Features

• Google weaves Larry Page's social strategy into Maps, Search

  It became clear at Google I/O this week that Google is quietly but assuredly implementing CEO Larry Page's strategy to use Google+ to transform the entire Google experience.

• State social media privacy laws a mixed bag for businesses

  New social media privacy laws that have been enacted in several states around the country, or are in the works, present something of a mixed bag for businesses.

• Facebook on a mobile roll

  Facebook last week cited mobile growth as a major contributor to its first-quarter increase in sales and profits.

• Consumer tech key in Boston Marathon bombing probe

  Users of consumer technology and social media reacted quickly after explosions ripped through crowds near the finish line of the Boston Marathon last week, sending out updates, snapping photos and recording videos that officials said could turn out to be critical pieces of evidence.

• Facebook Home goes after mobile market with 'ferocity'

  Less than a year after calling mobile one of its biggest risks, Facebook has made another big move to attack the mobile market with Facebook Home for Android devices.

• Fear of Facebook: 7 free apps that guard your privacy

  Facebook users are constantly being told that their privacy is under siege. Here are seven apps that can help secure your personal data.

• Opinion: More innovation means less control. Is that bad?

  Innovation in mobile computing, search and social media increasingly means taking control away from users, but at what cost?

• What you Like on Facebook could reveal more than you think

  Before you "like" a friend's or company's post on Facebook, think twice. A new study shows that your Facebook "likes" may be far more revealing than you ever thought.

• Facebook's updated News Feed cuts through clutter, boredom

  Facebook's redesigned News Feed may help keep users flooded with information from quitting the social network, anlaysts said.

• Highly regulated companies tiptoe into social media

  Some healthcare providers, financial services firms and other companies in highly regulated industries are taking full advantage of social media, even though they're awash in rules. Here's how they do it.

• Opinion: How do you manage your social networks?

  I recently decided, somewhat randomly, to experiment a bit more with social networking. I was on LinkedIn and at some point the service asked me if it could access my Gmail contact list.

• Facebook's search tool could be big money maker

  If users take to Facebook's new search tool, the social network could be in line to haul in a lot of advertising dollars, say industry analysts.

• Facebook turns up the heat on Google Search

  With Facebook's new search service out in the open, the social network seems to be on a collision course with search giant Google.

• Analysts debate effect of Facebook's policy changes on users

  Despite calls for Facebook to stop planned changes to the way it makes privacy policy, analysts are divided over how bad the changes would be for users.

• Curtains for MySpace?

  Things just keep getting worse for MySpace. The former social networking hub recently announced it would cut nearly half of its global workforce as part of a restructuring effort.   As many as five hundred MySpace employees worldwide will soon be looking for work as the site continues to redefine itself from a social network to an entertainment content site with social networking features.