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  Florida Teachers Barred from Friending Students on Facebook

  JP 1:43 am on August 21, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Florida (10), Lee County, lee county florida, nbsp (1,691), Networking (65), networking web site, Read (1,473), social networking sites (55), Web

  Filed under: Web, Social Networking, Back to School

  

  School officials in Lee County, Florida have issued a new set of guidelines for the upcoming academic year. This go-round, they’re cracking down on Facebook.

  As the AFP reports, the newly published protocol explicitly warns district teachers against interacting with their students via social networking sites, in order to avoid the kinds of legal or professional pitfalls that have plagued so many. “It is inappropriate for employees to communicate, regardless of the reason, with current students enrolled in the district on any public social networking Web site,” the guidelines read. “This includes becoming ‘friends’ or allowing students access to personal Web pages for communication reasons.” The guidelines also warn against posting personal information or photos, and now prohibit educators from posting any information about their students.

  Continue reading Florida Teachers Barred from Friending Students on Facebook

  Florida Teachers Barred from Friending Students on Facebook originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  More Americans Finding Their Mates Online

  JP 1:44 am on August 19, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Michael Rosenfeld (2), nbsp (1,691), OkCupid (4), online (28), Read (1,473), stanford university (3), Web

  Filed under: Web, Social Networking

  

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  It used to be that, if you wanted to meet that special someone, you had to chat up people at bars or go on dates set up by friends and family. Sure, there have always been personal ads and dating services, but they were generally considered the realm of the desperate. But now, social networks have turned the Internet into one giant repository of personal ads, and much of the stigma associated with online dating has disappeared. In fact, according to a recent study by Michael Rosenfeld from Stanford University, as many as one quarter of all couples first met online.

  Rosenfeld has called the Web the greatest technological shake-up the dating scene has ever witnessed. While the phone certainly was a game changer, it only allowed you, largely anyway, to stay in contact with people you already knew. The Internet, on the other hand, has turned people into their own matchmakers. Now, thanks to dedicated dating sites like OkCupid and Match.com, as well as Facebook, those playing the field are identifying and evaluating potential mates from the comfort of their computers.

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  Continue reading More Americans Finding Their Mates Online

  More Americans Finding Their Mates Online originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  More Americans Finding Their Mates Online

  JP 1:44 am on August 18, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Michael Rosenfeld (2), nbsp (1,691), OkCupid (4), online (28), Read (1,473), stanford university (3), Web

  Filed under: Web, Social Networking

  

  Share

  It used to be that, if you wanted to meet that special someone, you had to chat up people at bars or go on dates set up by friends and family. Sure, there have always been personal ads and dating services, but they were generally considered the realm of the desperate. But now, social networks have turned the Internet into one giant repository of personal ads, and much of the stigma associated with online dating has disappeared. In fact, according to a recent study by Michael Rosenfeld from Stanford University, as many as one quarter of all couples first met online.

  Rosenfeld has called the Web the greatest technological shake-up the dating scene has ever witnessed. While the phone certainly was a game changer, it only allowed you, largely anyway, to stay in contact with people you already knew. The Internet, on the other hand, has turned people into their own matchmakers. Now, thanks to dedicated dating sites like OkCupid and Match.com, as well as Facebook, those playing the field are identifying and evaluating potential mates from the comfort of their computers.

  View Poll

  Continue reading More Americans Finding Their Mates Online

  More Americans Finding Their Mates Online originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Flash Video NuCaptcha Ready to Block Bots and Annoy You

  JP 1:45 am on August 9, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: fake accounts (4), human viewers, nbsp (1,691), NuCaptcha, unfortunate side effect (3), Web

  Filed under: Computers, Web

  CAPTCHA: the most irritating and unfortunate necessity of the Web. Spam bots have gotten smart enough to outwit most of the hoops put in place to keep them from flooding various sites with fake accounts. To stem the tide, CAPTCHAs have gotten increasingly difficult for the bots to decipher, which has the unfortunate side effect of leaving humans just as puzzled. While we’re forced to pause, squint and scratch our heads at the obscure combinations of letters and numbers, the machines are only getting better at breaking them.

  A new idea is to switch from static mixes of letters and numbers to videos that are more legible to human viewers, and arguably more difficult for machines to parse. NuCaptcha’s NuCaptcha would play short videos of letters bobbing and scrolling across a background. A predetermined message in white would be followed by a short selection of characters in red, which a user would be asked to repeat. While it sounds great in theory, the last thing we think the Web needs is more embedded Flash videos. Check after the break for an example. [From: Mashable]

  Continue reading Flash Video NuCaptcha Ready to Block Bots and Annoy You

  Flash Video NuCaptcha Ready to Block Bots and Annoy You originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 08 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Brazilian Kidnappers Use Social Networking to Locate Victims

  JP 1:44 am on August 8, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: ap notes (2), Boston (14), brazilian authorities (2), kidnapping (2), nbsp (1,691), Paulo (2), Read (1,473), social networking sites (55), Web

  Filed under: Web, Social Networking

  As we’ve reported before, thieves, scammers and other charlatans sometimes find their targets on Twitter and Facebook, especially when the soon-to-be victims post innocent status updates like, “My 18 HDTVs will be so lonely in my unlocked house while I’m on vacation for the next month,” veritably inviting criminals to track them down. Now Brazil’s favorite crime-sport of kidnapping has been thrown into the mix, as ransomers have taken to social networking sites to find valuable abductees. (So we’re not crazy for thinking that a new Brazilian marketing campaign that will plaster your photo and a map of where you live on the Internet is a scary, stupid idea.)

  The AP reports that nine people were arrested as part of a kidnapping ring last week in São Paulo. Investigators had been searching for a 19-year-old kidnapping victim, and tracked his seqüestradors‘ communications in order to find him. As part of their larger MO, the nefarious group would scour the social Web for potential victims, searching for postings about luxury cars, houses and vacation plans. After assessing a ransom based on those postings, they would then locate where the victim worked and hung out. The AP notes that Brazilian authorities wouldn’t say how many people the ring had kidnapped, or how long it had been operating. [From: Boston.com]

  Brazilian Kidnappers Use Social Networking to Locate Victims originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Brazilian Kidnappers Use Social Networking to Locate Victims

  JP 1:44 am on August 7, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: ap notes (2), Boston (14), brazilian authorities (2), kidnapping (2), nbsp (1,691), Paulo (2), Read (1,473), social networking sites (55), Web

  Filed under: Web, Social Networking

  As we’ve reported before, thieves, scammers and other charlatans sometimes find their targets on Twitter and Facebook, especially when the soon-to-be victims post innocent status updates like, “My 18 HDTVs will be so lonely in my unlocked house while I’m on vacation for the next month,” veritably inviting criminals to track them down. Now Brazil’s favorite crime-sport of kidnapping has been thrown into the mix, as ransomers have taken to social networking sites to find valuable abductees. (So we’re not crazy for thinking that a new Brazilian marketing campaign that will plaster your photo and a map of where you live on the Internet is a scary, stupid idea.)

  The AP reports that nine people were arrested as part of a kidnapping ring last week in São Paulo. Investigators had been searching for a 19-year-old kidnapping victim, and tracked his seqüestradors‘ communications in order to find him. As part of their larger MO, the nefarious group would scour the social Web for potential victims, searching for postings about luxury cars, houses and vacation plans. After assessing a ransom based on those postings, they would then locate where the victim worked and hung out. The AP notes that Brazilian authorities wouldn’t say how many people the ring had kidnapped, or how long it had been operating. [From: Boston.com]

  Brazilian Kidnappers Use Social Networking to Locate Victims originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Google Images Makeover Looks an Awful Lot Like Bing

  JP 11:15 pm on July 20, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: attractive interface, Bing (6), google (193), google images, image front, nbsp (1,691), Read (1,473), Web

  Filed under: Google, Web

  

  On the Official Google Blog today, the search giant announced that Google Images is getting a makeover. The revamped look, which features larger images and less white space, might appear oddly familiar to some users. We couldn’t help but notice that some of these new design features — like thumbnails that pop-out and reveal hidden text when you hover over them — are similar to those found on Microsoft’s Bing search engine. Of course, don’t expect Google to fess up to “borrowing” any ideas from its chief rival. Google claims this more attractive interface is meant “to match the scope and beauty of this fast-growing visual web,” not to compete aesthetically with Bing.

  Where previous versions forced you to waste precious time searching for an original photo while hunting for kitty pics to overlay with funny text, the revamped version brings your desired image front and center on the screen. Google thankfully dropped the old pagination method, so you’ll be able to blast through thousands of images by simply tapping the space bar (or page up and down buttons) over and over. [From: Google]

  Google Images Makeover Looks an Awful Lot Like Bing originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  23-Year-Old Tries to Crowdsource His Dating Life

  JP 1:45 am on July 16, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Brian (3), Ed (19), ed note (2), life (6), nbsp (1,691), New York (34), Read (1,473), social networking (65), tweet (27), Web

  Filed under: Web, Social Networking

  

  Crowd-sourcing your dating life as a last means hope of finding that special someone is, well, desperate. But who are we to criticize a chosen path to love? Earlier this week, a 23-year-old New Yorker named Brian became a hit on the Web because he let the Internet pick his partner. Part of his internship at advertising agency BBH required him to “make something, anything famous,” his tweet to Mashable says. So he chose to boost his social life at the same time, claiming, “conveniently… I have no dating life.” He initially proposed the idea to his friends as a joke, thinking they would get a few laughs out of it. Instead, they embraced the idea, seeing it as a way to end their friend’s love slump. (Brian hasn’t had a date since he was 17.) Together, Brian and his friends made a video, created a website, set up a Twitter account and a Facebook page, all advertising Brian’s emergence into the New York dating scene.

  Brian’s goal is to go on 30 dates in 30 days, which is lofty for even the studliest of men. But with the Net on Brian’s side, the pool is wide and deep. Interested singles can volunteer themselves as potential dates on his website, friends can recommend others for Brian to date, and those just looking to join in on the fun can tweet dating advice to Brian’s Twitter account. Officially, Brian’s quest begins on July 19th, but we don’t know how many dates are booked after that. So, ladies, if you’re interested, sign up fast. While we can’t say that anyone here at Switched is willing to date Brian [Ed. Note: Do you mean the one female on staff?], we are willing to bet that, out of the vast number of women surfing the Web, someone will find charm in his nerdiness. [From: Mashable]

  Continue reading 23-Year-Old Tries to Crowdsource His Dating Life

  23-Year-Old Tries to Crowdsource His Dating Life originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  23-Year-Old Tries to Crowdsource His Dating Life

  JP 1:45 am on July 15, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Brian (3), Ed (19), ed note (2), life (6), nbsp (1,691), New York (34), Read (1,473), social networking (65), tweet (27), Web

  Filed under: Web, Social Networking

  

  Crowd-sourcing your dating life as a last means hope of finding that special someone is, well, desperate. But who are we to criticize a chosen path to love? Earlier this week, a 23-year-old New Yorker named Brian became a hit on the Web because he let the Internet pick his partner. Part of his internship at advertising agency BBH required him to “make something, anything famous,” his tweet to Mashable says. So he chose to boost his social life at the same time, claiming, “conveniently… I have no dating life.” He initially proposed the idea to his friends as a joke, thinking they would get a few laughs out of it. Instead, they embraced the idea, seeing it as a way to end their friend’s love slump. (Brian hasn’t had a date since he was 17.) Together, Brian and his friends made a video, created a website, set up a Twitter account and a Facebook page, all advertising Brian’s emergence into the New York dating scene.

  Brian’s goal is to go on 30 dates in 30 days, which is lofty for even the studliest of men. But with the Net on Brian’s side, the pool is wide and deep. Interested singles can volunteer themselves as potential dates on his website, friends can recommend others for Brian to date, and those just looking to join in on the fun can tweet dating advice to Brian’s Twitter account. Officially, Brian’s quest begins on July 19th, but we don’t know how many dates are booked after that. So, ladies, if you’re interested, sign up fast. While we can’t say that anyone here at Switched is willing to date Brian [Ed. Note: Do you mean the one female on staff?], we are willing to bet that, out of the vast number of women surfing the Web, someone will find charm in his nerdiness. [From: Mashable]

  Continue reading 23-Year-Old Tries to Crowdsource His Dating Life

  23-Year-Old Tries to Crowdsource His Dating Life originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  YouTube Hole Exploited by 4Chan, Bieber Bears the Brunt

  JP 1:46 am on July 8, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Chan, google (193), Justin Bieber (3), mischievous hackers, nbsp (1,691), Read (1,473), Web, Youtube (21)

  Filed under: Audio/Video, Google, Web

  

  This weekend, the mischievous hackers that hang out on the boards at 4Chan uncovered and had a field day with a vulnerability in the comments system on YouTube. The exploit allowed the troublemakers to hijack a page by simply leaving a comment with specific HTML tags. The attack could come in the form of a banner laid over a video, a pop-up alert message or even redirect you to a different site. Though most of the attacks were limited to vulgar or offensive messages (many targeting pop-irritant Justin Bieber), Google believed there was potential for the vulnerability to be exploited to steal log-in info.

  While 4Chan members were busy giggling over rumors that the tween star had died, Google was working to fix the flaw. Within an hour of the vulnerability being discovered, Google had shut off comments to temporarily thwart the attacks and had the issue patched in two hours. The incident goes to show that while popular and trusted sites can never be 100-percent safe, a swift response can dull the damage done by the more despicable elements of the Web. [From: The Next Web and The BBC]

  YouTube Hole Exploited by 4Chan, Bieber Bears the Brunt originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 06 Jul 2010 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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