13 posts and columns on status updates

"Hit Me Up" Was Facebook's Breakout Slang in 2010

in Social on December 14, 2010 at 12:00 am PT

Other items besides Justin Bieber made it onto Facebook’s list of 2010 trends in status messages. But don’t think for a second that Bieber didn’t earn his spot on yet another year-end roundup.

News Byte

If You Can't Beat ‘Em, Synch With ‘Em

in News on August 30, 2010 at 11:45 am PT

MySpace appears to have come to terms with the reality that it will be looking at Facebook’s taillights for the foreseeable future, and it is now taking steps to secure at least a complementary relationship with its larger rival. Today, MySpace started letting its users synch their status updates to their Facebook profile or page and share content with their friends over on that other site.

Questions? Facebook Is Working on Answers.

in News on June 11, 2010 at 8:17 am PT

Facebook is testing a new add-on to its social networking service: the ability to ask questions–and get answers–from other people in the online community. Some people already use Facebook’s status update feature to pose questions to their friends, who leave answers in the comments section. The new service, which has begun popping up on some users’ pages, formalizes the process of asking and answering. Under the live test, some users get a box on the right side of the screen (around the “Pokes”) with potentially interesting questions.

The Black Art of Writing Facebook Updates

in News on May 4, 2010 at 1:10 pm PT

A Web 2.0 Expo panel on how corporate brands use Facebook shared a social media dirty secret: a company might have a spectacular fan page on the site–but its thousands of self-identified “fans” probably don’t visit that page there very often.

Xobni Takes to the Streets and Skies Above Microsoft

in News on April 22, 2010 at 8:00 am PT

Xobni’s best customers used to be Microsoft employees. Now the San Francisco startup plans to make a scene at Microsoft’s headquarters to win them back. During the morning commute on Thursday, Xobni plans to advertise its product around Microsoft’s Redmond, Wash., campus with people spinning Xobni signs stationed at entrances to the main thoroughfares of Microsoft headquarters.

Google Buzz Isn’t Exactly Humming Along

in The Digital Solution on February 16, 2010 at 4:00 pm PT

Google retooled its Buzz social-networking effort after receiving a lot of criticism about its privacy settings. Katie Boehret looks at how Buzz compares with other social-networking sites.

Google to Add Social Feature to Gmail

in News on February 8, 2010 at 11:48 am PT

Google Inc. is set to unveil a new feature to Gmail designed to make it easier and faster for users to share media and status updates with friends, according to people familiar with the matter. These people said Google could launch the new feature, which aims to make its Gmail email application more social, as soon as this week.

Microsoft Bails on “Family Guy” Special

in Social on October 27, 2009 at 11:00 am PT

Firms Get a Hand With Twitter, Facebook

in News on October 2, 2009 at 5:00 am PT

Sylvester Chisom began paying a consultant last summer to blog on Twitter, post status updates on Facebook and run marketing campaigns on both sites for his auto-detailing business. He thinks the service, which costs $450 a month, is worth it. “It’s just better having somebody else dedicated to thinking of stuff to put up,” says Mr. Chisom, co-owner of Showroom Shine Express Detailing LLC in St. Louis.

The Perils of Oversharing on Facebook

in News on August 21, 2009 at 11:40 am PT

Over-sharing on Twitter and Facebook has always been annoying, but in recent months over-sharing has been in the news for getting people fired from their jobs. Digits rounded up a few of the most notable stories from this summer as cautionary tales:

Microsoft Vine: The Zune of Social Networks

in News, April 28, 2009 at 9:09 am PT