Zingku Mobile social networking site to be acquired by Google.

When I visited ZINGKU today I learned that they have entered in to an agreement to be acquired by Google. All new account activations are on hold and the existing users are given the following message;

"We're Moving to Google
We've entered into an agreement to have Google acquire our Zingku service. If you want to continue with our service, you don't need to do anything; your account and service will be transferred over to Google at the completion of the acquisition.

If you'd rather not maintain your account as a result of the acquisition, no problem. You can choose to discontinue your account any time before October 4, 2007 and your account won't be transferred over to Google. We will delete your account and all information connected to your account. Your user agreements with us will terminate. To discontinue your account, email support@zingku.com. We will contact you at your registered email address to confirm your deletion request before completing it."

Zingku is one of the series of mobile communication related social networks that Google have gone after in recent history. Dodgeball and Grand central were the others

Tags: Google, mobile, social network, zingku, dodgeball, grandcentral

MEDDESKTOP: More Toy Recalls, this Time it is Thomas & Friends wooden railway toys (Images included)

MEDDESKTOP: More Toy Recalls, this Time it is Thomas & Friends wooden railway toys (Images included)

Tags: toy recall, RC2, Thomas & friends

Is movements like Pink Ribbon aid in reducing Breast Cancer Deaths

MEDDESKTOP: Breast Cancer Deaths are Falling Continuously.

MEDDESKTOP: Encourage Flu shots, CDC advises

Flu season is coming, if you socialize,
MEDDESKTOP: Encourage Flu shots, CDC advises

Tags: socialize, flu

New York Atty. Gen. Andrew Cuomo goes after facebook

SAN FRANCISCO -- A year after goading MySpace into overhauling its safety practices, state law enforcement officials on Monday stepped up their criticism of how social network Facebook Inc. protects its young users from sexual predators.
New York Atty. Gen. Andrew Cuomo said his office was investigating whether Facebook made false claims about the safety of its social network. He issued subpoenas to gather more information about the Palo Alto company's policies and procedures after an undercover investigation found that Facebook was slow to respond to complaints about sexual solicitations of underage users.
"It does not have the right to represent that its site is safe and that it promptly responds to complaints when such statements are not accurate," Cuomo said.
Continue reading at "Facebook scrutinized on safety claims"

Tags: social networks, facebook, MySpace

10000 Million Social Network, Facebook

For Mark Zuckerberg, it has to be hard not to gloat. When the 23-year-old turned down Yahoo's $1 billion offer for his social networking Web site Facebook, some Silicon Valley veterans openly questioned his sense. Was Zuckerberg really that egotistical—or childish—to think a site where kids post photos and shoutouts was really worth a third of, say, the New York Times Co. ? But now Facebook is seeking investment that would value the company at around $10 billion—more than twice the market cap of the Times.

So far, Zuckerberg is keeping any I-told-you-sos to himself. His company refused to comment about a Sept. 24 Wall Street Journal report that Microsoft is attempting to buy a 5% stake in Facebook for as much as $500 million. A person with knowledge of Facebook, however, confirmed that Facebook seeks investment at a minimum $10 billion valuation.

News source.

Tags: social networks, facebook

WordPress Version 2.3 “Dexter” is ready for the world.

One of the most popular social networking (Blogging) tools has released a new version. Version 2.3 “Dexter” of WordPress is ready for the world. This release includes native tagging support, plugin update notification, URL handling improvements, and much more. This release is named for the great tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon. I will be at San Francisco Hosting Upgrade Party.
blog post!

Tags: WordPress, wordpress 2.3, dexter

Propeller.com to propell Netscape social news for AOL

The Netscape blog announced "The Netscape social news experience that you are currently using today will be migrated and revealed soon at http://www.propeller.com/. We're working hard behind the scenes to ensure a smooth transition before we officially launch at this new destination.

It is important to us that you feel empowered to choose how you want to consume your news and participate in the community. As we mentioned in a recent post, the Netscape.com site will soon be redirected to the new Netscape portal, a more traditional and editorially-driven news experience. It's already live, so you can check it out now if you haven't already. You'll notice some elements of our social news site there in short order, so that it will be easy for you to go back and forth and engage in each if you like."
Social News Update

Tags: netscape, Social news, propeller, AOL

MySpaceTV gets first Webisode of Quarterlife

Emmy-winning television show creators Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz are teaming up with MySpaceTV to distribute their new online series, "Quarterlife." The first "Webisode" will air on MySpaceTV November 11.
The two awarding winning TV producers felt slighted when their new show was canceled by a major television network in 2005--now they get even by ditching the TV and taking their work online.Marshall Herskovitz has produced major big screen hits, such as Traffic and Blood Diamond. He feels confident that he can produce a solid piece of cinematography. He and frequent collaborator Edward Zwick had a hand in many television successes as well, including “thirtysomething” and “My So-Called Life.”“When Emmy award-winning producers come to MySpaceTV you know this is reaching a whole new level,” said Chris DeWolfe, CEO of MySpace. “We’re proud to offer the creative community a blank canvas and open platform to express their vision.”
Source

Tags: Quarterlife, MySpaceTV, Traffic, Blood Diamond, Marshall Herskovitz, Edward Zwick, thirty something, Webisode

Bebo ties a knot (an Advertising) with Yahoo

Yahoo! will supply targeted banner advertising to Bebo after the embattled internet group secured its first tie-up with a social network site.Under the agreement, Yahoo! will also integrate its Yahoo! Answers service, which allows users to have queries answered by an online community, into the Bebo site.
It will also release a new desktop toolbar that allows users to monitor their Bebo profile when they are not on the site. The two groups said that advertisers would benefit from the combination of Bebo’s highly engaged audience, much of which is in the sought-after 13 to 24-year-old bracket, and Yahoo!’s ability to target consumers with advertising campaigns tailored to their internet habits.
Bebo has about 11 million users in the UK and Ireland, according to Comscore, the market researcher.
Joanna Shields, Bebo's international president, said that the group's partnership with Yahoo! — described as an exlusive "multiyear" deal — fitted into Bebo's aim of becoming a "social media" company.

Source

Tags: Social networking, social media, bebo, yahoo