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Facebook reveals new Social Graph data

Facebook continues to pull back the curtain on some of the technical details behind its search products, this time with a new look at the Social Graph.

The social network's latest reveal is about LinkBench, a new database benchmark for the Social Graph, which is being released this week on GitHub.

(For reference, according to Facebook engineers, the Social Graph is a graph data structure involving an "immense map" of people, places, and things and the connections between them.)

Touted as a tool for developers who need to benchmark and fine-tune database systems, LinkBench was designed to … Read more

Facebook faces jury trial over Timeline trademark

Facebook has failed to strike from its own history an unfortunate matter involving the trademark for Timeline, the storytelling version of the profile that attempts to chronicle each member's life events.

The social network, which was first sued in September 2011 by Chicago company Timelines Inc. for infringement, now faces a jury trial, scheduled for April 22, over the mark.

U.S. District Judge John W. Darrah said today that Facebook was not able to invalidate Timelines' claim to the mark, Bloomberg reported. "At this stage in the proceedings, it is not unreasonable to conclude that as to … Read more

Why investors are brushing off Facebook's home on Android

The Facebook "phone" is a snooze fest -- at least, that's Wall Street premature take. Investors haven't batted an eye at various rumors and reports about the social network's new home on Android, which will arrive on April 4.

Facebook shares opened today at an unremarkable $25.60, and have since lost around half a percent in value.

The itty-bitty decline immediately follows Facebook's late Thursday announcement about an Android-related event, which led many to speculate about the potential unveiling of a long-rumored Facebook phone. The latest leak suggests Facebook will show a special … Read more

Use Interest Lists instead of Likes on Facebook

Whether it's attaching your name to social-based ads that your friends will see, or resurrecting old messages onto your Timeline, Facebook has become quite the source of over-sharing and headache.

Unfortunately, by simply clicking "Like" on a Facebook that you want to read updates from, your Timeline can become more cluttered than ever. You might see more sponsored posts related to your Likes, and you'll be announcing each Like to all of your friends. Wouldn't it be nice to follow pages without announcing them to everyone or flooding your updates?

A … Read more

Facebook to put own spin on Android with 'new home,' report says

A Facebook media event invitation the company released last week might be saying more than originally thought.

Last week, Facebook sent out an invite for an event it's hosting on Thursday. On the invitation, the company says, "Come See Our New Home on Android." Other than making clear that it the event will be Android related, the company provided no additional details.

However, the invitation's message might be coded to include the name of a new product the company has been working on, called Facebook Home, Google news site 9to5Google reported, citing people who claim to … Read more

Police said to use Facebook to stop punk rock house parties

Police going undercover on social media to catch gangsters and murderers is one thing, but posing as punk rockers to catch bands playing illegal house parties?

That's just what Boston police are allegedly doing, according to Slate.

After a nuisance control ordinance (PDF) passed last year, the city has been working to squelch local punk and indie rock parties featuring loud bands. And to find out where these raucous festivities are taking place -- in order to break them up before they get started -- the police are supposedly sleuthing out party addresses via e-mail and social media.

Acting … Read more

Tracking the rumor that just won't die: The Facebook phone

Facebook executives love to do verbal tap dances around the idea of a phone. It's been going on for years: reports, denials, reports, denials. And now, just two months after a categorical denial from CEO Mark Zuckerberg himself, it seems that at its event next week, Facebook may well go ahead and release what arguably amounts to a Facebook phone.

OK, it's not really a Facebook phone that Facebook watchers are expecting. But this time, it's undeniably something phone related. The social network on Thursday sent out media invitations to "Come See Our New Home on … Read more

In your face, Facebook style

I get it. All grown up (more or less) and a publicly traded company to boot, Facebook thinks day and night about how to better delight its advertisers and convince Wall Street that it's quite serious about monetizing the folks who use its social network.

Just look at Facebook's News Feed redesign and it's clear the powers-that-be have some very smart ideas about how to satisfy those first two constituencies. And what of those hundreds of millions of people who use Facebook to catch up on cute cat photos and the latest apercus from slightly batty relatives? … Read more

The idea of a Facebook Android version makes my head hurt

On what should be a quiet Good Friday, speculation is flying over an Android-themed event that Facebook has scheduled for next Thursday.

Of course, the most low-hanging rumor fruit is that the company will really-we-mean-it-this-time introduce the endlessly discussed "Facebook phone." This is one rumor mill that makes me ill so I'll defer to BGR's Zach Epstein to explain what I think the chances are of such a device. (Spoiler: there's not a chance)

Please, God, no Now I could be wrong. And if I am, I'll say so next week if the rumored HTC Myst … Read more