Hasta La Gadget!

Even with tweaks for musicians, Google+ Hangouts On Air have had sub-par layouts for presentations and performances; one-way stream from a band or teacher crops the view to a smaller size. As of a quick update to the social network, common sense prevails. One-way performances now default to occupying the full available view; multi-participant chats can go a similar route by using the Cameraman app to push all but the primary speaker to the background. It’s a simple change, but one that could make a big difference for those who just want to lean back and watch.

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: Dori Storbeck (Google+)

And the CES disruptions begin. Facebook has just broken into an absolute blitz of news out of Las Vegas in order to invite select members of the press to its California headquarters next week. The reason? Predictably, minimal clues are given out in the invite itself — we’re simply told to show up on January 15th and “see what [Facebook] is building.” You know what… we think we just might, thanks!

P.S. – Any educated guesses on the “what” can be tossed in comments below.

Filed under: Internet, Facebook

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Source: Facebook

Many running Google+ Pages for their companies have likely been frustrated by the lack of interaction with some of their fans — if visitors haven’t already put the brand in a circle, they’ve been off-limits regardless of their interest. A quiet change may have just opened the floodgates. Pages can now share, comment on and +1 posts from those who weren’t already followers. Google hasn’t made the change official, but it is promising a feature that’s ultimately complementary: Pages should get their own analytics for demographics and social activity in the “coming weeks,” giving owners an idea as to who they’re attracting. While we hope that the loosened restrictions don’t lead to unwanted conversations in our feeds, they’re undoubtedly valuable to companies that just want to share good news or offer a helping hand.

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Via: The Next Web

Source: Talking Moose Media (Google+), Google+ for Business

Facebook’s proposed policy tweaks are about to have their day in the polls — not that the social network’s users have much of a chance of shooting them down. Facebook’s current governance policies allow for a vote on proposed changes when more than 7,000 comments are registered — but denying those changes requires a staggering 30 percent of the network’s one billion active users. Ready for some quick math? That’s 300 million negative votes — more than twice as many than the total number of ballots cast in the 2012 US presidential election. Facebook’s proposal cuts the voting system out of the site’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, which it says will free it up to explore new ways to involve users in policy changes, such as the new “Ask our Chief Privacy Officer” feature.

The social network’s site governance page also has a new article explaining some of its upcoming policy changes in layman’s terms, which eases readers into the language it uses to describe how it shares information with affiliates, clarifies user content ownership and promises not to remove certain privacy controls. Facebook users happy with the old system have until December 10th to put America’s voter turnout to shame, though their voices will probably be easier to hear after Facebook abandons its impotent democracy.

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Source: Facebook (1), (2)

There are few issues that stir up more debate about Facebook than privacy and data use, and the social network has today proposed some changes to its policies that affect both. That includes a more public role for its Chief Privacy Officer, Erin Egan, who will both be at the center of a new “Ask the Chief Privacy Officer” feature that’s said to be launching in the coming weeks, as well as a new series of live events where she’ll address “comments and questions about privacy, safety and security.” It’s also proposing changes to its site governance process, including a shift away from its current voting method for feedback on policy changes, which it says “incentivized the quantity of comments over their quality.” The new method, it suggests, will lead to “more meaningful feedback and engagement.”

What’s more, the company is also proposing some changes to its data use policy, including new filters that will replace the “Who can send you Facebook messages” setting in Messenger, and changes to how it refers to certain products like “instant personalization.” It’s also proposing some new reminders to inform people what’s visible to others on Facebook, and various tips for managing your timeline. Of course, these are still just proposed changes, and it’s giving users until November 28th to offer their feedback on them (Egan will then host one of the aforementioned live events to address the comments). You can find all of the proposed changes and details on how to have your say on them at the source link.

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Source: Facebook