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As the opportunities to share information have become more ubiquitous, there has been an increasingly hyped-up debate and concern around the topic of privacy. But is privacy really the issue? As Jeff Jarvis rightly points out, the reason for using social services is for sharing, not hiding. Twitter and Instagram are prime examples of this, where the user is forced to choose between sharing everything or limiting their sharing to a personally selected group who apply for the privilege. Nonetheless, the fact is that although many of us want to share, we want to be able to fine-tune our audience. This challenges services like Facebook where you determine sharing settings in advance of your broadcast.

Has the notion of a ‘friend’ become too diluted by the many different definitions of ‘contact’ across social media networks? Path is trying to redefine this by limiting the number of friends you can add to 50, encouraging you to only share with your “real friends.” But then the question is whether this really solves the issue? Do we only want to share with our close social circle, or do we (as I would argue) have things we want to share with other groups of contacts we would not classify as “friends”?

The problem is that there is currently no universal standard for privacy settings. Each social network has implemented their own interpretation as it applies to types of content shared on their platform. As social networks open up their APIs, allowing users to give third parties access to their content, their social media content can become spread across multiple services. Every network defines their privacy and sharing settings differently, so there is significant ambiguity around how these settings translate when transferring content among services. If you try to inherit privacy settings from multiple services the level of complexity that results is enormously challenging both from a development and a user perspective.

No one has solved this problem yet, and it is a highly relevant and important issue that needs to be addressed. We need a platform where you can manage and arrange all your connections into one simple structure, allowing you to easily define the privacy layers for how, and with whom, you share your content online. And this platform needs to integrate all the social networks.

Facebook Connect was a good first attempt at this, but sadly they quickly closed down their API that allowed you to invite your Facebook Friends to join third-party services. Now you can only view and add friends who are already signed up to that service. The continuation of Facebook Connect in its original form would have made Facebook the major organ of social media sharing, pumping content between networks and controlling the flow to new arteries of social circulation. For users, this would have allowed them greater control and continuity of how their content was shared beyond the confines of Facebook’s network.

Until we create a unified theory of sharing across social networks, there will continue to be great concern around the conflicting definitions of individual privacy. Regulators, in their efforts to protect internet users, are already discussing how to create barriers to protect the individual and simultaneously stifle social sharing. What we need is not greater personal protection through legal limitations, but consistency and standards that are recognized across social networks.

This past week the Google+ platform was revealed, ushering in a promising new chapter in the movement towards a universal standard of privacy. Google+’s ‘circles’ interface allows users to easily organize their network of contacts into spheres of association. Their organizational model for privacy takes what Facebook has developed one step further by allowing the user to easily visualize their different spheres of contacts, and determine which group they want to share updates with as the final step in broadcasting content. Wouldn’t it be great if I could link that structure to all of my other social networks? Let’s hope that Google+ hurdles past the point where Facebook Connect retreated from and becomes the new heart of social network sharing.

Eric Lagier is the cofounder and CEO of Memolane, a service that creates social media timelines for individuals and companies. Lagier formerly was the director of hardware and mobile business development at Skype.

Image courtesy of Flickr user Josh Hallett

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Today was my last day at Facebook. Normally when I leave a job I go out cursing the management and wishing I had left much sooner. In the case of Facebook, I sent heartfelt emails to all of my managers thanking them for the privilege of letting me work there, and I genuinely meant it. Facebook was the longest I ever worked at one company, and the best employer I’ve ever had.

Working at Facebook was like having my own startup, but with a paycheck instead of ramen. Management gave me the freedom to work on my own ideas, and just like with real startups, some of my projects never made it out of the lab, while others shipped and were huge successes. The brilliance of Facebook management is encouraging everyone to take initiative, take risks, and wear as many hats as you can. I wish more tech companies operated like this.

Having known Hewitt for a while, I can safely say that he means every single word. Not one to give lip service, Hewitt is a straight shooter. He joined Facebook after Mark Zuckerberg & Co acquired Parakey, a company Hewitt co-founded with Blake Ross about four years ago. Hewitt’s contributions to the mobile ecosystem, including his work on Facebook for iPhone, was the main reason we included him the inaugural GigaOM Mobile Influencers list. Here is what we wrote about him:

In the world of software, there are few who qualify for rock star status. But Joe Hewitt, a New Jersey-born programmer, is one of them. He started out at Netscape in 2000, working on the browser’s user interface, after which he went on to help longtime cohort Blake Ross reinvent the Netscape browser as Mozilla’s Firefox. In 2006 he left Mozilla to work with Ross on a new startup, Parakey, that in turn was acquired by Facebook in 2007.

Then when Apple launched the iPhone, Hewitt released iUI, a user interface library that consisted of a combination of javascript and CSS, and allowed for the easy development of web applications that matched the device’s native visual elements. Later he wrote an iPhone-specific version of Facebook, which has helped to both take the social network to the top of the mobile heap and jumpstarted the adoption of social networking services on all major mobile phone platforms. What’s even more surprising: Hewitt is the one-man programming machine behind Facebook for the iPhone.

After spending his energies on the iPhone, he moved away from Apple’s platform and turned his attention to the Android platform. Today Facebook is a mobile monster, possibly working on its own mobile platform. Hewitt says he is going to work on new tools for developers and designers. On his blog, he wrote:

And so, I’m independent now, and I’m going to pour myself into understanding the needs of modern developers and designers, and creating software to fill those needs. There are so many opportunities that I can’t even predict what I will end up building, but I am pretty sure I know where I am going to start. I can’t wait.

Here is a video interview I did with Hewitt back in 2009:

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The websites that help you to learn to play guitar supply you with access to videos of other people playing the instrument and dealing with you directly. They allow users to e-mail inquiries and would generally rsvp quite fast. The best thing regarding this learning experience is it to be free. The websites also urge soft ware’s that make it easier to play guitar without the access in the internet. They might evaluate your performance and provide tips on how you can improve. The websites could also have connections with retailers that sell instruments, meaning the users would hold the privilege of receiving bargains. Though your goal is to learn to play guitar, you can meet other peers who might want to share their ideas and similar experiences with you. Far east Movement is one of my favorite bands they sing the song rocketeer

In order to discover ways to play guitar, you will firstly need to take into consideration the genre that you are interested in learning about. Whether a rock, acoustic or jazz each person has a different tastes in music. You will should first learn the principles. Many people are thrilled to learn at the start but the basics deliver them down, so it is important to know that you is not playing like a rock star on the first lesson itself. Pick the right guitar for novices. Many shops will be willing to defend you if you let them know for you to started to learn to help play guitar. Next you’ve got to find a classroom you will be comfortable in. If you are going to get your lessons with an institute, it will be very formal. This is not really everyone’s comfort zone. If it may making you nervous, anxious or intimidated it’s a waste of time and money. Hence you’ve got to think carefully about the classroom that you are going to learn in.

To keep yourself motivated you’ve got to set goals. List a number of songs that you intend to learn to play and study one a week. This will help people learn faster and the classes is not monotonous. The final section of advice is “practice”, the more you prevent your fingers on those chords the faster you will start to play guitar. Many successful guitar players are the way they are because they had been practicing for years.

One of the ideal points you can easily do for your self and even the other people who may be near you on the street, is to focus on it. When driving a moving piece of metal hurling by air, it need to register in a regular person’s brain that wherever the vehicle is going is the best thing to be wondering about. Driving your vehicle cautiously and with full awareness can help save you and people from an unexpected mishap |. Never communicate and commute if it is not really some thing you have been able to do in the past or the present. A person accompanying you in your car feels uneasy, you will need to consider your driving is improper.

With all the control keys in contemporary day vehicles, made to make things simpler, however these might really turn your enjoyable driving into a rough drive. To gain competence on your driving abilities you need to know the tactics to handle such things and regulate the control keys. Driving perfectly and braking perfectly will help others driving around you to do the same. Keep a optimistic mindset when you are driving. If you go out onto the road mad or furious, it will represent in the way you commute. Road rage could be set off by some thing that took place at house and you might take it out on innocent people. Have a nice mindset towards driving and it will have a great one towards you.

Furthermore, don’t ignore the driving codes for simple and safe drive. Revise your self with the present driving laws, this will guarantee no mishaps on road . Always keep in mind that being knowledgeable could save your life at some point in your life. Young driver insurance policies are today appearing which are rewarding drivers who behave responsibly. These policies work through inserting a tracker within the actual car and recording the actual driving behaviour. The motorist is given a reduction on their insurance policy premium if they drive responsibly.

Brother is storming the market with affordable printers and cartridges other companies are struggling to compete with. This printer does not come with all the gadgets and gizmos many printer buyers are getting used to. If you are expecting to get a scanner, double-side printing and a photocopier, you are going to be disappointed. This printer is just that, a printer. A very fairly priced printer with good specifications, but still just a printer. However, it has features that make it a good investment for your home or office.

The first feature is that it is a laser printer for $79.99. The high quality printing and low toner costs make it a very attractive machine. Granted, it is not the best type for printing color snapshots. However, if you are in the market for color laser printers you are going to have to be willing to pay a little more for the privilege.

A great feature is that it is small device. It will fit anywhere on your desk or in your small office. This is a great feature for people looking for a printer that will blend into their office, and who do not want a behemoth taking control of their work space.

High quality printing is the best feature of this affordable laser printer. The printer delivers 2,400 x 600 dots per inch, which will be more than enough for any project. The truth is that after 300 dpi it is hard to tell the difference. So you do not have to worry about your graphs, charts and images, as they will look sharp.

The beauty of this printer is that it is fast at 17 pages per minute. However, this speed is not in conflict with its quality. You can expect top quality detail at even the fastest setting. This is great for school projects or when printing large manuals as it provides fast performance without dropping the quality.

It is also very easy to use. The printers control layout and interface is simple to operate and the installation on your computer will be a breeze with its plug and play design. The software that comes with the printer is also very user friendly, which simplifies the installation of the printer. It also includes interactive help software that will aid you with any troubleshooting you might require.

The Brother HL 2030 printer is a compact, fast, high quality monochrome laser printer that will surpass the expectations of most home and office users. The price of less than $80 is a bonus, as is the large sheet tray capacity of 250 pages in such a small printer. The features to look out for are its speed, 17 ppm, quality printing, 2,400 x 600 dpi and an optional external wireless option. This is a great feature for homes and offices that are aiming for a wireless environment with no annoying cables to worry about and clean around.

Every sheet printed with the Brother HL 2030 printer toner cartridges will show the quality any user could desire. Brother toner cartridge is always a top performer and you’ll want to have plenty of laser toner on hand so you can print whatever you need for your business.

Just as within the past, there are many people involved in long-distance relationships. In many cases, many of these relationships have formed online. Consequently, they rely solely on Web and other kinds of communication for example chatting to stay close to their new discovered love. This can result in boring text messages of all types which can bring your romantic relationship down. Instead, try saving your relationship with the smiley download.

Whenever you download Smiley’s, they provide you with the opportunity to use them sporadically or as frequently as you like in your numerous messages. They add some color and some excitement to otherwise drab messages.

And, if you download those that are animated, they make the entire point a lot more enjoyable as well. And the good point is that they aren’t only used with chat rooms. Instead, they could be used in your e-mails and even on your cell phone. So, no matter whenever you are in touch with your loved one, you can easily add a little bit of flavor to your text.

Unfortunately, we live inside a time that doesn’t enable us the privilege of taking the time to carefully put our thoughts in order before we send them. We are all utilized to speed. So, that frequently might produce confusion too as of misunderstandings with regards to our sentences and statements. But, the emoticons take all the confusion away.

They also provide you with the chance to express your love in many ways and as often as you like without even having to say it straight out within the written word. You can just throw in a small emoticon that says I love you whenever you want. It could come in the form of a kiss or any other way.

They have a huge impact on the romantic relationship, no matter how little or how insignificant you might think they are. They include a whole lot to a message, especially when it’s related to some long-distance relationship.

In order to really get the answers to your question, I highly recommend you go straight to the net’s leading site about this issue here. Go there now!: msn messenger plus, download skype and windows live download

Rangers agree to terms with first-round picks
This time, the Texas Rangers made sure their top draft picks didn’t get away. The Rangers agreed to terms Wednesday with both of their first-round draft picks and assigned them to the Arizona League. Outfielder Jake Skole was picked 15th overall and catcher Kellin Deglan was chosen 22nd in the first round Monday night.
Read more on AP via Yahoo! Sports

BeyondTrust’s Privilege Manager Named “Best of Tech·Ed Finalist” by Windows IT Pro and SQL Server Magazines
AGOURA HILLS, Calif. & NEW ORLEANS—-BeyondTrust today announced that its Privilege Manager was named as a Finalist in the Best of Tech·Ed 2010 awards program in the Security category by Penton Media’s Windows IT Pro® and SQL Server Magazine.®
Read more on Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance

The Best And Worst Of Times For China’s Environment
There’s great progress afoot. Just don’t breath the air or drink the water.
Read more on Forbes

The huge variety of options available makes it hard to know which model is best for your business. There are no end of accessories coming out that promise to increase efficiency and speed. The question is if you actually need them and want to pay for the privilege.

This machine is designed as a workgroup printer. This means it was produced to be used as a server printer where all the workers in an office can use it through a network. Printers with this capability need fast processors and large quantities of RAM. It is also useful to have fast printing to keep up with the workload of a busy office.

This model certainly delivers on those features. It has 256 MB of RAM that can be upgraded to 768 MB if necessary. It also boasts a lightening fast 625 MHz processor. The printer in itself is fast and prints at high resolution. This set is great for small offices that mainly print documents and need a solid monochrome laser printer.

The media handling of the printer is very adequate for most users. It can deal with envelopes, cards, transparencies and, of course, plain paper. It does not come with the option of printing on vinyl and polyester labels, but quite honestly there is very little need for that for most users.  The media sizes are the typical range from Letter A size (8.5 inches x 11 inches) to Folio size (8.5 inches x 13 inches). Users who require larger media sizes will have to dig a little deeper into their pockets to pay for the privilege.

Media feeders for this printer come in the generic two tray system, with a large 500 sheet tray with automatic loading and a smaller 100 sheet multipurpose tray. If you require larger sheet trays you can purchase a larger one for a little extra on the price tag.

This model comes with an expansion slot and two input ports, a standard USB port and an older parallel port. Wi-Fi capabilities are not built in and must be purchased as an extra. However, if what you are looking for is a solid workgroup printer you will be happy with the high performance this model can deliver.

The Lexmark Optra W840 printer comes standard with a fast top of the range processing chip of 625 MHz, 256 MB of RAM and plenty of room for upgrades. With a price tag around the $2,000 mark this is most certainly not an option for home users, but a great investment for businesses that want a high quality dedicated monochrome laser printer at a price that does not cost the earth. This is not an easy compromise to find, so give this printer a closer look.

If you have the opportunity to see the prints made by Lexmark Optra W840 cartridges, you’ll know why Lexmark replacement toner is a top performer.  This top of the line compatible toner can be ordered online at surprising savings.

Would you be willing to pay an extra dollar or two per month for Xbox Live if you were able to watch live TV on it? That’s what Microsoft and News Corp. execs are currently contemplating, with the two companies in talks over bringing a “young, male” channel to XBL. Now, this is all rumor and speculation, so no need to freak out if you’re diametrically opposed to the idea.

The idea is to bring a channel to XBL in order to figure out a new way to get people to pay for Hollywood’s greatest whatever. Nothing wrong with that, I guess, so long as it’s made optional: I sure as heck don’t want to be forced to pay even one more penny for the privilege of watching, I don’t know, cool skateboard tricks, car crashes, or women jumping on trampolines à la The Man Show. I have zero interest in watching that.

And here’s a bit more gossip: apparently Conan was in talks with starting some sort of XBL channel before he agreed to go to TBS.