Internet, Social Networking | featured news

People in China may be barred from accessing Facebook, but that hasn't stopped them from making software for the 845-million member social network. The partnerships with Chinese software developers allow Facebook to find ways to show investors in its upcoming initial public offering growth and expansion in China, even though the Chinese government has banned access to the site since 2009.

Now that everyone’s had a good moan about Apple paying higher than average Chinese wages to the Chinese workers who assemble its products it seems that it is Facebook’s turn to be attacked for paying what are, in the parts of the world where they’re paid, pretty good wages.

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.