MySpace

Trig: Good-looking social networking, or is it?

Trig is a new social-networking site based out of Sweden that's aiming to steal you away from MySpace with its devastatingly good looks and indie branding. Trig has a gorgeous welcome page. It first caught my eye when I saw it featured on The Museum of Modern Betas. It seemed to have everything MySpace did (and more), but with a unmistakable visual appeal. I was hoping the actual site would have a similar luster, but Web sites (like books) can't be judged on outside appearances alone, and Trig is unfortunately proof of this.

Trig is a work in … Read more

Amsterdam confab draws U.S. dot-coms

Amsterdam, Holland's cultural melting pot, will host a cadre of technologists this week at a new annual confab that throws U.S. dot-coms in the spotlight.

Executives from MySpace, Google, Craigslist and Linden Lab's Second Life will be among the keynote speakers at the city's first-ever Picnic '06, an informal summit and workshop hosted by the international networking association, Cross Media Week Foundation. Organizers expect about 3,000 attendees at the three-day gathering.

Eckart Wintzen, a board member of the Foundation and founder of green investment firm Extent, said the conference will bring together technologists, city planners, … Read more

MySpace Guardian provides a false sense of security

There are plenty of options for parents who want to keep their kids safe on MySpace, not the least of which are good old-fashioned self-education (do you know how to translate "m4d sk1llz?"**) and proactive involvement in learning what kids are up to online. But for those who remain daunted by the idea of online social networking, there's the MySpace Guardian, a free downloadable toolbar that's designed to help parents track activity on their children's profiles.

Unfortunately, there's nothing about the MySpace Guardian that offers genuinely new ways to make site use safer. It … Read more

Military recruiters are newest MySpace buddy

In a sign that social networking may have officially jumped the shark, MTV and Wal-Mart have recently joined the Internet craze with social sites of their own, urging young audiences to connect with friends under their brand umbrellas.

In that light, it may not be long before the U.S. government unveils a social network to sharpen its image with young voters. Think of it? MyAmerica.com.

At least one arm of the government is already angling that way. According to an article Monday from the Associated Press, the U.S. Marine Corps is finding recruits on MySpace.com, the … Read more

Murdoch taking MySpace down the tubes

Most of us bore witness this week to a rickety, nonsensical politician explaining to Congress how the InterWeb is a series of "tubes." Unfortunately, dear Senator Stevens is a key decision maker on Net neutrality, and has what one blogger called a "Flintstonian" understanding of the Internet.

The silliness escalated when a MySpacer let us listen to the Stevens ramblings again, this time in B minor with a backbeat. But media king Rupert Murdoch interrupted our uncomfortable laughter as the musical MySpacer's page was cancelled. Poof.

Enter some inquiry from a Web news reporter as … Read more