the buzz log
Facebook Lite: Watch Your Back, Twitter
Hey, Twitter: Facebook is now following you. They've noticed your little microblogging site. It's adorable. But they think they can give Facebook users that Twitter feeling without having to leave their Facebook friends. Think a simple, "lite" version. You got your status updates, your wall, your photos, your friends. They'll match you, tweet for tweet.
First Tweet: 140 characters? Really?
Second Tweet: We had no idea. We see novels and operas written in 140 characters. Even historical documents are being tweeted on your Twitter. Still, on Facebook: What we ate for breakfast. Breakfast can be poetry. You do appreciate poetry, don't you?
Third Tweet: Here's a thought—Facebook Lite.
Fourth Tweet: OK, it's a test. It's only a test. Think of Facebook Lite as Twitter with friends. Twitter with friends with benefits. Twitter with friends with more than 140 characters. Take that, Twitter.
Fifth Tweet: Actually, keeping it simple has its plus side, especially for Facebook users in places where the Internet time is slow, slow, slow. Like outside the U.S. Hey, this Twitter thing is pretty fun. Hopefully this Facebook Lite test gets rolled out to everyone soon.
Filed under: Social Networking
From Status Update to Movie?
Hollywood isn't shy about recycling ideas. Over the years the dream weavers from Tinsel Town have adapted books, plays, TV shows, comic books, action figures, newspaper columns, cartoons, and video games into films. But Hollywood's newest idea, and where it comes from, really takes the cake.
Publishers Weekly reports that we may soon see the first film to have been inspired by a Facebook status update. Granted, this particular update by Lisa Hamilton Day is a little more interesting than your run-of-the-mill "John Smith is trimming his nose hairs" or "Mary Jones is eating a burrito." Hamilton's update reads: "Lisa Hamilton Day's Pomeranian raided Chinese takeout bag overnight, opened and ate a fortune cookie. Her fortune: You have strong spiritual powers, and you should develop them." You can kind of see where this is going, right?
Show business wheeler dealers certainly can. Currently, Hamilton Day's status update is being shopped around for a book and movie deal by Fletcher and Company, a New York lit agency. The premise, according to Publishers Weekly, would revolve around the dog using "her newfound superpowers to save her owner's home after said owner loses her job and is forced to contemplate moving in with her folks." It's a bit of a stretch from the original post, but hey, never let the truth get in the way of a good talking-dog movie, right?
Snarky blog Defamer points out that while you may scoff at such an idea, keep in mind that "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" grossed a boatload of money. And compared to that Disney flick, this idea looks like "The Godfather." Another blog, The Frisky, writes that the agent who thinks the status update could be a movie is actually a good friend of Ms. Day. (Pays to have powerful friends.)
Though the story is just making its way into the blogosphere, we are starting to see a few searches on "facebook movie." Those are certain to heat up if a deal actually gets done (not a sure thing). We'll be particularly interested to see if the news that a good status update may lead to a movie deal will inspire others to stop blathering about their nose hairs and burritos. We can only hope.
Filed under: Movies, Social Networking, Books
Gone Phishing: Beware Facebook Scam
We hate to say this, but watch out for false Facebook friends. Because the next e-mail you get with bad grammar and a weird link might be fake, fake, fake.
Known as phishing scams, this latest one targets Facebook users. The con involves tricking victims into giving up their real Facebook login information on fake Facebook-looking sites with names like (we're serious) thisisnotfacebook.com.
This type of scam has been plaguing social-networking sites because they're considered a safe place to post status updates, pass along links, and send messages. But once you've been phished, your login information will be used to get to your network of friends. And just like that, your tried-and-true login will become a vehicle for icky spam.
Facebook says that it's actively fighting the phishing scam, but won't say how many of its 200 million-plus members have been hit. With friends like this, who needs enemies?
Filed under: Social Networking
Follow the White House on Twitter
Sure, the Obama administration has many problems to work out: Two wars, an economic crisis, and a global flu pandemic. But real progress can be summed up in 140 characters (or less): The White House is on Twitter. The microblogging site allows users to post short updates to anyone who chooses to follow them, from, say, the presidential Blackberry or the West Wing. And with almost 50,000 followers, it's not a bad start.
Obama isn't the first politician to use the social network medium: During his state of the union address, many members of Congress tweeted their way through his speech.
The Obama White House isn't new to social networking: The techie-in-chief insisted on keeping his Blackberry, broadcasts the weekly presidential address on YouTube, and has encouraged all government agencies to get on Facebook.
Time.com reported that the White House's first tweet was not about Michelle Obama's latest outfit or the impromptu presdidential burger run. It was an update on swine flu. As far as we know, that post didn't come from Joe "stay out of enclosed spaces" Biden. Stay tuned.
Filed under: Social Networking, Barack Obama
It's Sick: Social Networking Sites Track Flu
Though the H1N1 flu (swine flu) hasn't been hugely damaging in the states, the bug has gone positively viral online, and some argue it's having a sickening effect on the public. Concerned citizens are logging on to track the flu through social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, and are being infected with worry.
Facebook groups for "swine flu" have over 15,000 members, and the social networking site recently added an application that tracks flu-related words in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom. Those who want to watch the global spread of the disease can check out Healthmap, which mashes up World Health Organization alerts, news reports, personal accounts, and Google Maps to track the worldwide route.
Instant reports are also being tweeted through Twitter, the microblogging site that allows users to post updates in 140 characters. Surely those who want to be in-the-know are searching for anything flu-related, but right now the levels of flu are so relatively low that some experts fear that Twitter's instant updates are doing more harm than good.
In other words, spreading information: good. Spreading panic and misinformation: not so good. Then again, there's Joe Biden. The vice president, in blurting out that he warned his family not to get on subways or airplanes for fear of the flu, has more influence over the panic button than all the social networks combined. Say it ain't so, Joe.
Filed under: Social Networking
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford 400 | Breakout! |
| 2 | Indonesia Ferry | Breakout! |
| 3 | Jordan Chandler | 3481% |
| 4 | Evan Chandler | 2322% |
| 5 | American Music Awards | 1841% |
| 6 | John F. Kennedy | 1529% |
| 7 | Turkey Stuffing Recipes | 1361% |
| 8 | Liam Hemsworth | 1172% |
| 9 | Lou Dobbs | 1142% |
| 10 | Hendrick Motorsports | 888% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Friday | +340 | 1290 |
| 2 | NFL | +489 | 670 |
| 3 | Jennifer Lopez | +451 | 515 |
| 4 | New Moon | -67 | 250 |
| 5 | American Music Awards | +236 | 249 |
| 6 | UFC | -36 | 239 |
| 7 | Miley Cyrus | +66 | 169 |
| 8 | Hulu | -11 | 154 |
what's the buzz?
A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Weekly leaders are the subjects with the greatest average buzz score for a given week.
For more detailed information, visit our FAQ.