Features

• Study: Facebook relies on good design to retain users

  What is Facebook's secret to keeping the world's largest user base content? Sticking to well-proven software design principles, one study has concluded.

• 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.

• Wikipedia celebrates a decade of edit wars, controversy and Internet dominance

  Wikipedia and its users are planning more than 300 celebration events across six continents for the 10th anniversary of the free, online encyclopedia that has become an Internet juggernaut by spreading access to information with a model that lets anyone edit its articles.

• The five pros and cons of a Facebook phone

  Is Facebook building a phone? The company won't say for sure, but for some the idea of a Facebook phone is social networking overkill. To social butterflies, a Facebook phone is a dream come true. Here is a look at the pros and cons.

• Twitter 2.0: Not just for narcissists

  Using Twitter is like being trapped in an elevator with someone who has a severe case of attention deficit disorder and just consumed three pots of truck-stop coffee.

• Has Digg dug its own grave?

  Some people just don't like change. Less than a week after Digg released version 4 of its social news-sharing site, fans have rebelled, flooding Digg with links from a rival sharing site, staging a "Quit Digg Day," and prophesying a major drop-off in traffic if the site doesn't return to its roots. Has Digg dug its grave, or is this yet another kneejerk neophobic reaction?

• Google and Zynga: 5 burning questions

  Popular social games like Farmville, Mafia Wars and Fishville may soon be available to Google users, if recent rumors turn out to be accurate. Google has reportedly invested between US$100 and $200 million in the social gaming company Zynga, and the search giant plans to make Zynga a major part of a Google-branded gaming platform called Google Games.  

• Who really runs Facebook?

  Quick: Who's the CEO of Facebook?

• 5 LinkedIn Groups to Boost Your Social Media Savvy

  How familiar are you with LinkedIn Groups? This section of the social networking site (found on the top navigation bar) is dedicated to communities of professionals based on common interests, experiences, affiliation and goals. Groups can be a great source of industry information and discussions, as well as an effective way to connect with likeminded professionals.

• Does Facebook's newsfeed patent threaten social media?

  Facebook has been awarded a patent for "dynamically providing a news feed about a user of a social network."

• Social media takes toll on organisational reputation: survey

  The reputations of organisations are taking a beating in social media, with consumers going so far as to boycott companies based on comments made on sites such as Facebook and Twitter, a new survey has found.

• Social media ban: should companies join the Marines?

  It's always hard to argue with the U.S. Marines. Social networks do pose a security risk, but should business let the Marines lead the way? Does banning Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, et al, make sense outside the military?

• Social media takes to the streets

  Welcome to the era of SoMo.

• Digg users can now vote on both ads and news

  Social news site Digg is introducing an advertisement platform that will allow its users to vote advertisements up and down as they now do with news stories.

• USQ turns to Web 2.0 to connect with students

  The University of Southern Queensland (USQ) is increasingly turning to social media tools and virtual environments to attract students and improve its services.