Facebook Timeline's Coming - Better Tidy Up

Facebook recently began rolling out its Timeline feature, which will replace the social networking site's traditional user profile.

Everything ever posted on a user's page will be included in Timeline.
Members have seven days to review everything that appears on their Timelines before anyone else can see them, and Facebook lets them mark which items they want to keep private.
However, the feature has raised concerns that it might breach users' privacy because Facebook will upgrade everyone to Timeline -- whether or not they opt for it.
"Your privacy setting with Timeline will carry over," Facebook spokesperson Victoria Cassady told TechNewsWorld. "If you posted a picture in 2006 to all of your friends except one, that person still won't be able to see the picture, even if it appears on your Timeline."

How Timeline Works

Everything you have posted so far on Facebook will appear in your Timeline. The highlights will be expanded and the rest summarized, but you can expand any of the minor items at will and feature them prominently.
To feature items on your Timeline, roll over them and click the star on your screen to expand them to two columns.
If there's something you want to hide, delete or edit, click the pencil icon on your screen and proceed.
You can see how your Timeline appears to others by clicking the gear menu at the top of the Timeline and selecting "View As."
Two dropdown menus on a new tool called the "Activity Log" let Facebook members indicate whether posts should be kept private, and whether they should appear on their Timelines.
The Activity Log lets members review all their posts and activity back to the day they first signed up for Facebook. An account's activity log is only visible to its owner.
Mobile device users can access Timeline if their devices run Android 1.8.1, or by accessing m.facebook.com.

Facebook Steamrolls On

All users will eventually have to upgrade to Timeline whether they want to or not. That has aroused the ire of consumer advocacy groups, including Consumer Watchdog and the Electronic Privacy Information Center.
"I haven't tried the Timeline features yet; I've only read about it. But I think this is a breach of users' privacy," John Simpson, director of the privacy project at Consumer Watchdog, told TechNewsWorld.
"This is a substantial change in how my information is used," Simpson continued. "It should be offered only on an opt-in basis."
This refers back to an agreement Facebook recently made to settle charges from the United States Federal Trade Commission that it deceived consumers about privacy.
That settlement requires, among other things, that Facebook get consumers' approval before it changes the way it shares their data.
Timeline appears to be a "substantial breach" of Facebook's settlement with the FTC, Simpson said. However, he pointed out that the settlement has not yet been entered in final form.
The FTC did not respond to requests to comment for this story.

Free to Choose

Facebook should offer Timeline on a strict opt-in basis, Consumer Watchdog's Simpson suggested. It's a "completely new, potentially privacy-invasive feature," he added.
However, "You have no expectation of privacy because that information is already out there on Facebook, and if Facebook wants to change how things are being displayed, that's not an issue," Yasha Heidari, managing partner of the Heidari Power Law Group, pointed out.
"The only issue is if Facebook takes what's private and displays it to the public," Heidari added. "People might not be happy with [Timeline], and that's understandable, but that doesn't mean it's illegal or a breach of the law."
(as seen on www.technewsworld.com)

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Android app surpasses iPhone on Facebook

Facebook for Android has 58.3 million average daily users compared with an average of 57.4 million daily users who access the social network via an iPhone app, according to stats complied by AppData.
The Android app, which was released in September 2009--a full year after the iPhone app, still trails the iPhone in monthly average users accessing Facebook, tallying 85.4 million users to the iPhone app's 99.1 million. However, the monthly user data doesn't reflect the "stickiness" of the daily user data, or the number of users who return on a daily basis. In that measurement, the Android app's 68.2 percent still leads over the iPhone app's 57.9 percent.
One explanation for the leadership change could be the fact that more than 550,000 devices are being activated every day--up from a daily tally of 500,000 in June and 400,000 in May. More than 200 million Android devices have now been activated around the world, Google announced last month.

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Google Currents, Rival to Flipboard, Finally Debuts

Google‘s long-awaited answer to Flipboard, the “social magazine” exclusively on Apple‘s iPad and iPhone, just debuted today. Google Currents offers a similar appearance, except it works on Android devices as well as iPads and iPhones. It’s the latest in a long string of applications, most recently Yahoo‘s Livestand, that seek to turn online content into something resembling print magazines, but without all those dead trees and with 20th century innovations like, say, video.
Here are the details from Google’s mobile blog post:

We strive to give you beautiful and simple ways to experience all the content the web has to offer, such as sharing photos on Google+, watching YouTube videos and discovering books, movies and music from Android Market. Today we’re expanding our content offering with the introduction of Google Currents, a new application for Android devices, iPads and iPhones that lets you explore online magazines and other content with the swipe of a finger.
Ready for consumers
We’ve worked with more than 150 publishing partners to offer full-length articles from more than 180 editions including CNET, AllThingsD, Forbes, Saveur, PBS, Huffington Post, Fast Company and more. Content is optimized for smartphones and tablets, allowing you to intuitively navigate between words, pictures and video on large and small screens alike, even if you’re offline.
To get started, simply download the app and choose the publications you want to subscribe to for free. You can also add RSS, video and photo feeds, public Google+ streams and Google Reader subscriptions you’re already following. In addition to consuming your favorite media, you can also use the trending tab to discover related content that matches your tastes.

Ready for publishers
Alongside Google Currents, we’re also launching a self-service platform that gives publishers the flexibility to design, brand and customize their web content. For example, if you’re a small regional news outlet, a non-profit organization without access to a mobile development team, or a national TV network with web content, you can effortlessly create hands-on digital publications for Google Currents.
Great content needs a great audience, which is why Google Currents is integrated with Google+ so users can share articles or videos they’ve enjoyed with their circles. Publishers can also associate their account with Google Analytics in order to increase their awareness of consumers’ content preferences, device use and geographic distribution.
Google Currents is now available for download in Android Market and the Apple App Store for US users. Whether you’re a reader or a publisher, we hope that Google Currents helps you easily experience the best content on the web. Try it here now and stay tuned for more to come.

No word yet on advertising models or implications–more on that likely to come in a few weeks.
And no, despite some good reviews of Currents, I’m not going to call it a Flipboard killer. Currents may do fine, but it’s not going to kill Flipboard.
(as seen on www.forbes.com)

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How to Boost the Signal of your Wireless / Wi-Fi Router

The most obvious advantage of boosting the signal of your wireless router is that more places on your area can now connect to the wireless network or wireless internet you’ve set-up. This basically means your wireless internet or wireless network would have more coverage.

So if you want to boost your wireless router’s signal, there are several ways to do this:

1. Replace your Antenna
By simply replacing the stock antennas of your wireless router, you can already boost your signal and coverage. If your stock antenna is a 3db antenna and your replaced it with a 7db antenna, you can experience as much as an 80% boost of signal.
Remember though that Linksys and D-Link routers have different sockets for their antennas. Linksys wireless routers use R-TNC (except for a select few), while D-link routers use R-SMA. So don’t buy an R-SMA antenna if you have a Linksys router. Just ask on your local computer store and they should be able to give you the correct one. If you want to be extra sure, bring your router!

2. Use DD-WRT a Free Third Party Firmware
DD-WRT is a FREE third party firmware made for a broad range of wireless routers.

You can replace the previous firmware of your manufacturer by following their instructions at the installation guide or wiki of DD-WRT (http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Installation#Downloading_DD-WRT). It includes links on what routers are supported, what appropriate version to download and lots of other information.
Assuming you’ve successfully installed DD-WRT to your wireless router, just go to the web interface of your router and then go to Wireless -> Advanced Settings and raise the TX Power to a number higher than 70. You can raise it to a number as high as 251, which would definitely increase the signal of your wireless router, but would also lessen its lifespan as it would run hotter.

I put my router to 100mW and my router’s temperature was still ok while increasing the signal of my wireless router. When I put it to 150, I noticed a significant increase in the temperature of my router so I quickly put it back to 100.
DD-WRT is free although it requires a little bit of technical skill and patience to install it to your router. It also has tons of other features. Be sure to try it out.

3. Use a Wireless Range Expander / Extender
Of the previous two methods mentioned, this is the most costly as you have to buy a wireless range expander / extender. Wireless Range Expanders, like the Linksys WRE54G, would boost the signal of your current wireless router.
If for example your router is in point A and its signal only reaches point B and you need the signal to reach point C. Just put the Wireless Range Expander to point B so it could boost the signal up to point C.
A wireless range expander is much cheaper than a wireless router so if you plan on just expanding the range or just boosting the signal of your router, it’s better to just get a wireless range expander instead of buying another router.

4. Use All Three Methods
Using only one of the methods above would already give you a significant boost on your wireless or Wi-Fi signal. Imagine if you used all three!

These are the three most effective and cost efficient ways that I know so you could boost the signal of your wireless router to give you an expanded or extended wireless range.

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Easy Math With Google

 

Here’s an example of something extra you can use Google for.  Try typing “1+1=” into http://www.google.com

Then try typing “Baghdad time” in the search window.

Really, it works, try it!  You'll get the official time for that location.

Try This:

And you'll find out that:
12 kilometers = 7.45645431 miles

Or try this, type in "dji":

And you'll see the current Dow Jones Industrial Average.  Most stock ticker symbols work also.

Here’s a link to more information about using Google for all kinds of things:

http://www.google.com/help/features.html  

(as seen on 180techtips.com) 

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Facebook Made a Bunch' of Privacy Mistakes

Facebook has settled with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over charges that it failed to keep privacy promises and deceived its customers.

In a statement put out last night the FTC said that Facebook promised that it would protect its users' information by keeping it private, while "repeatedly allowing it to be shared and made public". It added that these actions were unfair and deceptive and violated federal law.

The FTC has given Facebook settlement requirements that include steps to ensure that it does not expose its users' information without giving them prior notice and obtaining their consent.

"Facebook is obligated to keep the promises about privacy that it makes to its hundreds of millions of users," said Jon Leibowitz, chairman of the FTC. "Facebook's innovation does not have to come at the expense of consumer privacy. The FTC action will ensure it will not."

The FTC has listed a raft of complaints about Facebook, specifically that allegedly it made promises that it did not keep. We reproduce that list here:

• In December 2009, Facebook changed its web site so certain information that users might have designated as private - such as their Friends List - was made public. It didn't warn users that this change was coming, or get their approval in advance.
• Facebook represented that third-party apps that users installed would have access only to user information that they needed to operate. In fact, the apps could access nearly all of users' personal data - data the apps didn't need.
• Facebook told users they could restrict sharing of data to limited audiences - for example with "Friends Only". In fact, selecting "Friends Only" did not prevent their information from being shared with third-party applications their friends used.
• Facebook had a "Verified Apps" program and claimed it certified the security of participating apps. It didn't.
• Facebook promised users that it would not share their personal information with advertisers. It did.
• Facebook claimed that when users deactivated or deleted their accounts, their photos and videos would be inaccessible. But Facebook allowed access to the content, even after users had deactivated or deleted their accounts.
• Facebook claimed that it complied with the US- EU Safe Harbour Framework that governs data transfer between the United States and the European Union. It didn't.

Under the terms of the proposed settlement Facebook is banned from making anymore deceptive claims about the privacy that it does, or does not, offer. It will also have to submit to regular audits every 24 months for the next 20 years, and get its users' approval before it shares their data.

At Facebook, founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg was contrite and apologised for the mistakes that his firm made, continued to make, or made again.

"I think we have a good history of providing transparency and control over who can see your information. That said, I'm the first to admit that we've made a bunch of mistakes," he said.

He added that in fact Facebook is already doing a lot of things that the FTC has told it to do, and threw up a list of things that the firm has done over the last 18 months to improve user privacy.

"Privacy principles are written very deeply into our code," he added. "Even before the agreement announced by the FTC today, Facebook had already proactively addressed many of the concerns the FTC raised." 

(as seen on www.theinquirer.net)

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