buzz

Google: Google+ Doesn't Mean The End Of Buzz, Orkut (Yet)

With the success of Google+, the company must eventually decide what to do with Buzz and Orkut--either shut them down and port their users, or risk creating a fragmented social ecosystem.READ»

Report: Google Ties 25% of Employee Bonuses to Success in Social

According to Business Insider, Google CEO Larry Page sent out a memo to employees detailing how 25% of their annual bonuses will now be connected to how well Google pushes out its social strategy. READ»

Google Settles With FTC Over Privacy Concerns and "Deceptive Tactics" of Google Buzz

As part of the proposed FTC settlement, Google is barred from "future privacy misrepresentations," and is required to participate in a comprehensive privacy program that includes 20 years of audits. READ»

Google Notifies Gmail Users of Buzz Privacy Class Action Settlement

Gmail users received an email from Google yesterday notifying them that the company has settled a class action over alleged privacy violations by the Buzz service. According to the settlement, Google will pay $8.5 million into an independent fund that will be used to support Internet privacy education. According to the settlement, no one in the class action will receive individual financial compensation, except for the seven users who initiated the suit, who will get $2,500 each.READ»

Learning from Our Fascination with Real and Fake

Our society's focus on what's "real" and what's "fake" helps explain the vast popularity of magic shows, of visual effects, of "Unsolved Mysteries," of tabloid magazines, and especially of professional wrestling. It's called the willing suspension of disbelief, the moment in which people can forget what they are watching "isn't real," even as they know it is. What can we learn from it?READ»

Google's Success in Facebook Game: Handicapping the Odds

Google's on the defensive over Facebook's new Places location-based feature, and is preparing the ground for its rumored social network "Me." How will it fare? READ»

Now Adidas Winning the Battle of the Buzz, Says Survey

For the past three days, the World Cup has been on hiatus, as the eight remaining teams limber up for the semi-final stage, which starts today. The buzz, however, continues, with Adidas, according to a survey* by NM Incite, taking the ...READ»

Google News Revamped: This Is Your News, Personalized and Localized

Google News saw a major redesign today, not just in its look but in its core philosophy. Google's really taking the maxim that "all news is local" to heart.READ»

iPad vs. The Kindle

As one of the more anticipated events in the tech community, Apple’s latest invention did not disappoint. In officially unveiling the new iPad, Steve Jobs took on the Amazon Kindle and once again raised the bar for its competitors. ...READ»

Google Maps 4.2 for Android Introduces Bike Directions and Location Sharing

Google updated Maps for Android yesterday with some welcome new features that continue the app's reign as the best maps app on any smartphone, period.READ»

AT&T Joins Crowded Local Reviews Game With a Familiar App Name: Buzz

Another day, another local business finder/recommendation service, though this one's coming from a source you might not have imagined: AT&T. It's launching AT&T Buzz, which has been in private beta for a while to the public. ...READ»

Google Adds Buzz to Mobile Gmail: Try to Control Your Joy, iPhone Owners

Google Buzz has been surprisingly slow (meaning, it's taken a couple weeks) to reach mobile users, but now it's finally integrated with Mobile Gmail so every smartphone user can buzz their lives away.READ»

Tech Edge: Is Geolocation the Next Social Empire?

Everyone from Google to HBO thinks 2010 is the year we embrace geolocation and tell friends and marketers our every move. Farhad Manjoo locates the problem with that idea.READ»

• Hey, Bugs: Bet You're Feeling Slick Now

Tweet-Mapping Arrives, Along with the Twitter's Battle Against Google

Twitter's geotagging powers could transform the lifecasting service into something extremely powerful. And the company's just taken the first steps to making this happen through its own Web page: It's turned on Tweet mapping. ...READ»

Google Really Wants to Monitor Where You Are: May Link Buzz and Latitude

Google's Buzz has hit the tech headlines in good and bad ways, but it's totally swamped other Google offerings like Latitude. Google's not forgotten it of course, and has revealed it may well intertwine Buzz with Latitude. LBS ...READ»

Facebook Patents News Feed, Social Net Confusion Ensues

You know that stream of friendship dates, comments, photos, and whatnot that constitutes your Facebook "news" feed? Facebook's apparently been granted a patent on the idea. But isn't it something that's been done before?The patent ...READ»

Googlers Love Real-Time Tweet Feed, Boost Twitter Traffic

We knew how desperate Google was to get some of that live social status sharing action when it signed up Twitter to give it some real time search relevancy. But we didn't know how it would boost Twitter, 'til now. It's a lot. ...READ»

Is Microsoft Aping Google Buzz with Social Net Integration into Outlook?

Microsoft's just revealed an enhancement to Outlook that adds in direct connections to LinkedIn, MySpace and Facebook so that you can access all these services from the one place. Is this MS's answer to Google Buzz? Almost. These ...READ»

Will Google Buzz Go the Way of Facebook Beacon?

In 2007 Facebook rolled out Beacon, an ad system that took parts of user's Facebook data that they thought were private, and made them public. Last week, Google's Buzz did something similar. Beacon was killed by public revolt--and a ...READ»

Foursquare Adds Another Big Partner: Conde Nast's Lucky Magazine

Foursquare's execs must've been executing a whirlwind tour of meeting rooms recently: In addition to Bravo, Zagat, and HBO, they've just signed up a special content deal with Conde Nast's Lucky magazine, in perfect time for New York ...READ»