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Avoid seeing spoilers on Facebook and Twitter with Chrome extension

I have two kids with active schedules, and a wife who likes to unwind at the end of the day with a procedural crime drama. As a result, I DVR a lot of sports. Attempting to avoid the final score of a game I have recorded is a regular occurrence and a feat made more difficult with the presence of Facebook and Twitter. With Chrome extension Silencer, I can filter Facebook and Twitter to remove posts that may give away the result of a game. Or a TV drama I am behind on. Or suggested posts on Facebook or promoted … Read more

Waze directs drivers to Facebook events

Waze has updated its iPhone and Android applications to provide people with a single-tap, no-address-input way to route themselves to the events that they've RSVP'd in the affirmative to on Facebook.

The release, which highlights exactly how the social network can add real-life value to maps, tailgates the news that the companies have reportedly walked away from acquisition talks.

Five-year-old Waze makes a people-powered navigation application and is used by 49 million people in 193 countries. The startup, which likens its service to a search engine for smartphone owners, specializes in routing drivers around traffic and hazards, and … Read more

Facebook pulls pages depicting violence against women

Several Facebook pages have popped up that encourage or make a joke of violence against women, pages like Fly Kicking Sluts in the Uterus, Violently Raping Your Friend Just for Laughs, and Raping your Girlfriend.

Facebook has now decided to take these pages down.

"In recent days, it has become clear that our systems to identify and remove hate speech have failed to work as effectively as we would like, particularly around issues of gender-based hate," Facebook's VP of Global Public Policy Marne Levine wrote in a blog post Tuesday. "We have been working over the … Read more

Facebookers, beware: That silly update can cost you a job

Little did Ashley Payne know that the festive photo of her holding both a pint of beer and a glass of red wine would lead to her losing her high school teaching job.

The 24-year-old educator posted the image to her Facebook profile, and after a parent complained, school officials told Payne she'd have to choose between resigning and suspension, according to IOL News. She resigned.

If those same school officials were hiring and found a candidate with a similar photo shared on the social Web, it's most likely that person wouldn't even get an interview.

According … Read more

Sonos 4.1 update improves Spotify, playlist support

Now that Logitech's Squeezebox is out of the picture, Sonos is one of the best streaming devices you can buy, but it hasn't been without its niggles. One of the previous criticisms of the Sonos software was that playlist support was limited and couldn't incorporate songs from Spotify; the newest software update promises to remedy this.

The Sonos 4.1 update allows users to not only manage their Spotify playlists and playlist folders but also to create new Sonos playlists from multiple music sources.

Sonos says you can now select tracks from any music source and add … Read more

Facebook verifying celebrities, journalists, and brands

Facebook said Wednesday that it has begun to verify the Facebook Pages and profiles of public figures.

"Today we're launching verified Pages to help people find the authentic accounts of celebrities and other high-profile people and businesses on Facebook," the company wrote in its announcement. "Verified Pages belong to a small group of prominent public figures (celebrities, journalists, government officials, popular brands and businesses) with large audiences."

Just as on Twitter, Facebook's verified accounts will feature a little blue check mark. You'll find the mark next to verified accounts on Timelines, in search … Read more

Sheryl Sandberg: Teens not abandoning Facebook

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. -- Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg isn't overly concerned that teenagers will abandon the giant social network, as a Pew study reported. "We're the leaders in a growing market," she said during an onstage interview at the D: All Things Digital conference here. She acknowledged, though, that teens are using sites such as Tumblr and Twitter more. "We are watching that very carefully," she said.

Sandberg also noted that social networking and other Internet activities still trail TV in terms of time spent. Users on average watch 34 hours … Read more

SEC fines Nasdaq $10M over Facebook IPO

Analysts might attribute more blame with the Nasdaq now over Facebook's bungled initial public offering last year thanks to a new decision from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The SEC is charging the American stock exchange with a $10 million penalty over poor decisions made as well as systems set up during the IPO and secondary trading scheme for shares of the world's largest social network.

According to the government agency itself, this is the largest penalty ever slapped against an exchange.

The SEC issued a memo on Wednesday detailing the rationale behind the decision. Here'… Read more

The Internet is becoming more mobile by the day

The worldwide Internet population is growing rapidly -- and that growth might have something to do with mobile devices.

Speaking today at the AllThingsD D11 Conference, Mary Meeker, a partner at Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Meeker, reported that 2.4 billion people around the world are on the Internet -- an 8 percent year-over-year gain. Still, only 34 percent of the world's population is online. In the U.S., the Internet population penetration sits at 78 percent, according to Meeker.

Perhaps the biggest news from Meeker's presentation was the staggering growth in … Read more