No harm, no foul, lesson learned, you’re data is safe. That’s the message that Facebook gave its users with a recent blog post titled “Protecting People On Facebook”. Things ended well. Laptops of employees were attacked when they visited an app developer site with malicious code on it which triggered a zero-day java exploit. Forensic investigation showed that nothing crucial fell into the wrong hands and no user data was compromised. It was the best possible ending for a hacking, particularly of a company that is so entrusted with private user information. The social network requires real…

One of the biggest old-school truths that is obsolete today is the idea that you should follow everyone on Twitter that follows you. It was once considered “social media polite” to follow just about everyone who took the time to follow your own updates. This never included spammers or bots, of course, but when real people and companies followed yours, many gurus recommended giving them a follow back. The interactions and ways that Twitter has evolved over the years has brought it to the point that most businesses have corrected this old notion. As a social media society, we are more willing to not…

We all knew that astrophysicist Neil deGrass Tyson was an intelligent and witty man of science, an advocate for space and scientific exploration, and a generally entertaining guy, but we didn’t know that he had a philosopher’s soul. That is, until now, thanks to Twitter. Not enough people pause… twitter.com/neiltyson/stat… — Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) January 8, 2013   Seeing the beauty that others don’t see is at the heart of poetry. It’s apparently in Tyson’s heart as well. Here it is in full size – click to enlarge. Related articles Neil deGrasse Tyson Answers the Big Enchilada…

The best that could have happened in tech blogging would have been for Facebook’s IPO to “pop”. We still would have watched closely but there would have been no need to analyze it in-depth. As any good doctor after a successful operation, we would have clapped our hands and monitored. Instead, we’re stuck trying to break down exactly what happened on Friday and more importantly what will happen in the coming weeks. In short, Facebook ruined a lot of tech and business bloggers’ weekends. Here is a video of analysis that will help to determine if this was simply Facebook and its bankers pricing the IPO…

For the first time in 40 months, gaming has a partner at the top of the charts for time spent on mobile devices with social networking reaching the 24 minute mark up from 15 minutes a year ago according to research by Flurry. Gaming dropped a minute to be in a virtual tie for the top spot. What does this say about how we’re spending our time? As smartphones and tablets emerge as the “must have” devices amongst consumers, the way we spend our time is shifting. They are the ultimate time-killers when we’re waiting. Go to any restaurant or sit on any train and watch the people who are not engaged in conversation…

When it comes to social networking and search, the two big internet activities are dominated by the 800 lb gorilla in each of their respective rooms. Facebook has all but won social networking and will turn thousands of people into instant millionaires once it goes public. Google allows Bing and the others to stick around in search just so they aren’t technically considered a monopoly, but they are in most aspects. While Facebook considers getting into search, Google has already made their move into social. Did it work (they say 14th time is a charm)? Will it ever work? Are they gaining traction?…

The hashtag has become a symbol of sentiment in a society where the people are often so connected virtually to one another that real-world relationships often revolve around our online and mobile personae. With social media acting as a bellwether for our interpersonal connections, it’s no wonder that so many people are finding (and losing) love as a result of the growing influence of our digital connections. When Lebanese filmmaker Robert Cremona sent me his short film “#signhereplease” I was a little skeptical after finding out that it was shot entirely from a smartphone. It was just today…

With many in social media declaring Google+ as a valiant effort that simply came too late to the game to make a real impact, Google CEO Larry Page released March data that showed a sharp turn in the total visits after flatlining from December to February. I want Google+ to succeed. I don’t want it to be the ghost town that keeps forcing me back to Facebook to see what my non-tech-savvy and non-Google-employee friends are doing. I prefer the interface, the organization of the data, and the company itself more than Facebook. The challenge has been in getting friends and family on it. For Google’s part,…

LinkedIn and Facebook may have the market cornered for building relationships between business professionals, many startups are starting to pop up that take it to the next level. One such startup is Favo.rs. I was first turnedonto Favo’rs a couple of months ago from an article on Wired. A “good ol’ boy” network, as they describe it, Favo.rs allows users to connect with other professionals just as LinkedIn and Facebook. The difference is in the accountability aspect; with Favors, users get to keep track of what they do for others and what others are doing for them. The interface is solid, keeping…

They just passed 62 million users by adding 625,000 new users per day. Now, Google+ is predicting that they will have over 400 million users by the end of 2012. Are the numbers reliable? Some say no. Not really. Those who sign up through Android 4 must create or attach their Google+ account whether they intend to use it or not. At last count, there were nearly 700,000 Android devices activated daily. For their part, Google is attributing the holidays, recent television commercials that they’ve been running since Thanksgiving, and celebrity brand appeal for their success. Still, many tech bloggers…