Category: Web 2.0
MySpace launching webmail service
Yahoo, Hotmail and Gmail will all be a little on the worried side this morning as the news broke overnight that social networking giant MySpace is launching a webmail service.
All MySpace users will be automatically assigned an inbox on the service, guaranteeing the site 125 million active users at launch – more than Gmail and AOL Mail, but fewer than Hotmail or Yahoo Mail. Let’s hope the interface is a little better than the terrible messaging service currently integrated into MySpace.
MySpace (via TechCrunch)
Related posts: MySpace co-founder considering portable music device | MySpace Music launches… just not in the UK
First photo of Hudson air crash surfaces on Twitter
Score another one for citizen journalism. The very first photo of the plane crash in the Hudson was taken on a mobile phone, and uploaded to Twitter. The photographer was one Janis Krums, and he was on one of the ferries used to rescue the passengers from the stricken plane.
Although you could say he was in the right place at the right time, the quality of the photo is pretty damn good as well – well framed, and with plenty of detail. On a side note, though – you’ve got to wonder if it’s the first class passengers that are on the raft, while the economy plebs have to stand on the wing…
Twitpic (via Silicon Alley Insider)
Related posts: Twadio – silent radio station launches on Twitter | Twitterer liveblogs his own plane crash
Facebook bans Burger King ad campaign
A week or so ago, Burger King announced an advertising campaign where deleting ten friends would get you a voucher for a free whopper. It spread quite quickly, and 233,906 friends were removed by 82,771 people in less than a week.
Facebook, unsurprisingly, isn’t too happy – it knows its value lies in those friend links. As a result, it’s banned the campaign, citing privacy reasons. Turns out that Facebook isn’t keen on apps notifying users when they’ve been ‘cut’ by another friend. Full statement over the jump.
Google adds tube map to Google Maps
Google Maps launched its new ‘Transit’ section of Google Maps this morning, which focuses on public transport. Wonderfully, included in the update is a tube map that you can turn on and off on the display – immensely useful for planning ya route across the capital.
Be aware though – because it’s tied to real geographical locations, it might be a bit confusing, and not as intuitive as using the regular tube map. On the other hand, you might find out something useful, like how close Lancaster Gate (on the Central Line) is to Paddington, or Canon Street to Bank, saving you some trouble, and going miles out of your way to change tubes.
If you’ve got a local metro/tube/underground system of some sort, is it shown on Google’s new layer? Let us know in the comments. Now… if only Google would release street view in the UK…
Google Maps UK (via TechCrunch)
Related posts: Google Earth maps Ancient Rome, hope to catch up to modern Rome within the next 2000 years | Google goes mega-high-resolution on Google Maps with the GeoEye-1 satellite
YouTube shoots self in foot – mutes all video with 'unauthorized copyrighted music'
In a strange, sudden and unannounced move, YouTube has suddenly muted a bunch of videos that it claims have ‘unauthorized copyrighted music’. Under the video, it says “This video contains an audio track that has not been authorised by all copyright holders. The audio has been disabled.”
Two things bother me about this. Firstly, the users are going to absolutely detest it. They’ll leave in their droves for YouTube’s competitors. I don’t understand why YouTube would agree to something as ridiculous as this – they’re not stupid, and I’m sure they realize what the effects will be.
Secondly, how does this square with the deals YouTube made two years ago, when labels made their content “available for inclusion in sanctioned consumer uploads”. This move seems to run 180 degrees in the reverse to what those deals aimed to facilitate. I’ll be keeping an eye on this one, and update the post when I hear more and/or YouTube releases some sort of official statement.
(via Media Futurist)
Related posts: Universal Music: We’re getting heaps of cash from YouTube | YouTube goes full HD at last?
CelebrityTweet – behind the velvet rope
If you’re an avid Twitterer, and you want to keep up with the comings-and-goings of various celebrities, then you can just follow them. If you’re not, however, and you still want to keep in touch with what famous people spend their time doing, then you might do well to bookmark CelebrityTweet.
It’s a site that aggregates the Twitter accounts of only famous people. Sadly, that doesn’t include me, yet. Present and correct, though, are Wil Wheaton, Barack Obama, Lance Armstrong and Robert Llewellyn. Recent updates include @bobbyllew getting excited about the Tesla, and @lancearmstrong saying how nice Adelaide is.
Useless if you’re already a Twitter user, though. If you are, console yourself by measuring your Twick size. Not kidding. Mine’s a respectable 7″, the same as @techdigest. Top of the table are @techmeme and @cnetnews with massive 20″ twicks. Childish? Yes. Fun? Yes.
Celebrity Tweet (via Mashable!) and Twick Size
Related posts: MySpace turns glossy mag with MySpace Celebrity | Mr Men and Little Miss Celebrity podcasts raise money for Variety Club
Babelgum – have a chew on the free mobile TV service from Vodafone
Vodafone has launched an on-phone TV service for its customers on a monthly contract. Babelgum – good name but not sure it’s applicable – is an app available for download now…
Twadio – silent radio station launches on Twitter
Are you listening to music? Turn it down, or off for a moment. Now go visit @tweejay on Twitter, and sing along in your head for a moment to whatever’s at the top. Congratulations, you’ve just enjoyed the delights of Twadio.
It’s the first ‘silent radio station’, where every five minutes, a song is posted. Listeners who sign up are notified via @tweejay, and across the world, the same song suddenly gets stuck in millions of people’s heads. Brilliant, or an evil plot to get “U can’t touch this” in your head? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Tweejay (via @dubber)
Related posts: Britney, Obama and Fox News’ Twitter accounts get hacked | Twitterer liveblogs his own plane crash
Facebook hits another milestone – 150 million users
This afternoon, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted on the site’s blog that the social networking behemoth has passed 150 million users, and half of those check the site every single day. That’s crazy, and made even more crazy by Zuckerberg pointing that if Facebook were a country, it would be the eighth most populated in the world, just ahead of Japan, Russia and Nigeria.
Other than that announcement, there might be a clue in Zuckerberg’s closing paragraph, where he says: “we look forward to offering even more ways for you to connect with the people who matter most”. Facebook Connect hasn’t been explosive in its popularity, so perhaps the company has something different in the works…
Related posts: Facebook Connect to help claim more internet real estate | Facebook is… the nation’s most popular thing-to-do on Christmas Day
Facebook is… the nation's most popular thing-to-do on Christmas Day
Astonishing figures from web stat counter Hitwise estimate that one in 22 of all internet data requests was for a Facebook page on Christmas Day, as everyone used their new netbooks to change their status to read “…is stuffed, drunk and nauseous.”
That’s up 69% from the traffic Facebook managed to harvest at Christmas of 2007, giving the popularity-boasting friends/dating portal a 4.65% share of the ENTIRE INTERNET and making it the…
