Question of Death?

You may have heard of Ask.fm

The social networking site allows users to post anonymous comments online. Kids as young as 13 years old are allowed on the site, everyone can see all the posts, and no one monitors the content.

"Anyone can say what they want, so people aren't going to be nice most of the time," Max Raykov says.

Robert Siciliano, a McAfee cyber security expert says Ask.fm is the new favorite sparring site for cyberbullies who want to tear people down without showing their face.

"There's no accountability with anonymity and the overall drama that takes place in social media exemplifies teen angst," Siciliano says.

The website BuzzFeed says Ask.fm has been linked to nine teen suicides in the last year.

People like 14-year-old Hannah Smith was found hanged by her sister in August after anonymous bullies on Ask.fm wrote things like: "every1 will be happy if you died. drink bleach. Go die."

"Teen suicides happen every day unfortunately, but the fact that a certain amount of teens were found with this on their phones or devices and their parents are equating to that definitely raises eyebrows," says Siciliano.

"Some of my friends have it and people do post mean things like you have no friends and stuff," 12-year-old Savannah says.

"I don't think it's okay for people to bully people on there," says Sophia Shaw. "You don't know what they're going through in life or how they will react to the situation."

Although Ask.fm has been referenced in so many teen deaths, Siciliano says the site doesn't deserve all the blame. He says parents have some responsibility too -- to know what their kids are doing online.

"Learn the technology, learn the apps, know how their online lives work," he says.

And one final thing that makes Ask.fm so dangerous is it originates in Latvia, so U.S. laws don't apply.

source:
http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/23900730/social-networking-site-askfm-linked-to-9-teen-suicides#axzz32sfqalzg

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Snapchat Doppelganger

Facebook could be gearing up to introduce a Snapchat-like video message tool later this month, according to a Financial Times report. The app, known to staffers as 'Slingshot,' would enable users to send short video messages, and it would likely not be integrated with the social site's other applications, such as Facebook Messenger. Based on the timing of Slingshot's potential release, it's possible that a team within the company began working on the app shortly after negotiations to acquire Snapchat for $3 billion failed late last year, leaving Facebook to build its own competitor from the ground up. Still, while the new app appears to be nearly ready for primetime, the launch apparently has yet to be approved -- it's possible that Slingshot may never see the light of day. 

source: 
http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/18/facebook-slingshot/

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The Bird Sings

Twitter may be in talks to purchase SoundCloud, a large service that is known by some as YouTube for audio. According to Recode, Twitter is "considering a deal" to buy the Berlin-based company, which lets anyone, from individuals to DJ collectives to bands, upload and share audio clips.

If true, the acquisition would be a very big move for Twitter, whicha has seen its stock battered over the last few months as investors worry that it is not growing fast enough. After going public last November at $26 a share, it quickly rose to $74.73 before beginning a long downward slide. As of this writing, the company's shares are at $32.36.

Screen-shot-2014-05-19-at-11-45-00-am.png There are two obvious reasons Twitter might want to buy a company like the privately held SoundCloud. First is Twitter's longstanding desire to get closer to the music industry. Its attempts so far, most notably with its own #Music app, have largely been unsuccessful. Second, SoundCloud is said to have 250 million users around the world, which could be a boon to Twitter as the social-networking company seeks to boost its growth.

Both Twitter and SoundCloud declined to comment, saying they don't address rumors. If Twitter were to buy SoundCloud, it would almost certainly be a very expensive acquisition. Last year, SoundCloud raised a $60 million round of funding that valued it at $700 million. To date, Twitter's most expensive purchase has been ad network MoPub, for which it paid about $350 million.

For SoundCloud, being part of Twitter could be appealing because of Twitter's success at selling ads. As Recode wrote, SoundCloud already offers its users a paid premium service, with additional features, but it doesn't have much in the way of an ads operation.

To some industry observers, Twitter buying SoundCloud would make sense for both companies. "A deal like this makes sense for Twitter, [because] it gives them a much needed push into media and adds into their business another really interesting and popular publishing platform," said Gartner analyst Brian Blau. "If SoundCloud can get a favorable music licensing deal to make right how their users get access to published songs, then we could see that music become even more deeply embedded into Twitter apps."

source:
http://www.cnet.com/news/twitter-reported-in-talks-to-buy-soundcloud/

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Social Media Kills

Social medias, a word that is very common to hear.
These days social media is a very important thing in our life.

We need it to communicate, play games, and sharing photos/videos.

But, for all of you who is out there you should use Social Media correctly.

The head of roads policing in England and Wales, Chief Constable Suzette Davenport, says people are increasingly posting updates, taking photos and video calling behind the wheel.
More than 6,000 16 to 24-year-olds were killed or seriously injured in 2012.
A recent RAC survey also found that 20% of 17 to 19-year-olds admitted using Facebook or Twitter while driving.

Imogen Cauthery, 27, sustained serious injuries after being hit by a car as a child.  Witnesses say the driver was distracted by a mobile phone.

So, would you chat and call behind the wheel? Your choice

source :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/27491600

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Shazam!

Who doesn't know Facebook?

Last year, Facebook added a new button for posting your "feelings" in a status update. You could type in your anguish, ecstasy, or apathy and see the corresponding emoji appear. You could also add "activities" like watching Men In Black, listening to a hot Pitbull track, or eating a cannoli.

The lastest version of Facebook for iOS and Android automatically recognizes the song you’re listening to or TV show you’re watching and adds it to your status. The Shazam-like feature is called "audio recognition," and starts listening as soon as you start typing a new status. There’s no need to tap "Listening To" or "Watching" in the status-creation screen. You can opt in to the feature for the first time by tapping a new button inside the status window. When there’s a match, a badge pops up over Facebook’s feelings button, a small smiley face. The hope is that there will be a match by the time you’re done writing a status. In my brief tests of the new service, audio recognition found matches to a few songs, movies, and TV shows in less than five seconds.

source :
http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/21/5738222/facebook-will-be-listening-when-you-post-your-next-status-update-shazam

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