Webware Radar: Earn a master's in social media
Also: Charles River Ventures raises $320 million in funding; Kickapps now supports Facebook Connect and OpenID; Ecomii.com has a new site design; and Truphone unveils flat monthly calling plans.
Birmingham City University, a college in the U.K., will start offering a degree in social media, the Telegraph is reporting. According to the report, the course will delve into "what people can do on Facebook and Twitter." The course will also help students learn more about blogs, podcasts, and other social activities. Upon successful completion of the course, students will earn a master's degree in social media.
Venture capitalist firm Charles River Ventures announced Monday that its partners have raised $320 million for its 14th fund, Charles River Partnership XIV. The company will use that funding to continue to invest in start-ups. Right now, it has investments in Twitter and Yammer, to name a few.
Social network Kickapps announced Monday that it will now support Facebook Connect and OpenID. Kickapps-powered sites don't necessarily need to include access to OpenID or Facebook Connect, but the option is being made available to all Kickapps clients. According to the company, information from a user's MySpace or Facebook accounts will be imported into their KickApps profile automatically. Sites that deploy OpenID and Facebook Connect will no longer require a unique Kickapps login.
Ecomii.com, a site that offers visitors green lifestyle information, launched a redesigned site Monday that provides users with more information about "living a healthier, greener life." The site features an enhanced navigation system to find information sooner. Its new gardening center helps visitors with landscape design and growing organic vegetables. The site also boasts a hybrid and electric car section, as well as a news center so visitors can be kept abreast of environmental news. The new site design is live now.
Truphone, a provider of VoIP solutions, unveiled a new calling plan Monday that will charge customers a flat monthly fee to call mobile phones or landlines. Dubbed TruUnlimited, the calling plan allows users to call anyone anywhere in the world for the same fee at any time in the day. Truphone is making the calling plans available now. It will cost about $14 per month to call landlines and $35 per month to call mobile phones.