new version of AIM available

You can now download AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) version 7...

Now, there is a "dock" feature which will allow AIM to be next to all windows at all times.

It looks like Bebo will be the service partner for profile information of AIM users.

The "Lifestream" service will all you to "Get updates from all your social networks and let your friends see your updates too...Set up Lifestream SMS Alerts and receive updates from your AIM Buddies wherever they are online...Activating allows AIM Lifestream to send text messages to your phone and you'll never miss what your Buddies are doing!" Some of the supported services are: Delicious, Digg, Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and YouTube.

"The AIM Blast feature is a new part of the AIM service, allowing you to IM your Buddies all at once directly from your Buddy List. You can set up your Blast group however you'd like — keep things private with just a few friends, or let anyone invite anyone and watch it grow!"

Facebook allows advertisers to use your picture

It is my opinion that we should expect that there are no absolutes in regards to safety and security...at all. With that in mind, the story about pictures in Facebook accounts being used for advertisements (Facebook now lets advertisers use your picture) doesn't surprise me. As we've discussed many times, things are noted in "Terms of Service" and "End-User License Agreements" that people don't read and/or understand.

To "opt out" of the Facebook ads:

go to Settings, then Account Settings...

on the My Account tab, in the Privacy section, choose "manage"...

go to News Feed and Wall, then the Facebook Ads tab...

and for Appearance in Facebook Ads, change it to "no one".

Can Facebook Be Private?

This is the article I mentioned during our latest show...it's in the July edition of PC World: Can Facebook Be Private?

"...Facebook will warn you that the app can access your personal data, but it won't tell you exactly what personal data that app uses...

"...if a friend installs an app, the program will by default be able to see anything you've shared with that friend...

"...create a list of friends, then restrict content-sharing to certain lists...

"...Facebook's profile preview tool: Go to Settings, Privacy Settings, then Profile, and type a friend's name in the box up top. You'll see your own profile as it would be viewed by that friend, and can then adjust your privacy settings accordingly."

social networking websites

We have had discussions about social networking sites: which ones are best for types of networking, which ones are best for "adults", etcetera...

Friendster was (and may be) the largest "global online social network...adults, 18 and up..."

Orkut, run by Google, has a lock on Brazil and also eats up a big portion of the market in India. Hi5 is big in Latin America...

From a 2006 report:
“MySpace.com has the broadest appeal across age ranges, Facebook.com has created a niche among the college crowd, Friendster.com attracts a higher percentage of adults, and Xanga.com is most popular among younger teens..."

"...Xanga.com has a younger user profile, with 20 percent of its users in the 12-17 age range, about twice as high as that age segment’s representation within the total Internet audience...More than one-third (34 percent) of visitors to Facebook.com are 18-24 years old...more than two-thirds of MySpace visitors are age 25 or older."

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