Facebook is celebrating its 5th birthday today and the social networking site now boasts more than 150 million users globally.
In a blog post, founder Mark Zuckerberg reflects on the last five years. "Facebook was founded in 2004 to give people the tools to engage and understand the world around them. We are glad and humbled that so many people are using Facebook in this way."
Is It Time For Facebook To Sell Out?
Methinks the Telegraph was hoping to spark controversy when they published this article yesterday:
Facebook is planning to exploit the vast amount of personal information it holds on its 150m members by creating one of the world’s largest market research databases.
Polling with Facebook’s Latest Engagement Ads
In another fine example of socializing advertising, Facebook announced a continuation of its Engagement Ads with the addition of new polling ads. Don’t get it confused with its Davos polling.
Facebook Denies Selling Off User Info
British news site The Sunday Telegraph stirred up privacy advocates by reporting Facebook’s plan to sell user data to companies looking to do faster market research. Facebook tells Murdok The Telegraph got it all wrong.
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.
Facebook Gives Users A Voice At Davos
Facebook users have been known to form groups protesting poverty, world hunger, and disease, even as cynics responded, "All right, let me know when that affects something." Now, some changes may actually occur, as certain users’ responses to poll questions will be shared with crowds at the Davos World Economic Forum.
Chrome Ads Hit YouTube, Facebook
The main competitors in the browser war may still be Internet Explorer and Firefox, but it looks like Google’s found another way or two in which to give Chrome an advantage. YouTube and Facebook users have started to notice promotions for Chrome pop up left and right.
BBB Warns Of Facebook Scams
The Better Business Bureau is warning users of social networking sites about a number of common scams that hackers are using to gain access to personal information.
59% of 100 Leading Retailers are on Facebook
Independent interactive marketing agency Rosetta released a study today that shows that 59% of 100 leading retailers have fan pages on Facebook. This is a testament to how social media is truly consuming the way businesses market themselves.
Facebook Shares Custom Tags with Developers
Today Facebook announced "custom tags" for developers for use with FBML (Facebook Markup Language) applications. FBML is the language used to create the Facebook apps you have come to know and love.