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.

Social integration is a big thing these days, and today Mozilla is ready to begin beta testing its new Firefox Social API. The end goal for the Social API is to eventually have integration with a number of different social sites, but today, the only thing the team has ready to go is Facebook Chat integration. If you’re ready to see what Firefox will look like in the not-to-distant future, then Mozilla wants you to help test this new feature.

With the Social API, you can have a number of Facebook features at your fingertips and ready to go without ever having to visit the actual Facebook site. Of course, you won’t have full Facebook functionality when using this feature, but there is quite a bit you can do. For starters, you can get the chat and news feed list right there in your browser, allowing you to see who’s online and available for chat as you surf the Internet.

The sidebar stays present as you go from page to page, and you can also share the page you’re currently viewing to your Facebook with just a “single click in the address bar.” The Facebook chat sidebar will also let you know when you have notifications waiting for you, and naturally, you hide the sidebar if it’s time to stop chatting and get back to work. If you want to give it a test spin, you’ll need to download the latest Firefox beta and then visit Facebook when you’ve got the beta installed. Once you’re there, Facebook will ask if you want to allow Firefox integration, and after that you’re one click away from getting started.

Mozilla assures that more social sites will be added later on, but for now, these beta tests will only be focused on Facebook integration. If you’ve got a lot of social profiles to keep track of, Mozilla’s Firefox Social API should be like a gift from the heavens, provided the full release later on goes smoothly. Are you going to give the beta test of Mozilla’s Social API a spin?

Firefox wants you to help test its new Social API is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Facebook has begun phasing out Questions from users, a move that’s not particularly surprising considering that it removed the product from the homepage sidebar earlier this year. According to CNET, a Facebook representative stated that the social media company is pulling Questions in order to “focus on other things.” It will still be available for Groups and Pages.

Questions was launched back in 2010, and allows Facebook users to create a poll asking their friends and other Facebook users anything they want. Unlike Quora, which Questions was expected to crush when it was launched, users simply choose a pre-defined answer. While the occasional poll appears on Facebook asking some inane question, the product was never particularly popular.

While Questions for general users is being taken away, the product will still be available to Groups and Pages, since it provides a constructive tool that’s specifically useful to those kinds of Facebook activity. In addition, users will still have access to old Questions they’ve asked via the Activity Feed. The Questions option still currently shows up on normal user accounts, but expect it to disappear in the next couple of days.

So what’s Facebook concentrating on now? The company won’t say. Rumors abound that the social networking giant is shifting its focus onto developing a substantial search feature, something Mark Zuckerberg has discussed in the recent past, having said, “[Facebook is] pretty uniquely positioned to answer a lot of questions people have.”

[via CNET]

Facebook begins phasing out “Questions” is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

When Twitter put out its strict new API guidelines, there was some doubt as to whether or not third-party clients like Tapbots’ Tweetbot for Mac would even make the cut — the user caps and other curbs on unofficial apps potentially made it tough to develop competition around a different (and possibly better) experience. That makes today’s official appearance of Tweetbot in the Mac App Store as much symbolic as it is practical. While there won’t be many significant shocks for those who’ve been participating in Tweetbot’s alpha and beta stages, the finished version gives everyone running OS X Mountain Lion a major and sometimes more advanced alternative to official choices, such as TweetDeck, as well as existing third-party options like Twitterrific. A $20 price doesn’t make Tweetbot the cheapest way to buck convention by any means, but it might be worth the investment if you’re already committed to Tapbots’ iOS apps or want to make a statement on the value of third parties in an ecosystem.

Filed under: Internet, Software

TweetBot for Mac reaches the Mac App Store, keeps the 3rd-party Twitter client flame alive originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 12:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Back in January, Twitter announced that it would allow the company to ban content in specific countries upon legal request, rather than restrict it globally to all Twitter users. Now, for the first time, the company has used its new-ish tool, blocking access in Germany to the Twitter account Besseres Hannover, a neo-Nazi group. This action was taken after the Germany Ministry of the Interior for Lower-Saxony sent a request to Twitter asking that the account be removed.

If you were in Germany, visiting the banned Twitter page would reveal the message, “Tweet withheld. This Tweet from @hannoverticket has been withheld in: Germany. Learn more.” When visiting the offending Twitter account in the US, however, it shows up like normal. This is because the account in perfectly legal in the US, but not in Germany, where neo-Nazi hate groups are illegal.

The moment was announce with a simple tweet by Twitter’s general counsel, Alex Macgillivray, which reads: “We announced the ability to withhold content back in Jan. We’re using it now for the first time re: a group deemed illegal in Germany.” This is the same process that Google uses, as well, in censoring information that may be perfectly fine in one locale, but banned or otherwise restricted in another. The thought of censorship in any form draws its fair share of critics.

During the Olympics, Twitter was accused of censoring the social media account of Guy Adams, journalist, who was critical of NBC’s coverage of the event. Twitter apologized, and while many felt that the accusation was unfair, others claimed it hinted at a dangerous trend. Whatever your stance on censorship, it should be noted that Twitter has had this feature for almost a year, and just now used it, indicating that the company isn’t particularly keen on running around blocking content.

[via Marketing Land]

Twitter uses country-block censorship tool for first time in Germany is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.