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Aussies Elude Attempt to Serve Papers Via Facebook

Couple hid profile before attorney could act

(Newser) - The Australian debtors who were the object of a judge’s ruling that legal documents could be served via Facebook have remained one step ahead of the law, Ars Technica reports. After verifying the home-loan defaulters’ full names, birthdates, and “friend status” on their profile pages, an innovative attorney...

Congratulations, You've Been SuperServed!

Legal notifications on Facebook OK with Aussie supreme court

(Newser) - Australians can add legal judgments to the list of goodies their Facebook “friends” can send them. In what appears to be a global first, a Supreme Court judge today ruled that notices of default judgments—cases that don’t require defendants to appear—may be served on Facebook, the...

Lighten Up, This Is No Big Deal
 Lighten Up, This Is No Big Deal 
OPINION
Dec 12, 2008 12:08 PM CST

Lighten Up, This Is No Big Deal

Internet age makes it impossible to have fun.

(Newser) - All it took was one drunken night and an errant Facebook photo to turn 27-year-old Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau into the scandal du jour. Feminists are outraged, calling him “offensively sexist” for daring to touch that cardboard breast. Hillary tried to laugh the incident off, only to be lambasted...

Google Taps Zeitgeist, Finds Palin a Winner

Alaska governor went zooming up search charts in '08

(Newser) - Every year, Google releases its analysis of the global zeitgeist based on billions of searches around the world. Newsweek reports the highlights:
  • Sarah Palin: "Obama" was the most searched for term overall, but the Alaska governor grabbed the top spot on the fastest-rising list.
  • Beijing 2008: The world was
...

Send That Online Pal an Off-Line Drink

'Give Real' allows users to give credits for bars, restaurants

(Newser) - For those who are sick of shelling out to send Facebook friends cupcake icons and virtual champagne bottles for occasions, the startup Give Real has the answer. Through their site (or via a Facebook app), you can buy a friend credits redeemable at nearly any bar or restaurant in America....

Student Sues Over Facebook Suspension

Constitutional case asks if school can limit online expression

(Newser) - With the help of the ACLU, a Florida high school grad is suing a former principal for violating her constitutional rights in suspending her for “cyber-bullying” a teacher, the Miami Herald reports. Katherine Evans created a Facebook page railing against her “worst teacher,” and asked classmates to...

Web Photo Burns Obama Speechwriter

Favreau seen feeling up cutout of Clinton in image quickly clipped from Facebook

(Newser) - The Internet is home to embarrassing photos of just about anyone, but few more so today than one of wunderkind Barack Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau groping a cardboard cutout of Hillary Clinton, the Washington Post reports. The photo was posted briefly on Facebook; Favreau, 27, has since taken it—and...

The Next Big Viral Thing on Facebook: a Virus

"Koobface" spreads disguised as a friend's message

(Newser) - Once an unfriendly place for spammers and malware, Facebook today is dealing with a virus circulating among its 120 million users, the LA Times reports. “Koobface” comes disguised as a message from a friend with a subject like “You look so amazing funny on our new video,”...

Croatia PM Decries Facebook Arrests

Police detained man who set up anti-government group on networking site

(Newser) - Croatia’s prime minister wants an explanation for arrests of opposition activists who rallied anti-government sentiment on Facebook, the BBC reports, including a 60,000-strong group plotting protests for tomorrow. Police in the Balkan state, which is hoping for EU membership, detained another group’s founder for disturbing the peace...

Angry Users Leave Facebook Ads in Limbo
Angry Users Leave Facebook Ads in Limbo
analysis
Dec 1, 2008 9:11 PM CST

Angry Users Leave Facebook Ads in Limbo

Site would profit from News Feed spam, but members hate it

(Newser) - Facebook is in a bind, Owen Thomas writes on Valleywag. The social network has boosted its membership to 120 million, partly by keeping spam to a minimum. But to make money, Facebook needs advertising—which means allowing app developers to bug users with spam on Facebook's News Feed. Yet when...

The Pitfalls of De-Friending
 The Pitfalls of De-Friending 
Nov 25, 2008 4:14 PM CST

The Pitfalls of De-Friending

Peer pressure just one of the social aspects that translates well to Facebook and the like

(Newser) - De-friending is an unfortunate reality for social networks. It happens for many reasons, but is always awkward. Here are some de-friending stories from Mashable (names have been changed to protect the embarrassed):
  • Social opportunists: Andrew got a friend request from Jane, who he didn’t know but was friends with
...

Court Pokes Facebook Spammer for $873M

Cybercriminal accused of hijacking user profiles to send out millions of messages

(Newser) - Facebook has won an $873 million judgment against a man accused of hijacking user profiles to spew spam, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The award—the biggest ever under federal spamming laws—was made against a Canadian citizen who Facebook accused of stealing login details to send more than 4...

Price Dispute Sinks TwitFace Merger Talks

Twitter questions value of $500M stock offer from Facebook

(Newser) - Merger talks between Facebook and popular newcomer Twitter have ended without a deal, reports All Things Digital. Twitter wasn't satisfied with Facebook's offer of $500 million in stock, apparently concerned that the stock's valuation was too high, say insiders. Twitter also had concerns about how the two would integrate, and...

Kids Attack Redheads on 'Kick a Ginger' Day

Facebook group, inspired by 'South Park,' told teens to kick peers

(Newser) - Inspired by a Facebook page, kids in Vancouver spent a day kicking and punching redheads for fun, the Vancouver Sun reports. Trouble is, being hit hurts. "I was amazed by the amount of people that kicked me," said 13-year-old Aaron Mishkin, who figures he was assaulted about 80...

Nigerian Scamsters Want to Be Your Friend

Con artists try to fool Facebook users by posing as friends in need

(Newser) - Nigeria's notorious cybercriminals are looking for some buddies, Ars Technica reports. The conmen have infiltrated social networking sites like Facebook by filching passwords and contacting users in the guise of a friend who suddenly, urgently needs funds. Internet security experts fear the new tactic could prove a lot more effective...

China to Declare 'Internet Addicts' Sick

Fervent web surfers face electro-shock treatments

(Newser) - China is about to become the first nation in the world to officially declare "internet addiction" a clinical disorder, reports the Guardian. Citizens hooked on the web may face treatment that includes military-style discipline, hypnosis, electro-shock therapy and drugs, reports the Guardian. The totalitarian Chinese authorities have repeatedly attempted...

UK Cabin Crews Knock Passengers Online

Virgin and British Airways workers land in trouble for Facebook comments

(Newser) - Virgin Atlantic has fired 13 cabin staffers for mocking passengers and joking about engine safety on Facebook, the Guardian reports. The online messages quipped about cockroaches on planes and referred to passengers as "chavs," a British term for "white trash." The airline publicly chided the...

Obama Dials Up SMS Blitz
 Obama Dials Up SMS Blitz 
Oct 29, 2008 7:01 AM CDT

Obama Dials Up SMS Blitz

Cell phone push in last days of campaign

(Newser) - Over the next seven days the Obama campaign will ratchet up its ongoing text messaging blitz, which has kept supporters in the loop and likely helped to pump up numbers at the 100,000-strong rally in Denver last week. Those who have opted in will get info about polling places,...

Facebooked: Bono Caught Cavorting With Teens

19-year-olds post photos on social site after partying in St. Tropez with U2 frontman

(Newser) - Sorry, Bono fans, Facebook doesn't lie. The married U2 frontman spent a night in St. Tropez partying with two 19-year-olds, Australia’s News Network reports after the girls posted pics—and details—on their Facebook pages. But Bono didn't cross the line. “For somebody who's much older than I...

No, Blogging Isn't Dead
 No, Blogging Isn't Dead 
ANALYSIS
Oct 23, 2008 8:13 PM CDT

No, Blogging Isn't Dead

Tools like Twitter complement, rather than replace, traditional blogging, argues blogger

(Newser) - A recent Wired magazine article argued that blogging is out, that mainstream media have taken the practice over, and one-time bloggers have moved on to social networking tools like Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr. Not so, responds Allyson Kapin on Fast Company. Witness the 175,000 new blogs created daily and...

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