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Donate to charities using Facebook Gifts

Facebook is adding a new product within its gifting service -- charitable donations.

As part of the social network's Facebook Gifts service, users can now send donations in a friend's name to organizations like the Red Cross, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, or DonorsChoose.org.

The launch comes during the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the superstorm that's destroyed homes and left countless people without power.

"We are especially pleased to be launching this test now -- when so many people are looking for new ways to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy, or assist … Read more

Rumor says Facebook may create classified ads -- again

Rumor has it that Facebook is on the verge of creating a new classifieds listings, which could put it in direct competition with Craigslist.

According to The Daily's Matt Hickey, two anonymous sources within the social network revealed information on the project and said that it's likely to be finished sooner rather than later.

The service would reportedly let users create ads to show up in friends' news feeds. These would essentially offer the same sorts of things Craigslist posts do -- jobs, apartment rentals, and items for sale -- but would only target users who meet specific … Read more

Facebook's stock spooked by insider selling concerns

No one knows how many of Facebook's rank-and-file employees decided to sell some of their pre-IPO holdings today -- the first time they've been allowed to since the company went public back in May at $38 a share.

But plenty of people did sell -- either employees or investors fearful that a rush of new shares on the market would push down the stock. Or, more likely, a combination of both. The stock, which traded nearly twice the volume of a typical day, ended down 3.37 percent at $21.12. (Note, however, that this is far above … Read more

Facebook looking into a slimmer, trimmer Timeline layout

Facebook is testing out a new, slimmer Timeline layout featuring a single column of posts instead of the current double column. The test layout keeps the boxes that highlight friends and activities to the right.

The social network is currently rolling out the test, first noticed by Inside Facebook, to a small number of users.

"This is a new design Facebook is testing with a small percentage of people to make navigating timeline even easier," a Facebook spokeswoman told CNET.

When Timeline was first introduced, it prompted mixed reviews from users, with some hating the change. But really, … Read more

Facebook stock: Let the insider selling begin

One big question looming over Facebook's stock: How many insiders are going to start dumping their shares?

After more than five months of watching their holdings sink, most employees and early Facebook investors can start cashing in their pre-IPO stock as the so-called lockups expire. Not all at once, however, but the key dates are coming fast and one, in fact, just passed (though the markets were closed because of Sandy). By the end of the year, Facebook's float -- that's the stock that's available to trade in the open market -- will increase by more … Read more

Facebook 'Likes' King.com's new mobile puzzle game

King.com, a fast growing developer of Facebook games, unveiled its second Facebook synchronized mobile game tonight, displaying the type of gaming experience Facebook says its wants more of.

King said that Candy Crush Saga, which has nearly 5 million daily active players and 15,600,000 monthly active players on Facebook, launches on mobile in November.

Sean Ryan, Facebook's director of games partnerships, said the game is an example of how popular Web games can successfully translate to mobile games. Candy Crush Saga will be available on iOS devices and synchronized with Facebook. This means players can pick … Read more

Sandy knocks snark out of Twitter -- for a day

That awkward moment when your Twitter feed shifts from hurricane booze sarcasm to genuine fear. #sandy

— Ben Rossen (@benrossen) October 29, 2012

As someone writing on the West Coast, it's easy to feel at once a bit detached about Hurricane Sandy and deeply concerned for friends and family -- and everyone else -- stuck in the path of that once-in-a-generation natural disaster bearing down on the East Coast.

But for those hunkering down in places like New York City, Sandy represents real personal consequences -- and it would be natural to assume that those who've spent days nervously waiting to see if the hurricane is for real aren't laughing about it now that they're in the thick of it.

Yet, a quick look at Twitter today reveals that at least as many people have been tweeting quips about the storm as have been expressing real worry. The real question, though, seemed to be: How might the mood change once Sandy hit land and anticipation was replaced by the reality of being in the middle of a major natural disaster that's actively wreaking havoc? … Read more

Facebook backer Jim Breyer sells $81.1M in stock

Jim Breyer, the venture capitalist whose firm Accel Partners made an early bet on Facebook, last week sold shares of Facebook worth more than $81.1 million, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

More specifically, Breyer, who sits on Facebook's board, sold 3,563,387 shares at prices ranging from $22.48 to $23.29 per share. The sales occurred last Thursday.

While those prices are a far cry from the $38 a share that Facebook went public at in May, Breyer still hit a high point of late. The stock had just rallied following … Read more

Sandy is a disaster, but these photos are ridiculous

As almost everyone knows, Hurricane Sandy is bearing down on the East Coast, and when all is said and done, its likely to leave a wide, expensive, and potentially fatal path of destruction in its wake. Yet despite a massive number of legitimate photos of the storm being uploaded to every social network you can think of -- including 10 a second to Instagram -- a number of sensational photos seem to be dominating the conversation.

The photos show incredible images like the eye of the hurricane floating over the top of the Statue of Liberty. Or of a very … Read more