Hasta La Gadget!

Facebook is reportedly testing a Craigslist challenger, with a combination of paid and free adverts, housing requests, and projects, that would promote focused sharing rather than being a global message-board. The work-in-progress, currently known internally as “Marketplace” so sources tell The Daily, would allow Facebookers to use the same promoted posts technology for a one-off advert, with a sub-$5 listing fee, with visibility in news feeds. However, it’s not just a classifieds system, the insiders claim.

Instead, there would be distinct sections for jobs, projects, and housing, along with items for sale. The housing listings would be free, it’s claimed, and only shown to those within the specific target area users give. For instance, only those friends in a certain location would initially see the advert, though they could re-share it to others.

The filtering system would apparently step up a gear when it comes to job adverts. As well as focusing visibility by area, the ads could also be set to only show up when users’ qualifications meet a certain standard; so, if your job demanded a candidate with a masters degree, it would not be seen by those who don’t have such a qualification listed on their profile.

For Facebook, it might also have a useful side-effect of encouraging users to share more information about themselves, so that they see more appropriate adverts and don’t miss out on opportunities.

As for projects, that’s described as a collaborative working tool, with users able to publish guides and tips – a little like Instructables, perhaps – as well as publicize ongoing projects they’d like assistance with. That could range from a party to a fledgling startup business.

According to the sources, Marketplace – a name which was previously used for a similar listings service, passed over to Oodle in 2009 – is “on a fast track” to launch, though specific timescales are unknown.

Facebook resurrecting Marketplace as Craigslist challenge tip insiders is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Earlier today, we heard that Zynga had laid off a number of workers and had shut down its Boston studio. At the time, those were only reports, but this afternoon Zynga CEO Mark Pincus confirmed the layoffs and the studio closure to employees in an internal letter posted by Joystiq. In the letter, Pincus explains that not only will Zynga be closing its studio in Boston, but also reducing the workforce at its Austin branch.

In all, Zynga will have to layoff 5% of its full time employees. More layoffs may come later on down the road, as Pincus says that executives are proposing the shut down of studios in Japan and the UK. Not only that, but Zynga will be retiring 13 games and “significantly reducing” its investment in The Ville, a game which Electronic Arts is currently suing the company over.

Those 13 games aren’t named in the letter, so it could be any combination of social and mobile games. The fact that Zynga will stop supporting 13 different games and could potentially close down three studios entirely signifies that the company is in a heap of financial trouble, which won’t come as a surprise to a lot of folks.

After all, Zynga has been struggling financially for a while now as its customers move from Facebook to mobile gaming, and tomorrow’s financial report probably isn’t going to bring any good news. Pincus says in his letter that “These reductions, along with our ongoing efforts to implement more stringent budget and resource allocation around new games and partner projects, will improve our profitability and allow us to reinvest in great games and our Zynga network on web and mobile.” Here’s hoping that’s the case, because it’s never good to hear to that people will be losing their jobs.

Zynga confirms layoffs, Boston studio shut down is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The bloom is slightly off the rose for Facebook. After a banner first post-IPO quarter, it’s recording a net loss in its fiscal third quarter of $59 million despite its revenue climbing to $1.26 billion — a big swing that the company is blaming on payroll tax tweaks and income taxes, which becomes clearer when you learn that the company posted a $311 million profit before factoring in standard accounting practices. Facebook hasn’t said exactly what had the biggest impact, although its closing the Instagram deal wouldn’t have helped matters. Still, the company isn’t glum about its prospects: following an earlier mention of the milestone by founder Mark Zuckerberg, the earnings report touts that there are over 1.01 billion active Facebook users who check in at least once a month, over 604 million of which were mobile. Between a reworked iOS app, a freshened Facebook Messenger and new ad-friendly SDKs, the social network is bracing for a potential bonanza ahead.

Continue reading Facebook posts $59 million net loss in fiscal Q3, touts 1.01 billion active users

Filed under: Internet, Facebook

Facebook posts $59 million net loss in fiscal Q3, touts 1.01 billion active users originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 16:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s no secret that Facebook saw FarmVille for iOS as writing on the wall: it had to either tap into mobile app revenue or risk losing income (and marketing-savvy developers) whenever someone left the web. Following a beta this summer, the company’s solution to its dilemma is now open to everyone. All developers on the social network can build ads that link from Facebook’s Android and iOS apps to either Google Play or the App Store — offering both an easy plug for their native apps and that all-important ad revenue for Facebook. The system currently takes a shotgun approach and may pitch social networkers for apps they already have or don’t want, but it should be refined in the next few months to where some curious purchasers won’t even have to leave Facebook to load that hot new title. Hopefully the increased recognition for mobile developers is worth sullying our once pristine news feeds.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Facebook

Facebook opens mobile ads for apps to all developers, keeps them on the money train originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 23:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nearly six months ago, Facebook launched the AV Marketplace, offering users access to antivirus applications. This morning, the company announced a deal with seven new partners: avast!, AVG, Avira, Panda, Kaspersky, Webroot, and Total Defense. In addition, Facebook’s existing partners McAfree, Norton, TrendMicro, Microsoft, and Sophos, are also now providing antivirus apps for mobile devices.

For PC users, the AV Marketplace offers Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security 2013 (free), avast! Free Edition, Avira (free), a 6-month subscription to McAfee Internet Security, a free trial of Norton AntiVirus, Total Defense Free with Free Cloud-Based Security Assessment, AVG Free 2013, Microsoft Security Essentials, a free 6-month subscription to Webroot SecureAnywhere 2013, a free subscription to Kaspersky PURE Total Security, and a 6-month subscription for Panda Internet Security 2013. Mac users can download Kaspersky Security for Mac, avast! Free Edition, Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security 2013, a free trial of Norton, Avira (free), and Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac Home Edition (free). Android users can grab either McAfee Mobile Security or Norton Mobile Security Lite for Android.

This is the latest move from Facebook on increasing user security. The company recently implemented a series of phishing protection mechanisms, as well as the launch of phish@fb.com, where users can report phishing attempts. In July, the company also launched malware checkpoints, and is using a URL blacklist system, which scans links and compares them with their partners’ databases to verify that they aren’t malicious.

According to Facebook’s announcement, “Effective security must be a cooperative effort; by adding these new partners to the Facebook Security family we are sure we can keep our community even better protected from threats both on Facebook and elsewhere on the web.” The company plans to announce new tools in the future. The products from these seven new partners, plus the new mobile apps, are available for download now.

[via Facebook]

Facebook expands AV Marketplace with 7 new partners is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.