Emailing in Bed, when Sick & on Vacation

Doing Business in Bed, when Sick & on Vacation

Checking Email Keyboard

  • How often do you check your work email?
  • Every day? Every couple hours? Every hour?

As internet access becomes more available everywhere from cafes to bookstores to the booming smartphone market, checking email has become almost second nature for most individuals.

A recent survey by Harris Interactive conducted in the US and in the UK, showed that for Americans, 72% of the people check work email during non-business hours, 19% check emails in bed, and a whopping 50% of the people check email during vacations or day off.

Email Statistics

Here are some of the US emailing stats laid bare:

  • 72% of people check work email during non-business hours
  • 19% check email in bed (21% of men, 16% of women, 31% of 18-34 year olds)
  • 50% check email during vacations and days off
  • 42% of Americans check work email when sick at home (26% in UK)

Of those checking on non-business hours:

  • 27% check because they are expected to provide quick responses (20% in UK)
  • 37% are afraid they may miss something important (45% in UK)

How often do you check work email?

[poll id=”21″]

About The Email Survey

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Xobni from August 5th to 9th, 2010 among 2,200 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

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James Cameron Shooting “Avatar 2” 7 Miles Underwater?

Some interesting news.

James Cameron Shooting Avatar 2 Underwater?

James Cameron is planning to shoot some of Avatar’s Sequel 6.8 miles under water…

Avatar - Colonel Quaritch StephenLang
|| James Cameron is going to do what? ||

Why would James Cameron do such a thing when he could easily do it through CG and special effects? James Cameron has always had a passion for exploring the deep having shot deep sea documentaries such as Aliens of the Deep and Ghosts of the Abyss. This time he may be eying the $10 million X-Prize.

What is the X-Prize Award?

The X-Prize is a $10 million award given to pioneers in scientific exploration. The previous prize was given to develop a manned spacecraft. This new prize is to be given to the first private crew to be able to make manned dives to “Challenger Deep”, the deepest known point on Earth. The last time explorers visited the Challenger Deep was some 50 years ago by Jacques PIccard and Don Walsh.

|| It's all about the Money Folks. Bling Bling ||

Why Shoot Avatar 2 Underwater?

|| NO! Get out of Pandora! Stop making these War Movies! ||

Does James Cameron really need $10 million dollars? Probably not. But as someone who has a passion for deep water exploration, it would not be a surprise if he tries to hit two birds (Fish?) with one stone. Avatar 2 is reported to be set in the oceans of Pandora and thus figures to include a lot of underwater footage.

Most may laugh at such an endeavor, but James Cameron has experience with deep water exploration and was the creator and or director of the two most successful films ever in Avatar and Titanic. The former making almost 2 billion dollars at the box office. You would figure if James made it down there, he would take some great footage to be used perhaps both in his film as well as future deep water exploration documentaries.

  • What are your thoughts?
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Taking Virtual Game Girlfriends to Real Resorts?

Lovely Town of Atami full of Virtual Couples?

OMG: This was my reaction to this:

The recently released version of the game “Love Plus, players can visit 13 real, physical locations with their.. virtual girlfriends? Wait.. what?

A beach resort in the seaside town of Atami about 60 miles southwest of Tokyo, started to target young men who play the game Love Plus. What is Love Plus? It is a virtual sims game where you play as a high school boy in a relationship with a high school girl. The point of the game is maintain and build the relationship. The game became big news when a 27 year old Japanese became so engaged (pun fully, and sadly intended) staged a full on wedding watched by thousands of people online with his virtual fiancée.

Blending the Virtual with Reality

So what is the OMG for? The recently released version had a new feature. In a partnership with the city of Atami, the players can visit 13 real, physical locations and find 2D barcodes where they can scan to signify taking their virtual girlfriends to these location.

Loveplus Atami Game

It’s creative idea and it does help the local businesses but… it is a creepy step into blending the virtual with reality. Think about the couple who had neglected their real child while raising a virtual one. Where one starts, the other ends.

The game Love Plus, created by Konami Digital Entertainment, released last September has sold nearly 430,000 copies. More than 2,000 players have already visited Atami since the campaign launched in July.

  • … so what are your thoughts?
  • do you think engaging in these games will have any effect on the person’s management of real life relationships?
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EA’s Medal of Honor – Play as the Taliban

Medal of Honor - Taliban

EA’s Medal of Honor – Play as the Taliban

EA’s Medal of Honor is one of the most successful and well known first-person shooters available. In October 12, the latest rendition is due to be released but with a twist – it takes place in Afghanistan and in multiplayer mode, you are allowed to play as the Taliban.

  • Wait, what kind of video game allows you to play as the Taliban and shoot U.S. Soldiers?
  • Don’t we still have soldiers still in Afghanistan?
Medal of Honor Taliban Controversy
Hope I Don't get a Mask Tan..

Playing as the Enemy in Video Games

Playing as the enemy is nothing new in video games. Playing as part of the mob, or in games like grand theft auto – playing as criminals killing cops and innocent civilians. Playing as the enemy in war games is also nothing new.

Point of Contention – It’s an On-going Conflict

The point of contention with this game is that it is being released while US Soldiers are still in Afghanistan. It is an on-going conflict with many families who have loved ones still still serving overseas. No one argues against games placed in WWII or other long passed wars, but the fact that this game takes place in a current war, has stirred quite a bit of controversy.

Question: Bad Form or Fair Game?

  • Is EA in bad form to try to take advantage of current history to sell games or do you feel it is completely fair game (pun intended)?

A Gold Star Mother Meredith came on Fox & Friends to express how she and many other people have with this title. She
how it is disrespectful especially to families who are losing their children in the war. Meredith herself lost her son in Afghanistan.

“We’ve just come off of the worst month of causalties in the whole war… and this game is going to be released in October. So families who are going to be burying their children are going to be seeing this… I just don’t see that a video game based on a current war makes any sense at all. It’s disrespectful.”

Even the British Defense Secretary Liam Fox had a lot to add to this controversy.

“[It is] shocking that someone would think it acceptable to recreate the acts of the Taliban against British soldiers.”

“At the hands of the Taliban, children have lost fathers and wives have lost husbands.”

“It’s hard to believe any citizen of our country would wish to buy such a thoroughly un-British game. I would urge retailers to show their support for our armed forces and ban this tasteless product.”

[Note that no British Soldiers are actually explicitly in the game. Dr Fox is alluding to attacking ISAF troops in the area of central Helmand where British troops are operating”]

Current Conflicts vs. Old Conflicts

I still remember vividly the tragedy of 9/11. I still remember how horrible and painful it felt to witness such an horrific event. I also remember in a moment of random thought how long it would be before people started to pump out movies on this matter. Movies on WWII are abundant but they all came out years after the wars have long passed. The images from “Saving Private Ryan” or even movies like “Pearl Harbor” would have been excruciating for anyone remotely connected to the war or those who were in it. No one would dare make a movie on 9/11 right away, but how can you know when it is ok? Several movies came out later depicting the conflict but since some time of healing had passed no one flinched.

So the question again is..

  • Is EA in bad form to try to take advantage of current history to sell games or do you feel it is completely fair game (pun again! gag me,)?

What are your thoughts on this matter?
Please do not just say “it’s just a game” or “so and so is a retard” or “if you don’t like it don’t play it”. These are not arguments, it’s a bit of a cop-out and often demeaning.

The question is whether the timing of this game (clearly for the sake of profit) is in bad form or if it’s legit.

An even deeper question if you dare:

  • Why is it that we aren’t all that offended at video games in which the purpose is to go around shooting down other human beings?
  • What does our desensitization to violence and games such as these, speak about our culture?

I think the answer to these questions are more disturbing than any of the debate over this game.

[poll id=”20″]

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Are You Addicted to the Internet? Statistics. [Infographic]

Are You Addicted to the Internet?

The internet is a tool we use in our every day lives. We use it to look up information, we use it to communicate, we use it to socially connect with others, we read the news, play games, and sometimes simply waste hours on end watching youtube videos or reading pointless articles. There is a good chance you used the internet in some form within the last few hours whether to check mail or browse to kill time.

So the question to ask is – Are you addicted to the internet?

Check out the cool infographic at the bottom of the post about internet addiction and use below. Also take our fun poll afterwards!

  • US Residents considered regular Internet Users: 68.9%
  • Find it hard to stay away from internet a few days: 13.7%
  • Conceal non-essential use from family and friends: 8.7%
  • Relationships suffered as a result of excessive use: 5.9%

1 in 8 individuals show signs of problematic internet use

  • Time Spend Online per Month (Sept 2008): 22 Billion Hours
  • Time Spend Online per Month (Sept 2009): 27 Billion Hours

Internet Use in the Workplace

  • 67% of employees admitted using internet for personal reasons during work hours
  • 60% of companies had disciplined employees for inappropriate internet use
  • 30% of companies had fired employees due to inappropriate internet use

Internet Usages

  • Online Shopping: 24%
  • News: 23%
  • Pornography: 18%
  • Gambling: 8%
  • Auctions: 6%

Internet Activity on the Mobile Phone:

  • 63.2 Million access news or information on their phone each Month
  • 22.4 Million access news or information on their phone Daily

Usage Breakdown:

  • 9.3 Million – Social Networks
  • 5.5 Million – Entertainment News
  • 3.3 Million – Finance
  • 3.1 Million – Movie Information
  • 2.5 Million – Business

Internet Addiction Infographic

:: Click it to see full size ::
Internet Addiction Statistics Infographic

Please Vote on our Fun Poll

Also come back to see how the results stacked up if you are one of the first to vote!
[poll id=”19″]

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The Now Generation by Black Eyed Peas

Take a look at the Lyrics from the song “Now Generation” by Black Eyed Peas.
This is from Black Eyed Peas’ 5th Album called “The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies)”

Descriptive of our Generation?
Read the Lyrics below. Share your thoughts.

The Black Eyed Peas - The E.N.D - Energy Never Dies

Now Generation by Black Eyed Peas

We are the now generation
We are the generation now
This is the now generation
This is the generation now
I want money

I want it, want it, want it
Fast internet,
Stay connected hit eject
Wi-fi, Podcast
Blastin’ out a SMS
Text me and I text you back
Check me on that iChat
I’m all about that http
You’re a PC I’m a Mac

I want it
Myspace and yourspace
Facebook is a new place
Dipdive and socializin’
And I’ll be out on cyberspace
Google is my professor
Wikipedia checker
Checkin’ out my account
Loggin’ in and loggin’ out

Baby, I want it now
This is the now generation
This is the generation now
We are the now generation
I want, I want, I want it now
I want cold hard cash
I want, I want, I want it now

And I just can’t wait
I need it immediately
And I just can’t wait
I want it immediately
Cause’ the time can’t wait and
I sure can’t wait
I ain’t got no patience
No, I sure can’t wait

Not today

We are the now generation
We are the generation now
This is the now generation
This is the generation now
I want money
I want cold hard cash
I’ll take your dollar and your euro
And go and have a blast
So take your debt and your credit and
Stick it up you’re *** and do it now
I want it now

Big money
Give me more money (Yea I want it now)
I need cash and I need it fast (I want it now)
Quick in a hurry like your name is Flash (I want it now)
You make me wait and I’mma whoop yo’ *** (I want it now)
I want it now baby (Now)
I want it (Now)
I want it (Now)
Fast Rapido, Really quick like Torpedo
Need for Speed is my Credo
You need to feed this Negr-ito
Send it while your brother vote
Rapid like a Thunder Bolt
Activate it rock the boat
Just …[please fill in]… rock the hope to
Now
It was the now generation

And I just can’t wait
I need it immediately
And I just can’t wait
I want it immediately
Cause’ the time can’t wait and
I sure can’t wait
I ain’t got no patience
No, I just can’t wait
Not today
Expediate, No time for Procrastination
Expediate proove my situation

*For those who want to give it a listen – here it is below. Note there are two bad words in the lyrics.

  • What part of the lyrics can you relate with?
  • What part of the lyrics really stood out to you?
  • What part of the lyrics really stood out to you?
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New OK Go Music Video – End Love

OK Go Picture Image

So Who is OK Go?

Ok Go is a band formed back in 1998 that became famous through YouTube due to their incredibly creative music videos. In an era where music videos require lot of pizzazz and special effects, this four man band composed of Damian Kulash, Andy Ross, Time Nordwind and Dan Konopka took the online world by storm with their hilarious, low budget videos.

Why is OK Go’s video highlighted on Clean Cut Media?

Simply, because they are creative! We at Clean Cut Media, love.. wait for it.. Clean Cut Media. Rather than just critiquing all that is wrong in media, we also want to give credit to those who are able to produce clean yet creative spots. Any good examples of good advertising or good video should be recognized as a testament that not everything needs to be conform to inappropriate techniques we find in our culture.

OK Go’s New Video – End Love

Here is the latest OK Go Video. When you have time I recommend checking out all their videos. Each is uniquely creative. They’ve built their own hype and the need to be uniquely creative in each successive video – and they’ve done a good job of it! It’s refreshing to see creativity win rather than simply doing more of what everyone else does. Enjoy.

Download the OK GO MP3

Downlaod the OK GO Music Video Here

OK Go’s – “A Million Ways”

OK Go rose to fame in 2005 with their single “A Million Ways”. This video was shot in a normal backyard as the band performed a simple yet hilarious dance. It was choreographed by Kulash’s sister, Trish Sie.

OK Go’s – “Here It Goes Again”

In 2006, the band released “Here It Goes Again” which featured a unique dance on treadmills. Again their creative video went instantly viral with over one million views within the first six days. It currently has over 51 million views! Ok Go and Trish Sie won a Grammy award for the “Best Short-Form Music Video” for this hit.

OK Go cut ties with EMI & Capitol

OK Go soon cut ties with their recording label. It has been speculated that OK Go was upset that the label would not allow them to use viral means to spread their music video. They formed their own independent label called Paracadute Recordings.

OK Go – This too Shall Pass

Watch this awesome domino like video. Very, very creative. Reminds me of Honda’s old commercial. It is hard to explain, just watch it, you’ll enjoy it.

Share your thoughts in the Comment Section!

  • What are your thoughts about these videos?
  • What did you find the most creative?
  • Which video did you like the best?
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Media Owned by the Big 6: GE, Disney, CBS, Viacom, Time Warner, & News Corp.

False Security in Diversity

As you flip through 3000 channels, listen to numerous radio stations, and cruise around the Internet – you may be thinking how great it is to have access to so many different ideas and shows. It is like going to the supermarket and having access to 100s of different kinds of cereal. Great! Except you look closer at the box and realize, the vast majority of those cereals are owned by 3 companies: General Mills, Kellogg’s & Post. Wait, 75% of all soft drinks are owned by Coke & Pepsi as well. What is going on here!?

The truth is that through years of mergers and acquisitions, very few powerful media corporations control the vast majority in almost every market. Media is no different. That same company that produces great children films probably produces the trashy movies as well – just under a different name. What is your favorite movie? Favorite TV Show? Favorite children film? Favorite Sports radio station? Don’t be surprised if it is all owned by the same company.

US Media Controlled by the Big 6

The U.S. media landscape is controlled mostly by six massive media corporations: General Electric, Walt Disney, News Corp., Time Warner, Viacom, & CBS. These six media corporations control most of what we hear, read, and see. Our perceptions, worldviews and our culture is dictated by the message portrayed by a few corporations. With so much influence and control it is very easy to capitalize on such influence to market products, create desires we never had, influence our emotions and ultimately use it all to make huge profits.

TV Influence on Children - MediaIs that thought scary? Is it to much to think companies control media messaging for maximum profit? Chime in and let us know in the comments!

Just to note, there are other big media companies who are big players in particular media markets (ex. Cox, Bertelsmann), but these six are easily the biggest both in terms of profits and sweeping influence. These companies are vertically integrated, meaning they control everything from production to distribution.

Did You Know?

Zondervan – The largest Christian publishers, including the vast majority share of the “Bible” is owned by News Corp. Every time someone purchases a bible, the #1 bestseller in history, News Corp profits.

Let us know what you think about these media facts!

  • Did you know that six companies controlled most of media?
  • Did any of the facts shown below surprise you?
  • What is your biggest concern with a few companies controlling and dictating the vast majority of media?

Let us know in the comments!

Snapshot of the Big 6’s Control over Media


GENERAL ELECTRIC

2008 Revenues: $183 Billion
Sample Ownership: NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, Telemundo, USA, A&E, Universal Pictures, NBC.com, CNBC.com, iVillage.com, and Hulu.com (joint venture with News Corp).

TV – Television networks: NBC Networks, Telemundo, Ion Media (partial stake).

TV – Cable: NBC Entertainment, NBC News, NBC Sports, NBC Television, NBC Universal, CNBC, CNBC World (Arabia, India, Asia, Europe), MSNBC, Bravo, Sci Fi Channel, Telemundo, USA, Oxygen, Weather Plus, Mun2, Sleuth, Chiller, Universal HD, A&E Networks (25%; includes A&E, the History Channel, History en español, the Biography Channel, Military History Channel, Crime & Investigation Network, A&E HD, the History Channel HD, History International), the Weather Channel (partial), Sci-Fi Channel HD.

TV – Production and distribution companies: NBC Universal Television Distribution, Universal Media Studios

26 television stations, owned under the “NBC Universal” division. These include NBC affiliates, 46 stations, Telemundo affiliates, and a small number of independents.

TV – International Channels: 13eme Rue (France), 13th Street (Germany), Studio Universal (Germany), Sci-fi Channel (Germany), Calle 13 (Spain), Sci Fi Channel UK, Movies 24 (UK), DivaTV (UK), Studio Universal (Italy), Universal Channel (Latin America), CNBC Asia, CNBC Europe, 18 Hallmark Channels (worldwide), KidsCo (worldwide, partial).

TV – Programming: NBC Network News, NBC Universal Global Networks, NBC Universal International Channels, The Today Show, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, Dateline NBC, Meet the Press, Early Today, CNBC, Squawk Box, Mad Money, CNBC World, CNBC Arabia, CNBC-India TV-18, Hardball with Chris Matthews, the Rita Cosby Specials Unit, Morning Joe, Mun2, Sleuth, A&E [partial], the History Channel [partial], the Biography Channel (partial), ShopNBC (27%).

Film – Production: NBC Universal (80% ownership): Universal Pictures, Focus Features, Rogue Pictures. Universal has production agreements with Imagine Entertainment, Jersey Films, Tribeca Films, Shady Acres, the Kennedy/Marshall Company, Playtone Company, Strike Entertainment, Type A Films, Depth of Field, Stephen Sommers and Working Title Films (Europe).

Film – Distribution: Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

Online – NBC.com, CNBC.com, iVillage.com, Scifi.com, telemundo.com, nbc.com, hulu.com (a joint venture between NBC Universal and News Corp.), Bravotv.com, Triotv.com, msnbc.msn.com, nbcolympics.com, ShopNBC.com. Partial: aetv.com, biography.com, historychannel.com, military.history.com, Thehistoryhcannelclub.com, Historytravel.com, Newsvine.com.

Walt Disney Logo - DisneyWALT DISNEY

2008 Revenue: $37.8 Billion
Sample Ownership: ABC, ESPN, Disney, A&E, History Channel, 277 radio stations, Marvel Entertainment, Touchstone Pictures, Miramax Films, Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios, NBA.com, and NFL.com

TV – The ABC Television Network: ABC Entertainment, ABC Daytime, ABC News, ESPN on ABC, ABC Television, ABC Kids, and Touchstone Television.

TV – Production & Distribution Companies: Walt Disney Television, Walt Disney Television Animation, BVS entertainment, ABC Studios, Walt Disney Television, Disney-ABC Domestic Television.

TV – Cable Networks: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN PPV, ESPN Deportes, ESPNU, ESPNHD, ESPN2 HD, ESPNEWSHD and ESPNUHD, Disney Channel HD, Toon Disney, SOAPnet, ABC Family Channel, A&E Television Networks (37.5% equity; includes A&E, the History Channel, the Biography Channel, History en español, Military History Channel, Crime & Investigation Network, A&E HD, The History Channel HD), Lifetime Entertainment Services (50% equity; includes Lifetime Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women).

TV – International Channels: ESPN International, ESPN Classic Sport Europe, ESPN Latin America, ESPN Asia, Jetix Europe, Jetix Latin America, Jetix Canada, Jetix Israel, International Disney Channels, History International, NASN Limited.

The ABC Television Network has 226 affiliated stations reaching 99 percent of all U.S. television households. The company owns and operates ten ABC television stations in the nation’s top markets.

TV – Programming: Good Morning America, World News with Charles Gibson, World News Now, 20/20, Primetime, This Week With George Stephanopoulos, Sportscenter/Monday Night Football, ESPNplus, Playhouse Disney, Jetix, ABC Kids.

Radio – Programming: ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes Radio, Radio Disney, Lifetime Radio for women (50% equity), ABC Music Radio, ABC Radio Networks: Imus in the Morning, The Mark Levin Show, Morning Joe, The Tom Joyner Show.

Publishing – Magazines: Family Fun, ESPN the Magazine, Jetix Magazine, Wondertime Magazine, Bassmaster Magazine and Disney Adventures

Publishing – Music: Disney Music Group distributes music and motion picture soundtracks under its four labels: Walt Disney Records, Hollywood Records, Buena Vista Records, Lyric Street Records, Disney Music Publishing Worldwide.

Film – Production and Distribution: Walt Disney Pictures (includes Walt Disney Feature Animation and DisneyToon Studios), Touchstone Pictures, Miramax Films, Pixar Animation Studios, Hollywood Pictures, Buena Vista International, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Buena Vista Home Entertainment International, Disney Theatrical Group, A&E IndieFilms (37.5% equity).
Publishing – Books: Disney Publishing, a subsidiary of the Company, owns Hyperion Books, Hyperion Books for Children, Disney Press, Disney Editions, Disney Adventures, Disney Fairies, Disney Digital Books, Mirimax, ESPN books, ABC Daytime Press, Hyperion East, Hyperion Audiobooks, Volo, Jump at the Sun, Disney Libri (Italy), Disney Hachette JV (France).

Online – ABC.com, ABCNews.com, Oscar.com, Disney.com, Disneychannel.com, Family.com, ESPN.com, Familyfun.com, Go.com, Soccernet.co (60%), NFL.com, NBA.com, NASCAR.com, Toysmart.com (partial), Go Network, www.disneysgamecafe.com, ESPN.com, Abcsports.com, ESPNdeportes.com, Wondertime.com, iparenting.com, celebrityparents.com, incrediblebabynames.com, disneyfairies.com, clubpenguin.com, Disneyshopping.com, (37.5% equity: aetv.com, biography.com, historychannel.com, militaryhistory.com, thehistoryhcannelclub.com, Historytravel.com).

News Corp LogoNews Corp

Sample Ownership: Fox Network, Fox News, Fox Sports, Fox, Myspace.com, Ign.com (gaming), Scout.com (sports), Simply Hired (job), New York Post, Rotten Tomatoes, Marketwatch, Hulu.com, 150 newspapers, Harper Collins, & Zondervan.
2008 Revenue: $33 Billion

TV – Networks: Fox, MyNetworkTV. In the United States, News Corp. owns 27 television stations.

TV – Cable: Fox Business Channel, Fox Movie Channel, Fox News Channel, Fox College Sports, Fox Regional Sports Networks (16 owned and operated), Fox Sports En Espanol, Fox Sports Net, Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Reality, Premier Media Group (Australia 50%), Premium Movie Partnership (Australia 20%), Cine Canal (Latin America 23%), Telecine (Latin America 13%), FUEL TV, FX, FX HD, National Geographic Channel (US 67% and Worldwide 52%), National Geographic Channel HD, SPEED Channel, SPEED HD, Big Ten Network & Big Ten Network HD (49%), Premier Media Group (Australia 50%).

TV – Production and Distribution Companies: Fox Television Studios, Fox Home Entertainment, 20th Century Fox Television, 20th Television, Regency Television (50%).

TV – Satellite Television: Fox International owns 120 channels around the world.

TV – Europe: SKY Italia includes Sky Sport, Sky Calcio, Sky Cinema, Sky TG 24, Premiere AG (25%). British Sky Broadcasting (39%) includes Sky News, Sky Sports, Sky Travel, Sky One, Sky Movies, Artsworld. News Corp. also owns Balkan News Corporation.

TV – Latin America: LAPTV (33%), Telecine (13%).

TV – Asia: STAR Channels, Space TV (India DBS 20%), Phoenix Satellite Television (18%), Hathway Cable and Datacom (22%), China Network Systems (17 affiliated cable systems), Vijay, Xing Kong Channel [V], ESPN Star Sports (50%), ANTV (20%), TATA Sky (20%).

TV – Australia & New Zealand: Sky Network Television Limited (44%), FOXTEL (25%).

TV – Programming: Fox Sports, Special Report with Brit Hume, Fox Report with Shepard Smith, On the Record With Greta Van Susteren, Fox News Sunday, The O’Reilly Factor, Fox Pan American Sports (38%).

Publishing – Magazines: Barron’s, SmartMoney (50%), Big League, InsideOut, donna hay, News America Marketing (In-Store, FSI (SmartSource), SmartSource iGroup, News Marketing Canada), Alpha, The Weekly Standard, The Weekend Australian Magazine, sundaymagazine, body + soul, STM (WA), home, TVGuide, News Magazine (Australia).

Publishing – Newspapers:

Publishing – Australia/Asia: More than 150 titles including: The Wall Street Journal Asia, the Fiji Times, Daily Telegraph, Nai Lalakai, Shanti Dut, Gold Coast Bulletin, Herald Sun, Newsphotos, Newspix, Newstext, NT News, Papua New Guinea Post-Courier (63%), Sunday Herald Sun, Sunday Mail, Sunday Tasmanian, Sunday Times, Sunday Territorian, The Advertiser, The Australian, The Courier-Mail, The Mercury, News Limited, The Sunday Mail, The Sunday Telegraph, Weekly Times, The Weekend Australian, MX, Brisbane News, Northern Territory News, Cumberland (NSW), Leader (VIC), Quest (QLD), Messenger (SA), Community (WA), Darwin Sun/Palmerson Sun (NT).

Publishing – United Kingdom: News of the World, The Sun, The Sunday Times, The Times, News International.

Publishing – United States: Newspaper holdings include the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, MarketWatch and Dow Jones Newswire; News Corp. also acquired the Ottoway group of community newspapers through its takeover of Dow Jones in 2007.

Publishing – Books: HarperCollins Publishers, Zondervan

Film – Production and Distribution: Fox Film Entertainment: 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, Fox 2000 Pictures, 20th Century Fox Espanol, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 20th Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising, 20th Century Fox International, Fox Atomic, Blue Sky Studios, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox Music, Fox Studios Australia, Fox Studios Baja (Latin America), Canal Fox (Latin America), Balaji Telefilms (26%, Asia), 20th Century Fox Animation.

Online – Fox Interactive Media manages Fox’s online holdings, which include MySpace.com, Scout.com (a college sports site), ign.com (Internet gaming), Simply Hired (an online job search site), FoxSports.com, Fox News.com, Fox.com, Intermix, IGN.com, IGN.com.au, NYPost.com, MSN.Foxsports.com, WeeklyStandard.com, Broadsystem.com, NewsOptimus.co.uk, NewsOutdoor.com, RottenTomatoes, Fox.com, AmericanIdol.com, MarketWatch.com, Photobucket.com, Hulu.com (45%), jamster.com (51%), askmen.com, whatifsports.com, ksolo.com, springwidgets.com, flecktor.com milkround.com, nds.com, newsoutdoor.com, wsj.com, dowjones.com, barrons.com.

Time Warner Logo - CableTime Warner

2008 Revenue: $29.8 Billion
Sample Ownership: Warner Brothers, CNN, Cinemax, HBO, Cartoon Network, TBS, TNT, AOL, AIM, Mapquest, Moviefone, Advertising.com, ICQ, TMZ, PGA.com, Bebo, New Line Cinema, Castle Rock, DC Comics, Times Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Fortune Magazine, People Magazine (150+ Magazines)

TV – Network: CW Network (50% with CBS).

TV – Cable: Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO, Cinemax, HBO Sports, HBO Pay-Per-View, HBO on Demand, Cinemax Multiplexes, Cinemax on Demand, HBO HD, Cinemax HD, as well as HBO channels around the world), TruTV, TBS, TBS HD, Boomerang, Cartoon Network, Turner Classic Movies, TCM Europe, TCM Asia Pacific, TNT, TNT HD, CNN Airport Network, CNN International, CNN Headline News, CNN en Español, CNN en Español Radio, CNN Pipeline.

TV – Regional and Local Channels: NY1 News, NY1 Noticias, Sports Net, R News (Rochester, NY), Turner South, Capital News 9 Albany, MetroSports, News 8 Austin, News 10 Now — Syracuse, News 14 Carolina-Charlotte, News 14 Carolina-Raleigh.

TV – International: CNN International, CNN Headline News in Asia Pacific, CNN Headline News in Latin America, CNN+, CETV (36%)(China), CNNj, CNN Turk, CNN-IBN, Cartoon Network Europe, Cartoon Network Latin America, Cartoon Network Asia Pacific, Cartoon Network Japan (70% share), Imagen, TCM Classic Hollywood in Latin America, TNT Latin America, Nuts TV, Cartoonito, Pogo, 7 networks in Latin America.

TV – Production and Distribution: Warner Bros. Television Group, Warner Home Video, Warner Horizon Television, Warner Bros. Animation, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, Telepictures Productions, HBO Video, HBO Independent Productions, New Line Television, Williams St. Studio, Cartoon Network Studios, CNN Newsource.

TV – Programming: CNN Newsroom, Live From The Situation Room, Lou Dobbs Tonight, Larry King Live, Anderson Cooper 360, NBA Games, MLB Playoffs, NASCAR, Entourage, Kids’ WB, American Morning.

Film – Production: Subsidiary The Warner Bros. Entertainment Group owns: Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, Castle Rock, Warner Premiere, Picturehouse, Warner Bros. International Cinemas, Warner Independent Pictures, a joint venture with Village Roadshow Pictures, and a joint venture with Alcon Entertainment.

Film – Distribution: Distribution to more than 125 international territories.

Publishing – Comics: DC Comics, E.C. Publications, Inc. (publisher of MAD magazine).

Publishing – Time, Inc. : Time Warner Book Group (with publishing companies The Mysterious Press, Time Warner Book Group UK, Warner Faith, Warner Vision, Warner Business Books, Aspect, and Little, Brown and Company (includes Little, Brown Adult Trade, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Back Bay, and Bulfinch Press); Oxmoor House, Inc., Sunset Books, Books-of-the-Month Club, Inc., Southern Progress Corporation, Grupo Editorial Expansion (publishes 15 magazines in Mexico).

Publishing – More Than 150 Magazines: People, Time, Sports Illustrated, Fortune, This Old House, 25 Beautiful Homes, 25 Beautiful Kitchens, 4×4, Aeroplane, All You, Amateur Gardening, Amateur Photographer, Ambientes, Angler’s Mail, Audi Magazine, Balance, Bird Keeper, Business 2.0, Cage & Aviary Birds, Caravan, Chat—Its Fate, Chilango, Classic Boat, Coastal Living, Cooking Light, Cottage Living, Country Homes & Interiors, Country Life, Cycle Sport, Cycling Weekly, Decanter, Entertainment Weekly, Essence (joint venture), Essentials, EXP, Expansion, European Boat Builder, Eventing, Family Circle (U.K.), Fortune Asia, Fortune Europe, FSB: Fortune Small Business, Golf Magazine, Golf Monthly, Guitar, Hair, Health, Hi-Fi News, Homes & Gardens, Horse, Horse & Hound, Ideal Home, In Style, In Style U.K., International Boat Industry, Land Rover World, Life, Manufactura, Marie Claire (joint venture), MBR-Mountain Bike Rider, MINI, MiniWorld, Model Collector, Money, Motor Boat & Yachting, Motor Boats Monthly, Motor Caravan, NME, Now, Nuts, Obras, Outdoor Life, Park Home & Holiday Caravan, People en Espanol, Pick Me Up, Practical Boat Owner, Practical Parenting, Prediction, Progressive Farmer, Quien, Quo (joint venture), Racecar Engineering, Real Simple, Rugby World, Ships Monthly, Shoot Monthly, Shooting Times, Soaplife, Southern Accents, Southern Living, Sporting Gun, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Stamp Magazine, Sunset, Superbike, Synapse, Targeted Media, Teen People, The Field, The Golf, The Golf+, The Railway Magazine, The Shooting Gazette, This Old House Ventures, Time Asia, Time Atlantic, Time Australia, Time Canada, Time for Kids, Time, Inc. Content Solutions, Time Pacific, TV & Satellite Week, TV Easy, TVTimes, Uncut, VolksWorld, Vuelo, Wallpaper, Webuser, Wedding, What Camera, What Digital Camera, What’s on TV, Who, Woman, Woman & Home, Woman’s Own, Woman”s Weekly, World Soccer.

Online – America Online: AOL, AOL.com, AOL Instant Messenger, AOL Wireless, AOL Music Now, AOL Local, McAfee VirusScan Online (bundled with AOL services), AOL by Phone, AOL Call Alert, AOL CityGuide, AOL PassCode, AOL Voicemail, AOL Europe (Germany and Luxembourg), America Online Latino (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Chile, AOL Global Web Services, AOL Latino).

Online – Other Online Holdings: CNN.com, CNNMoney.com, CNNStudentNews.com, MapQuest, Moviefone, Movietickets.com, RED, Advertising.com, CompuServe, ICQ, KOL, SI.com, People.com, Pipeline, GameTap, CartoonNetwork.com, DCComics.com, Time.com, VeryFunnyAds.com, Cwtv.com, Golf.com, Truveo, Weblogs, TMZ.com, Momlogic.com, AIM, Bebo.com, NASCAR.com, NASCAR.com en Espanol, PGA.com, PGATour.com, Play On!, superdeluxe.com, MyRecipes.com, MyHomeIdeas.com, ThisOldHouse.com, buy.at, MedioTiempo.com, Goowy, Sphere Source, Mousebreaker.com.

Viacom LogoViacom

2008 Revenue: $14.6 Billion
Sample Ownership: MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, VH1, BET, Paramount Pictures

TV – Viacom owns 10 TV stations (primarily broadcasting MTV Tr3s).

TV – Cable: MTV, MTV2, Nickelodeon/Nick-at-Nite, TV Land, VH1, Spike TV, CMT: Country Music Television, Comedy Central, Palladia, MTV U, LOGO, MTV World, MTV Films, Nickelodeon Movies, Paramount Comedy, BET, BET Jazz, BET Gospel, BET Hip Hop, Nick Jr., MTV Tr3s, VH1 Classic, VH1 Soul, VH1 Pure Country.

TV – International Channels: MTV Networks International operates in 160 countries. Viacom also owns Colors, The Music Factory, The Box, Game One, VIVA, QOOB, MTV Network Europe, Comedy Central Germany, MTV Base, MTV Arabia.

TV – Production: BET Event Production, MTV Productions.

TV – Programming: The Hills, Nick Gas, Turbo Nick, Nicktoons Network, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, MTV Jams, MTV World and TeeNick.

Radio – MTV Radio, BET Radio, Imagine Radio Limited

Publishing – Music: The Extreme Music Library, Director’s Cuts Production Music.

Publishing – Magazines: Nickelodeon Magazine.

Film – Paramount Pictures (includes Dreamworks, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, MTV Films, Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Home Entertainment), Viacom 18 (50%) (India).

Online – MTV.com, VH1.com, Spiketv.com, ComedyCentral.com, Nick.com, GT.TV, GameTrailers.com, Neopets Inc., MTVi Group, SonicNet.com, GoCityKids.com, MTV Overdrive, VH1 Vspot, BET.com, BET on Blast, Cmt.com, TurboNick, Quizilla, Nick Jr. Video, The Click, Nicktropolis, Addictinggames.com, Shockwave.com, ParentsConnect.com, Atomfilms.com, Rhapsody America (49%), Virtual Worlds (Nickropolis, vmtv.com), thedailyshow.com, colbertnation.com, southparkstudios.com (51%), spiketv.com, ifilm.com, jokes.com, Xfire (gaming).

CBS Logo OfficialCBS

2008 Revenue: $14 Billion
Sample Ownership: CBS, CBS Sports, Showtime, Simon & Schuster, CBS radio, Paramount, 29 television stations.

TV – Networks: CBS Network consists of 29 stations. CW Network (50% with Time Warner).

TV – Cable: CBS College Sports Network, the Smithsonian Channel, MountainWest Sports Network (50% with Comcast). Showtime Networks, Inc. (SNI) owns Showtime, the Movie Channel, Flix, Showtime Too, Showtime Showcase, Showtime Extreme, Showtime Beyond, Showtime Next, Showtime Women, Showtime Familyzone, the Movie Channel Xtra, Showtime HD, Showtime Too HD, Showtime PPV, Showtime on Demand, the Movie Channel HD.

TV – Programming: CBS Television Distribution: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Survivor, Everybody Loves Raymond, Jeopardy!, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Entertainment Tonight, The Early Show, 60 Minutes, 48 Hours, Face the Nation, Two and a Half Men, The Young and The Restless. CBS also owns CBS News, CBS Sports, CBS Entertainment, and broadcasts the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

TV – Production and Distribution: CBS Paramount Network Television, CBS Paramount International Television, CBS Television Distribution, CBS Films.

Radio – CBS Radio owns 140 radio stations in 31 markets; most of these are in the nation’s top 50 markets.

Radio – Books:
Publishing – Simon & Schuster: Atria Books, Kaplan, Pocket Books, Scribner, Simon & Schuster, The Free Press, The Touchstone, Fireside Group.

Publishing – Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing: Aladdin Paperbacks, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Little Simon, Margaret K. McElderry Books, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Simon Pulse, Simon Spotlight.

Publishing – Other Publishing: Simon & Schuster Canada, Simon & Schuster UK, Simon & Schuster Australia, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Digital, MTV Books.

Online – CBS.com, CBSNews.com, CBS Interactive, CBSGames.com, CBS Outernet, CBSSports.com, Sportsline.com, CNet.com, ourchart.com, ProElite, Inc., smithsoniannetworks.com (50%), MaxPreps.com, NFL.com, NCAAsports.com, ParentConnect.com, PGATour.com, Sho.com, Innertube, TheShowBuzz.com, Last.fm, GameSpot, TV.com, MP3.com, help.com.TV show?

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Top 10 General Security Tips for Facebook

Facebook Logo - Large SquareTop 10 General Security Tips for Facebook

Facebook is growing at a rapid rate, and now with Facebook open graph, they are looking to “socialize” all the world’s large webpages to be custom to your profile and social network.

So how do we protect our privacy?

[1] The #1 Facebook security tip is to set your Facebook privacy settings.

If you don’t know how just visit this step by step Facebook privacy settings post.

Once you have your privacy settings set – consider the following tips:

[2] Think carefully about who you allow to become your friend

Once you have accepted someone as your friend they will be able to access any information about you (including photographs) that you have marked as viewable by your friends. You can remove friends at any time should you change your mind about someone. Remember by making someone your friend, you are now giving them full access to majority of the information you post on Facebook.

[3] Use Your Friend Lists

You can organize your friends into different lists (church, co-workers, friends, family, monsters etc). Then you can create different accessibility and privacy options for each one meaning specify what they can and cannot see.

[4] Careful What You Share On Your Profile!

Avoid putting in any info you don’t need to share! No Address, no Phone Number, no Email. If you choose to do so make sure in your privacy settings ONLY friends can see it. (then be selective about who you friend).

[5] Careful What You Share – Photos & Videos!

Careful what photos or videos you post. Once it’s on the web, it’s on the web. Also be sensitive to the pictures and videos you share of your friends. It is embarrassing? Incriminating? Immature? Or just a really bad picture of them? Save your friend the drama and don’t post it. Imagine if someone posted such a picture and tagged you for all the world to see.. (or just friends if you diligently went through the privacy settings!).

Door Lock - Old Lock Image

[6] Careful What You Share – On your Facebook Wall

Depending on your privacy settings, lot of people may have access to your wall, so becareful what you post. Examples:

  • Don’t declare your entire household will be off to vacation for a specified time. Burglars would love that info.
  • Don’t say anything potentially embarrassing

[7] Want to Avoid Old or Bad Connections?

  • Remove yourself from facebook and public search results (in privacy settings).
  • Use an unidetifiable picture. So they can’t tell whether you are the right “John Kim”.. easier to ignore as well, then they assume it’s the wrong one.
  • Don’t put identifiable info on your profile (address, IM, email, work..)
  • If all fails, just get off Facebook and regain hours of your life

[8] Avoid Useless & Random Apps

Facebook application sometimes requests information, others automatically posts things to your wall. You may get invitations to try out apps from others – but unless you know what it is just avoid it altogether. By nature, Facebook apps are made to utilize your profile information and social connections.

[9] Leave out Full Birth date

Do not leave your full birthdate (your birthdate is valuable information) leave out the year.

[10] Monitor Your Children

If your children use it, you need to monitor what they say. They are not educated in what kind of info is bad to share. (ex. “i am home alone”, “we are leaving tonight to go for a 2 weeks vacations”). You should also be weary about who is talking to them and vice versa. You should setup their privacy settings and then “friend” your children. Even better – just make it a rule you have their password so they can login whenever they want.

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[Bonus #11] Conclusion: Better Safe than Sorry

It’s simple. Don’t say, write, post up anything that is even slightly embarrassing. When you put info up on the web, there is always the possibility someone will find it. Your friends, your co-workers, your boss, future recruiters, your mom, your arch enemy, your political opponent, the guy 10 years from now try to sue you, some stalker, some guy planning to rob your home, guy looking for more identification for identify theft and so on. Yes some of these are ridiculous – but again, better safe than sorry. Save yourself potential future headache by playing it safe and thinking carefully about what you post.

Hope this was helpful.
Facebook is looking to simplify their Privacy Settings again so we’ll see what happens next.

Please let us know your thoughts!

  • What other potential dangers are there by sharing your info?
  • Any other general tips about safe facebook use?
  • Parents! How do you monitor your children?
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Complete Facebook Privacy Settings Checklist

Facebook Privacy Concerns Overblown

Facebook Logo - Large SquareThere has been a lot of news about Facebook Privacy concerns in news lately. However in my opinion, it’s being overblown by the media because it is a juicy subject to talk and write about. It capitalizes on the new big fear of privacy in the rapidly growing online world. But recent history shows that privacy concerns are short lived. Privacy issues always come up whenever large companies like Google or Facebook launches something new and different (i.e. Google Buzz, Facebook News Feeds etc). Usually the companies respond with a new set of privacy features and within weeks all the clamoring dies down as people accept it as the norm.

The last Facebook uproar was more legitimate as it was a demand from the public that Facebook provide privacy options so the user can better control what gets shared. Facebook responded by providing more privacy settings. Facebook doesn’t have it right just yet and needs to provide more functionality, but all the concerns about sharing information shouldn’t be blamed on Facebook because we have the settings control to limit what get’s shared. By nature Facebook is a social site – meaning it is meant to be able to share information so it shouldn’t be alarming that Facebook makes it easy as possible for information to be shared.

So what can we do to protect ourselves?

Facebook - Privacy SettingsIt boils down to two things:

1) Use privacy settings to be safe and limit who has access to what on your profile.

2) Be very careful about what you share. Once it is out on the net it is OUT.

Ok that makes sense. But let’s break it down below step by step as well as some of my personal recommendation to help you get started in protecting your Facebook account. By all means you should tailor the accessibility to your info to what you are comfortable with. I only share my own “minimum recommendation” as a starting point since it may be helpful for some.

Minimum Recommended Settings in [Brackets]

COMPLETE LIST OF PRIVACY SETTINGS ON FACEBOOK

[Located on the top right nav bar under “account”. Select Privacy Settings]

Adjusting your Facebook privacy settings is a must to help protect your identity and to prevent mass sharing of personal information. GO THROUGH EACH LINE ITEM. I’ve listed all the settings but only highlighted the more important or confusing ones below. Where relevant I’ve also added my personal recommended “minimum” setting in brackets. Hope this helps.

The Privacy Settings page is organized into the following sections:

Facebook - Privacy Settings ScreenPersonal Information and Posts:

Covers personal details like your birthday, email address and political views. It also covers your content and content others have posted to your Wall. You control who is able to see each type of information.

  • Bio: About Me – Don’t put sensitive info in your profile ever. If you want to put private info, use this to block people from seeing your bio.
  • Birthday: [Friends of Friends] – Recommend leaving out birth year. Birth Date is important piece of info useful for stolen credit cards and identity theft.
  • Interested In & Looking For
  • Religious & Political Views
  • Photo Albums – You can pick and choose who has access to what album. Don’t put up potentially embarrassing photos of you OR your friends!
  • Posts by Me [Friends of Friends] – Best to keep your posts amongst a smaller circle.
  • Allow Friends to Post on my Wall [yes] – Shouldn’t be a problem unless you have some immature friends.
  • Post by Friends [Only Friends] – Entirely up to you. You know your friends and how they behave.
  • Comments on Posts [Only Friends] – Who do you want to enable to comment on all your posts?

Contact Information:

Covers contact details like your mailing address and phone number. We recommend you make this visible to friends only.

  • IM Screen Name
  • Mobile Phone – I would not post this at all. Don’t put sensitive info on the web.
  • Other Phone
  • Current Address – I would not post this at all.
  • Website
  • Add me as a friend – Everyone is fine. Unless you don’t want people to befriend you.
  • Send me a message – I would limit to friends of friends so you don’t get spammed by random people.
  • Email Address – Friends Only or None!

Friends, Tags and Connections:

Covers information and content that’s shared between you and others on Facebook. This includes relationships, interests, and photos you’re tagged in. These settings let you control who sees this information on your actual profile.

  • Friends [Friends] – Do you want everyone you connect to know who else you are connected to? Up to you.
  • Family [Friends of Friends]
  • Relationships [Friends] – Do you really want the world to know your relational status update? Think about it before posting anything.
  • Photos and Videos of Me [Friends] – I would limit this as well as someone “tagging” you in a photo is out of your control. What embarrassing picture might your friends have from the past or some event you were at? If someone else TAGS you in a picture, this privacy setting limits who can actually see those pictures from your profile. Remember, it’s really easy for recruiters or executives to look you up on Facebook. What will they see?
  • Current City [Everyone] – Posting your current city will help people identify your profile especially if you have a generic name. However do not post anything more specific then this.
  • Hometown
  • Education & Work – Remember, anything you post that is identifiable allows more people to find you through that connection. If you want people to find you, post your college & high school. If not, then leave it all blank.
  • Activities
  • Interest
  • Things I Like

Be very careful about what you post and keep in mind who can access it. If you have odd activities or interest that you don’t want your co-workers, your mom, or your children to know… then… actually you probably shouldn’t be doing those things!.. But you get the idea.

Search:

Facebook Search Results: [Everyone] – If you don’t want your friends and old contacts to find you, you can limit it right here. If you put “Friends” no one will be able to find you, until you invite them to be your friend. Why would I not want my friends to find me? If your friends can find you, so can that old stalker boyfriend, the ex-wife, bad influences from the past, old acquaintance you want to avoid and so on.

Public Search Results: [Disallow] – Just opt-out. Why make it so easy for random strangers, recruiters, stalkers to find you via Google? Unless your goal is to have the biggest friend list in all of facebook, just turn it off.

Application and Websites:

Covers what information is available to the applications you and your friends use.

  • What you Share – Click this to see more info.
  • What your friends can share about you – I would check OFF the following: My photos, birthdays, photos and videos I’m tagged In. Everything else is “ok” but completely up to you. Birthdays because it is usable info for credit card theft & identify theft.
  • Blocked Application – Don’t worry about this. Only useful if you want to block specific applications.
  • Ignored Application Invites – Just an option to stop that annoying friend who invites you to every application he/she tries out.
  • Activity on Applications & Games Dashboards [Friends] – Again up to you. I would limit it to Friends as sometimes you have no idea what your application is broadcasting. When your friend is spamming your profile with their recent Mafia War updates or another “I just planted an eggplant” notification from farmville, most of them have no idea they are doing that.
  • Instant Personalization Pilot Program [Off] – just turn it off for now. it’s relatively new so could have flaws and privacy concerns. This pilot program allows facebook to share basic info with partner sites to customize your experience. This isn’t anything to be alarmed about and it is where internet is headed, but while it is still in development, better to be safe and turn it off until they work out all the details.

Block List:

Allows you to identify specific people who you want to prevent from interacting with you on Facebook.

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Hope this was helpful.
Facebook is looking to simplify their Privacy Settings again so we’ll see what happens next.

Please come back for our follow-up post “Top 10 General Security Tips for Facebook”.

Please let us know your thoughts!

  • Was this helpful for you?
  • What other potential dangers are there by sharing your info?
  • Any other suggestions or comments about any of these sections?
  • Any other general tips about safe facebook use?
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Most Famous April’s Fools Day Jokes in History by the Media

Sorry folks, no april fool jokes this time. But you can relieve the last year’s April Fools Joke! Below are a couple list of April Fool Jokes + the latest in 2010.

Most Famous List of April Fool Jokes in History

Meanwhile, just for your entertainment on this fine day. Gathered mainly through Wikipedia

  • Alabama Changes the Value of Pi: The April 1998 newsletter of New Mexicans for Science and Reason contained an article written by physicist Mark Boslough claiming that the Alabama Legislature had voted to change the value of the mathematical constant pi. This claim originally appeared as a news story in the 1961 science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein.
  • Spaghetti trees: The BBC television programme Panorama ran a famous hoax in 1957, showing Italians harvesting spaghetti from trees. They had claimed that the despised pest, the spaghetti weevil, had been eradicated. A large number of people contacted the BBC wanting to know how to cultivate their own spaghetti trees. It was, in fact, filmed in St Albans.
  • Left Handed Whoppers: In 1998, Burger King ran an ad in USA Today, saying that people could get a Whopper for left-handed people whose condiments were designed to drip out of the right side. Not only did customers order the new burgers, but some specifically requested the “old”, right-handed burger.
  • Taco Liberty Bell: In 1996, Taco Bell took out a full-page advertisement in The New York Times announcing that they had purchased the Liberty Bell to “reduce the country’s debt” and renamed it the “Taco Liberty Bell.” When asked about the sale, White House press secretary Mike McCurry replied tongue-in-cheek that the Lincoln Memorial had also been sold and would henceforth be known as the Lincoln Mercury Memorial.
  • DT Day: In 2008 fliers were handed on Brigham Young University campus, saying that the last in a series of dorm buildings being torn down was scheduled to be imploded on April 1. Hundreds of people eagerly turned up to see the implosion, but to their consternation it never happened. The culprits of this prank remain unknown.
  • Smell-o-vision: In 1965, the BBC purported to conduct a trial of a new technology allowing the transmission of odor over the airwaves to all viewers. Many viewers reportedly contacted the BBC to report the trial’s success. In 2007, the BBC website repeated an online version of the hoax.
  • Tower of Pisa: The Dutch television news reported in the 1950s that the Tower of Pisa had fallen over. Many shocked people contacted the station.

Top April Fool Jokes By Television Stations

  • Free Color TV – In 1962 the Swedish national television did a 5-minute special on how one could get color TV by placing a nylon stocking in front of the TV. A rather in-depth description on the physics behind the phenomenon was included.
  • Digital Big Ben – In 1980, the BBC reported a proposed change to the famous clock tower known as Big Ben. The reporters stated that the clock would go digital. England was in a state of shock.
  • Flying Penguins – In 2008, the BBC reported on a newly discovered colony of flying penguins. An elaborate video segment was even produced, featuring Terry Jones (of Monty Python fame) walking with the penguins in Antarctica, and following their flight to the Amazon rainforest.
  • The Trouble with Tracy – In 2003, The Comedy Network in Canada announced that it would produce and air a remake of the 1970s Canadian sitcom The Trouble with Tracy. The original series is widely considered to be one of the worst sitcoms ever produced. Several media outlets fell for the hoax.
  • Diet Water – In 2004, British breakfast show GMTV produced a story claiming that Yorkshire Water were trialing a new ‘diet tap water’ that had already helped one customer lose a stone and a half in four months. After heralding the trial as successful, it was claimed that a third tap would be added to kitchen sinks, allowing customers easy access to the water. Following the story, Yorkshire Water received 10,000 enquiries from viewers.

Top April Fool Jokes by Radio Stations

  • Death of a mayor: In 1998, local WAAF shock jocks Opie and Anthony reported that Boston mayor Thomas Menino had been killed in a car accident. Menino happened to be on a flight at the time, lending credence to the prank as he could not be reached. The rumor spread quickly across the city, eventually causing news stations to issue alerts denying the hoax. The pair were fired shortly thereafter.
  • Phone call to Nelson Mandela: In 1998, UK presenter Nic Tuff of West Midlands radio station Kix 96 pretended to be the British Prime Minister Tony Blair when he called the then South African President Nelson Mandela for a chat. It was only at the end of the call when Nic asked Nelson what he was doing for April Fools’ Day that the line went dead.
  • Jovian-Plutonian Gravitational effect: In 1976, British astronomer Sir Patrick Moore told listeners of BBC Radio 2 that unique alignment of two planets would result in an upward gravitational pull making people lighter at precisely 9:47 a.m. that day. He invited his audience to jump in the air and experience “a strange floating sensation.” Dozens of listeners phoned in to say the experiment had worked.
  • Cellphone Ban : In New Zealand the radio station the Edge’s Morning Madhouse enlisted the help of the Prime Minister on April 1st to inform the entire country that cellphones are to be banned in New Zealand. Hundreds of callers rang in disgruntled at the new law.
  • National Public Radio Every year National Public Radio in the United States does an extensive news story on April 1. These usually start off more or less reasonably, and get more and more unusual. A recent example is the story on the “iBod” a portable body control device. In 2008 it reported that the IRS, to assure rebate checks were actually spent, was shipping consumer products instead of checks. It also runs false sponsor mentions, such as “Support for NPR comes from the Soylent Corporation, manufacturing protein-rich food products in a variety of colors. Soylent Green is People.”
  • Three-dollar coin: In 2008, CBC Radio program As It Happens interviewed a Royal Canadian Mint spokesman who broke “news” of plans to replace the Canadian five-dollar bill with a three-dollar coin. The coin was dubbed a “threenie”, in line with the nicknames of the country’s one-dollar coin (commonly called a “loonie” due to its depiction of a common loon on the reverse) and two-dollar coin (“toonie”).
  • U2 Live on Rooftop in Cork: In 2009 hundreds of U2 fans were duped in an elaborate prank when they rushed to a shopping centre in Blackpool in Cork believing that the band were playing a surprise rooftop concert. The prank was organised by Cork radio station RedFM. The band were in fact just a tribute band called U2opia.

Best April Fools Jokes & Pranks By Websites

  • Dead fairy hoax: In 2007, an illusion designer for magicians posted on his website some images illustrating the corpse of an unknown eight-inch creation, which was claimed to be the mummified remains of a fairy. He later sold the fairy on eBay for £280.
  • Water on Mars: In 2005 a news story was posted on the official NASA website purporting to have pictures of water on Mars. The picture actually was just a picture of a glass of water on a Mars Candy Bar.
  • Microsoft Research Reclaims Value of Pi: In 2008, an executive with the Microsoft Institute for Advanced Technology in Governments posted on his personal blog an updated spoof of the 1998 April Fools hoax claiming Alabama’s state legislature had rounded the value of pi to the “Biblical value of 3.” The 2008 hoax claimed that Microsoft Research had determined the true-up value of pi to be a definitive 3.141999, or as expressed in company literature, “Three easy payments of 1.047333.”
  • Assassination of Bill Gates: In 2003, many Chinese and South Korean websites claimed that CNN reported Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, was assassinated, resulting in a 1.5% drop in the South Korean stock market.
  • SARS Infects Hong Kong: In 2003 during the time when Hong Kong was seriously hit by SARS, it was rumored that many people in Hong Kong had become infected with SARS and become uncontrolled, that all immigration ports would be closed to quarantine the region, and that Tung Chee Hwa, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong at that time, had resigned. Hong Kong supermarkets were immediately overwhelmed by panicked shoppers. The Hong Kong government held a press conference to deny the rumor. The rumor, which was intended as an April Fools’ prank, was started by a student by imitating the design of Ming Pao newspaper website. He was charged for this incident.
  • How Animated Tattoos Work: www.howstuffworks.com does an annual bogus article. In 2006, it was “How Animated Tattoos Work”; in 2007 “How Phone Cell Implants Work”; in 2008 “How the Air Force One Hybrid Works”; in 2009, “How Rechargeable Gum Works”; in 2010, “How the Twapler Works”.
  • Neopets – It Ain’t a Joke… : The popular site Neopets runs regular hoaxes, year after year. These can be anything from changes in site design to announcements of free prizes. In fact, when new designs for the Neopets pets were released, several users complained and demanded to know if it was a “late April Fool’s joke.” It wasn’t.
  • Fake Products go Live: ThinkGeek sends an e-newsletter containing mostly false products each year. Several of these products, such as the 8-Bit tie, were eventually realized due to customer demand.
  • Excited for a Movie: IGN, a video game website, released a realistic-looking Legend of Zelda movie trailer on April Fool’s Day 2007. Many people were excited and tricked into believing that a real Legend of Zelda movie was coming out, but IGN revealed that it was a fake. Later rumors were spread that a real Legend of Zelda film is going to be made.
  • Rick Rolled Everywhere: YouTube – In 2008, All featured videos on YouTube’s front page hyperlinked to the Rickroll. The prank began with international YouTube portals before appearing on the main site. In 2009 the videos, links and most text (using Unicode substitution) were turned upside down and there was also a link to help users view the new site layout with hints such as hanging the monitor upside-down or moving to Australia. In 2010, a new option was created in the video quality settings called “TEXTp”. Clicking on this option showed a message under the video which read “By using text-only mode, you are saving YouTube $1 a second in bandwidth costs. Click here to go back to regular YouTube and happy April Fools Day!”
  • Fly to Mars: Expedia ran a prank on 1 April 2009, offering flights to Mars. This was internally known as Project Dawnstar.
  • Another Fake Product Considered: On April 1, 2009 ThinkGeek.com “introduced” the Tauntaun Sleeping Bag (based on a well-known scene from The Empire Strikes Back). Due to the overwhelming popularity of this faux item, ThinkGeek is now attempting to bring the item to market.

Best April Fools Jokes & Pranks By Google

Google gives the green light for every department to pull pranks during April 1st, so every year we are treated with a long list of April Fool’s Jokes. Here are a few of th better ones.

2000 – Read Your Mind – Google announced a new “MentalPlex” search technology that supposedly read the user’s mind to determine what the user wanted to search for, thus eliminating the step of actually typing in the search query. This always led to a page full of April Fool’s results.

2004 – Jobs on the Moon – Fictitious job opportunities for a research center on the moon. Luna/X (a pun to Linux as well as a reference to both the Windows XP visual style and Mac OS X) is the name of a new operating system they claimed to have created for working at the research center.

2006 – Google Romance – On April Fool’s Day 2006, Google Romance was announced on the main Google search page with the introduction, “Dating is a search problem. Solve it with Google Romance.” It pretends to offer a “Soulmate Search” to send users on a “Contextual Date”. A parody of online dating, it amusingly had a link for “those who generally favor the ‘throw enough stuff at the wall’ approach to online dating” to Post multiple profiles with a bulk upload file, you sleaze in addition to Post your Google Romance profile. Clicking on either of these gave an error page, which explained that it was an April Fool’s joke and included links to previous April Fool’s Jokes for nostalgia.

2007 – Gmail Paper – At about 10:00 PM Pacific time (where Google has its headquarters) on 30 March 2007, Google changed the login page for Gmail to announce a new service called Gmail Paper. The service offered to allow users of Google’s free webmail service to add e-mails to a “Paper Archive”, which Google would print (on “96% post-consumer organic soybean sputum”) and mail via traditional post. The service would be free, supported by bold, red advertisements printed on the back of the printed messages. Image attachments would also be printed on high-quality glossy paper, though MP3 and WAV files would not be printed. The page detailing more information about the service features photographs of Ian Spiro and Carrie Kemper, current employees of Google. Also featured are Product Marketing Managers of Gmail Anna-Christina Douglas, and Kevin Systrom.

2008 –
Google TiSP, Toilet Internet – Google TiSP (short for Toilet Internet Service Provider) was a fictitious free broadband service supposedly released by Google. This service would make use of a standard toilet and sewage lines to provide free Internet connectivity at a speed of 8 Mbit/s (2 Mbps upload) (or up to 32 Mbps with a paid plan). The user would drop a weighted end of a long, Google-supplied fiber-optic cable in their toilet and flush it. Around 60 minutes later, the end would be recovered and connected to the Internet by a “Plumbing Hardware Dispatcher (PHD)”. The user would then connect their end to a Google-supplied wireless router and run the Google-supplied installation media on a Windows XP or Vista computer (“Mac and Linux support coming soon”). Alternatively, a user could request a professional installation, in which Google would deploy nanobots through the plumbing to complete the process. The free service would be supported by “discreet DNA sequencing” of “personal bodily output” to display online ads that relate to culinary preferences and personal health. Google also referenced the cola-and-Mentos reaction in their FAQ: “If you’re still experiencing problems, drop eight mints into the bowl and add a two-liter bottle of diet soda.”

Google Book Search Scratch and Sniff
Google Book Search has a new section allowing users to “scratch and sniff” certain books. Users are asked to “…please place your nose near the monitor and click ‘Go'”, which then “loads odors”. When clicking on “Help”, users are redirected to a page in a book that describes the origins of April Fools’ Day.[5]
Inside Google Book Search Blog: “Google Book Search now smells better”

Google Calendar is Feeling Lucky
Google added the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button to its calendar feature. When a user tries to create a new event, the user was given the regular option of entering the correct details and hitting “Create Event,” and also the new option of “I’m Feeling Lucky” which would set the user up with an evening date with, among others, Matt Damon, Eric Cartman, Tom Cruise, Jessica Alba, Pamela Anderson, Paris Hilton, Angelina Jolie, Britney Spears, Anna Kournikova, Johnny Depp, George W. Bush, or Lois Griffin.

Virgle – Mars Settlement
Google announces a joint project with the Virgin Group to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars . This operation has been named Project Virgle. The announcement includes videos of Richard Branson (founder of Virgin Group) as well as Larry Page and Sergey Brin (the founders of Google) on YouTube, talking about Virgle.[8] An “application” to join the settlement includes questions such as:

I am a world-class expert in:
A. Physics
B. First Aid
C. Engineering
D. Guitar Hero II

After the user submitted the application, the site notifies the user that the user are not fit for space, or that the user’s application is fine and “all you have to do is submit your video” [as a response to their video on YouTube]. As a result, an open source Virgle group has been established, OpenVirgle. On the FAQ page, the final question is “Okay, come on — seriously. Is this Virgle thing for real?” The reply links to a page that tells the user it’s an April Fool’s joke, and then mentions that the user “Dragged us out of our lovely little fantasy world, to crush all our hopes and dreams.” [9]

2009 –

  • Google Autopilot – Having a hard time reading and responding to every email message? How about Gmail Chats? Google will analyze your speaking style and help auto respond to your emails!
  • Google Autopilot for Gmail Chat

    2010 –
    See bottom of this postings for 2010 April Fool’s Jokes.

    Google non-April Fool Jokes

    Google has regularly pumped out numerous April fools jokes at once. Ironically due to their playful nature, many ACTUAL news was seen as a hoax when it was not as a form of viral marketing. The best one is below.

    2004 – Launch of Gmail was announced. Many believed it to be a hoax. 1 Gig of free Web Storage was unheard of at the time. Other competitors such as Yahoo & Hotmail only provided anywhere from 2-4 megs.

    Top April Fools Jokes By Magazines, Newspapers, and Books

    • 168 Mile Fast Ball – George Plimpton wrote a 1985 article in Sports Illustrated about a New York Mets prospect named Sidd Finch, who could throw a 168 mph (270 km/h) fastball with pinpoint accuracy. This kid, known as “Barefoot” Sidd Finch, reportedly learned to pitch in a Buddhist monastery. The first letter of each word in the article subhead spelled out the fact of its being an April Fool joke.
    • Lies to Get You Out of the House – In 1985, the L.A. Weekly printed an entire page of fake things to do on April Fools’ Day, by which hundreds of people were fooled.
    • Comic strip switcheroo – Cartoonists of popularly syndicated comic strips draw each others’ strips. In some cases, the artist draws characters in the other strip’s milieu, while in others, the artist draws in characters from other visiting characters from his own. Cartoonists have done this sort of “switcheroo” for several years. The 1997 switch was particularly widespread.
    • Coldplay to back the Tories – On April 1, 2006 the UK Guardian journalist “Olaf Priol” claimed that Chris Martin of rock band Coldplay had decided to publicly support the UK Conservative Party leader David Cameron due to his disillusionment with previous Labour Party prime minister Tony Blair, even going so far as to produce a fake song, “Talk to David”, that could be downloaded via the Guardian website. Despite being an obvious hoax, the Labour Party’s Media Monitoring Unit were concerned enough to circulate the story throughout “most of the government”.
    • President Barack Obama pulls fundings for NASCAR – On April 1, 2009, on the heels of the auto industry bailout, Car and Driver claimed on their website that President Barack Obama had ordered Chevrolet and Dodge to pull NASCAR funding. The article was removed from the website and replaced with an apology to readers, after upset NASCAR fans protested on the Car and Driver website.
    • The Guardian to publish to Twitter – On April 1, 2009 The Guardian announced that it would be the first newspaper to publish exclusively on Twitter.

    April Fools Jokes, Products & Hoaxes in 2010 Online

    • Google Changes their name to Topeka – In response to the mayor of Topeka changing their city name to Google, Google has decided to honor their gesture by changing their own company name to Topeka.
    • Google Logo Topeka

    • iPhone to iPad Converter – Can’t afford iPad? Just get this iPad dock that will magnify your iphone so it’s just like an iPad! Ouch says Apple.
    • Life size Picasa – Google offered an option which allows the user to print lifesize cardboard cutouts of all of their photos.
    • Reddit Website – Everyone has been made an admin resulting in total chaos and fun. Move stuff around. Ban other users. I am sure they will reset this tomorrow… right?
    • Google Translate for Animals – Bridging the gap between animals and humans check it out!
    • Google Gmail Login Page missing all their vowels.
    • ThinkGeek Announces the iCade – Pretty clever. Just look at the picture.

    thinkgeek iCade iPad - April Fools

    Share Your Favorite April’s Fools Day Joke or Hoax

    • Which one was your favorite?
    • Know of Any other Good Pranks not listed here?
    • Share below!

    Want to see More? Check out some of the Best April Fool Jokes Online in 2010. Props to Starbucks and Google: Best April Fool Jokes in 2010

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    Girl Starves to Death as Parents Raise Virtual Child

    South Korea is easily the video game capital of the world. With the fastest connections and a huge base of gamers young and old, it is no surprises that the idea of playing games is so integrated into their psyche.

    Unfortunately, this also means there are more cases of video games resulting in harmful consequences. Recently a Korean couple, Kim Yoo-chul and Choi Mi-sun, was arrested for the neglect of their 3 month old child as they devoted themselves to hours of playing a computer game which involved of all things, raising a virtual child.

    Neglected Infant Dies as Parents Raise a Virtual Child

    Prius Online Anima - Infant Korean Girl
    Anima Prius Online Screenshot

    The 41-year-old man and 25-year-old woman, who they themselves originally met through a chat site, had left their infant unattended for long periods of time as they went to internet cafes to raise their virtual child. They only stopped by to feed their child powdered milk. They arrived home after playing for 12 hours at the local internet cafe to find their infant daughter dead. The police suspected neglect due to the baby’s malnourished body which was later confirmed by an autopsy.

    Up until two weeks before the death on Sept 24, 2009, the baby had been taken care of by Kim’s parents as the couple was finding it difficult to take care of their premature baby. As Kim’s mother was ill, the baby was given to the couple for care. After the funeral the couple disappeared for months until they were found on March 2, 2010 at the wife’s parents home in Yangju, Gyeonggi province.

    The game is called “Prius Online”. It is a very popular role playing game where you can create a virtual life in a virtual world. You create your character and traverse through life as you interact with other users, find jobs, build a family and so on.

    Chung Jin-Won, a police offer said “The couple seemed to have lost their will to live a normal life because they didn’t have jobs and gave birth to a premature baby… they indulged themselves in the online game of raising a virtual character so as to escape from reality, which led to the death of their real baby.”

    The case has shocked South Korea once again highlighting obsessive behavior related to the internet.

    Other Incidents due to Video Game Obsessions

    This is not the first of such incidents involving the obsession over video games.

    In 2005, a man died in a internet cafe in Taegu after playing Starcraft for nearly 50 hours straight. He suffered cardiac arrest after not eating or drinking during that time.

    In September of 2009, a young man murdered his mother for nagging him about playing too much video games. He then went to a local internet cafe and just continued to play games as if nothing had happened.

    Of course these incidents are unique just to Korea as the child that killed his mother over the game of halo was well publicized here in the United States.

    As these incidents continue to arise, there has been some movement to battle these dangerous and upsetting trends. Lee Joung-sun, an MP from the ruling Grand National party of South Korea has submitted a bill restricting the hours of online gamers. There are several such bills pending in the national assembly with varied proposals of how to limit teenagers’ time at internet cafes and limits to online game.

    What is the Impact of Addictive Video Games on People?

    These kind of incidences highlight the uneasy notion how these addictive games, as well as the general increase in internet use, has had a direct impact on the way we live our lives and relate to others. It is easy to point at these perpetrators in shock and blame them for being “neglectful” or “dumb” or even “crazy” while brushing off how the internet as a whole has had some negative impact in society as a whole.

    Children from an early age sit in their rooms playing games hours into the night rather than developing their social skills by playing outside with their friends. The negative effects of media usage on children are well documented. As they children consume 7.5 hours of media a day, their worldview in terms of how to understand themselves, understand others, and understand the world are defined by what they see on the screen. Even adults spend hours and hours watching online videos or playing online games as soon as they come home from work. An average American watches 153 hours of TV a month while going online 68 hours a month!

    Yes, the perpetrators are at fault and are completely responsible for what they did. However, it really say something about the our ever-pervasive dependence on media as well the status of our culture that these kind of horrible incidences can even occur.

    • What is your reaction to this horrible news?
    • Do you think people will reconsider their behavior due to this incident or brush it off saying it is different?
    • Is it a valid statement that the addictive nature of some video games causes social harm?

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