Are you as popular as Katie Price online?

The former topless model, turned pop star, turned reality TV star, turned business woman, turned novelist Katie Price (aka Jordan)  is now about to become a lecturer at Oxford University. Well, OK it is only a one-off lecture, but nonetheless she is going to speak at the Oxford Union – …

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Your website relies on social pressure

Teenagers simply “have to” get involved in sending “sext” messages – the mobile phone messages that reveal their sexual activity and which also may include nude imagery. A new study shows that if they don’t “sext” they feel left out. In other words, they do it because “everyone” is doing …

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Troy Davis

Social influence is not all it is cracked up to be

Troy Davis was executed yesterday for a crime he denied committing. Amnesty International had a petition of over 1m signatures protesting against the unsafe conviction. Even the Pope weighed in with a plea to prevent the killing. There was a massive international campaign protesting this man’s innocence – even the …

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Are you ready for tomorrow’s Facebook?

Facebook users are going to get a surprise tomorrow; the social networking site that they love so much is trying to make them love it even more. On average we each spend 15 minutes every day using Facebook, creating three new pieces of content every day on the site. But …

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Facebook Makes You Happy

Are you in the mood for Facebook?

All over England today mums (and some dads) have a tear in their eye; it’s the start of the school year. Some rather small almost 5-year-olds will be off to Year R, whilst 11-year-olds start “Big School” today. Proud mums and dads will have waved off their youngsters outwardly smiling, …

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Social media does not rule

Businesses might not benefit from social media

You can’t move for advice – some of it on this website – about using social media in your business. But two new pieces of research published co-incidentally suggest that many businesses need to revisit the mad rush for being social. The first study is about mobile advertising. It was …

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Riots in London

Don’t blame Twitter or Facebook for London riots

Apparently, as I return from holiday, “mindless thugs” have overtaken London, setting fire to large parts of Croydon, rioting in Tottenham, upturning Ealing and running amok in Enfield. That’s to say nothing of the violence in Bristol, Birmingham and Liverpool overnight. The police seem helpless, politicians are rushing back from …

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Ed Miliband

This will make you really cross: make your customers laugh at you…!

Ed Miliband has made British strikers angry today; he has distanced himself from their action, saying it is wrong. (Quick aside: why is it called “action” when striking actually means NOT doing something…?) Anyway, I digress, the result of his Tweet this morning has been that strikers have become more …

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We need to meet face to face

Face to face is essential for online people

American Congressman, Anthony Weiner is probably regretting he ever sent a former porn star a photo of his private parts via his mobile phone; he has had to resign from his position of power. But he is not the first person to be involved in a “sexting” scandal – sending …

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Some people may regret what they post on Facebook

Are Facebook users stupid?

Joanne Fraill, a hitherto unknown mother of three from Manchester, is going down in history as the first ever person to face criminal prosecution for the inappropriate use of the Internet during a Crown Court trial. If you haven’t caught up with the news, Ms Fraill used Facebook to contact …

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Sepp Blatter

How to prevent Twitter from leading you to prison

Sepp Blatter is coming in for a lot of online stick today. The much-criticised President of FIFA appears to be somewhat oblivious to the highly vocal complaints that international football is in crisis. Allegations of corruption are flying around and on Twitter, for instance, you’ll find plenty of people willing …

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TweetDeck

Why Twitter has made a $40m mistake buying Tweetdeck

So, after all the rumours and speculation Twitter has bought Tweetdeck for a whopping $40m. Big mistake chaps. If you didn’t already know it, Tweetdeck is an application for managing social network information, in particular Twitter. On its own, Twitter is pretty much useless. The front page is of no …

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Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg

Why Mark Zuckerberg is right about the under-13s

Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has caused a wave of controversy by saying that he wants to fight for the right of children under the age of 13 to use Facebook. At the moment it is illegal in the USA for social web companies to allow registrations of those under the …

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