While we continue to slog our way through the economy (is it getting better, staying the same or worse?) there are a few companies that are defying the general downward trends. Apple’s iPhone has let them weather the storm quite nicely. Apparently, Facebook is doing quite fine as well.
YouTube Makes Analytics Data Easier to Mess Around With
YouTube has continuously been improving its video analytics program YouTube Insight since its launch last year.
"Whether you want to know how old your audience is, how many times your most-viewed video was rated last week, or which minute of your clip is most engaging, YouTube Insight can give you the answer. As we add functionality, we’re careful to preserve YouTube Insight’s clean and easy-to-use look and feel," says YouTube.
When it Comes to Names, Facebook Doesn’t Play Around
Facebook has reportedly erased the profile of a woman who goes by the name of Nakedjen. The Data Portability Blog points to her story of having her account deleted just because of her name.
Inauguration Around the Net
As the wireless networks prepare for inauguration traffic jam, there are plenty of ways that users will be utilizing the Internet to stay up to date on their inauguration coverage, just as they did with the election. Of course Hulu has it covered, and has even gone so far as to provide an embeddable countdown:
Googlers Around the World Helping Children
Google employees in different cities around the world have been doing their best to prove that Google is not evil. Well, I haven’t seen this cited as an official reason, and I like to think that they’re doing it because they care, but different branches of Google are helping children in a variety of capacities this holiday season.
Facebook Really Wants You to Stick Around
Facebook has found another way to make sure you stay connected with the social network from other sites besides Facebook Connect. They have now launched a feature that keeps you at Facebook, while also navigating other sites you got to from Facebook. When one of your friends posts a link, you can go to it while a Facebook navigation bar will show up on the top of your screen, allowing you to comment while you’re at the third-party site.
Google Chrome Gets Slapped Around in Germany
It doesn’t get any more “official” than this here. Yesterday, Saturday at around 20:07, Germany’s oldest and perhaps biggest prime time news Tagesschau announced the following under the headline “Warning against internet browser"*:
Ofcom Finds Kids Sneaking Around Social Networks
Social networks are practically crawling with kids, according to a new report from the UK’s Office of Communications. What’s more: the children are often on them in violation of the networks’ rules, and their parents pay little attention.
Security Around the Gphone & Iphone
With the open handset alliance, the scrutiny for Linux based cell phone operating systems is once again something that security engineers need to think about.
Spammers Getting Around Captchas
Talk about creative workarounds. Spammers have found a way to crack captchas so they can steal your email address. As if the vice of spamming isn’t bad enough, they are using a virtual stripper named Melissa to get real people to unwittingly participate in their evil craft.