks Comments

by Tim Stevens, posted May 1st 2008 at 10:33AM

The Church of Scientology doesn't have many friends online. It's constantly attacked by hackers, mocked for its silly videos, and has had its secret documents published for all to see. But now it appears to be changing its approach to the Internet. Embracing the Web, The Church is spreading the word by posting its own videos on a custom YouTube channel.

The channel, which features softly lit images and an introductory video with gentle music, hosts a string of videos that explain the religion. After a first watch, we got a vague impression of Scientology's core beliefs and anti-drug stance, but found it curious that they left out many of the religion's more curious details. However, the group has chosen to prevent embedding of the vast majority of the videos, with only its public service announcements (like the one above) open for inclusion in blogs and MySpace pages. Posting of comments on these videos has also been disabled, which might be a good move given the kind of response Wal-Mart got to its own Facebook page. [Source: Wired]

Everex Launches Sub-$500, MySpace-Ready MyMiniPC

by Thomas Houston , posted Apr 7th 2008 at 5:01PM



Everex just launched its new sub-$500 mini desktop PC, the MyMiniPC. The computer runs an operating system called gOS, a version of Ubuntu Linux with glossy styling and interface elements similar to Apple's OS X.

The MyMiniPC is built with heavy Web and media use in mind -- Everex is marketing the computer to the millions of users of social networks, specifically MySpace. The MyMiniPC's gOS installation -- essentially a collection of Google-esque application -- comes with a dock loaded with shortcuts to MySpace Apps, popular social Web sites (Facebook, flickr, YouTube) and other sites (TMZ, Pandora, Gmail, last.fm).

With a form factor similar to the Mac Mini, the MyMiniPC comes with a respectable 1.86 gigahertz Pentium T2130, 512 MB RAM, a 120-gigabyte (GB) hard drive, a DVD±RW drive (read and burn DVDs), and loads of media connectivity options including an S-Video port (for outputting video to your TV), a memory card reader (for transferring pictures) and audio in/out ports.

Sure, the MyMiniPC isn't the ideal choice for gamers or heavy video work, but we think it's a promising Linux-based PC for anyone in need of an easy-to-use computer for Web work, browsing and collaboration. The MyMiniPC retails for $499.

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Facebook to Add Instant Messaging

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Mar 17th 2008 at 12:01PM

Facebook Hopping on the Instant Messaging Bandwagon
It was bound to happen eventually (if for no other reason than MySpace did it first) -- Facebook is finally offering up an instant-messaging service. Ironically, Facebook's new IM service may have the effect of killing off a couple of chat applications already available on the social-networking site.

Initial rumors claimed that the new Facebook IM service, which is to be embedded into people's profiles, would be based on Jabber, the same standard underlying Google Talk. This would have meant that other IM programs, such as Pidgin, Meebo, or even Google Talk, could connect to the Facebook service easily and bring it to the desktop. These rumors, of course, turned out to be false, and Facebook IM, at least initially, will only be available on Facebook pages.

With MSN Messenger, Yahoo!, AIM, Skype, Gizmo, and Google Talk already clogging the Internet, we're pretty confident we don't need any more new IM services. Especially not ones that can only be accessed on the Web by logging into a separate place from all your other IM services. But if Facebook ever manages to get all the other IM programs to work with its IM service, then it might become an attractive online chat place indeed.

From TechCrunch

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Teen Catches Mugger on MySpace

by Tim Stevens, posted Feb 28th 2008 at 2:51PM

Teen Catches Cell Phone Thief on MySpacePicture this: you're walking down a busy city street chatting on your cell phone when someone runs up behind you, grabs your phone, and runs off. What do you do? Call the police (from someone else's phone)? Shrug your shoulders and be glad that's all they took? Or, do you do what 16-year-old Yudelka Polanco did: go on MySpace and start doing some digital sleuthing.

After Polanco got a new phone to replace her stolen one she realized that her assailant had used her old phone with its SIM card in there, which identifies the phone as hers and stores her address book and history. When she activated her new phone, her provider sync'd up her information and the thief's online activity, including his e-mail address, showed up. She then proceeded to search for the mugger's e-mail address on MySpace and got a hit.

But, the profile was private, so she got a friend to chat him up and get added to his friend's list. Once able to get inside the profile she was able to see more pictures of the guy in question, enough to make an identification. That was enough for the police who, presented with this evidence, arrested 16-year-old Victor Hernandez for the crime.

So, proof that crime doesn't pay, but MySpace does!

From wcbstv.com

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21% Of Babies Have Social Network Profiles

by Tim Stevens, posted Feb 28th 2008 at 1:10PM

21% Of Babies Have Social Network Profiles, More Friends than YouChances are you're starting to tire of the whole social networking scene. If so, you're not alone. Finding and connecting with friends was fun at first, but before long the whole experience just turns into kooky pictures of people you still don't keep in touch with. That said, there are still plenty of people out there who are new to the social networking scene -- very, very new.

A survey from research firm Orange claims that 21% of babies have their own pages on social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace. The pages were created by their parents who use them as a way to post pictures and stories to share those defining babyhood moments with all their friends -- friends who can post comments like "Awww!" and "How cute!" every now and again.

From Ubergizmo

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Boycotting Sellers Dent eBay's Business

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Feb 25th 2008 at 6:11PM

Boycotting Sellers Dent eBay's Business
Auction site eBay has been suffering at the hands of an online protest over a change in how it charges sellers for listing and selling goods. The change has resulted in a substantial increase in costs for sellers.

The changes lowered the initial fees for sellers to list items on eBay, but increased the commission charged on completed sales. Additionally, the feedback system was altered to eliminate the negative feedback on buyers option, making it tougher to weed out sneaky or dishonest buyers.

eBay has faced boycotts before, but none approaching the scale of the current one. Thanks to protest related activities on sites such as MySpace and Facebook, eBay sellers have been able to better organize and encourage each other to stick with the boycott.

Since the boycott started on February 18,, listings on eBay have dropped 13 percent to about 13 million items. Nancy Baughman, an eBay retailer taking part in the strike, says if she and the other activists can get the number of listings down to 12 million, then they will have made a very significant dent in the online auction house's business.



From USA Today

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French President's Desperate Text-Message Turned Into a Pop Song

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Feb 22nd 2008 at 1:25PM



French President Nicolas Sarkozy once again is finding himself in a pretty sticky situation, this time thanks to leaked cell-phone text message and some creative musicians. Last week, it was reported that just eight days before his marriage to Italian model-turned-popstar Carla Bruni, Sarkozy text messaged his ex-wife Cecilia, begging her to return to him.

"If you come back, I'll cancel everything," said the SMS message.

Though the French prez has denied the story and filed suit against the media outlet that originally ran the story, he's out of luck because the story just wont die. In fact, French pop act Jeanne Cherhal has turned the now-infamous text message into a song, 'Si tu Reviens,' and posted it on her MySpace page.

Will Sarkozy sue her too? Probably not, but it does add more fodder for gossip blogs, and, thanks to mobile technology, gadget blogs such as this one!


From Textually.org

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Friending On MySpace Violates Restraining Orders

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Feb 21st 2008 at 11:02AM

Friending on MySpace Violates Restraining Orders
It's official: Stalking on MySpace or Facebook is just as illegal as stalking in real life. A judge on Staten Island (Shaolin represent!) has ruled that a teenager violated a restraining order against her when she friended a woman on MySpace.

The story begins last year when Melisa Fernino, now 16-years-old, was accused of making violent threats against a 43-year-old woman who had dated her father. Fernino also made violent threats against the woman's two daughters. The woman obtained a restraining order and a judge instructed Fernino not to contact the woman or her daughters.

And that was that... until Melisa tracked down the object of her hatred on the MySpace. Melisa simply sent her victim a "friend request' on the popular social-networking site, which obviously made the woman uncomfortable. So, the shaken 43-year-old complained to the judge, who ruled yesterday that requesting a person's friendship on MySpace (and, by extension, Facebook) still constitutes contact and is therefore a violation of the restraining order.

So, if you feel like you're being stalked or intimidated online, then you can rest assured that there is now a legal precedent to press charges. Don't hesitate to complain.

From Machinist

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Snow-Day Caller Tells Media to Get Back to Reporting Real News

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jan 25th 2008 at 4:04PM

Snow-Day Caller Tells Media to Get Back to Reporting Real News
You may remember a little story we posted the other day about a Fairfax County High School student named Devraj Kori, who called a school administrator's home to question the decision not to close the area's schools for snow. Dean Tistadt's wife, Candy, returned Kori's call and left the boy a minute long rant chastising him for calling their home number with some harsh words, including the phrase "snotty-nosed little brats."

Well it turns out Kori isn't exactly enjoying the media attention either. Following the coverage from the Washington Post and CNN Kori has been inundated with phone calls from media outlets who he says have better things to cover. "I think there are issues like Darfur, I mean there are presidential primaries going on. There's so many other things that could have this media attention."

We're apt to agree with Kori on this one. We may be reporting it, but as an outlet that purely covers technology it's perfectly reasonable that we would pay attention. Outlets like CNN have probably dedicated more time to Kori's snow day phone call in the last three days than it has to Darfur in the last three months. And speaking of Darfur when was the last time you heard anything about it? Don't even remember do you, so we'll do CNN's job and give you a quick update - It's not getting better. Government forces in Sudan recently opened fire on a convoy of peace keepers from the United Nations and the African Union, though denied the attack was intentional. And to make matters worse, the government appointed Musa Hilal, who is accused of being a leader in the Janjaweed militia and being directly involved in the atrocities in the Darfur region, to a senior position.

Now that we've got the ball rolling maybe CNN can pick up where we left off and take Kori's advice -- start reporting on issues of true consequence and leave the quirky stories of internet phenomena to the tech blogs.

From CNN

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New Malicious MySpace Friends Plant Viruses

by Tim Stevens, posted Jan 17th 2008 at 10:16AM

In the 'Star Wars' universe, it was Luke Skywalker's Rogue Squadron that was largely responsible for driving back the forces of the evil empire. However, in the world of computing, just about anything labeled "rogue" is a very bad thing indeed. So, reports of "rogue friends" on MySpace don't sound promising, and indeed they are not. Hacked and bogus accounts are nothing new on MySpace, but now they're packing viruses and have the potential to take over your computer.

According to the virus experts at McAfee, this new type of attack seems to be coming from hackers in the Ukraine or Malaysia. Requests from rogue friends look just like any other request, but once accepted, visiting the new friend's profile displays a popup that asks if you would like to download an official update to Windows. The update is, of course, not official, and should you click to download it, you will find yourself infected.

It goes without saying that, just like you shouldn't open e-mail attachments from random people, you should be cautious when accepting random friend requests from people you don't know.

From 'The Daily Mail'

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Another MySpace Predator Caught Going After Children

by Will Safer, posted Jan 15th 2008 at 3:35PM

On the same day MySpace and the attorneys general for 49 states announced an agreement that will allow parents to have their kids' email addresses blocked from the social networking site we get this tragic story out of Florida:

A Tampa man met two girls, aged 14 and 12, through MySpace and met up with them to have sex. After the 14-year-old confided in her parents about what happened, the police nabbed the pervert after he attempted a second meeting with the younger girl.

Turn your irony sensors on now: When arrested he was wearing a shirt that read "Real Men of Genius." See the referenced story for the picture. And that's the long and short of the humor here. Irony sensors off now. Thank you.

Nothing is funny about a predator skulking around MySpace looking for victims. It will be interesting to see how many parents take advantage of the new offering by the social networking site to let them block their children from signing up. Granted, this relies on the parents submitting their kids' email addresses in order to have them blocked, which may not be enough considering how easy it is to set up a new free email account. But at least it is a start.

What would you do to protect your kids from online predators? What do you do to protect yourself when you go online yourself?

From Tampa Bay's 10 and The New York Times.

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MySpace Finally Takes Steps to Protect Kids

by Tim Stevens, posted Jan 15th 2008 at 9:46AM

MySpace Takes Steps to Protect KidsMySpace takes a lot of heat for not doing enough to protect the younger members of its site. The site has repeatedly worked with governments to ban sexual offenders, but those efforts have always been reactive to external pressure and bad PR. Now the site is being a little more proactive, announcing a number of measures to help ensure the safety of under-age members.

This includes a number of enhancements to the site, including the ability for parents to list the e-mail addresses of their children and prevent them from creating profiles, automatically marking under-age profiles as "private," and responding within 72-hours to any reports of inappropriate content on the site. The company hopes these measures will help to keep kids safe and, of course, keep angry parents off of their backs. But, we can't help but think these measures will be easy to subvert or abuse.

It would be a funny joke to list all your friends' e-mail addresses as your children and prevent them from using them to sign up on the site (assuming you have any friends who aren't already on there), but the bigger problem is that there's no way to prevent your kids from going to Hotmail or Gmail and getting another disposable e-mail account to sign up with. And there's still nothing preventing them from lying about their age to make a public profile.

Ultimately these changes are positive steps that should help to protect some of the untold thousands of underage MySpace users, but we believe that those who really want to will keep on finding ways around them.

From CNN

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Teens Still Prefer Landline Phones, Says Study

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Dec 20th 2007 at 5:18PM

Teens On Phone
The Pew Internet and American Life Project has been mighty busy as of late. Hot on the heels of its study that revealed that people like to Google themselves, but like to Google others even more is a fresh batch of stats about how teenagers communicate.

The survey of 12 to 17 year old boys and girls turned up some shocking information -- teens still prefer a good old-fashioned landline phone to other means of communication. 39 percent of teens said they talked to friends everyday via a landline phone. That's actually slightly more than the 35 percent who said they talked to friends on their cell phones everyday, but is almost twice the number who relied on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace and good chunk more than those who used text messaging daily.

Not surprising is the lowly 14 percent who said they used e-mail daily. Past studies have already shown that young people are not fans of the oldest form of electronic communication.

One thing is for sure - they won't be using public pay phones for long, as AT&T plans to phase those out.

From USA Today

Gallery: Public Phones and Phone Booths of the World



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Singer Rises to Stardom Through MySpace and iTunes

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Dec 18th 2007 at 2:47PM

Ingrid Michaelson Rises to Stardom Through MySpace and iTunes
Part of the allure of the Internet is that it levels the playing field. Artists can put their wares out there for all to read, hear, watch etc. Sometimes, however, it's hard to pick out the diamonds in the digital rough.

But their are the occasional Cinderella stories. Joining the ranks of Lily Allen as one of those stars who has risen to fame and fortune (well relative fame and fortune) through purely nontraditional means is Staten Island singer Ingrid Michaelson.

Ingrid got her start playing bars and coffee shops like Martini Red and the Muddy Cup in her native Staten Island, but it was that nefarious beast MySpace that brought her to national attention. It was there that she posted tracks from her album 'Boys and Girls' and grabbed the attention of Lynn Grossman, owner of Secret Road, a music licensing and artist management company.

From there it has been an unstoppable climb to the top for Ingrid, who in May was still teaching an after-school program at the Staten Island Children's Museum. First, 'Grey's Anatomy' picked up one of her songs for its soundtrack, then Gap used one of her tunes in a commercial. Now she's selling out the Bowery Ballroom in New York City, and has the number two record on iTunes' pop charts. All of this happened without resorting to many of the traditional means of promotion. Ingrid has no record label, and her Bowery Ballroom show sold out with out any advertising beyond her MySpace page.

But Ingrid has not let her meteoric rise go to her head. She still makes regular appearances at her old haunts when she isn't on tour, and even recognizes the fragility of her unexpected success, "I worry this is all going to disappear in a few months, and I'll have to wait tables again."

From the New York Times

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