Announcements

Several months ago, Jon Stewart's parody of Twitter by his faux-techie correspondent, Samantha Bee surfaced some of Twitter's potential new competitors. Strangely enough her prescient  investigative report may have been a premonition of things to come, as she described the new social network of "Stalker."

Is posting an altered image of the president to Flickr an acceptable practice? Or should copyrighted photos in general never be altered and published online or in print? If so, why are do so many contrived photos and artwork popping up daily on social networks and in magazines?  Check out this TOP TEN list of altered images that have have sparked censorship controversy over the years, right up till today.

This past July, Twitter alerted the Twitterati that it would be purging 'spammy' accounts. This led to a major expulsion of pornbots and questionable auto feeds in the 1000s. For those who were not tracking their followers closely, many of us woke up one morning to witness a significant drop in one's follower count. Users soon learned that hundreds of “friends” with questionable profiles was less valuable than connecting with a select number of people you can trust, even if you don't know them personally.

To grow a population larger than Brazil and slightly less than than the US does Facebook need to adapt to change? And if so, could its underlying success become its ultimate downfall? Being all things to all people normally dilutes the effectiveness of any system. If governments have failed at it is Facebook enough of a chameleon to take on the challenge? Just how many faces does Facebook have?

Katrina's devastation of New Orleans was BSM (before social media). It's hard to think that we lived during a period of time without social networking, but only 4 years ago Facebook was barely one year old, and Twitter was yet to be inked out on a restaurant napkin.

Since Web 2.0 is now passing its 5th year anniversary, there is enough data to assess just how much of an impact social media has had on our lives. While there are still those who believe it's nothing more than a passing fancy, a fad, the Studio 54 of our day...one cannot deny the numbers. Statistics don't lie and Kagan, Fisch, McLeod & Qualman are here to prove it so!

How can a brand maximize its exposure in the social media space. Juggling one's presence and opportunities with the top social networks is an arduous task that takes time and know-how, two commodities we are so often lacking in today's Attention Economy.

From the 'Payola' days of the music industry in the 1950s to 'Blogola' in the new millennium, getting paid to promote products and services is an age-old tradition in capitalistic societies. Competition spurs on pay-offs whether you are a politician or a Mommy blogger.

Like the Disco era, the Hippie Era, the Flapper Era, every decade is affected by the social consciousness of its time. Each is normally earmarked by a frenzy of interactive activity that becomes a world-wide sensation capable of capturing the imagination of millions. From the 'gate-crashing' of the 70's to the 'crowdsourcing' of 2009, have we come such a long way?

What's all that yakking? They sometimes call the Twitterverse the Tower of Babel due to the global Twitterati all tweeting in various tongues simultaneously! Now, in addition to the hundreds of millions of tweets traversing Twitterville at lightening speed, someone got the bright idea to pump up the volume. Yes, with the new Twuner app, you never have to read another 140 character tweet again! Why? Because now you're going to be able to listen to them!

Apple, Apple, Apple! Like Marsha from The Brady Bunch, it always seems like Apple gets all the attention. Even when its quiet! Yes, without one single PowerPoint presentation from Steve Jobs or even a whiff of a press release, Apple is out there front and center churning up the rumor mill!  The latest fodder to hit the digital airwaves is a reported social media app that will simultaneously connect various social networks and integrate with iTunes.

Remember when Comic Books fit neatly in your back pocket ...available for quick access while on the go. Well its a new millennium, and print has gone digital. Now your Comics and Graphic Novels are even more accessible on a mobile platform of your choice.

Fast on the heels of acquiring FriendFeed, Facebook is about to roll-out Facebook Lite. As a quasi-Twitter platform, one can only wonder if it comes with half the calories but allows for more characters per morsel? If Twitter is your micro-blogging maincourse du jour, what could Facebook possibly be offering to alter your diet?

In the past year, over three dozen Twitter apps for smartphones have hit the cellular airwaves. Here is a TOP TEN list of the best Twitter clients for iPhones, BlackBerrys and Windows Mobile devices. Whether you employ Twitter for work, play or a combination of both, there's a mobile Twitter app that's best for you. Which app may depend on your smartphone platform. Check out the following ten mobile Twitter apps for a look at your options.

Obama promised transparency during his presidential campaign. He is keeping that promise with the current push to lock up legislation on healthcare reform by using social media as his communication tool of choice. A strong proponent of social networking for the 21st Century, the Whitehouse reaches out to the 'wisdom of crowds!' to place the debate front and center.

When the GLBT community launches their social network in 2010, do you think the name "Queerbook" is an appropriate handle? Reece W. Manley, the founder thinks so as he has registered trademarks for Queerbook.com and Queerbook.net, in addition to establishing their logo.

With the DDoS Twitter attack fresh on our minds, one has to wonder who is utilizing social media for anti-social reasons. Could our enemies be covertly watching our every move in the Twitterverse, awaiting to seize an opportunity to use the free-flowing firehose of information for ulterior motives and surprise us again with another denial-of-service ambush?

A cyber-attack, a lone blogger and a little known country in Russia were responsible for our Ferris Bueller day off from Twitter this week. People had to resort to the antiquated twentieth century source for the news, the newspaper! And the lives of the Twitterati were put on hiatus for hours on end! On August 5,  'DDoS', 'Cyxymu' and 'South Ossetia' meant nothing to the average Twitter user. Today, we know a little more about blocking social networks and political friction back in the USSR!

With the Iranian Election protests and the Big Brother governmental control of China, we are familiar with some of the bans of social networking around the globe. But what about in our own backyard? Why are some organizations and corporations choosing to block sites like Twitter and Facebook right here in the US? This is a list of the top five bans that exist today in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

What is a Denial of Service Attack and how did it wreak havoc across the Twitterverse on Thursday AM, August 6, 2009!