The announcement of the closure of Google+ this week may not come as a surprise to many given that it had already fallen into the shadows of the web.Despite Google’s big name, it was unable to pull people away from the might of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and was ultimately killed off entirely after a data breach.But who else has fallen at the heels of Facebook’s social networking power?MyspaceOnce the king of social media, music plug-ins and gif-heavy customised profile pages, Myspace is still alive and kicking but its former glory is a very distant memory.Ownership of the site has passed through several hands – including Justin Timberlake, who tried to revive the service in 2011 as part of a joint purchase with Specific Media Group.By April 2008, Facebook had overtaken Myspace in terms of the number of unique worldwide visitors it received, and it has been in slow decline ever since.BeboBebo wasn’t quite as lucky as Myspace and no longer exists … [Read more...] about Google+ and four other notable social networks that crumbled against Facebook
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How social networks can save lives when disasters strike
Soon after my family moved to New Orleans in the summer of 2005, we heard Mayor Ray Nagin’s first warnings about Hurricane Katrina, writes Daniel P. Aldrich.With two young children, a job I hadn’t started yet, and little in the way of savings, my wife and I couldn’t wrap our heads around leaving our freshly furnished home to spend money on a hotel in some distant city. So we ignored the call for evacuation.As our neighbors began to pack up and head out, we figured they were overreacting. Then relatives began to make increasingly frantic phone calls and Kathy, a member of our religious community, dropped by at midnight to persuade us to leave. We got in our van around 3 a.m., some 12 hours before the rain began to fall.Many deaths that occur due to flooding, fires, hurricanes, mudslides and other disasters could be prevented if more people left vulnerable areas in time – as my family did at the last minute. But people don’t always move, even after the … [Read more...] about How social networks can save lives when disasters strike
US social networks help combat racial bias
"Permit Patty" and "Pool Patrol Paula" have been unlikely -- and somewhat infamous -- stars of the Twitter age: they are white Americans who have called the police to report alleged problems with black people. Instead, social media users have quickly accused them of racial profiling -- and turned their "problems" into national teachable moments thanks to the power of the hashtag. Incidents of racism in the United States are hardly news, but smartphones and social networks are catapulting such seemingly fleeting moments into the spotlight -- and sparking a collective shaming over discrimination. In April, the Starbucks coffee chain took a social media beating after a store manager in Philadelphia called the police to report two black men deemed suspicious -- they were waiting for a friend but had not yet ordered. A video of police arresting the men went viral, triggering a national outcry and leading Starbucks to conduct an afternoon of company-wide anti-bias training. "Social media … [Read more...] about US social networks help combat racial bias
Baikonur ban: Russia prohibits social networks at major space facility in Kazakhstan
The head of the Kazakhstan-based Russian space launch facility, Baikonur, has banned all staff from using social networks in a bid to boost security and discipline. “In order to prevent any leaks of classified information and to strengthen work discipline all workers of the facility are forbidden from using personal mobile phones and tablets for accessing websites, social networks and message exchange during working hours,” said Baikonur Director Yevgeniy Rakovskiy in a written order, as quoted by RIA Novosti. The letter also contains a list of the banned pages, applications and services. Read more The agency added that the launch facility’s management had closed access to social networks from work computers as well. Earlier, Russian mass media revealed plans to switch all document turnover on Baikonur onto an electronic platform by means of issuing special tablets to all those taking part in the process. The Baikonur cosmodrome was built in the mid-1950s and for … [Read more...] about Baikonur ban: Russia prohibits social networks at major space facility in Kazakhstan
Baikonur Cosmodrome Employees Banned From Using Social Networks in Working Hours
“In order to ensure measures on preventing leaks of sensitive information, boosting labor discipline … [it is necessary] to ban employees from using mobile phones, tablet computers in the working hours for visiting websites of social networks and messengers,” the regulation said. © Sputnik / Oleg UrusovRussia's 'Fastest Ever' Progress Spacecraft Prepped for Launch at BaikonurThe document includes the list of the banned social network and messengers including Telegram, which is blocked in Russia in accordance with a court verdict. A source in Baikonur confirmed to Sputnik that the document was original. READ MORE: 40 Percent of Social Media Users Delete Accounts Over Privacy Concerns Baikonur Cosmodrome is located in Kazakhstan and jointly managed by the Russian space agency Roscosmos and Russia's Aerospace Forces. Russia has agreements with the Central Asian country … [Read more...] about Baikonur Cosmodrome Employees Banned From Using Social Networks in Working Hours