FACEBOOK BEACON: YOU JUST GOT PWNED
Welcome to Facebook Beacon, one of Facebook’s many new business solutions for advertisers. Facebook Beacon allows viral distribution of activity on advertisers’ web sites through the Facebook social network.
Great for advertisers.
A bit weird for the rest of us.
As an example, let’s say that I decide to add Caligula to my favorites list on Blockbuster. Now, while I wouldn’t mind my closest friends to see this event, it might initiate a few awkward moments with the co-workers. Or for example, let’s just say you purchased your Christmas presents for your wife online and those items were then posted to your Facebook News Feed for your wife to see. Awesome.
Last week, MoveOn.org joined the amalgamation of complaints mounting against this new service by issuing a petition in Facebook, ironically. MoveOn regards Beacon as a violation of user privacy as Facebook users cannot universally opt out of all Beacon messages. Click on the image below to join MoveOn’s petition.
In response, Facebook issued a response last Monday in the form of an e-mailed statement. “Facebook is listening to feedback from its users and committed to evolving Beacon so users have even more control over the actions shared from participating sites with their friends on Facebook,” the statement read. “Facebook already has made changes to ensure that no information is shared unless a user receives notifications both on a participating website and on Facebook.”
Here’s something which may change your mind: Facebook currently allows you to opt out of these notifications. While on participating sites, users can choose to opt out of notifications posted on Facebook’s News Feed. See below.
In addition, users can also choose to opt out of all notifications from a participating web site. For instance, a user that buys Wedding Crashers from Blockbuster can stop a story from being published about it, or she can opt-out of having Blockbuster publish any actions she takes on the Blockbuster site.
That said, Facebook decided not to move forward with allowing users to opt out of all third-party web site notifications. See the image of early screenshots of Beacon below as posted on Techcrunch 11/2. http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/11/02/ok-heres-at-least-part-of-what-facebook-is-announcing-on-tuesday/
Here’s a suggestion. If the global privacy setting nullifies the interest on the part of the advertisers, turn the opt out into an opt in. This would surely mitigate the anger of pissed-off Facebook users. Then I can choose to be a broadcaster of all of my transactional history when I so desire. You dig?
Activist group MoveOn.org joined the cacophony of complaints against Facebook’s new Beacon product recommendation system voicing concerns about user privacy. The main beef continues to be that Facebook users must “opt out” of the program in order to prevent their information from being shared, rather than making interested parties “opt in” to activate it. As of last night over 20,000 Facebook members had joined the group. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071121/ap_on_hi_te/facebook_ads 11/21)
Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE
BROADCAST/CABLE
On Monday, the first day of talks since movie and television writers went on strike, no public updates or word if any progress was produced — but it did trigger a promise to meet again. The writers and Hollywood studios are scheduled to resume talks Tuesday. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071127/ap_en_tv/hollywood_labor 11/27)
Striking writers carry live sized photos of legendary actors, Marlon Brando, left, and James Dean Monday, Nov 26, 2007, to express their support to members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) in Los Angeles.
The Hollywood writers strike is in its fourth week, with chilly prospects for viewing ahead. Come January, a prolonged strike could become obvious to most viewers, with continuing episodic reruns interspersed with new reality shows. NBC’s “The Office” is already closed for business. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071126/ap_en_tv/hollywood_labor_episode_supply 11/26)
The writers’ strike has been going on since early November, and the late night talk shows all went into reruns by the following Monday. Now the first late night talker will begin taping new episodes -NBC’s Last Call with Carson Daly goes back into production this week, for shows airing next week. All the other late night talkers remain in reruns, and at this point, there’s no indication any of them will resume production.
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is set to vote today on whether it will consider applying regulations to a cable television industry that has been largely unregulated for more than 20 years. FCC chief Kevin Martin’s proposals have provoked opposition from cable execs. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/26/AR2007112602181.html 11/27)
Cartoon Network’s movie “Ben 10: Race Against Time” averaged almost 4 million viewers last Wednesday, making it the highest-rated telecast in the channel’s history. Showtime’ s “Weeds” also turned in a stellar performance: Its third-season finale averaged 737,000 in its 10 p.m. time slot on Nov. 19. (The Hollywood Reporter 11/27)
Though ”Sex and the City” ended its six-year run on HBO in 2004, many viewers follow it on DVD or in syndication here and abroad. For them “Sex and the City” is a continuing affair, one that still envelops New York with the promise of liberation through trapeze lessons, bottomless cosmopolitans and will-they-or-won’t-they sex. (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/25/movies/25mele.html?_r=1&oref=slogin 11/25)
Production of the primetime Food Network series Emeril Live will shut down on December 11, according to TV Week. The show will continue in repeats, and Emeril will continue with his daytime series Essence of Emeril. Additionally, new projects and specials for Emeril are currently on the burner.
IFC Entertainment expanded its day and date model to offer select independent films through LodgeNet’s On Command hotel platform the day they premiere in theaters. Available titles at launch include: Black Sheep, This is England, Dans Paris, You Kill Me, and I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With.
Cable TV companies and equipment vendors have teamed up with TiVo to develop an external adapter that will enable TiVo subscribers with cable-ready DVR units to directly access switched-digital channels even without using set-top boxes. The adapter, which will be available in the market in the second quarter of 2008, will be connected to TiVo Series3 HD DVRs and TiVo HD DVRs. (Broadcasting & Cable 11/26)
NBC Universal is entering an agreement with TiVo to become the first major broadcaster with the right to use the digital recorder company’s research and interactive advertising products. The deal reflects rising demand in the TV industry for detailed audience viewing information. (http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119613006401604814.html 11/27)
Gay and Lesbian service here! launched as subscription on demand service in Comcast’s Portland and Eugene, OR systems, available for $7.99/mo.
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Google is planning an online file storage service. WSJ describes the “novelty” in some breathless detail. Says the story: “Along with a Web-based interface, Google is trying to let users upload and access files directly from their PC desktops and have the file storage behave for consumers more like another hard drive that is handy at all times.” Again, not new…many file storage services try to mirror the desktop directory structure. (http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419-googles-pie-in-the-sky-file-service-to-launch-adding-to-hundreds-of-oth 11/26)
NBC Universal, Microsoft and Peacock Equity’s Firebrand.com launched as an online destination to view the best TV commercials via the web or mobile devices. Click through to on-demand ads from around the world or watch a live hosted show highlighting commercial programming from major brands.
This site has a really slick GUI which works seamlessly. Check out one of my favorite commercials below.
Nokia How to Make a Movie
News Corp.’s online social network MySpace plans to launch Facebook-style “news feeds” in the next 30 to 45 days, according to Fox Interactive Media head Peter Levinsohn. News feeds, which alert a user to what their friends and colleagues are doing, are a popular feature on Facebook. (http://www.reuters.com/article/MediaandCommunications07/idUSN2641609120071126 11/26)
The underwriters for Classmates Media, which operates Classmates.com, are busy setting terms for the company’s upcoming IPO. The company says its main competition comes from social-networking sites including Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Reunion.com and Monster.com’s Military.com. (http://www.techconfidential.com/money-out/blog/money-out/while-we-were-recovering-from.php 11/26)
News Corp.’s Internet division plans to launch an online network to sell advertising across Rupert Murdoch’s sprawling empire and even to other media companies. The launch of a broader ad network follows a buying spree of ad networks by Microsoft, AOL and Google. (http://www.reuters.com/article/MediaandCommunications07/idUSN2639276120071126 11/26)
Thanks to rising online viewership and the nature of broadband audience agreements with advertisers, the major TV networks have a lot more advertising to sell for their streaming programming, TVWeek reports. (http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419-tv-networks-online-ad-inventory-unexpectedly-opens 11/26)
A blog set up to promote former Al Gore’s film, “An Inconvenient Truth,” has been hacked and is hosting links to Web sites hawking online pharmaceuticals. The links appear to have been created as part of a scheme to boost the Web traffic for sites that promote the drugs. (http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/11/26/Another-inconvenient-truth-Al-Gores-Web-site-hacked_1.html 11/26)
UK broadcasters ITV, BBC Worldwide and Channel 4 are to launch an on-demand content service in 2008 that will bring together more than 10,000 hours of programming. The three groups say the service will initially be Web-based and be available for distribution on other platforms. (http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSWLB369720071127 11/27)
Barry Diller’s online shopping empire, InterActiveCorp, which includes the HSN shopping channel and TicketMaster, was the top retail destination on Black Friday, followed by Amazon.com and WalMart.com. Also: Americans spent $700 million on Cyber Monday. (http://www.nypost.com/seven/11272007/business/web_wonders_866352.htm 11/27, http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzshop1127,0,499915.story 11/26)
Akimbo launched a VOD content service available to CenturyTel’s high-speed internet subscribers. Content in the anime, health & wealth, exploration & adventure, family & fun and sports categories are available for prices starting at 99 cents per download.
Filed under: WIRELESS
WIRELESS
Game-changing turn of events today in the wireless sector. Verizon seems to be feeling the burn from Google’s open standard mobile platform development. Very interesting.
Verizon Wireless will become the first major wireless carrier to open its network to cell phones and mobile devices sold by its competitors, which means that customers will now be able to switch wireless carriers without having to buy new phones. The company announced today that customers will have the option of using non-Verizon products on its wireless network by the end of next year. Verizon will publish technical standards in early 2008 so mobile developers and manufacturers can design product and applications that will work on the network. (http://www.redherring.com/Home/23196 11/27)
Worldwide shipments of multimedia-enabled mobile phones will exceed 300 million units next year, surpassing shipments of television sets, according to a research report by MultiMedia Intelligence. By 2011, about 9 of 10 mobile phones will include capabilities such as video playback. (http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=T0U00RYQA3MZEQSNDLPSKHSCJUNN2JVN?articleID=204203554 11/26)
Samsung officials have unveiled a single-chip RFID reader geared toward mobile devices. Industry analysts predict that the mobile-RFID market will grow, on a worldwide basis, from $26.9 billion in 2007 to $701 billion by 2010. (Pocket-lint.co.uk 11/27)
Filed under: GAMING | Tags: GAMING, XBox Live, Samsung, Playstation 3, Rock Band, Take-Two Interactive
GAMING
Starting on December 4th, XBox Live gamers will soon be able to browse the friends lists of their pals in order to connect with old buddies or get all up in the digital grill of complete strangers. A bit more social networking in the gaming world can’t be a bad thing. (http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/26/fall-xbox-360-update-touches-on-social-networking/ 11/26)
Sales of Sony’s PlayStation 3 gaming console have responded favorably to the company’s decision to cut prices and introduce a 40GB model. Since the introduction of the new price and model earlier this month, PS3 hardware sales are up 298%, according to Sony officials. (GameDaily BIZ 11/26)
The Chicago Tribune explores this year’s “must-have” gaming titles, including the newly released “Rock Band.” Analysts predict that video games will again post impressive sales this holiday season, as the industry continues to capture a wider audience. (Chicago Tribune 11/27)
Take-Two Interactive Software Chairman Strauss Zelnick recently confirmed that he does not plan to sell the company, which makes the popular “Grand Theft Auto” video game. “I’m much more interested in growing the business than in selling it, to be clear,” Zelnick said. “I would say for the next five to seven years this is a terrific time to be in the video game business.” (Yahoo!/Reuters 11/26)
The widespread popularity of multiplayer online games has attracted hackers and malware uploaders to the genre. “Online gaming sites are a major distribution vehicle for malware. Malware payloads target specific games,” said John Carmichael, security trainer and engineer for Security Innovation. (TechNewsWorld 11/27)
TECHNOLOGY
Consumers looking to pick up a laser TV this holiday season will have to wait, according to Arasor, which manufactures the optical chip used in the technology. Laser TV has been marketed as a “plasma killer” that promises better images, thinner units and less electricity consumption. The Sydney Morning Herald (11/27)
