Archive for the ‘Social Networking’ Category

Multiply.com quits social networking

Time to transfer those photos and videos.

Mutliply.com announced on Thursday that it will stop its social networking functions in December, choosing to focus instead on its electronic commerce operations in Indonesia and the Philippines.

From December 1st, we will unfortunately no longer be able to support Multiply in its current form - notably we will be removing the social networking and content sharing part of Multiply (photos, videos, blogs, social messaging, etc.), Stefan Magdalinski, chief executive officer at Multiply Global, said in a statement posted on its website.

With the rise of Facebook as the dominant player in the social networking arena, Multiply had sought to differentiate itself from competitors by highlighting itself as the social shopping hub for online marketers.

For our existing users of social networking features, we will be providing easy ways for you to either download your stuff (photos, blogs, content, etc), or migrate it to other online services, he noted, saying that they will announce the file migration details soon.

Here is the original post:
Multiply.com quits social networking

Social networking said going more mobile

Published: Aug. 8, 2012 at 6:00 PM

NEW YORK, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Social networking is quickly making the jump to mobile as more U.S. smartphone users turn to their devices to check social Web sites, a research study found.

By the end of this year, nearly 82 million U.S. mobile users -- more than a quarter of the country's mobile population -- are expected to use a social networking site on their phone at least monthly, research firm eMarketer reported.

By 2014, eMarketer estimates, nearly half of the total U.S. mobile population will be mobile social networkers.

Facebook is leading the way as nearly 70 million people will access the site from their phones each month this year, the study found.

By 2014 about four in 10 mobile users and nearly two-thirds of smartphone users will check Facebook on mobile devices, eMarketer said.

The study was based on the analysis of survey and traffic data from research firms and regulatory agencies, historical trends, company-specific data, and demographic and socioeconomic factors, the firm said.

Excerpt from:
Social networking said going more mobile

Cameroon Missing Athletes May Want New Home – Video

08-08-2012 10:45 London Olympic officials said Wednesday that Cameroon officials were seeking help in locating 7 missing athletes, but stressed that they had not breached the terms of their visas and were not violating any immigration laws. (Aug. 8)

Read more:
Cameroon Missing Athletes May Want New Home - Video

Android App Combines Social Networking, Phone Calls, Analytics

Current Caller ID, a new, free app that launched Wednesday for Android phones, applies social media and analytics to traditional phone calls.

For example, if a person or business calls you and they aren't in your address book, Current will check the Web for a matching phone number and display the name on your phone's screen. Sometimes the data didn't display before I picked up the call, but the app updated it afterward -- the search for a match must have taken longer than it did for me to pick up the phone.

When you link your Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn accounts to the app, it will display callers' latest status updatse or Twitter messages when they ring you. I found that feature worked pretty consistently.

If you're interested in analyzing your calling and texting habits with friends, click on the "stats" tab in the app and it will tell you how you communicate, displaying a pie chart of incoming and outgoing calls and texts. You can access the statistics for any of your recent calls.

The stats will also tell you when it's best to text or call your contact based on your interaction. I found it interesting to see which friends I text and call more and vice versa, but this information won't be essential for most users.

I did run into one problem that I found distracting. When I returned back to my smartphone after being away, Current Caller ID would alert me that I missed 26 -- or some other large number -- of calls. It wasn't an error, because I had missed a number of calls over a period of time, but not that many since I had last checked my phone. The app should only have told me how many calls I missed since I last used my phone, rather than all of the calls I had missed in a few weeks time.

Current Caller ID won't replace your smartphone's default telephone application or address book. You still need to use your phone's default app to dial out, but Current will override it for incoming calls. Tighter integration into the smartphone's default telephone application would make Current Caller ID more valuable, but overall it was a welcome addition to my phone and one that I won't delete.

Nick Barber covers general technology news in both text and video for IDG News Service. E-mail him at Nick_Barber@idg.com and follow him on Twitter at @nickjb.

View post:
Android App Combines Social Networking, Phone Calls, Analytics

Social networks help Filipinos deal with Manila floods

Manila is still at risk for more flooding, but recovery efforts are underway, and many are turning to social networking sites to update and get updates on the situation.

The sprawling Philippines capital of Manila is edging into recovery mode after monsoon rains killed at least 19 people and left much of the city of 15 million under waist and chest high water.

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition

The Philippine government today said people should return to work as soon as possible, as rains eased off early Wednesday. But more rain later hit the city, 60 percent of which is under water, according to national disaster agency head Benito Ramos.

Many are turning to social networking sites to update and get updates on the situation. But even as recovery work kicks into gear, the capital remains vulnerable.

If we have more rains we will really be in serious trouble, says Mon Casiple, director of the Institute for Political and Electoral Reform (IPER).

Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim declared a state of calamity in the capital earlier Wednesday. Aurela Calica, journalist with the Philippine Star, says that she is stuck inside the Malacaang Palace Compound in Manila this evening local time. When I came here the roads were still passable but when I was about to leave before 7 p.m. the streets were already flooded, she says.

Ms. Calica was corresponding with fellow journalists via Twitter and Twitter's direct message system, highlighting how social networking and cellphones have become a vital link in the rescue and relief chain. People stranded on rooftops have been SMSing for help, while many Filipinos have taken to Facebook and Twitter to post updates and supplement government and media coverage of the floods and rescue work.

According to a July World Bank report titled Information and Communications for Development: Maximizing Mobile, there were 101 mobile cellular subscriptions for every 100 people in the Philippines in 2011, up from 41 subscriptions for every 100 people 6 years previously.

Original post:
Social networks help Filipinos deal with Manila floods