What is Facebook Under-13 Plan and How it May Affect You and Your Kids?? Experts' Views

Social networking giant Facebook is really going after the youth market. Yes, it’s no more a rumor now. 

What is Facebook Under-13 Plan and How it May Affect You and Your Kids?? Experts' Views

After having heard for past few weeks about the Facebook plans for expanding its reach to include children under 13, the report published in Wall Street Journal has confirmed that Facebook is actively testing options to create a safe, child-friendly space on the site.

According to details; Facebook may allow kids under 13 to create an account under parental supervision. Parents would be able to link their accounts to their children's and control friend requests and third-party applications. The under-13 features could enable Facebook and its partners to charge parents for games and other entertainment accessed by their children.

Facebook currently bans users under the age of 13, although officials admit that of the 900 million users worldwide, there are an estimated 7.5 million kids under 13 already using the popular social media site by lying about their age when they register. But why make it easier to the under-13 crowd to get access to Facebook?

There are some mix views from the masses about Facebook’s new plans to let children under 13 using an extended version of Facebook.  Some of the parenting experts have deemed it totally unnecessary to allow children under 13 to use Facebook whether independently or under the parents’ accounts.

James Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media - an advocacy organization for kids and media – responded to Facebook’s under-13 plans saying; there are enormous social, cognitive and development issues that have to be considered (when dealing with social media and kids) and Facebook has no expertise in that area. And there are currently enormous privacy concerns regarding the teens who already use it and the preteens who sneak on. Why on earth would we suddenly turn over our 8-year-olds to them while they haven't addressed very well many of those issues yet? It doesn't make sense.

SOURCE:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-06-04/facebook-question-answer/55386056/1

 Wall Street Journal

 

Report Tags: Facebook, Social Media, Social Network, Facebook for Children, Facebook for Under-13, Baby Facebook, James Steyer, Social Issues,

Tribute to the Legend: Twitter Picture of Lady Gaga styling like Marilyn Monroe on 86th birthday

Today is the 86^th birthday of legendary actress of Hollywood - Norma Jeane Mortensen Baker popularly known as Marilyn Monroe. She was one of the most successful celebrities during the 1950s and early 1960s. She became a major sex symbol of showbiz industry in her era. 

Tribute to the Legend: Twitter Picture of Lady Gaga styling like Marilyn Monroe on 86th birthday (Pic Credit: Twitter)

Lady Gaga has chosen a unique way to pay her tributes to Marilyn Monroe by posting a picture of her on micro-blogging site Twitter styling herself like Monroe.

Lady Gaga is on her world tour and currently in Japan. 

She wrote to her Little Monsters:'' #HappyBirthdayMarilyn They'll never take our blonde hair and lipstick.''

On August 5, 1962, this legendary actress was mysteriously found dead at her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles. She was 36 at the time of her death. Despite a lot of conspiracy theories her murder mystery has never been solved.

Report Tags: Lady Gaga, Marilyn Monroe, Marilyn Monroe Birthday, Marilyn Monroe Tribute, Lady Gaga Tribute to Monroe, Hollywood, Born This Way, Murder Mystery,

Google+ Gets 50 Million Users in Just 88 Days -- Experiencing Astronomical Growth, Threatening Facebook

Google Plus (Google+) achieved 50-million-user mark in record time, threatening the Facebook, the dominant in the social networking world presently. 

Google+ Gets 50 Million Users in Just 88 Days

Google+ took only 88 days to achieve this milestone, which is extraordinarily amazing if we compare it with other social networks performance. For example; Facebook took 1325 days and Twitter took 1096 days to get the same number of users, while MySpace improved it with 50 days by getting the target in 1046 days.

Only in last week Google+ opened its doors for everyone, after a 3-month "invite only" period, enticing internet users to be part of all-new dynamic social network.  

According to Paul Allen, an unofficial statistician for Google+ and the founder of Ancestry.com, the 1269% growth in the week, from Sept. 17 to Sept. 24, is unbelievably phenomenal.

Two million new users are signing up for Google+ per day, Allen stated further.

The report extracted from the source below:

The Week

Will a team of Facebook and Twitter got enough to threat Google+ (Google Plus)??

Facebook and Twitter, jointly having more than 850 million active users, are set to join their forces, most probably, against the one common enemy, Google+. Apparently this collaboration aims to provide even better social networking experience but experts terming it as an effort to cope with the danger of Google+.

Will a team of Facebook and Twitter got enough to threat Google+ (Google Plus)??

Under this collaboration; Facebook, which currently has over 750 million active users, will now facilitate users to update Twitter accounts from their Facebook accounts. With this new feature; any Facebook updates will be posted automatically on Twitter account of the user having accounts on both networks.

In other words; the new feature will allow users post updates on both Facebook and Twitter at the same time, and will provide more content to Twitter. On the other hand, Facebook will also be updating Twitter feeds. 

To get started, the user has to go to facebook.com/twitter and link the profile page to the twitter account.

Facebook Users Touch 700 Million: SocialBakers

Facebook Users Touch 700 Million: SocialBakers

According to SocialBakers, which is run by a Facebook marketing firm Candytech Ltd. of the Czech Republic, Facebook is enjoying an amazing growth in Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines, Mexico and Argentina and the figure of current active users have crossed whopping 700 million.

According to data collected by SocialBakers, a site that specializes in statistics on the social networking giants, the Facebbok users in Brazil increase by 19 million showing 11% growth. This is a remarkable growth in the wake of the fact that there’s a strong presence of Google-owned social network Orkut in Brazil.

In terms of Facebook users, United States is still on the top with 149.4 million users even after experiencing a 4% loss of users in the last month.

INQ Facebook Phone Vows to Improve Interactive Experience Using Social Networks

Few days back we featured here a Facebook branded mobile phone from HTC; which, according to the rumours, was set to unveil at Mobile World Congress 2011 in Barcelona, Spain. But only after few hours of this report gone viral; Facebook official Dan Rose denied saying that the rumours are “overblown”.

Today got yet another news buzzing around web about a Facebook Phone but this time it is from INQ Mobiles. INQ Facebook Phone vows to improve your interactive experience more than its third-party competitors including iPhone, Android Operated smartphones or Widows smartphones. 

The Facebook’s new mobile phone has a big touch-screen display that aspires to better summarize your experience with your online community. INQ Facebook Phone has an integrated Google calendar and contacts, Facebook Chat through the Android instant messaging interface and the home screen is a comprehensive News Feed.

GoGo Inflight Internet Available on Airtran Flights With Special Free Offer For February 2011

Long flights can be rather dull. A good book can be one way to pass the time, or even watching a movie on your laptop. However, in this age of being constantly connected to the world, being cut off from the internet for a few hours can drive a person crazy. Some airlines have started offering WiFi on their flights, but at a hefty price. Well now there’s one company that will offer you free internet on your flights.

  Seven of the biggest airlines in America have teamed up with aerial Internet provider GoGo and Facebook to offer free in-flight Facebook. Virgin America, United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, AirTran, US Airways and Alaska Airlines are all participating in the promotion which runs until the end of February.

The free in-flight Facebook promotion is designed to help sway people towards paying for in-flight Wi-Fi. Travelers will only be allowed access to Facebook, with all other Internet addresses prompting payment and an eventual series of back-clicks.

The catch? You’re only going to be browsing Facebook. That’s not exactly all that exciting, but I guess you can at least talk with your friends. That, and spend the flight playing Farmville.

Facebook Branded Cell Phones on The Cards to be Unveiled at Mobile World Congress

Social networks' fans and users are ready to explore the new horizons by using Facebook on their smartphones; as the two new Facebook branded cell phones will be launched at Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona next month. 

A manipulated image of the potential Facebook Phone

The HTC, Taiwanese cell phone manufacturer, made cell phones will run Google’s Android operating system and the cell phones will have white and blue colour scheme compatible with the official Facebook logo.

Mercedes-Benz Have Engineered a Twitter-Controlled Car - - Video Hits The Internet by Storm

The technological heads at Mercedes-Benz have engineered a Twitter-Controlled car. Yup, you heard me right. You tweet, it drives.

Those who think this is fake will be proven wrong as this upcoming viral video hits the Internet by storm. This Twitter-Controlled Car will be a part of a tweet race sponsored by Mercedes-Benz happening between Feb 2nd - Feb 4th as part of a genius campaign focused on social media.

Google Beaten by Facebook as Most Visited Website in United States Capturing 8.93% of All Traffic Generated in the U.S.

Facebook has surpassed the number of hits on Google, as reported by Experian Hitwise, a company specializing in measuring online traffic.

According to a report released by the company, Facebook received 8.93% of all traffic generated in the U.S. between January and November this year. Google comes in second with 7.19% of the total, followed by Yahoo Mail with 3.52%.

The report takes into account only the address given and discards pages belonging to the same company.

Combined with the addresses of a company such as YouTube, Blogger, Gmail etc.., Google, the search giant had 9.85% of all U.S. traffic. Facebook will keep the 8.93%, while Yahoo accumulate 8.12%. Together, the ten most visited websites of the U.S. accumulate 33% of all traffic in the country.

The report differs from that presented by ComScore earlier this week that puts Google in the first place, the sites of Microsoft in second place, third on Facebook, and Yahoo in the fourth.

The Mark Zuckerberg‘s social network was also the most searched term in 2010, according to Experian Hitwise. The site had already achieved this status in 2009. In sequence, appear Facebook login, YouTube, Craigslist and MySpace.

“Hit me up”: Top Ten Trends in 2010 - - Revealed by Facebook

After Twitter and YouTube, it was the turn of Facebook to disclose its list of the topics most discussed by its users within the social network in 2010. According to the report of the company, the term most used in 2010 was the acronym “HMU”, shorthand for the phrase “Hit me up.”

According to Facebook, people began adding the tag to report that they were ready for a date or out with friends. Its use has grown exponentially since July. With school holidays in the northern hemisphere and summer, users began using the “HMU” to self-invite to leave, the report said.

Secondly, the matter appears World Cup, the largest sporting event held in 2010.

In third place comes the Movies topic, which was boosted because of the lengthy discussions about “Toy Story 3,” “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” “Inception” “Alice in Wonderland ‘and’ Iron Man 2” – the five most talked about, respectively, on Facebook during the year.

iPhone and iPad were the fourth and fifth positions. In response, Justin Bieber, games on Facebook, mining, aircraft, and 2011 completed the top ten.

To prepare the report, analyzed the Facebook updates users of 236 countries. According to Facebook, all topics listed have had exponential growth in 2010. In 2009, they hardly existed.

Twitter Targetting 200 Million Users by The End of 2010 - - Presently Adding 370,000 New Users Every Day

It seems that Twitter is continuing to grow at a massive pace, as the NYT are reporting that Twitter now has a massive 175 million users, and are on target to reach 200 million users by the end of the year.

Twitter reported a figure of 145 million registered users back in September, so it seems they have added another 30 million users since then, and are continuing to grow at an incredible pace.

It seems that Twitter is adding around 370,000 new users every day, that works out at 2.6 million a week, which would see the company hit the 200 million users mark by the end of the year.

This compares to the 58 million users Twitter had by the end of 2009, so this years figures are up quite a bit on last year, and if Twitter can continue to grow at this rate it wont be long before it catches up with Facebook.