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A new crowdsourced social networking iOS application allows consumers to inform one another about products by scanning barcodes and commenting on their experience of the item or the company's environmental records.

Called Open Label, the application allows users of the application to scan a product barcode and add their comments on the product and read what others have said about the item.

The application allows consumers to inform others of any aspect of the product from personal experiences of using it, whether it is or isn't worth buying or the company's record on topics such as environmental sustainability, health and safety records, or workers rights.

Open Label also allows users to question other users of the application about certain products and, in a similar fashion to Twitter, follow other users whose opinions they find insightful or trustworthy.

The application is currently in private Beta, interested customers can sign up to receive a sneak preview' at http://theopenlabel.com .

While innovative in combing product reviews in a social networking style, Open Style is part of a larger trend of crowdsourced product information that has long been popular on the internet, with sites such as epinions.com, and is now spreading into the mobile application eco-system.

Other applications representative of this trend include myShopanion, MOBILETAG and ScanLife Barcode Reader, however Open Label differs in a way from these examples as, in addition to basic product information, it encourages users to focus on the record of the company behind the product.

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Crowdsourced social network informs consumers about products

No one is spending much time on the search giant's new digital playground. Has Google+ officially failed?

Google launched its Google+ social network with much fanfare last year in an attempt to compete with industry behemoth Facebook. Today, Google+ boasts an impressive roster of tens of millions of members most of whom are barely spending any time on the site, according to an embarrassing new report from comScore. Google+ is a "virtual ghost town," says Amir Efrati atThe Wall Street Journal. The new statistics underline what an "uphill battle" Google faces in trying to slow Facebook's momentum. Here, a by-the-numbers look at the "mounting minuses" at Google+:

3 Minutesthat the average user spent on Google+in January

405 Minutes thatthe average user spent on Facebook in January

SEE MORE: Coming soon: Google-powered 'Terminator' glasses?

89 Minutes that the average user spent on Tumblr

17 Minutes that the average user spent on LinkedIn

SEE MORE: 4 reasons why Google's 'Search, plus Your World' is a very big deal

8 Minutes that the average user spent on MySpace, the hoary social site of yesteryear

10 million Google+ users in July 2011, mere weeks after the launch

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The Google+ 'ghost town': Social networking by the numbers

Years ago, during the burgeoning days of the Internet, many people were reluctant to use their real name online. Fast forward to 2012 and more than 500 million people have Facebook profiles with a timeline of their life on full display for many to access. When did the secret identity become uncovered and is it a positive move?

New Canaan resident Fred Chang is well known around town for voicing his opinions on the issues. But even someone with a strong voice like Chang can feel threatened thanks to the advent of technology.

In early 2011, Chang did not support the Main Street sidewalks initiative, which became a very divisive issue in town. His comments were brought up online in a local online media forum.

"There were two comments on Patch (the local online media publication owned by AOL) identifying me by name and I recall one comment was referring to Fred Chang having access to a sidewalk near his home," Chang said. "The person pointed out that he knew where he lived. That person was pro-sidewalk. The other comment was a from a guy on Richmond Hill Road and told me to bug off. I made known the fact that I had contacted the FBI and the state police and had forwarded all the necessary information."

Chang said it was a frightening moment for him because it meant a stranger, or at least someone with no discernible online identity, knew where he lived. Chang has since stopped making comments online

"I discontinued making online comments because I take things personally," he said. "If a person is identified by their real name online, then it is personal."

But that was not always the case. When the Internet first became popular, there was a push to hide your real identity, which changed with the advent of social media.

"The Internet has become has become a so-called garbage dump where some people just want others to know certain things and it has become a meaningless forum for meaningless information," Chang said. "There is no standard. If you get an instrument like the Internet where people can hide behind computers then unless the FBI or the state police gets involved, people can just hide. We see it in schools and workplaces and cyberbullying. Anyone can click and manipulate images on Facebook. I think it's gotten out of control and I personally feel threatened by the uncontrolled storage and dissemination of personal information online."

Farhad Manjoo, of Slate.com, prefers that anonymity was something that thrived only in the beginning of the Internet boom.

"Anonymity has long been hailed as one of the founding philosophies of the Internet, a critical bulwark protecting our privacy," he said. "But that view no longer holds. In all but the most extreme scenarios -- everywhere outside of repressive governments -- anonymity damages online communities. Letting people remain anonymous while engaging in fundamentally public behavior encourages them to behave badly. Indeed, we shouldn't stop at comments," Manjoo said. "Web sites should move toward requiring people to reveal their real names when engaging in all online behavior that's understood to be public -- when you're posting a restaurant review or when you're voting up a story on Reddit, say. In almost all cases, the web would be much better off if everyone told the world who they really are."

Read more:
The evolution of the online identity

Politically-inclined social-networking startup Votizen is attracting big-name donors and a lot of attention

Sean Parker the founder of Napster, and an early investor in Facebook and Spotify leads a group of investors that is pouring money into a new project that's all about politics. The startup, Votizen, is not shy about its ambitions: It hopes to use social-networking to change how our democracy works. Here's what you should know:

How does Votizen work? Utilizing a national database of 200 million voting records, Votizen allows its 600,000-plus users to find out if their friends on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are registered voters. Once they've connected, users can spread campaign material, mobilize grassroots action on specific issues, or simply hang out with those of a similar ideological bent.

How is that different from Facebook? Votizen wants to be more than just the "Facebook for politics," Votizen co-founder David Binetti tells Talking Points Memo. "Half a million people run for office of one form or another in this country, but there's no place where that data is collected or maintained yet." Binetti says he envisions a forum where users can create networks around any election, from the White House down to your local school board.The investors certainly see room for growth, withParker telling All Things Dthat the political industry "is a bit behind the rest of the economy in embracing these new technologies."

SEE ALSO: Nike's Flyknit: The sneaker that's knit like a sock

Sources: All Things D, Talking Points Memo, TechCrunch

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Is 'friend-raising' the future of politics?

27-02-2012 23:45 http://www.lockergnome.com - With the Internet, the World Wide Web, and social media governing the way we communicate with people in ways unprecedented and undreamed of just 20 — or even 10 — years ago, it's no wonder that a movement has begun to utilize this technology for electing our leaders. While the idea of being able to vote for your candidates of choice from the comfort of your home instead of dealing with the crowds at the local polling station is undoubtedly appealing, there are definitely some cons to consider with the pros of online voting. You can watch the entire live TLDR episode here: youtu.be http://www.gnomies.com http profiles.google.com twitter.com http://www.facebook.com

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Should We Be Able to Vote on the Internet? - Video