Google Plus users spent just 3.3 minutes there last month

 A new report by comScore  states that  users spent just 3.3 minutes on Google+ in January compared to 7.5 hours for Facebook.
The gulf between usage on G+ and Facebook has always been large, but comScore's numbers show a downward trend for Google's fledgling social network. Users spent 4.8 minutes on the network in December and 5.1 minutes in November, the report said.
The usage figures come after Google has trotted out some impressive stats outlining Google+'s growth. In a call with analysts last month, Google CEO Larry Page said Google+ had 90 million users compared to 40 million in October.
Reps from Google could not be reached for comment on the report. In the past, Google has taken issue with third-party reports about Google+, noting that they don't track users who access the site remotely, among other factors. (ComScore doesn't include mobile users in its data, though it plans to soon.)
Google is putting a huge amount of emphasis on Google+. Last April, Page told employees that 25% of their annual bonuses would be tied to the company's social strategy that year, which primarily involved the yet-to-be-announced Plus. The company also integrated Google+ results into searches in January, a program it calls "Google Plus Your World."
Despite the latest report, though, there's some encouraging news for Google: Website-Monitoring crunched the numbers this month and found that Google+ is getting less male dominated and is catching on big in India, where 13.69% of Plussers now originate.

By: thecodewhiz On 9:26 AM

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Computer borrowing etiquette

Technology comes with its hitches.It is not a guarantee that your eye-catching gadget will be working perfect always.In simple terms, your gadgets at times may break down and this forces you to stay without them or borrow. If you find yourself unhooked from your digital life support (say, because your phone is dead, your laptop is in the shop or you're wrapping up last week's challenge to put the phone down and look around this lovely world), you may need to ask those five little words: "Can I use your computer?"
Sitting down at the keyboard of another requires a delicate mix of courtesy and discretion. Beyond the insanely obvious (DON'T invade your friend's privacy by opening his files or checking his e-mails, DON'T watch porn or download malware or Google anything that will get the attention of the Department of Homeland Security, and so on), there are a few more subtle guidelines to keep in mind while bumming a friend's computer or tablet.

DON'T assume the owner wants to give you his/her password.
Three out of four people use the same password to access multiple sites, a study from Internet security company BitDefender shows. So by saying the security code aloud, you just might be demanding your friend's banking, e-mail and insurance sign-on.
Plus, the password might be something embarrassing (think "windbeneathmywings"). Say, "Oh, looks like it needs your password!" and casually get out of the way of the keyboard.
DO ask before altering the hard drive.
Obvious, but worth stating: Don't download any plug-ins, run any new programs, etc. on someone else's computer. If your bud doesn't have Adobe Reader, this isn't your night to access that fancy PDF.
Equally important: Unless you've cleared it, don't download e-mail attachments. They can easily get buried in labyrinthine folders, invasive for you to dig out before signing off but cluttering up your bud's files.
DON'T leave a trail of cookie crumbs.
It's annoying to use your computer after a friend's been on it and see that when you visit your Facebook, e-mail, Tumblr and Pinterest, you're already logged in as said user.
Don't be that borrower; instead, turn off cookies so that whatever you're doing isn't remembered for all time by the friend's browser (although, as NPR pointed out last week, the programs are far from foolproof should someone really want to see what you were doing online.).
Different browsers call this amnesiac mode different things: In Internet Explore, it's InPrivate Browsing; in Chrome, it's Incognito Mode; in Firefox, it's Private Browsing. Just remember to turn it off when you're done. If nothing else, it'll prevent your judgy friend from seeing that you had to Google "when to use lay and lie." And on a related note ...
DO withhold judgment.
We all search for embarrassing things, things that, thanks to the wonder of personal computers, our beloved gadgets remember for all time.
Whether a browser history reveals that your friend has been checking what SOPA means or just checking up on an ex, you must never use the information against her.
She's doing you a favor, after all. She's giving you another sweet hit of e- before you start to get the shakes.

By: thecodewhiz On 9:08 AM

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How to Increase Your Laptop Battery Life

When working on the go, it is crucial to keep your laptop fully powered and working at its best. If you spend hours on the road, you will be amazed at how quickly the battery life will drain on your business laptop. Luckily, there are several small and simple things you can do on your laptop to extend its battery life. These are just small tasks that, if done frequently and correctly, will give you a noticeable difference in the battery life of your business laptop.

Add more RAM - This will allow you to process more with the memory your laptop has, rather than relying on virtual memory.  Virtual memory results in hard drive use, and is much less power efficient. Note that adding more RAM will consume more energy, so this is most applicable if you do need to run memory intensive programs which actually require heavy usage of virtual memory.

Lower the Lights and Volume

You may not realize how much battery life your display screen uses to stay bright and vibrant. The more you lower the brightness of your display screen, the more battery life you are adding to your business laptop. You are not only saving yourself battery life , but also helping your eyes and preventing headaches.

In addition, lowering your computer's volume when not in use will help you save a little battery life. You can simply mute the computer or just lower the sound. This will not save a large amount of battery life, but it will make a small difference.

Take care of your battery – Exercise the Battery.  Do not leave a charged battery dormant for long periods of time.  Once charged, you should at least use the battery at least once every two to three weeks. Also, do not let a Li-On battery completely discharge. (Discharing is only for older batteries with memory effects) 

Remove External Devices

Unplug any unused flash drives, external hard drives, iPods or card readers from your laptop. Laptops are especially useful in charging devices such as iPods or even cell phones, but unless charging a device is truly necessary, you will use up more battery power on your laptop and be without a running computer.

This rule also applies to your optical drive. Make sure there are no CDs or DVDs being stored in the drive. When your drive spins, it sucks your battery. If it is spinning for no necessary reason, you are losing a significant amount of battery life.

In addition, turn off your Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when they are not in use. These items are working while the computer is running and, consequently, use up unwanted power. Simply make it a rule of thumb that if an item is not being used, turn it off or remove it.

Don’t multitask – Do one thing at a time when you’re on battery.  Rather than working on a spreadsheet, letting your email client run in the background and listening to your latest set of MP3′s, set your mind to one thing only.  If you don’t you’ll only drain out your batteries before anything gets completed!

Use the power management settings on your computer that come built in. On Windows XP, click "Power Options" in your control panel. On a Mac, look for "Energy Saver" in System Preferences.

Defrag Your Hard Drive

Not only will regularly defragging your hard drive make your computer run faster and better, but it will also extend your battery life. When your computer has been defragged, the hard drive does not have to work as hard. With this easier load on the hard drive, the battery also does not have to work as hard.

Hibernate

Putting your computer on hibernate instead of sleep or standby will save a significant amount of power. Both the sleep and standby modes will save you a little battery life, but they still continue to drain your battery. Putting your business laptop on hibernate is particularly important if you know you are not using your computer for a significant amount of time.

Regulate the Temperature

The hotter your computer is, the faster your battery will drain. The temperature can increase if you use your computer for an extended period of time or if it is placed in a heated environment. To protect your laptop from the heat, regularly check the exterior of the computer to see if it is too hot. Do not place your laptop on blankets, pillows, your lap or any type of soft surface while using it, and never leave your laptop in a hot car or outside in the sun.

These are just but a few tips to give your battery a long there others.Please do share if happen to have other ways.

By: thecodewhiz On 2:34 AM

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Football coach resigns after posting a nude photo on Facebook

A longtime high school football coach in Maine has resigned after one of the more embarrassing and bizarre social media snafus in recent memory (if not of all time) when he accidentally posted a nude photo of himself on Facebook. The lewd photo was viewable by the general public and was recognized by a parent of a player on his football team, leading to the coach's self-imposed departure.

As reported by the Bangor Daily News, Associated Press and a handful of other Maine media outlets, South Paris (Maine) Oxford Hills Comprehensive High football coach Paul Withee tendered his resignation as both a football coach and math and science teacher in the Oxford Hills School District on Monday, days after he inadvertently sparked a major scandal by accidentally posting a completely nude photo of himself on his publicly viewable Facebook page.

Withee allegedly claims the racy photos were only intended for his girlfriend, but the coach -- who has led Oxford Hills' program since the 2009-10 school year -- posted them to his general Facebook profile instead.

While Withee has refused public comment on the incident, Oxford Hills Superintendent Rick Colpitts told Portland ABC affiliate WMTW that the photo was only online for approximately 10 minutes before it was removed. Despite that brief air time, Withee's rather bare photo was seen by a football parent, who immediately reported the incident. It has not been divulged whether Withee removed the photo of his own accord or whether he was told that the shot could be seen by his entire Facebook network and then took it down.

Either way, the brief nude incident raised flags for the Oxford Hills School District because of a general policy stance that allows for teachers to be friends with students on Facebook. That means that students could have possibly seen Withee's nude photo in their own timeline, even if there is no indication that any did.

That concern of exposure to Oxford Hills students motivated the school district to open its own investigation into the incident, though WMTW reported that investigation had since been closed because of Withee's resignation.

While there are any number of common sense lessons that Withee's former students can take from their teacher and coach's fall (never post naked photos of yourself anywhere on the Internet chief among them), the need for strong privacy settings on social media sites is certainly likely to sink in at this point. If that does, perhaps Withee's departure won't be for naught, even if it has brought on one of the strangest justifications for a coach's departure in recent memory.

By: thecodewhiz On 7:28 PM

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Myspace Resurrects

Myspace, the social network  that surpassed Google as the most visited website in the United States  in June 2006 has risen up once again.From 2005 until early 2008 Myspace was the dominant social-networking site but the rise of Facebook lowered the popularity of the site.According to the company, Myspace added   1 million new users over the past month.
"The numbers tell an amazing story of strong momentum and dramatic change for Myspace," said Tim Vanderhook, CEO of Myspace. "And the 1 million-plus new user accounts we've seen in the last 30 days validates our approach."
A team of investors bought out Myspace in June for the fire-sale price of $35 million. Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. paid (many would say overpaid) $580 million for it in 2005.
The new owners, most notably pop star/actor Timberlake, have effectively stopped trying to compete with Facebook and other social sites, instead focusing on Myspace's superior platform for posting and listening to music.
Monday's release from Specific Media credited the site's new music player, with access to more than 42 million songs, as offering the Web's biggest collection of free music.
By comparison, Internet darling Spotify, which launched in the United States in July, was claiming 15 million songs at that time.
"Myspace is building meaningful social entertainment experience around content, where consumers can share and discover the music they love," Vanderhook said. "Consumers are getting excited about Myspace again -- a testament to a great music product."
The new Myspace player offers unlimited, on-demand listening to both established and unsigned artists, personalized radio modes, a recommendation engine and easy integration with Facebook.
Obviously, it remains to be seen whether the resurgence (which has amounted to roughly 40,000 new sign-ups a day) will continue. But with Spotify beginning to limit the number of songs users with free accounts can play, it seems possible there could be space for a new online music player serving up similar content for free.
Well, there competition in the social network arena is high considering the fact one can still post and listen to music in the other social networks.Let us wait and see what Myspace can offer.

By: thecodewhiz On 3:14 AM

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Teacher reprimanded for "improper" comments on Facebook

A teacher has been reprimanded after comments about drinking and parties appeared on her Facebook site and were viewed by pupils.

Elizabeth Scarlett was disciplined by the General Teaching Council for Wales.
But Mrs Scarlett, 50, who used to teach at Trinant Primary School in Crumlin, Caerphilly county, claimed her former partner posted sexual comments.
Because the panel could not be sure she had written them, it disciplined her because of her other posts.
After the hearing a social media expert said teachers should set up separate sites to be friends with pupils.
Mrs Scarlett, who has now left the school, did not appear at the hearing.
Presenting officer Louise Price said the teacher portrayed herself as a "very different person" from the one she was at school and ex-pupils responded to this.

"She discussed being 100% naughty and liking to party hard," Ms Price said.

"She used Facebook to freely discuss her favourite pupils, she talks about the best site to buy sex toys, her sexual preferences and talks about alcohol with an 11-year-old."
Using the site, she told a former pupil: "You should pop up to see me or even better we can go out for a drink or clubbing, I'm a very different person outside school I like to party hard - life is for the living.
"I'm not a teacher on here. I'm just like anyone else, I drink, swear... but don't tell anyone."
Another comment read: "Ms Scarlett's back from the pub. Had a diet coke. If you believe that you will believe anything."
'Very addictive' Head teacher Graham Phillips said he thought her comments were "inappropriate and improper".
He added: "When you become a teacher I think you agree to uphold a certain set of standards to behave in a certain way and act as a role model."
In a statement, Mrs Scarlett said she turned to the website after a relationship ended.
"I found it very addictive," she said. "I was consoling myself after breaking up with my partner and the daily visits to Facebook were a welcome distraction.

"As far as I was concerned I had a Facebook profile which was locked to the highest possible setting. I didn't realise everyone could see my comments."

The hearing in Cardiff was told Mrs Scarlett had 81 friends, including 32 former pupils, 12 of whom were aged between 11 and 17.
An official reprimand will remain on her records for two years and will have to be disclosed to future employers.
Disciplinary chair Gareth Jones said: "She is guilty of being naive about how Facebook works."
Speaking after the hearing, Hadyn Blackey, from the University of Glamorgan, said it was common for people to lose perspective while using networking sites.
"People are less aware of who's able to see the site," he told the BBC Wales News website.
"They claim to being 'friends' with people, but how many of them actually are?"
Mr Blackey has been working with schools to inform teachers on how to offer children guidance on how to safeguard their privacy online.
"But sometimes it's the teachers themselves who need guidance," he said.
"I would recommend that, in terms of pupils, you set up a separate account."

By: thecodewhiz On 8:32 AM

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Facebook and Google remove 'offensive' India content

Communications Minister Kapil Sibal has taken a strong line on the issue

  

Facebook and Google say they have complied with an Indian court directive and removed "objectionable" material.

They are among 21 web firms, including Yahoo and Orkut, facing a civil suit in Delhi accusing them of hosting material that may cause communal unrest.
A criminal case of similar allegations is due to be heard next month.
Judges have threatened to block sites that fail to crack down on offensive content, but many firms say it is impossible to pre-filter material.
Late last year, Communications Minister Kapil Sibal met officials from Google, Facebook and other websites and said the government would introduce guidelines to ensure "blasphemous material" did not appear on internet.
The Delhi High Court last month asked Facebook and Google India to "develop a mechanism to keep a check and remove offensive and objectionable material from their web pages" or "like China, we will block all such websites".
'Constitutional issue' The civil case being heard in Delhi on Monday was filed by Muslim petitioner Mufti Aizaz Arshad Kazmi, who alleged the companies were hosting material intolerant to religious sentiment.
Google and Facebook told the court they had complied with an earlier order by a Delhi district court judge to take down certain material.

Communications Minister Kapil Sibal has taken a strong line on the issue

Google said: "This step is in accordance with Google's longstanding policy of responding to court orders."
Facebook India said it had also filed its compliance report.
Facebook, Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and others all argued that no action should be taken against them.
But the judge insisted the 22 firms should provide a written reply within 15 days detailing the removal of the material.
A second, criminal case - brought by Hindu journalist Vinay Rai - is scheduled to be heard next month, with leading company executives summoned to appear.
However, a Delhi High Court judge will rule next week on an appeal by the firms involved for the case to be quashed.
A spokesman for Microsoft said it had "filed an application for rejection of the suit on the grounds that it disclosed no cause of action against Microsoft".
Google India has argued that it is not feasible to pre-monitor material posted by "billions of people across the globe".
Google lawyer, NK Kaul, said in an earlier court hearing that the issue also related "to a constitutional issue of freedom of speech and expression, and suppressing it was not possible as the right to freedom of speech in democratic India separates us from a totalitarian regime like China".
Facebook says policies are in place that enable people to report abusive content.
In December, Mr Sibal said: "My aim is that insulting material never gets uploaded. We will evolve guidelines and mechanisms to deal with the issue. [The companies] will have to give us the data, where these images are being uploaded and who is doing it."
Mr Sibal was angered by morphed photos of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, as well as pigs running through Islam's holy city of Mecca.

By: thecodewhiz On 8:01 AM

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Factors to consider before developing mobile apps

Mobile web apps are useful alternatives to native apps for mobile devices. These days, Android-based products and iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad all come packed with fantastic mobile browsers (Mobile Chrome and Mobile Safari respectively), and Opera fans can install their preferred browser, too.
The upshot of producing the next Angry Birds or beer-chug simulator? So high!
Here's (almost) everything you need to know before you get started on your own app -- and what I wish I knew before I got into the game.
1. What does it cost to make an app?
If you're new to the app game, prepare for some sticker shock. Making an app will cost you, at the very minimum, around $10,000. This is for a super-simple program — none of that fancy enterprise or social networking jibber-jabber. Even still, any app worth its weight in code will likely cost you closer to $20,000.
Unless you have some basic design skills, you'll need to enlist the help of both a programmer and a designer. And these guys ain't cheap — particularly programmers who, thanks to a pronounced shortage of qualified coders, can pretty much name their prices. (A suggestion for those low on funds: Find some creative way to come up with the cash. I funded my app through Airbnb income.)
You can try to offload some of your costs by offering your guys equity; on the other hand, everybody tries to get free (or close to free) apps by offering developers equity. So unless you can really sell them on the strength of your idea (or bring something totally rad to the table, such as a celebrity), you better be prepared to pony up some cash. Of course, adding in some equity as a bonus is never a bad idea, so you'll probably want to dish out some shares too.
This basic supply/demand dynamic also means that many developers ask for some pretty insane terms. Some demand deals that involve a huge upfront payment in exchange for a few weeks (or even just days) of work. And if a decent developer isn't already working full time, it's not unreasonable to assume he's at least a little commitment-averse. So, if you're serious about making something beyond a quickie cash grab, find a developer you are sure will stay with the project for updates, and not abandon it the second it hits the store.
And get it all in writing. If you don't want to hire a lawyer, find a boilerplate contract online or get one from somebody else who's gone through the process, and just swap in your names and numbers.
If you can, you'll also want to work with people who are local to you -- or at least with people who are willing to join you for regular Skype chats or Google Hangouts. I had weekly beer summits with my coder and designer, which proved super helpful as we continued to fine-tune our app well into its development.
One more unavoidable cost: Apple charges $100 per year to hold onto a developer's account (which you need to publish your app). So be sure to reserve an extra Benjamin for your budget.
2. What should you charge for your app?
I would consider starting one's app at or near $1.99. It's premium price, but it's also immensely satisfying to get more than a buck per download after Apple takes away its 30%. And, as with most things, it's a lot easier to lower the price later than it is to raise it.
During the holiday period, we briefly played around with a special promotion that dropped our app price to $0.99. Predictably, this spiked our downloads, but it didn't actually raise our total revenue. Even on Christmas Day -- the single biggest download day for just about everybody — our revenue was actually higher a week or so later, once we had raised the price back to $1.99.
The obvious exception: If your primary business model involves in-app purchases, ads or the like, you'll probably want to give your app away for free. After all, a quick glance at Apple's top grossing charts shows a whole bunch of free apps.
3. When will you get paid?
Apple sends you cash one month at a time, up to 45 days after the month has ended. So, if your app goes live in January, you can expect your first kickback sometime in early March. Oh, and Apple only pays you if your earned amount totals at least $150, so you may have to wait before getting your first payment. Keep in mind, Apple only pays you through direct deposit.
4. How do you write your iTunes description?
Don't try to rock the boat here. Take a look at a bunch of hit apps, and crib their formats. If it works for them, it'll work for you. Typically, this involves a quickie intro statement, press blurbs and a list of your key features. Then add some screenshots (the most interesting ones first) and call it a day.
5. What's the best way to beta test?
Getting an unreleased app onto your friends' iPhones isn't the easiest thing in the world. My developer and I are in total agreement that the best method is a program called TestFlight, which makes it very easy to send build updates to registered devices, over the air.
6. What happens when you get featured on iTunes?
Getting featured on iTunes is obviously awesome, but what exactly does it get you? When Apple included our app on its featured lists, we enjoyed a predictable flow of downloads almost identical in volume every single day we were parked there. Especially fascinating, the "New & Notable" list gave us almost exactly twice as many daily downloads as the "What's Hot" list. I'm assuming this is because, when you tap the "Featured" tab on the "App Store" app, "New & Notable" pops up by default.
7. How do you get press?
As a longtime tech writer, the main advice I can give you in your pursuit for press is that less is more. If you think a site or publication would be into your app, don't e-mail the entire staff or the big boss — just find the writer who covers your category, briefly summarize your app in an email, and attach a download code (Apple gives you 50 for every update). Smaller sites may be more responsive than the big guys, and if you build up enough buzz, you can rest assured that the majors will come knocking.
If a journalist doesn't get back to you, move on. And don't even touch that phone or personal e-mail address (unless that person is a freelancer) -- writers hate nothing more than phone or personal-inbox press pitches.
Consider also producing an embeddable YouTube or Vimeo ad of some sort. Not only does this provide one more avenue for people to stumble upon your app, but it also gives bloggers something alive and colorful to toss into posts, which could increase the chances that they'll write about you. Keep it simple, and preferably, well under two minutes. And don't forget to promote over Twitter, Facebook, etc.
8. How do you avoid the spam?
Within days of hitting the App Store, expect whichever email you linked to your iTunes developer's account to be pounded with spam. Most try to lure you into ponying over money in exchange for positive reviews, under the guise of "mobile marketing." Let's put it this way: If you don't regularly buy Viagra pills online, then you probably shouldn't give cash to these guys. Of course, if you're smart enough to make an app, you're smart enough to know this already.

By: thecodewhiz On 7:51 AM

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