Social networking

Veteran video game executive Don Mattrick faces his toughest level yet.

On Monday, Zynga said it had tapped Mattrick as its new CEO. He will take over for Mark Pincus, the controversial founder and current CEO of the embattled social-gaming company.

Mattrick faces a Herculean task of reviving a company whose fortunes have taken a turn for the worse thanks to an exodus of players, fatigue from even its most popular franchises, and, ultimately, a "broken" business model. Moreover, he will have to work with Pincus, whose difficult personality has rubbed insiders and investors the wrong way.

Still, … Read more

Facebook is considering getting into the gaming business as a publisher, a new report claims.

The social network is currently working with a few mobile-game developers to iron out a deal that would see their titles published under the Facebook brand, TechCrunch is reporting, citing people who claim to have knowledge of the discussions. The mobile games would generate revenue through Facebook's ad platform, and the world's largest social network would share a cut of that revenue with developers.

Developers and publishers are two very different entities in the gaming space. Developers actually create the game, while publishers … Read more

The Saudi Arabian government has sentenced seven men to prison on charges they used Facebook to incite protests and encourage illegal gathering, according to Human Rights Watch. Their sentences range from five to 10 years.

"Sending people off to years in prison for peaceful Facebook posts sends a strong message that there's no safe way to speak out in Saudi Arabia, even on online social networks," Human Rights Watch deputy Middle East director Joe Stork said in a statement.

The seven men were originally arrested in September 2011 and have been in jail ever since. When they … Read more

Usually, "Liking" something gives it broader exposure -- and thus a better chance of propagating in the digital realm. A new online art project called "Like to Death" is the opposite. It disappears bit by bit as people "Like" it.

"Social media is the fifth dimension that fabricates our online existence," reads a screen that appears when visitors enter the flickering black and white site for Like to Death. "Imagine a life without it, if you can't you have been possessed. Break the curse, like it to death."

A collaboration for Adidas Originals by digital artist Geoffrey Lillemon and Stooki, an independent U.K. jewelry and apparel label that's also an art collective, Like to Death presents an ominous-looking seated robed figure of death wearing four heads like rings on its fingers. The artists describe these symbols as "demons," toying, they say, with the idea "that everyone possesses a social-media demon" -- be it an unhealthy addiction to social networks or the traces of ourselves we leave online that we might later wish we could make disappear. … Read more

You are not going to bereefer this.

In fact, you might need to steady yourself by whatever means you normally choose to create a little peaceful comfort.

You see, a group of scientists have got together, studied the brains of pot smokers and decided that regular marijuanists have brains that enjoy deficiencies.

These, specifically, involve a stunted ability to synthesize dopamine, a little neurotransmitter which, when fed correctly, makes you want to start a company called Facebook, climb Kilimanjaro, or run the 100 meters in 8.2 seconds.

Yes, a blunt can blunt your need to succeed.

I am grateful to PopSci … Read more

Don Mattrick, the man who oversaw Microsoft's gaming business, will start his new job as CEO of Zynga next week, Mark Pincus, founder of the social gaming company, announced Monday afternoon.

The struggling company confirmed the appointment on its blog after All Things Digital reported the news earlier in the day. In addition to replacing Pincus as CEO, Mattrick -- who was in charge of gaming and entertainment at Microsoft including the popular Xbox gaming system -- will also become a Zynga board member. He starts at Zynga on July 8.

"As I reflect on the past six … Read more

Long forgotten 8-year-old social network Bebo, which AOL bought for $850 million in 2008, is escaping near death once again.

Original Bebo co-founder Michael Birch said in a tweet Monday that he has purchased the property from owner Criterion Capital Partners (CCP) for $1 million with plans to reinvent the site. AOL sold Bebo to CCP three years ago for reportedly less than $10 million.

We just bought Bebo back for $1m. Can we actually re-invent it? Who knows, but it will be fun trying...

The social property never got close to accumulating a … Read more

Facing stiff competition in mobile messaging, Microsoft-owned Skype updated its Android application Monday with a crisper design meant to emphasize conversations. The application has been installed on more than 100 million Android devices, Skype said.

Skype for Android 4.0 arrives with a contemporary look where messaging -- chats, voice calls, and video calls -- takes center stage.

The application now features a person's most recent conversations on the home screen and comes with call and chat buttons at the bottom of the screen for quick access. Messaging dominates in the Favorites and Contacts tabs as well, as the … Read more

Attention "American Idol" superfans: if you've been in major withdrawal since Candice Glover won Season 12 of Fox's blockbuster talent competition last May, you'll get your fix soon enough. On July 19, the American Idol Live! tour--a 30-stop national extravaganza, featuring the top 11 contestants--makes its way across the U.S. to a city near you. Expect to see Amber Holcomb, Angie Miller, Burnell Taylor, Candice Glover, Curtis Finch Jr, Devin Velez, Janelle Arthur, Kree Harrison, Lazaro Arbos, Paul Jolley, and fan-saved Aubrey Cleland re-creating your favorite performances from this past season and surprising you … Read more