I’m delighted to announce that we’ve reached an agreement to acquire Tumblr!
We promise not to screw it up. Tumblr is incredibly special and has a great thing going. We will operate Tumblr independently. David Karp will remain CEO. The product roadmap, their team, their wit and…
Note to Yahoo: If you post images in text posts, they don’t look as good on the dashboard as straight-up image posts. You guys are new here, so we’ll give you some time to get used to things.
Forget passwords—let your phone scan your fingerprints or eyes.
Google Earth Engine is a joint project between Google and NASA that allows anyone access to a 30 year time-lapse of the surface of the earth. I made a video about how amazing, terrifying, and important it is.
(via think4yourself)
Mark this date. I have a feeling this is going to be a huge disruption in the TV space. It’s limited to select partners for right now, but I’ll bet that anyone with a YouTube channel will get the opportunity eventually. And as Mat Honan sais, this brings us “a small step closer to the dream of a la carte programming.”
YouTube will let you pay to subscribe to channels with a new pilot program that includes a limited number of channel partners for now. The company listed Jim Henson Family TV and Ultimate Fighting Championship as initial members.
Prices start at $.99 per month, paid via Google Wallet. Users get a 14 day free trial to channels, which are also discounted if you subscribe by the year. Once signed up for a paid channel, you can suck down as much video as it has to offer.
Just like some popular social networking sites, online video services are moving to become (big) networks on their own. This’s good news. But, this debate will continue, unendingly: Should we all pay for what we watch OR should we all pay for what some of us like to watch??
Pinterest’s recent redesign is intended to cut down on clutter and make the site easier to manage, without drastically changing its look. […] One of the most noticeable changes so far is Pinterest’s move to larger pins, so you get four rather than five items per row. The site looks cleaner and less overwhelming because you don’t see as many items on the screen at once.
Instagram Introduces Photos of You Feature
Instagram has added a new feature to their photo sharing app that allows you to add people to…
Likes Don’t Save Lives
UNICEF Sweden has a new ad campaign reminding people that while social media Likes are nice, what they really need is money to fund their vaccination campaigns.
As The Verge points out, “Facebook likes aren’t treated as currency in other commercial venues, so they shouldn’t be equated with charitable donations.”
And via The Atlantic:
In the beginning, organizations wanted you to like the heck out of their Facebook pages. Why? You know, community-building, awareness-raising, general “engagement”-upping…
…But one thing clicking “like” doesn’t do is, say, get malaria nets to African villages or boost funding for charity groups. And now that Facebook is nearly 9 years old and Twitter is 7, we’re seeing the inevitable backlash against social-media “slacktivism.”
Back to The Verge:
The campaign, created by ad agency Forsman & Bodenfors, takes a rather bold stance against the awareness campaigns that often spread across Facebook and other social media platforms. UNICEF officials acknowledge that such efforts can help introduce issues to a wider audience, though they fear that for most users, the action stops with the click of a button. To further stress this point, UNICEF Sweden released a bold poster alongside the video clips, saying that every like it receives on Facebook will result in exactly zero vaccinations.
That’s not to say “slacktivists” are a bad thing. Liking, sharing and reblogging do serve their purpose in bringing issues to a wider audience. But then what?
Last year, The Atlantic notes, Zeynep Tufekci, a sociology professor and a fellow at the Harvard Berkman Center for Internet and Society, had this to say:
What is called commonly called slacktivism is not at all about “slacking activists;” rather it is about non-activists taking symbolic action—often in spheres traditionally engaged only by activists or professionals (governments, NGOs, international institutions.). Since these so-called “slacktivists” were never activists to begin with, they are not in dereliction of their activist duties. On the contrary, they are acting, symbolically and in a small way, in a sphere that has traditionally been closed off to “the masses” in any meaningful fashion.
The goal then for those working in social media is to simultaneously help the “slacktivist” set help you by building out ambient awareness of an issue through the messaging you create, while also giving activists and more consistently loyal proponents direct calls to action be it donations, volunteerism, network building, etc.
Meantime, if you’re moved to Like a cause, consider volunteering your time and/or other resources to it as well.
The other two commercials in UNICEF’s campaign can be viewed at The Verge. — Michael
(via elvira)
Is online privacy over? Findings from the USC Annenberg Center for the Digital Future show Millennials embrace a new online reality | via USC Annenberg News
The survey, conducted by the USC Annenberg Center for the Digital Future and Bovitz Inc., reveals a “Millennial Rift” — distinct differences in online behavior and core values among Millennials (ages 18-34) compared to other users, many of whom are only a few years older. Millennials, the survey found, report more willingness to allow access to their personal data or web behavior and a greater interest in cooperating with Internet businesses — as long as they receive tangible benefits in return.
See the full infographic breakdown here.
According to a Trendrr report, “second screen activity” is up 127% since last year. But … what does that mean, exactly? More importantly, why is it important for brands?
Nike Phot iD - Nike Lets You Decorate Shoes Based On The Colors Of Your Instagram Photos
Sportswear brand Nike has unveiled a web app that lets you use your Instagram photos to customize your sneakers. ‘Nike PHOTOiD’ lets you select the image on your personal Instagram account you’d like to use and pick your style of kicks, and the app will decorate the pair of shoes based on the colors of the Instagram photo of choice.
http://bit.ly/15lRxeK
(Source: millionsmillions, via laughterkey)
What’s this hack call, BTW?!
Recently, there were reports of several celebs and politicians who had their social security numbers, mortgages, phone numbers, and more leaked online. Was this a major hack, or this is information easy to obtain by anyone who wants to do a little research? Buzzfeed says,
To call this a hack, though, isn’t quite right. It’s actually a fairly straightforward process.
Google Now may be coming to Chrome browser.
References to Google Now have appeared in the Chromium backend recently. The information suggests it is being brought initially to Chrome for Windows, and Chrome OS, with no mention of Chrome for Mac.
(Source: theverge.com, via 8bitfuture)
Facebook Unveils a Radically Redesigned News Feed »
Facebook is ready with its first major core change since the introduction of the Facebook Timeline at the end of 2011 and this time they have put their focus on revamping their news feed. “The news feed is one of the most important things we’ve built,” Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during a press event.
…the stories around you deserve to be displayed with more than just text. […] How we’re all sharing is changing and the news feed needs to evolve with those changes.
The newly introduced news feed will cater to users with bigger images, multiple feeds and mobile consistency. Facebook with this change has focused on developing a better mobile-friendly experience given the changing dynamics of using social media sites. Since the concept of storytelling through images has received more attention and became the last word in social-sharing experiences, Facebook has been concentrating on creating an imagecentric news feed for itself.
Along with these comes the option for users to control over how the feeds are displayed and to customize the wall as per their personal desire. The new news feed being released from today will add a newer dimension to the experience of logging on to Facebook though (for Facebook) it won’t over till the fat lady sings!
