The Social

Facebook to open the gates with 'Facebook Connect'

Caroline McCarthy — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:32:00 GMT

This post was updated at 1:56 p.m. PDT.

Social network Facebook announced Friday the debut of Facebook Connect, a new technology for members to connect their profile data and authentication credentials to external Web sites. It makes the company the latest major Web site to embrace the concept ...

Report: Rumored Google, News Corp. bids make Blinkx shares soar

Caroline McCarthy — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:39:00 GMT

Reuters is reporting that shares of Blinkx, a publicly traded video search site based in the U.K., climbed 50 percent on Friday following rumors that corporate giants Google and News Corp. may be vying for an acquisition.

On Friday morning, Blinkx shares were trading at 36.75 pence, their ...

Did you get infected? Virus runs amok amid JavaOne

Caroline McCarthy — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:08:00 GMT

Sun Microsystems has bragged for 13 years now that Java security features keep the programming technology virus-free. Apparently, the same doesn't hold for the JavaOne trade show.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health put out a release Thursday with an alert that "several" people had become ill after ...

Last.fm announces original video programming

Caroline McCarthy — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:30:00 GMT

Last.fm, the social music service that CBS Interactive acquired last year, is venturing into original content for the first time with a new video series called Last.fm Presents.

The series consists of interviews with popular and rising bands and artists; among the first artists featured are techno legend ...

Google waves sayonara to Hello

Caroline McCarthy — Fri, 09 May 2008 12:53:00 GMT

Later, gator.

Google has announced the shutdown of Hello, a sort of photo-messaging service that became part of the Mountain View family when Google acquired Picasa in 2004.

"All good things come to an end," a placeholder on the Hello.com home page says. "So it is with sadness that ...

For $9,995, your car could run on sugar and tequila

Caroline McCarthy — Thu, 08 May 2008 21:32:00 GMT

The E-Fuel Micro-Fueler, on display in New York. Click for photo gallery.

(Credit: Caroline McCarthy/CNET News.com)

NEW YORK--"Henry Ford had it right all along," E-Fuel founder and CEO Thomas Quinn declared, referring to the fact that many original Model T Ford automobiles ran on the ethanol, not ...

MySpace announces 'Data Availability' project with Yahoo, eBay, Photobucket, Twitter

Caroline McCarthy — Thu, 08 May 2008 17:04:00 GMT

This post was updated at 10:34 a.m. PDT.

News Corp.-owned social-networking site MySpace has announced a new initiative called Data Availability, a way for members to share profile data with other social and community sites across the Web.

Co-founder and CEO Chris DeWolfe, Chief Operating Officer Amit ...

After long negotiations, Facebook agrees to safety plan with state AGs

Caroline McCarthy — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:54:00 GMT

This post was updated at 11:02 AM PT with comment from MySpace.

Facebook on Thursday reached a user safety agreement with the attorneys general of 49 states and the District of Columbia, much as rival MySpace.com did several months ago.

"We've agreed with 49 states and the ...

Spammy Twitter accounts to get the virtual guillotine

Caroline McCarthy — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:21:00 GMT

There are very few rules on microblogging platform Twitter. But if you use it for unsolicited "tweets" about male enhancement products, watch out: Twitter has started to shut down accounts that it has flagged as "spam," reported blogger Jesse Stay.

Twitter employees confirmed the new tactic in their developer forum. "...

Mapping start-up Socialight opens API

Caroline McCarthy — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:05:00 GMT

For something so focused on navigation and geography, it's a bit ironic that location-based social networks have to work their way through such a jungle: carrier partnerships, handset compatibility, creepy privacy concerns, and what-have-you. But one small New York start-up, Socialight, says it's found a route: developers, developers, ...