Technology, Social Media | featured news

Zynga, the creator of FarmVille, Words With Friends and Mafia Wars, announced a new gaming platform on Thursday that will match up players who do not know each other.

Yahoo has demanded licensing fees from Facebook for use of its technology, the companies said on Monday, potentially engulfing social media in the patent battles and lawsuits raging across much of the tech sector.

Once the shark is jumped, the downfall begins, and a social media site loses relevance, it's officially over for them. MySpace, Propeller, Yahoo! Buzz, Pownce, Mixx -- the list of social sites that couldn't turn it around goes on and on. Digg is proving to be the exception and it's an important twist for every social media site alive today.

Facebook is apparently getting a lot more unfriendly. Users are getting a lot more selective, deleting comments, photo tags, and even friends at a record rate, according to a new study released Friday by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

Facebook Inc. is already trading like a public company as insiders and wealthy investors use private marketplaces to buy and sell stock in the social- networking company ahead of its initial offering.

Almost lost in Zynga’s disappointing fourth-quarter earnings report was one bright spot: advertising. Ad revenues jumped 230%, to $27 million in the fourth quarter–almost four times the social gaming company’s 59% rise in overall revenues. Chalk it up in part to a new, more interactive kind of ad from “engagement marketing” firm SocialVibe.

Don’t tell anyone, but the Washington Post is paying me to hunt for photos of beautiful bedrooms and mid-century modern chairs and post them on an online bulletin board. Pinterest, the talk of social media mavens, is now part of my job as a reporter. I’m using my design eye for branding, marketing and promotion. Laugh, if you will, but in case you haven’t seen from the myraid reports, the site is totally fun and addictive.

Employees who tweet or update their Facebook status saying ‘I had a bad day at
work’ could face losing their jobs, says a leading employment lawyer.

A Kenyan chief in a town far from the bustling capital foiled a predawn robbery recently using Twitter, highlighting the far-reaching effects of social media in areas that don't have access to the Internet.

Don't expect a initial public offering of shares of Twitter anytime soon. CNN is reporting that the company has placed restrictions on employees who hold shares, forcing them to keep 80 percent of the shares they own. The cable news outlet cited company emails about the policy, which has been in effect for a year, and said at least one high-level employee resigned because of the policy....