Facebook rolling out share button for mobile site

Facebook is in the process of rolling out a share button for its mobile site, a spokesperson for the company told TechRadar Wednesday, and has plans to expand.
"We started rolling out a share button on the mobile site, and it will be coming to iOS and Android," the spokesperson said.
No other details, like a specific time frame for the OS inclusion, were offered except the promise that the social network would get back in touch "when we have more information."
Such a button has been missing from the site's mobile interface despite requests from users to add a clickable feature that would allow them to repost things like photos, links and statuses.

New looks at Facebook

Inside Facebook first spotted the arrival of the mobile share button, though initially reported it as a test.
Now, with Facebook's confirmation, it looks as though the feature is here to stay.
The development marks just one of several new features the site introduced Wednesday.
First up was a Social Jobs Partnership app, which lets job seekers hunt for work through the site based on location, industry or skill, with all openings backed up by a handful of employment search services.
Also on Facebook's agenda was the introduction of Pages Feeds, or news feeds free of friends (sorry, guys) and featuring posts from the pages users like.
TechRadar will provide any and all information related to the new share button as soon as it becomes available.

Facebook adds job search aggregate, page-only news feed

The social network starts job hunting

Add job hunting to the list of things Facebook can do for you.
The social network announced a new application for its Social Jobs Partnership (SJP) program Wednesday.
"When it comes to economic growth, few issues are more important than matching qualified candidates with great jobs," said a Facebook post heralding the app.
"In that spirit, we know that the power of social media – the connections between friends, family and community – can have an outsized impact on finding jobs."

Facebook gets a million jobs

The SJP app lets users search for jobs based on location, industry or skill.
It's backed by employment search services BranchOut, DirectEmployers Association, Jobvite, Work4Labs and Monster.com, which all bring search results to Facebook.
SJP then organizes results based on which job board provides leads. Job hunters will then have to follow the links back to the respective job search service or Facebook app.
The application is part of a larger jobs effort launched by Facebook last year with its Social Jobs Partnership page. It's a program that "leverages social media to connect great jobs with great candidates."
Facebook partnered with the U.S. Department of Labor, the National Association of Colleges and Employers and others to give advice and resources for finding work through the page.
Facebook also tossed in a few job-finding statistics it gathered along with the announcement.
According to the company, 50 percent of employers use Facebook in the hiring process now, and 54 percent of them anticipate "Facebook becoming a more important part of the talent acquisition process in the near future."

Introducing the Pages Feed

But the app isn't the only new page Facebook turned over. A Pages Feed feature is rolling out too.
It's a new filter that allows users to get pure page goodness in their news feeds. No more clutter from friends' cute cat photos, just joke headlines from The Onion and updates from Car Talk and Taylor Swift.
The Pages Feed won't affect the way the News Feed works, it's just a new filter. Users can access the feed from their home page under the Pages section. Just click the Pages Feed button and voila, feast on page news.
Facebook said the new feature is hitting the network now. Users should notice the new filter soon, if it hasn't already appeared.
With the new apps, the unemployed can now feel a little less guilty about spending huge chunks of time on the social network. However, Facebook still remains the bane of productivity for those with jobs.

Facebook revamps Friendship Pages to chronicle your relationships

Facebook.com/us to show lovey-dovey couples pages 

 

Facebook has announced a big overhaul to its Friendship Pages, including dedicated couples pages.
If users are listed as 'In A Relationship' with someone, browsing to Facebook/us will now redirect them to a neat new timeline-infused page chronicling the relationship with their significant other.
The automatically-curated pages include a cover photo, joint profile pictures, the relationship status (e.g. married since 2007) mutual friends, mutual likes and events the couple has shared.

Less intimate friendships

The updates, which will start rolling out to users immediately, will also work for your less intimate friendships.
These will replace the old Friendship Pages and can be viewed by browsing to a pal's profile page and hitting See Friendship from the drop-down settings menu.
The newly-revamped pages will also feature a 'Share Friendship' button to allow you to push your lovey-dovey relationship history onto unsuspecting mutual friends.

Facebook private message rumour is 'false', site says

A rumour that Facebook users' private messages were appearing on public timelines is false, the firm has said.

Some users, mostly in France, reported that "private messages" sent between 2007-2009 were suddenly public.
However, Facebook told the BBC: "[The] messages were older wall posts that had always been visible on the users' profile pages.
Separately, Facebook shares fell up to 11% after an influential journal said the stock is worth just $15.
On the messaging rumour, the social network said: "Facebook is satisfied that there has been no breach of user privacy."
Another source at the company told the BBC that engineers said there was "no way" the two areas of data could get mixed up.

Private material

The source said that "no mechanism" had ever been created that would allow a private message to be published onto a user's wall or timeline.
Similar rumours surfaced and were investigated in 2011, the source said, but after "extensive investigation" they were proven to be untrue.
Despite Facebook's statement, many users reported finding what they believed to be old private material.
"There are messages I've got on my wall that are most definitely private messages! From 2006 all the way up to 2012," wrote Poppy Dinsey, owner of fashion social network What I Wore Today.
"I'm 100% sure by content and from memory. And also some posts on my wall were clearly beginnings of (private) group [messages]."
Meanwhile, Facebook shares were under pressure after the US financial publication Barron's said the stock is worth perhaps only $15 a share, well below the $38-a-share flotation price.
On Wall Street, the shares ended down 9.1% to $20.79, having fallen more than 11% earlier in the day.
Barron's said: "Facebook's 40% plunge from its initial public offering price of $38 in May has millions of investors asking a single question: Is the stock a buy?
"The short answer is 'No.' What are the shares worth? Perhaps only $15," Barron's said.

Facebook surpasses one billion users as it tempts new markets

Facebook's next billion?

The world's biggest social network says it now has over a billion active monthly users. But anxious investors are asking where will its next billion users come from? And the billion after that?

While Facebook is firmly established in the western social media world, it still lags behind in Asia and another continent, key growth markets to satisfy its hungry investors and shareholders.

Facebook now has more than one billion people using it every month, the company has said.

The passing of the milestone was announced by founder Mark Zuckerberg on US television on Thursday.

The company said that those billion users were to date responsible for 1.13 trillion "likes", 219 billion photos and 17 billion location check-ins.

The site, which was launched in 2004, is now looking towards emerging markets to build its user base further.

"If you're reading this: thank you for giving me and my little team the honor of serving you," Mr Zuckerberg wrote in a status update.

"Helping a billion people connect is amazing, humbling and by far the thing I am most proud of in my life"

Statistics released to coincide with the announcement revealed there were now 600 million users accessing the site via a mobile device - up 48 million from 552 million in June this year.

Since its early beginnings at Harvard University, Facebook users have befriended each other 140.3 billion times.

Sustained growth is seen as crucial if Facebook is to maintain its value - the company has seen its share price drop to about $22 (£17) from a starting price of $38.

Investors will expect the company to look at ways to make more from the users it already has as well as seeking to attract new users in areas of the world where it does not yet dominate.

"For Facebook the main challenge is not just to grow in terms of numbers, but more importantly to deepen and enrich engagements," said Eden Zoller, principal analyst at tech research firm Ovum.

TV chat show

Although the service is by far the world's biggest social network, there are key areas, such as China and Russia, where local competitors still remain the online networking tool of choice.

Last month, Mr Zuckerberg visited Moscow, where he made his first TV chat show appearance, as well as a highly publicised meeting with the Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev.

It was a public-relations exercise designed to unsettle VKontakte - a network that boasts in excess of 100 million members, compared with Facebook's seven million, in the country.

In the same trip, Mr Zuckerberg made a "surprise" visit to one of the company's arranged hack-a-thons to meet local developers.

Other trips include to China, where the company said it was busy "watching and learning" from other internet firms.

Google, which launched in China in 2005, faced fierce criticism when it agreed to allow censorship of search results. It later changed its stance, and now directs all of its traffic through its Hong Kong-based site.

Facebook at one billion:

• Median user age: 22
• Top countries (alphabetical order): Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, United States
• Mobile users: 600 million

At 500 million (July 2010):

• Median user age: 23
• Top countries: Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, United States
• Users who joined the site at this point now have an average of 305 friends

At 100 million (August 2008):

• Median user age: 23
• Top countries: Chile, France, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States
• Users who joined the site at this point now have an average of 334 friends

At 50 million (October 2007):

• Median user age: 26
• Top countries: Australia, Canada, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States
• Users who joined the site at this point now have an average of 321 friends

At 25 million (January 2006):

• Median user age: 19
• Top countries: Australia, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, United States
• Users who joined the site at this point now have an average of 598 friends

Facebook privacy changes recommended by Irish watchdog

Facebook has been given six months to improve its privacy policy by the Irish data protection commissioner.

Commissioner Billy Hawkes recommended that the social networking site introduce widespread changes, including clearer terms and conditions and more user freedom concerning data usage.

Facebook Ireland has been responsible for all of the company's data outside of North America since September last year, BBC News reports.

"This was a challenging engagement both for my office and for Facebook Ireland. The audit has found a positive approach and commitment on the part of FB-I [Facebook Ireland] to respecting the privacy rights of its users," said Hawkes.

Facebook welcomed the commissioner's feedback and pledged to implement the requested measures. "We are pleased that the report demonstrates how Facebook adheres to European data protection principles and complies with Irish law," read a statement for the firm.

"Of course, the report highlights some areas where we can improve and reach best practice."

Last month the US Federal Trade Commission said that Facebook was guilty of "unfair and deceptive" practices concerning changes made to its privacy settings in 2009.

Zendesk Ramps Up Social In Customer Support Platform With Facebook Integration

Customer support startup Zendesk is debuting Zendesk for Facebook, which allows customer service teams to engage with Facebook users from within the startup’s popular help-desk platform. Launched in 2008, Zendesk offers a web-based, SaaS-delivered help desk and support ticketing application that gives companies a simple way to manage incoming support requests from end customers.

There’s no doubt that social media is a large part of customer service, and brands and companies need to keep a close eye on what customers are talking on services like Facebook and Twitter about so they can be part of the conversation.

With Zendesk for Facebook, support teams can respond to Facebook wall posts from within the customer support system. Facebook has been a long-awaited integration for the support SaaS; Zendesk added Twitter data and functionality in 2010.

Zendesk now has than 10,000 customers (including Adobe, MSNBC, Sony, OpenTable and Groupon) and offers both plans for small businesses and enterprise companies. To date, Zendesk has raised$26 million to date from Matrix Partners, Benchmark Capital and Charles River Ventures.