Microsoft Bing Searches Include Facebook Likes

In an answer to Google’s Twitter searches, Bing makes public likes searchable

Social networking is ubiquitous and the current trend now. It’s all pervading grip has now spread to search engines too. Google already has a social search with Twitter integrated into its results, but what’s lacking is Facebook in the social search arena. However, it isn’t for long because Facebook has partnered with Microsoft and the alliance see’s Facebook “Liked Results” being integrated into Bing searches.

Microsoft’s Bing team blog explains how it works:

“While we are very excited to talk about our next development, we’re all aware that it’s all part of a longer journey. This is the first time in human history that people are leaving social traces that machines can read and learn from, and present enhanced online experiences based on those traces. As people spend more time online and integrate their offline and online worlds, they will want their friends’ social activity and their social data to help them in making better decisions. Integrating with Twitter data 16 months ago was one step, and exploring Facebook’s rich streams is another.”

For those concerned about privacy, only the publicly liked links will be available on the search engine, but that still leaves the possibility of unsolicited likes by friends being included in the links. However, that is a moot point because the whole point of friend system is to have people you trust. Moreover, Bing mentions that not all Facebook “Liked Results” will not show up in searches. The partnership harks to a new trend of the social foray of the two players in the search engine market.

Related Articles

• Bing Search Improves Facebook Integration (ghacks.net)
• Bing Turns to Facebook for new Social Search Results (webmonkey.com)
• Bing Adds Facebook ‘Likes’ To Search Results (informationweek.com)
• Bing Now Displays Facebook Likes In-Line With Search Results (insidefacebook.com)
• Bing Increases Integration With Facebook Likes (seroundtable.com)
• Bing Expands Facebook Integration With Search (allfacebook.com)
• Bing integrates Facebook likes in search results (zdnet.com)
• Bing Is Catching Up to Google (couchcontent.com)
• Bing Integrates Facebook Likes Further Into Its Search Results (searchengineland.com)
• Bing Milks Facebook Even More With Liked URL’s (fastgush.com)

Facebook’s Zuckerberg Becomes a Comic Book Hero

New 48-pager comic book to paint him in a fair light

The youngest billionaire, Time magazine’s controversial Person of the Year, and the king of the social networking Mark Zuckerberg is finally getting the ultimate in American hero worship – the Comic Book treatment in the form of a 48-pager comic book titled ‘Mark Zuckerberg: Creator of Facebook‘ trade paperback. Written by freelance writer Jerome Maida for BlueWater comics, the book goes on sale today.

“Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire on the planet and created something that has already had a profound impact on the world. Yet hardly anyone knows much about him. It’s amazing,” says Maida about the comic book.

Most of you may be considering Zuckerberg out of character in the role of a comic book hero; a comic book villain would be more like it, especially in the light of him being portrayed as a back-stabbing manipulator in the recent movie The Social Network and his numerous autobiographies. However, Jerome Maida intends to paint the man in a “fair” light, as opposed to people’s perception about him.

He elaborates, “Rightly or wrongly, Mark dealt harshly with some people on his way to where he is today. As we see, he left many people feeling betrayed. I try my best to be fair here.” The book releases today in major comic book stores in U.S., and can also be ordered online from here.  The comic book has already been optioned for an upcoming short film.

Related Articles

• Mark Zuckerberg Comic book arrives (theinformativereport.com)
• Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg gets his own Comic Book Biography (geektyrant.com)
• The Adventures Of … Zuckerberg? (techdailydose.nationaljournal.com)
• Zuckerberg: The Comic Book (blogs.wsj.com)
• Unauthorized Zuckerberg Biography Released – In Comic Book Form (newsfeed.time.com)
• The Mark Zuckerberg Comic Book Has Arrived (mashable.com)
• Marck Zuckerberg Comic Book Released (shoppingblog.com)
• “Mark Zuckerberg Comic Hits Shelves” and related posts (gearlog.com)
• Facebook Hero: Zuckerberg Gets Immortalised In Comic books (gizmodo.com.au)
• THE BIRTH OF FACEBOOK: Now In Comic Book Form (businessinsider.com)

Gmail gets Advanced Sign-in Security Upgrade

Gmail gets a bank account like security feature

Last year, Google made Gmail access via HTTPS protocol default for all account holders to add a security layer. Now, Google has introduced another security layer upgrade with an advanced opt-in feature dubbed 2-Step Verification. This 2-Step Verification feature requires using a specific code to sign in to the Gmail account. Google either calls you (only if you are in U.S., I suppose) to give that code or sends the code via SMS or generates it via a mobile app for Android, BlackBerry or iPhone device. Gmail finally gets a bank account like security feature for sign-in.

Gmail’s 2-Step Verification advanced sign-in feature is optional and would be visible to all Google account holders at Manage Account page soon. This new security feature makes your Google account more secure and most importantly Gmail out of all Google services.

The 2-Step Verification stands for its name since it requires two major credentials: your Google account password and a six digit pass code obtained using phone. This requires the user to set up the opt-in 2-Step Verification feature from the Manage Account page. During the set-up process, you’ll be required to enter your phone number and also create certain backup pass codes just in case you lose your phone or it gets stolen. After completing the 2-Step Verification setup, you ll land on to an additional page once you log into your Google account using your login ID and password.

To prevent third-party sign-in or someone sneaking into your account, make the best of 2-Step Verification. Yes, it does involve an additional extra step but it certainly secures your account. Google had been testing this feature with Google apps users and it would be available to all Google account holders over a period of time.

Interestingly, this feature is in tune with the Facebook‘s new security features implementation.

Egypt Government Restores Internet Service

After a week-long shutdown

The anti-government protests against President Hosni Mubarak‘s 30 year regime have spilled onto the Internet. Aware of the journalistic role of social networking websites like Twitter played to bypass the media blackout imposed by the Iranian regime, the Egyptian government had pre-emptively blocked access to Internet throughout the country. Google responded by launching a phone service allowing users without Internet access to leave voice mails on Twitter.

The Internet shutdown served to fuel the rage of the protesters further. The Internet and SMS ban seemed futile considering the fact that the protesters swell to about quarter of a million in the streets of Cairo. In the wake of mounting pressure the Hosni Mubarak regime has resumed Internet connectivity in the country, as confirmed by Hassan Kabbani, chief executive of cellphone-service provider MobiNil. Essential banking websites, ATMs, as well as social networking platforms are accessible throughout Egypt since yesterday noon.

Unlike the unchallenged success of the social networking in its journalistic role, Egypt has evinced how easy it is to pull the plug on the Internet, especially when you have power over the ISP and the Internet backbone through the country. However, gagging the people may seem easy; it does expose the perpetrator to international pressure.

Egypt may have been able to quell the voice of the nation for a week, but shutting the Internet down doesn’t make strategic sense. After all, even with the Internet down, the protestors still found alternate means to mobilise a 250,000 strong crowd on February 1.

http://www.techtree.com/India/News/Egypt_Government_Restores_Internet_Service/551-114363-643.html