social networking - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• Fake Bloomberg news story causes Twitter shares to spike

  Twitter's stock spiked in midday trading Tuesday after a fake Bloomberg news report said the company had received an offer to be acquired for US$31 billion.

• Google to reopen Maps editing tool after closing it due to abuse

  After halting the service due to an influx of spam, Google is ready to open Map Maker again, with changes that hand much of the control back to users.

• To Hillary Clinton, Uber is a double-edged sword

  When voters go to the polls in next year's presidential election, could a candidate's stance on the sharing economy factor into their decision?

• Reddit chief Ellen Pao resigns amid vitriol, protests

  Ellen Pao is resigning as Reddit's interim chief executive after a week of tumult on the online message board with many users calling for her ouster.

• Facebook to use all renewable energy in its next data center

  Facebook is building a new datacentre in Fort Worth, Texas, that will be powered entirely by renewable energy.

• In Pictures: 7 things we hate about Twitter

  You probably either love Twitter for its quirkiness and brevity or see it as a pointless waste of time. After nearly a decade on the social scene, Twitter still needs to improve its user experience and fill in notable gaps in the service. These seven problems are long overdue for a fix.

• Facebook tests a new way to show video - and make money from it

  Facebook is preparing a new way to show videos on the social network and opening the door to a new source of advertising revenue at the same time.

• Zuckerberg wants to be the Stephen Hawking of social relations

  Facebook uses an algorithm for its News Feed, but CEO Mark Zuckerberg is after something much bigger: One that governs all human relationships.

• Here's how Facebook wants to make sharing links easier on mobile

  Sharing links with friends in Facebook's mobile app is a pain that requires -- gasp -- leaving Facebook and copying and pasting URLs. Now there's a feature that simplifies the process.

• Twitter's Project Lightning will be a whole new way to track events

  Twitter is planning some big changes to the way people follow events using its service, with a major new feature that will group together tweets, photos and videos related to whatever's happening in the moment.

• Facebook turns to wizened old C++ to power new photo-sharing app

  Sometimes the best tool for the job is the oldest one in the toolshed.

• Facebook releases a separate app for private photo sharing

  Facebook has taken a step away from its main site to develop what it thinks is a better way to share photos privately.

• Facebook ranking change will support a push into news

  If you pore over news articles in your Facebook News Feed, expect to see more of them going forward.

• Get ready for more buy buttons on Facebook

  When you're not liking your friends' photos on Facebook, you're likely to soon have more opportunities to buy stuff.

• Twitter, to curb abuse, lets users share block lists

  Twitter, to reduce abusive content on its site, is letting users share lists of the people they block, so they can more easily silence those account holders on their own profiles.