Software » Web 2.0

Are you a social networking mutant?

Have you ever tried to get an older person to use Facebook?

By Mike Elgan | 08 June, 2010 01:28

Tags: Facebook

Google over-promises and under-delivers with Buzz

Google prides itself on releasing products early and improving on them quickly, but this philosophy sometimes does a disservice to the company and to its users, as illustrated by this week's ballyhooed release of Buzz in Gmail.

By Juan Carlos Perez | 11 February, 2010 06:22

Tags: Facebook, Google, google buzz, social networks, twitter

In Iran, cyber-activism without the middle-man

Anthony Papillion says he just wants to give Iranians a voice, but the word on Twitter these days is that he's not to be trusted.

By Robert McMillan | 19 June, 2009 04:48

Tags: cyber activism, iran, social networks, twitter

To Tweet or not to Tweet, that's not an option

I'm writing this column for one simple reason: Once I get it written then the next time someone says to me "I don't get Twitter, it seems kinda stoopid to me. What is it all about?" I can direct them to this polemic and save my breath.

By Mark Gibbs | 12 March, 2009 09:21

Tags: twitter

Social networks all over the map on reliability

That Twitter had more downtime last year (84 hours) than any of 15 social network sites measured by an uptime monitoring service should surprise no one: The site's "fail whale" is so famous it was just featured in the New York Times.

By Paul McNamara | 24 February, 2009 08:53

Tags: social networking, twitter

Post on Twitter by talking into a phone

Microblogging on Twitter is great. But sometimes you're just too busy to sit down and type that 140-character tweet. Maybe you're climbing a volcano, sprinting through the airport or running a marathon and just can't stop to type. Here's how to post on Twitter using only a voice phone call.

By Mike Elgan | 17 November, 2008 10:12

Tags: twitter, speech recognition

Get more work done with less e-mail

Here's a statistical downer: there will be around 40 trillion inbox-clogging spam e-mail messages delivered this year. Experts know this because there were 30 trillion spam messages last year. With this much hay in the stack, it's hard to find those message needles, and that's why some smart companies are looking beyond public e-mail.

By James E. Gaskin | 24 October, 2008 08:41

Tags: antispam, email, wikis

Can the Internet have a heart?

What if there were a way for you to directly help the neediest families in your community and the world -- or for help to find you, after a fire, flood or some personal tragedy -- without the involvement of a government agency, nonprofit organization or church? What if assistance could flow seamlessly, based on information routinely collected and resources instantly deployed online?

By Paul Lamb | 02 October, 2008 09:01

Tags: internet, social networking

Is Web 2.0 already on its way out?

At a conference that devoted much of its attention to celebrating the rise of collaborative platforms, media, and technologies, you had to wonder if the "Web 2.0" collaborative future would die before it really began. That was my takeaway from the Demo Fall 2008 conference in San Diego, which gave 72 startups six minutes each to show their stuff, usually in beta form.

By Galen Gruman | 10 September, 2008 10:01

Tags: Facebook, social networking

New Ways to Approach Security in a Web 2.0 World

Business isn't what it used to be.

By Brian Foster | 08 September, 2008 09:32

Tags: web 2.0

Information overload on the Web and sifting tools

"... knowledge is doubling every ten years."

By Larry Borsato | 01 September, 2008 10:09

Tags: web 2.0

Tweens, teens turn to MySpace, iTunes, P2P for music

When you were growing up, how did you discover and listen to new music? Very likely, it was from 45s, LPs, and CDs recommended by friends, or songs played by radio and club DJs. Nowadays, as the music industry watches its old business models fade, young people are increasingly turning to new tools and technologies to satisfy their craving for new music. In certain respects, kids haven't changed much -- they continue to find new music through peer and media influences. What has changed, however, is the channels through which they are influenced, and they ways that they purchase their music.

Anonymous returns, Scientology responds

It seems Anonymous has resurfaced and hired a publicist. Two days ago I received an email alerting me to two new YouTube videos from the anti-Scientology crusader(s). I'd been wondering what had happened to it/them, since things had been so quiet lately on that front. The videos themselves are weird, even by Anonymous's standards -- urging members who've left the fold to return and keep protesting, and making vague references to something happening on August 8. I guess we'll find out.

Why Google has lost its mojo

Google went from startup to behemoth in record time. But there are increasing signs that Google has become just another fat, happy, and even arrogant company, no longer the lean, industry-changing giant of the past. And that spells good news for Microsoft.

The Internet needs more redundancy

A couple of weeks ago my website went down. Nine thousand other Web servers also died when The Planet, a large hosting service, experienced an electrical explosion and fire in one of its facilities. Because it was an electrical fire, the local fire department refused to let the company activate their backup generators for fear of further damage.

Assessing the long term survival of social networking sites

Recent reporting on funding received by business social networking site LinkedIn has speculated that the site is worth just over US$1 billion, based on a 5% stake that several equity firms recently took for US$53 million. The equity firms would be looking to recoup significant returns on their investments, so their internal valuation of the site would be much higher than the current billion dollar valuation.

What will rule the 'new' Internet?

Josh Quittner, writing in Time recently, explored what vendor -- Google, Apple or Facebook -- will be the next great Internet platform. It is quite a good article, but Quittner only addresses part of the conflict that is determining what tomorrow's Internet will look like.

Web 2.0: The skills behind the buzzword

"Web 2.0" is a phrase that's been around for a few years, but it still has some uncertainty around it. Is it just marketing hype, or does it represent a substantial change in the way companies approach Web technology? More to the point, what does it mean for your career?

Adobe breathes fresh AIR into RIA

Adobe AIR 1.0 brings new hope to Web developers looking to combine the global connectedness of browser-based applications with the persistence and functionality of first-class, local desktop apps.

10 'Net services that will succeed, and 10 that will probably fail

The following slideshow contains capsule reviews of all 20 products and services.