10.25.07

the rise of the social media monster: Facebook valued at $15 billion

Posted in News at 8:39 am by Paloma Cruz

Unless you’ve been living under a rock or have just stayed away from all media outlets in the last day or so, you’ve heard that Microsoft just inked a deal with Facebook for $240 million. They had to outbid Google for that privilege. What Microsoft has bought is ad banner placement control in non-US accounts. Just to be clear, that’s 60% of Facebook users.

More important than the money Microsoft is paying is the fact that, as part of the deal, Facebook is being valued at $15 billion. That number is staggering. To anyone who questioned the value of social networking sites, this is a number that puts that question to rest.

Social media, it seems, it here to stay.

Resources:

10.22.07

Napter to become available to AT&T wireless customers

Posted in News at 9:11 am by Paloma Cruz

AT&T announces wireless link to Napster
– Houston Chronicle2

AT&T Inc. is making Napster Inc.’s entire music catalog of more than 5 million songs available for wireless download starting early next month.

The service, which AT&T is unveiling today, will expand the company’s over-the-air download offerings beyond the independent music it offered through eMusic.com and allow it to compete with offerings from rivals Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp.

San Antonio-based AT&T has not yet announced which devices will work with the new music service.

The new service will not work with Apple Inc.’s iPhone, which is tied to Apple’s iTunes service and allows users to load music only from their computers or when they’re connected to a Wi-Fi network, not through a cellular signal.

[snip]

Footnotes
2 = article may expire after a few weeks

10.20.07

death row inmate blogs

Posted in News at 10:04 pm by Paloma Cruz

Should a death row inmate be allowed to blog? There’s at least one that already is:

Bart Whitaker’s Death Row blog draws criticism1
– KHOU Channel 11

Bart Whitaker sits on Texas Death Row for the murders of his mother and brother in an effort to collect on a $1 million inheritance.

[snip]

But Whitaker’s exposure goes beyond the national TV show. The 27-year-old has a blog he is posting from behind the prison walls of Death Row.

[snip]

Footnotes:
1 = may require registration

Band of Bloggers

Posted in General at 4:20 pm by Paloma Cruz

From the History Channel:

The History Channel wants to capture what it’s really like to be a soldier. We’re launching a new website showcasing first person experiences in Iraq, Afghanistan and all other American wars. If you have video and want to share what it’s like to serve in the US Armed Forces please contact us.

Please contact bandofbloggers@aetn.com.

10.17.07

Dobie High School teaching web skills

Posted in News at 9:00 am by Paloma Cruz

Kudos to Mary Walker, at J. Frank Dobie High School, for taking the initiative and teaching kids web skills.

Teacher develops award-winning program

Mary Walker’s Dobie students learn Web skills

– Houston Chronicle

Mary Walker always expects her students to win first place. There is no reason for them not to.

Since the inception of J. Frank Dobie High School’s Web Mastering program in 2001, a Dobie team has won first place in the Pasadena Independent School District Web design contest every year.

[snip]

In Web I, students complete Web sites based on school subjects using various software and programming languages. Walker chooses one site to represent the school at district.

[snip]

Walker sees the program being expanded and more teachers being added. Slated for January 2008, Web mastering will move to a new computer lab in Dobie’s appended wing.

[snip]

To learn more about the program and to view the winning sites, visit www.jfrankdobie.org.

Fast fact:

Dobie is the only school in PISD to have its own domain name. In 1995, Mary Walker and her husband, attorney Milton Walker, taught themselves HTML programming so they could develop the Web site. They thought Dobie needed a site to “let everyone know” of the many accomplishments at the school. The program receives no funding, but Walker credits Principal Steve Jamail with supporting the program “whole-heartedly”

10.15.07

iPhone is the next computing platform

Posted in News at 9:31 am by Paloma Cruz

Ready For the Next Computing Platform? It’s Ringing Now.
– Fast Company

If you think the iPhone is all about listening to music and taking calls, think again. The device’s ability to allow rich web-based business applications to run on your phone has raised the bar and is ushering in the cell phone as the next major computing device.

10.13.07

will California make accessible web law?

Posted in News at 11:47 pm by Paloma Cruz

California court tilts towards mandating web accessibility
– at The Register

California law may require websites to be accessible to disabled
internet users, according to a ruling in a case against retail giant
Target. Despite recent improvements to the accessibility of Target.com,
the case has now been certified as a class action.

[snip]

Found via TechMeme.

10.12.07

links and resources from Mashable

Posted in General at 11:55 pm by Paloma Cruz

A list of helpful lists from Mashable:

This and more, updated daily.

10.10.07

Firefox going mobile

Posted in General at 9:56 am by Paloma Cruz

Just picked this up from Mashable:

Mozilla has announced that it will be releasing a mobile version of its popular Firefox browser. Much like the Web version, Firefox’s mobile browser will be open source and allow developers to create extensions. Additionally, Mobile Firefox would potentially allow you to sync your bookmarks, history, extensions between your Web and mobile browsers.

[snip]