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| Latitude Leaderboard: Does Google Want to Be the New Foursquare? | | Sunday, February 19, 2012 6:29 PM | Alissa Skelton |
|  Google is expanding its reach across social media -- first with Google+, now with Leaderboard, a new feature allowing users to earn points for checking in to a location via Google Latitude. Last week, Google launched an updated version of Google Maps for Android, equipped with the new feature similar to Foursquare. The company hasn't officially said it wants to compete against Foursquare. Leaderboard's addition to Google Latitude has been kept hush-hush. Google doesn't even list Leaderboard as being a new feature on the Android Google Maps update. It only says it fixed bugs and has "improved battery performance for Latitude and Location History users." Leaderboard is only available on the latest version of Google Maps, and not everyone has access to the feature yet. We tested the new version of Google Maps with the Latitude Leaderboards on an Android smartphone. It is only accessible after a user checks in somewhere using Google Latitude. Maps users can share their location -- as they have for the past year -- with Google's Latitude app. After check-in, the user earns points and is navigated to the Leaderboard page, which ranks the user and his or her Google+ friends. There is also a global page that ranks all users based on points from check-ins. The person with the most points earns a crown above his or her No. 1 ranking. Leaderboard doesn't have a mayor, like Foursquare. Do you use check-in apps? Would you leave Foursquare for Google's Latitude Leaderboard? Graphic courtesy of Engadget |
| Travel the World With These 10 Time-Lapse Videos | | Sunday, February 19, 2012 6:04 PM | Christine Erickson |
|  You don't need a passport to travel around the world -- you can travel the world right at home! Ok, watching videos from your laptop is not quite as fun as the real thing. But if you're waiting for your next big adventure, or at least for your passport to come in the mail, we've rounded up ten beautiful time-lapse videos on YouTube from around the world. SEE ALSO: Nature in Time-Lapse: 10 Awe-Inspiring Videos From New York City all the way to Moscow, there are time-lapse videos from hundreds of cities all over the world. According to YouTube, New York's time-lapse video is most viewed by people in Eastern Europe, especially Russia. Vancouver City is most-viewed by Canadians and the U.S. prefers Las Vegas and Crater Lake. Where are you going on your digital vacation? Let us know in the comments. Thumbnail image courtesy of Flickr, Fatty Tuna |
| 20+ Online Networking Opportunities for Job Seekers | | Sunday, February 19, 2012 5:10 PM | Mona Abdel-Halim |
|  Mona Abdel-Halim is the co-founder of Resunate.com, the world's only resume builder to score and tailor your resume for every job. You can find Mona and Resunate on Facebook and Twitter. Social networking for career enrichment is on the rise. With online networking, you have access to more professionals -- and will inevitably make faster connections -- as your connections expand throughout your industry. Online networking also gives you the opportunity to put your personal brand on display -- a type of communication that may feel like bragging in face-to-face meetings. We've all heard of LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter and how to use these platforms to find a job, but it's time to look beyond "the usual suspects." What other networking websites might be beneficial for your professional life? Here's a roundup of 20 unsung Internet resources that could help you land your dream job. Some are general and others pertain to certain industries, but all are valuable options to boost your social networking (and your career prospects). Niche Social Websites with Networking Potential 1. Elixio Elixio is a private online community for professionals. This site is invite-only, but you can be sure if you get an invite, you will have the chance to make awesome connections. Because it's a community of less than 14,000 (mostly business) professionals, Elixio hosts networking opportunities for the cream of the crop. 2. Stroome Stroome is the foremost online video collaboration hub. Launched in April 2010, the site connects journalists, filmmakers, travelers and anyone else with a video camera -- allowing them to upload their films to the Internet and then collaborate with other users to create new video, audio, and photo mashups from all corners of the world. 3. Ryze Ryze is an online business network founded in 2001 and now operating with 80,000 members. You can make a free networking-oriented homepage and connect with professionals (or re-connect with old contacts). The site, which initially focused on the high-tech community, now appeals to CEOs, entrepreneurs and home-based businesses. 4. Ning Ning's industry connections span many categories, including politics, entertainment, consumer brands, small business, non-profits, education and more. It connects more than 74 million people around the globe with the topics they are passionate about, making it a great foundation for professional networking. You can use Ning to create and design your own free social network. For instance, there's a social community for the band Linkin Park, the Peace Corps and Classroom 2.0. 5. Quora Quora connects you to everything you want to know about, and gives you leverage to interact with high influencers in any industry. You can create your own profile, share content and ask questions. Also, the site itself is organized by people and their interests, so you can easily find like-minded individuals. One way you can think of it is as a cache for research: When you see a link to a question page on Quora, you can feel good that it will have information you need. 6. Ecademy Ecademy is a membership organization aimed at business professionals.The site boasts an online network, blog and boardrooms for collaboration over the Internet. It's for entrepreneurs and business owners who want to belong to a community that connects, supports and collaborates with each other to produce new ideas. Those who want to take a more passive approach to networking, however, may find less use for it. 7. Ziggs Ziggs is a site that will allow you to create and manage your personal brand. You can also join groups and make contacts on the network. Ziggs is for the Internet user who proactively wants to market himself on the web -- to be discovered by recruiters, to find a better job or just to be found. The platform is also for folks who want to develop or participate in private online communities with colleagues, friends, club members or charity teams. 8. Tweako According to its website, Tweako is a "user-powered community website and social network, specializing in all aspects of computing, technology and the Internet." Tweako.com is a place to learn and share information and knowledge about computer and technology topics. For those interested in keeping a pulse on cutting-edge technology and IT concepts, Tweako also keeps tabs on startups and company business to see who's hot in the field -- a great resource for those looking to get job leads. 9. Your Personal Blog While a personal blog will be a networking opportunity on its own, you can use the blog to get your name out there. Post your blog's URL when you comment on industry articles and share it with people on your networking profiles. You never know -- someone might like what they see on your blog and start up a conversation that could be beneficial to your career or job search. There are many options available for creating a blog, but you can create a free one easily on WordPress. 10. Tumblr Tumblr has several advantages over other blogging options for building your brand. If you are a recent graduate or in the younger job-seeking demographic, you'll benefit from Tumblr's youthful user base. Plus, you'll find a breadth of business blogs that are hosted on the platform that can easily be followed, helping you stay knowledgeable about brands you might want to work for. However, while Tumblr will allow you to quickly and easily share your personal brand, the site doesn't offer as many features or formatting options as other blogging platforms. 11. Brazen Careerist This site was created for college students and young professionals to "meet new people, find a job and build relevant relationships" to advance their careers. A smart option for those entering the market for the first time, Brazen Careerist also offers a connection to Facebook -- an easy way to see who in your current circle of friends is also using the service. Communities Categorized by Industry and Interest If you're interested in a particular industry, you can find a hub in which you can meet like-minded individuals. Here are some examples: Academics: Academia.edu Activism and Environmentalism: Care2 Art: deviantArt Human Resources: HR.com IT/Computers: Talentopoly Law: Legal OnRamp Music: ReverbNation.com Politics/Government: GovLoop Science: Epernicus & ResearchGate Writing: Writing.com Do you have a favorite networking website that's not listed? Share it in the comments below. Social Media Job Listings Every week we post a list of social media and web job opportunities. While we publish a huge range of job listings, we've selected some of the top social media job opportunities from the past two weeks to get you started. Happy hunting! Senior Web Developer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City Social Media Metrics Specialist at Imagination in Chicago Product Manager - Local Business Products at Yelp in San Francisco Image courtesy of iStockphoto, alexsl |
| Pinterest or Porn-terest? What the Social Network Is Doing to Keep It Clean | | Sunday, February 19, 2012 3:24 PM | Stephanie Buck |
|  If you've browsed Pinterest's "Everything" categories, you may have come across a scandalous photo or two. And some of you aren't happy about it. The question is: Is the highly public nature of the publishing network itself making this issue problematic? On Friday, we published a poll that asked our community whether they forgave most of Pinterest's nudity as art, or whether they were offended by nude images in general. We found that the majority of people who have encountered such content consider Pinterest's nude content art. Turns out, however, that's not the point. Pinterest's section on Pin Etiquette states, "We do not allow nudity or hateful content." Period. Furthermore, Pinterest's terms of service prohibit "any content that...is defamatory, obscene, pornographic, vulgar or offensive." Pinterest community manager Enid Hwang elaborates, "Photographic images that depict full-frontal nudity, fully exposed breasts and/or buttocks are not allowed on Pinterest." That pretty much covers all the bases, right? However, Hwang says, "This does not apply to sculptures, paintings, and other mediums." For some, Pinterest's highly artistic space blurs the lines between acceptable and prohibited content. Many Pinterest users share images of nudity that they consider art, not pornography, whether that's a photograph of a woman resting in a bathtub, revealing her breasts, or an abstract painting of a person's back and buttocks. However, Pinterest insists that all content should be kept appropriate for general audiences. "Taste is personal and everyone's definition of art and pornographic content is subjective, so our policy is based on a purely objective standard." The TOS of social networks such as Pinterest and Facebook are are fairly standard, and modeled after those set by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for broadcasters, which restricts publication of "obscenity, indecency and profanity." Again, according to its TOS, Pinterest strives to restrict all obscene and offensive content. The decision is due to many factors, one of which likely has to do with Pinterest's inherently public nature: Most anyone can create a Pinterest profile and immediately start browsing to her heart's content -- that is, if she's over the age of 13. Still, people are concerned that younger children may be able to create a Pinterest account, and subsequently, view nudity on the network. (A Consumer Reports survey estimated that 7.5 million Facebook users are under 13, despite an identical age policy.) That's not all Facebook and Pinterest have in common in terms of censorship. Facebook's Statement of Rights and Responsibilities states that users "will not post content that: is hateful, threatening, or pornographic; incites violence; or contains nudity or graphic or gratuitous violence." Hwang addresses the similarities between Facebook's and Pinterest's policies, and the two networks' subsequent processes for removing offensive content. "Our flagging system is similar to Facebook's: We rely on users to report content by using the Report button available next to each Pin. After a user selects a reason for the flag and submits the report, the Pin is removed from general views such as our 'Everything' feed. The Pin remains on its designated board unless removed by an administrator. "Flagged Pins are automatically sent to our review-queue and from there, they're manually reviewed. If a Pin is removed, the original Pin and all Repins are taken down and the Pinners involved are sent a notification about the deletion that contains a link to the source for their personal use." So, if you're wondering whether that "artistic" photo of your boyfriend in the shower is going to cut it, chances are, not for long. "The majority of pins are flagged correctly and community-policing is effective for us," says Hwang. "We also have internal tools we're iterating on to make review more efficient." And while it remains to be seen whether the site will soon explode into pornographic mayhem and be subsequently firewalled at the office, for now, things seem relatively under control. On the other hand, if "art" is in the eyes of the beholder, does that mean "porn" is too? Have You Witnessed Nudity on Pinterest? |
| How an African Chief Uses Twitter to Keep the Peace | | Sunday, February 19, 2012 12:04 PM | Sam Laird |
|  An African administrative chief uses Twitter to help solve problems and maintain order in his Kenyan village, showing another example of how social media has evolved beyond wired metropolises to reach even the most previously unconnected corners of the globe. Chief Francis Kariuki -- or, @Chiefkariuki, as he's known online -- tweets to defeat thugs and thieves, locate missing children and farm animals, and organize village logistical matters, according to the Associated Press. In one example reported by the AP, criminals were raiding a school teacher's home at 4 a.m. until Kariuki intervened via Twitter. After receiving a phone tip, Kariuki sent a tweet that mobilized village residents to gather outside the teacher's house and scare the robbers away. In another example, Kariuki used Twitter to organize a rescue operation after a man fell into a latrine pit. "There is a brown and white sheep which has gone missing with a nylon rope around its neck and it belongs to Mwangi's father," Kariuki tweeted recently in Swahili to help locate a wayward sheep, in another instance the AP cites. Chief Kariuki lives in Lanet Umoja, about 160 miles west of Kenya's capital city, Nairobi. Kariuki tells the AP that, although he has just over 400 followers, his messages are able to reach thousands of the area's 28,000 residents. Many of those citizens are subsistence farmers who access his tweets via forwarded text messages or a third-party mobile application that works without a smartphone, Kariuki says. "Twitter has helped save time and money. I no longer have to write letters or print posters which take time to distribute and are expensive," Mr. Kariuki tells the AP. He says his Twitter activity has helped decrease the crime rate to virtually nil in recent weeks, compared to prior reports of break-ins nearly every day. Here are a couple of examples of Kariuki's tweets: UTRAVETIS company will be holding a seminar on POULTRY on 13/2/2012 at P C E ATABUGA CHURCH at 9 30 am.inform all farmers.— Chiefkariuki (@Chiefkariuki) February 9, 2012 Mr Weru from Ndegereports theftlast night of4bags of maize, 4debes of beans and 1debe of wheat were stolen.pls lets me know incase.— Chiefkariuki (@Chiefkariuki) January 26, 2012 Kariuki also uses Twitter to spread upbeat, inspirational messages such as this one: We all have setbacks in our yesterdays. But your past doesn't define your future. Today is a new day.— Chiefkariuki (@Chiefkariuki) February 8, 2012 With Kariuki's smart and effective use of Twitter, it appears to be a new day indeed in Lanet Umoja. What are the most interesting or unexpected examples of social media use that you've heard of? Let us know in the comments. BONUS GALLERY: Twitter's Most Remarkable Tweet Stories of 2011 |
| 10 Most-Followed Users on Pinterest | | Sunday, February 19, 2012 10:56 AM | Lauren Indvik |
|  Zoomsphere has released a list of the 10 most-followed users on Pinterest. The most popular user? Co-founder Ben Silbermann's mom, Jane Wang. Although Pinterest has not been able to confirm that the account is in fact run by Silbermann's mother, we do know that is his mother's name. A look at her Facebook profile, which is linked to her Pinterest profile, further indicates Wang's identity: She is friends with several other members of the Silbermann family, including Ben, and is a fan of just about everything Pinterest on Facebook. Interestingly, the profile had made its way onto a number of "top users to follow on Pinterest" lists, all apparently unaware of Wang's biological tie to the founder. SEE ALSO: How Pinterest Is Changing Website Design Forever Beyond Wang and Pinterest's two co-founders, the rest of the top 10 are a little more diverse. Five identify themselves as designers of various stripes, one is a style blogger and one is a marketer. We were impressed with the number of followers these users were able to attract, particularly because 1) many users prefer to follow individual boards, rather than users; and 2) Pinterest offers few user discovery options compared to other social media services. Users usually have to do a fair bit of clicking through to locate and then follow the original source of a pin, and the service doesn't yet offer up recommendations on whom to follow. Zoomsphere CEO Jakub Mach says the data was compiled with the aid of web crawlers, since Pinterest has not yet made an API publicly available. See above for a preview of the top 10 accounts. We also encourage you to check out some of our favorite Pinterest users. |
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