Conauction.com

Mobile social networking is social networking where one or more individuals of similar interests or commonalities, conversing and connecting with one another using the mobile phone. Much like web based social networking, mobile social networking occurs in virtual communities. A current trend for Internet social networking websites such as MySpace and Facebook is to turn mobile. In parallel, native mobile social networks have been created like Foursquare and Gowalla. Initially, there were two basic types of mobile social networks. The first is companies that partner with wireless phone carriers to distribute their communities via the default start pages on mobile phone browsers, an example is JuiceCaster. The second type is companies that do not have such carrier relationships (also known as “off deck”) and rely on other methods to attract users. While mobile web evolved from proprietary mobile technologies and networks to full mobile access to the internet, the distinction has changed to the following two types: the first is web based social networks being extended for mobile access through mobile browsers and smartphone apps, the second type is native mobile social networks with dedicated focus on mobile use like mobile communication, location based services, augmented reality requiring mobile devices and technology.

Advances in hardware and software technology have facilitated the existence of these mobile virtual communities. Industry wireless network technologies include SMS, WAP, Java, BREW and i-mode. Previous focus on wireless network technologies and functionalities has been extended to multimedia and satellite navigation by new and improved technologies like camera and GPS integrated in mobile devices. Combination of these 3 areas of technology in Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 extended the focus of mobile social networks to new areas, functionalities and technologies like cloud computing, user-generated content (UGC), location-based services (LBS), augmented reality (AR).

Japan, Korea and China have much higher usage of mobile social networks than Western countries, generally thanks to better mobile networks and data pricing (flat rate notably is widespread in Japan). Most of them are extensions of PC-based services, but others are pure mobile-focused offerings. Examples are Cyworld (South Korea, web+mobile) and Tencent QQ (China, web+mobile). In Japan where 3G networks achieved over 80% user penetration, numerous other mobile SNS have popped up.

With the current software that is available, interactions within mobile social networks are not limited to exchanging simple text messages on a 1-to-1 basis (SMS) but are constantly evolving towards the sophisticated interactions of Internet virtual communities.

Getting people at work to know each other better can be a key to improved working practices.
• People who know each other are more likely to co-operate than strangers
• People have more opportunity to understand the motivation and needs of colleagues in an informal setting than in formal meetings.
• Face to face informal communication is often more effective than formal communication.

How to encourage social meeting
• Install a watercooler. In the US, reference is often made to “watercooler” conversations – the discussions which take place at the chance meeting of colleagues going to collect a cup of water. The same effect can occur between smokers when there is a ban on smoking in the workplace, as there is in the UK.
• Provide good coffee. One UK university found that more members of staff met across campus after it introduced a coffee bar selling a major coffee shop brand.
• Subsidise lunch in the cafeteria on a daily, weekly, or occasional basis. If good food is provided at a competitive price, it will attract a good number of staff, particularly those who may not want or have time to prepare their own meal in the evening. A college in Gloucestershire provides free lunch for all its staff every day because it finds it to be an excellent way of getting them to meet.
• Introduce a happy half-hour before or after work where staff can meet for a cup of tea or coffee on arriving at the workplace or before setting off for home.
• Provide somewhere to meet. Schools have common rooms for staff not just to provide them with somewhere to pass time between classes, but also because it is a place for them to meet informally.
• Provide tea and coffee or light refreshments immediately before or after formal meetings to encourage people.
• Put on parties. You’ll find lots of ideas for parties on this website. You could have a summer garden party, a Christmas or New Year party; a party to celebrate a significant achievement; parties for children; a fundraiser party for charity.
• Bring in a takeaway if people are working late. It will be much appreciated, give them a short break from the burden of what they are doing, and provide a good opportunity for a casual discussion.

Back in August 2009 we were reporting that social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace are a big no-no on military networks. A Marine Corps order specifically prohibited access to such sites because they pose a security threat. Here’s precisely what the order said:

“These internet sites in general are a proven haven for malicious actors and content and are particularly high risk due to information exposure, user generated content and targeting by adversaries. The very nature of SNS [social network sites] creates a larger attack and exploitation window, exposes unnecessary information to adversaries and provides an easy conduit for information leakage that puts OPSEC [operational security], COMSEC [communications security], personnel and the MCEN [Marine Corps Enterprise Network] at an elevated risk of compromise.”

SPONSORED LINKS

A lot of time has passed since August 2009 and during all this time it seems that the Department of Defense has made its peace with social networking services. On Friday, the 26th of February, the Department of Defense announced that it authorized the use of social networking sites Facebook and Twitter and other “Web 2.0” sites. As the Department of Defense explained, these sites continue to pose a security risk and the security concerns are valid; but the benefits of social media outweigh the security concerns. This change of heart has been made possible by the increased security measures taken to secure military networks and enforce regulations that are already in place.

“Today the Department of Defense released a policy memorandum regarding the safe and effective use of Internet-based capabilities, including social networking services (SNS) and other interactive Web 2.0 applications. Commanders at all levels and heads of DoD components will continue to defend against malicious activity on military information networks, deny access to prohibited content sites and take immediate and commensurate actions, as required, to safeguard missions," said the Defense Department in this news release.

You see it so often, celebrity scandals and divorces made public; stemming from a lipstick smudge to cell phone records revealed. But in this technology-driven generation, adultery has gone cyber, airing the Average Joe's dirty laundry for the world to see. "Well you definitely see there's been a progression," says divorce attorney Jason Files. "It used to be lipstick on the collar that caused the divorce; then it was finding that email that nobody should've seen and now it's what got posted on the Facebook page," Files adds. That's right Facebook along with many other social networking sites are being used for just that, socializing. But how far is this communication going? A recent report from a UK online divorce website found that one out every five divorces researched have mentioned facebook as an underlying factor. "I think that social networks encourage people to track down everybody that they know; that's kind of the point of it," says Elizabeth Bowles, president of Aristotle, which is a web design and consulting firm.  She says these websites, unintended, just make it easier for an individual to cheat. "What the networks do is give you a pathway by which you can find people you haven't seen in a while, and then if someone chooses to look up their ex-girlfriend and pursue an affair that way, then that's part of the thing it makes possible to do," says Bowles. Almost everyone has that high school sweetheart, the one who's phone number is forever lodged in your memory. The same one you often ask yourself, what if? "Historically you've seen romances rekindle after high school reunions for example, where they see their old high school sweetheart and they have some kind of rekindling and social networking just makes that available at anytime," Bowles says. Many times, for singles, it could mean relighting that old flame. But if you're married, you could get burned. Divorce attorney Jason Files says it usually starts off pretty innocently and then takes on a snowball effect. "They didn't really go looking to break up their marriage, but just out of curiosity just want to see who's out there," Files says. "They connect with one old friend and the next thing you know, they run into an old flame, a high school sweetheart," he adds. And while sites like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter are innocent in their approach, some are blunt with their intentions. "They've identified a need and they're taking the social network phenomenon, and they're turning it into an avenue by which people can find someone to have an affair with," says Bowles. It's almost like a match.com, but for married people.  Basically submit your info, pay a small fee and start your affair. But professionals say what goes on on the Internet is never private. "They think it's private, but it's not, and so when the spouse files for divorce claiming an affair, all of that comes out, that you found this on Facebook, that you did this on MySpace," says Bowles. "All of that is going to come to light," she adds. Divorce attorney Jason Files agrees.  "Laws are like anything else. Technology advances, we follow right along," Files says. So do people really look up past loves online? "Yah of course, I mean who hasn't. I think that's part of the fun of having these social networking sites," says Sherry McDowell. "I felt like I wanted to know where he was today and what was going on in his life," says Facebooker Vanessa Allison. "I have contacted old flames from the past and I've had them contact me, but it's strictly a platonic action," says Courtney Starr. One man exclaimed he's never tried, but did have an ex look him up on Facebook.  "I just declined. I didn't think there was reason; I thought it would create more conflict than good," says Dan Limke. Legal experts also say photos of partying spouses drinking alcohol or engaging in reckless behavior can be damaging in a custody dispute in a contested divorce. And this woman just may have the solution to it all.  "We know each other's passwords and everything, so if I want to log in and see what he's been doing, I can and vice versa," says Misty Lebreton.

Three persons who were caught cultivating a marijuana field at Sand Hills, Berbice River on Saturday and one who had 150 pounds of compressed marijuana in his possession were remanded to prison yesterday.Edwards Joseph, 41, called ‘Eddoe Man’ of Sand Hills and of ‘C’ Field, Sophia in Georgetown and his two employees; Hadlee McKenzie, 19, and a 16-year-old both of Sand Hills were charged with the offences when they appeared before Magistrate Adela Nagamootoo at the New Amsterdam Court. Reports are that on February 20, Joseph had in his possession 150 pounds of compressed marijuana, while he and the other two defendants were reportedly caught cultivating a marijuana field. During the midmorning raid, police pounced on the suspects after trekking two miles through a bushy trail and apprehended them. The police destroyed 4,000 marijuana plants that were two to four feet in length on a two-acre plot as well as bags of manure, dismantled two tarpaulin tents and seized articles including chemicals, a Stihl motor-blower and two spray cans from the fields. A house on the western side of the river reportedly occupied by Joseph was searched and the compressed marijuana was discovered as well as two measuring scales and a quantity of fertilizer. The defendants were represented by attorney-at-law Ramesh Rajkumar who applied for bail to be granted for the 16-year-old. The lawyer also requested an early date for trial for his clients who were not required to plead. Assistant Superintendant of Police Fazil Karimbaksh, prosecuting, submitted that bail should be refused owing to the seriousness of the offences. The trio is scheduled to return to court on March 22. Meanwhile, a similar exercise was also conducted simultaneously in the Canje Creek but upon seeing the police a few persons abandoned a boat with an outboard engine and escaped. The police were able to take possession of the engine, but not the boat.

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina State University senior Jennifer Thomas doesn’t just post anything on her Facebook page. “Anyone can go on your page and look at it,” she said. “I don’t think people realize those things are gonna stay around.” Thomas Griffin, director of undergraduate admissions at NCSU, said that in rare cases when admission officials have serious questions about a applicant, they look them up on social networking Web sites Facebook or MySpace. “Social media is just one more way to verify information about students,” Griffin said. “They may reinforce our concerns.” Through social networking profiles, officials can see photos, job history and status updates. “If their Web site shows them in some conduct we deem inappropriate for our students, that could be a red flag for us,” Griffin said. Griffin said that while there are about 24,000 applicants in a typical cycle, the school only checks the Web pages of a few. The tool, though, might be used more in the future, he said. Lauren Overton said her fellow students post “anything and everything you can imagine” on their social networking sites. “It is really kind of scary for jobs and schools to look into that,” Overton said. Mentioning certain things could hurt your chances of getting a job or getting into a certain school. Mentioning partying, drinking, fighting or a past history with the law could hurt your image with a college admissions office. Experts say people should consider their Web page as important as their application.

Let’s take a look back at some of the best and worst post-Super Bowl broadcasts.

In 2010, for reasons passing understanding, CBS is going with ”Undercover Boss” as their post-Super Bowl show.

With ”Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains” set to premiere on Thursday, Feb. 11 and past “Survivor” episodes doing extremely well in the post-Super Bowl spot (the premiere of ”Survivor: Australia” got 45.5 million and the premiere of ”Survivor: All-Stars” got 33.5 million), we cannot fathom why CBS is going with “Undercover Boss,” which looks like a terrible show.

If not “Survivor,” surely CBS could go with their new ”NCIS: Los Angeles,” which could possibly garner ratings akin to the 2006 ”Grey’s Anatomy” (38 million) or 2008″House” (29 million) episodes. Or perhaps one of its comedies like ”The Big Bang Theory” or ”How I Met Your Mother,” which could maybe nab ratings like the 2009 episode of ”The Office” (23 million)

As someone who is about to become a parent for the very first time in two short months, I can tell you that it's both really exciting and really scary. And nothing scares me more than the subject of vaccines. There has been so much written about the purported link between vaccines and autism that at times I feel I either have to choose between inoculating him again some pretty scary-sounding diseases or put him at serious risk for autism. Although the mainstream medical community — including the American Academy of Pediatrics— has already pretty much debunked the link between the mercury in vaccines and a link to autism, there's still so much contradictary anecdotal evidence floating around that it can give a parent-to-be like me the jitters. But today comes some information that gives me, and hopefully scores of other parents and soon-to-be-parents, a reason to breathe easier: The Lancet, a prestigious British medical journal, has officially retracted a 1998 study suggesting a link between autism and the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. According to Forbes.com, the retraction comes just a week after the UK's General Medical Council, which regulates and registers doctors, declared that lead author Andrew Wakefield had brought the medical profession "into disrepute" by presenting his research in an "irresponsible and dishonest" way. Although Forbes criticizes the Lancet for its "incomprehensible" retraction not written in layman's terms, Lancet editor Richard Horton seemed quite unambiguous about their position when interviewed by The Guardian this week. "It was utterly clear, without any ambiguity at all, that the statements in the paper were utterly false," Horton said in reference to the General Medical Council's finding. "I feel I was deceived." So while this news might not satisfy the many who still believe in a link between autism and vaccines, at least it's one more well-respected journal to consider as we parents and parents-to-be muddle through all the information out there and try to make the best choices we can for our children.

A Reuters report explains that a computer virus discovered in January is wreaking havoc on government and social networking websites, affecting 75,000 computers in 2,500 organizations around the world. The new kind of virus, a “Kneber botnet,” “gathers login credentials to online financial systems, social networking sites and email systems from infested computers and reports the information back to hackers, NetWitness said in a statement.” Its possible this virus, “The ZeuS compromise,” was unknowingly introduced a few years ago from an email.

According to FOX, ABC, People Magazine, and various other news and entertainment sources, Tiger Woods has scheduled a conference for a select audience at 11 a.m. Friday, February 19 at the PGA Headquarters in Florida. Topic? His long-anticipated, verbal public apology for sleeping with I-don’t-even-know-how-many-women-who-weren’t-his-wife. According to Mark Steinberg, Tiger’s agent, only a small gathering of a few reporters, “friends, colleagues and close associates” will have front row seats to listen to Tiger apologize for his past and talk about his plans for the future. (The rest of us can watch live via the CBS News Ustream channel.) “While Tiger feels that what happened is fundamentally a matter between he and his wife, he also recognizes that he has hurt and let down a lot of other people who were close to him. He also let down his fans. He wants to begin the process of making amends and that’s what he’s going to discuss,” the statement said. If you’d asked me three months ago, I probably would have disagreed with this kind of spectacle. I probably would have said various people of various positions cheat on their significant others all the time, alleged sex addiction or not – what makes Tiger’s business our business? His fame? His wealth? Apologize to your wife, Tiger, and work on getting your personal life in order. However, now that most of the dust has settled, I can see why this public apology could be a good thing. Tiger’s public image – which is so much a part of his career – is on the line, and this public apology could help repair the nearly destroyed foundation he needs to move forward with his career and his life. At the same time, the guy might genuinely want to apologize to his fans – finally tell them face to face that, no, he wasn’t exactly living up to the squeaky clean image he led them to believe in, and for that, he’s sorry. Clearing the air – coming clean and finally letting someone in on our pasts or problems – can be cathartic. This might help him heal and move forward. Imagine that. Tiger Woods isn’t perfect, and he’s apologizing for it.