I found it really interesting. Are all the website and places just going to look like one big facebook. Who owns the IP, what happens when facebook decided to change the rules, how secure are the widgets,  there are so many questions when using a 3rd party software to run your brand rather than own your own real estate on  the interwebs? what are the risks that you are willing to take with your brand? What do you think…have a read and tell me…

Thanks to @markrcameron for sending this on to me today.

Article: BusinessInsider: Facebook To Announce Plans To Take Over The Internet With Facebook Pages

Mark Zuckerberg has long signaled that the future of Facebook will be off Facebook.com.  His social network will take a big step toward that future at a developers conference in April.

That’s when, according to a WSJ report, Facebook plans to launch a tool set for Web developers who want to make their off-Facebook Web sites look and work more like on-Facebook “pages.”

On its site for Facebook developers, Facebook calls this toolset the “Open Graph API,” and describes it this way:

The Open Graph API will allow any page on the Web to have all the features of a Facebook Page – users will be able to become a Fan of the page, it will show up on that user’s profile and in search results, and that page will be able to publish stories to the stream of its fans.

Facebook also provides the following “details”:

The Open Graph API will allow any page on the Web to have all the features of a Facebook Page. Once implemented, developers can include a number of Facebook Widgets, like the Fan Box, or leverage any API, which enable the transformation of any Web page so it functions similar to a Facebook Page.

For example, AwesomeTees might decide that strategically they would like to locate their brand identity at www.awesometees.com. AwesomeTees will install the Fan Box widget, which will allow any Facebook user to “Become a Fan” of AwesomeTees, thereby establishing an official connection to AwesomeTees. The user will then have AwesomeTees listed in their list of connections on their profile as Pages are represented today. Additionally, any content that AwesomeTees publishes on AwesomeTees.com will show up in the stream on Facebook like it normally would. And, any time the user searches on Facebook, AwesomeTees will show up in the typeaheads and prominently in search results.

At the Wall Street Journal, Jessica Vascellero writes that Facebook’s goal here is to “make it even easier for users to share information from the Web on Facebook and to have that information associated with their Facebook identity.”

This move to expand Facebook beyond the domain of Facebook.com has been under way since Fall 2007, when Mark came to New York, announced that advertising changes every 100 years, and launched Facebook Beacon. Facebook Beacon transmitted Facebook user activity from third-party sites back to Facebook. The product quickly flopped, mostly because it wasn’t opt-in.

Facebook re-branded the technology behind Beacon as an opt-in service called Facebook Connect in fall 2008 and launched it as a tool that allows Facebook users to sign into third-party sites using their Facebook IDs. Facebook Connect has been a huge hit.

In the year since Facebook Connect launched, more and more major brands have begun driving traffic not to their own domains, but to their branded Facebook Pages. These pages are attractive brands because once Facebook users become fans of a page, that page is free to update that friend regularly. It has been the return of email marketing. The Open Graph API, which will take Facebook fan pages out of Facebook without sacrificing these marketing tools is the next logical step.

The other two big reasons Facebook wants to expand beyond Facebook.com and onto third-party sites is that 1) there is hope within Facebook’s executive ranks that the company can someday launch an ad network 2) Facebook would love to find itself in a position to offer e-commerce sites Facebook Connect-like “Pay With Facebook” one-click option. Some Facebook executives believe this business could eventually be larger than Facebook ads.

Love this article in theage.com.au: Benefits of a Tweet surrender. How true, you don’t have to post on twitter to be part of it.

At school my reports came home, talks a lot….I was a chatterbox. My brother was the quiet one. One day a teacher told Mum that just because he doesn’t talk much doesn’t mean he is not part of the conversation, some of us are talkers and some are listeners.

This can be the same with Twitter.

I look forward to @simonlazenby’s comments about what happens on the way to work, love the way you can instantly see news headlines and footy scandals!!  All this and I haven’t posted anything.

As I chatterbox, I love to post snippets of my day and ask advice and communicate , my brother is still the quiet one, who only posts or retweets occasionally.  That doesn’t mean he doesn’t enjoy the footy news, American football and baseball news and following their stars and other posts.

Twitter is not the dark side, enjoy it.

theage.com.au: Benefits of a Tweet surrender

Twitter hold-outs are missing out on a wealth of news and discussion, writes Claire Cain Miller.

A common reason given by those who have yet to try Twitter: “I have nothing to say.” The truth is, you don’t have to post a message to get the most out of Twitter.

At its best, the social medium is a perpetual, personalised news service about topics of your choosing – whether health-care reform, tech news or the latest episode of Gossip Girl – filtered and served to you by people who care a lot about what you care a lot about.

Even the most prolific users say Twitter has become more useful as a way to tap in to the discussions of the day than to broadcast their own thoughts. And once you get pulled in, you might find you have something to say after all.

Twitter’s co-founder, Biz Stone, suggests naysayers simply log on and search for a topic that interests them, whether it’s their favorite sporting team or a topic in the news. Within a minute, they understand the appeal, he says.

Twitter users write 50 million messages a day. For the hold-outs, here are a few ways to make Twitter work for you.

A custom news feed

By the time Bridget Baker, who works in public relations in Seattle, checks Google Reader while eating lunch at her desk, she has already read most of the articles in her feed because she saw them on Twitter.

In the year since she joined, she has written only 17 posts. “I tend to be a pretty private person and I don’t feel I have anything that needs to be said,” she says. Yet she opens Twitter first thing each morning and follows friends, bloggers and thought leaders who post about politics, religion, fashion and food.

People with shared interests become your editor and Twitter becomes an alternative RSS feed. Find those people by searching Twitter directories, like WeFollow or Just Tweet It and by following people whom others repeat or mention.

One-fifth of posts and 57 per cent of repeat messages contain a link, proving that this is an increasingly popular way to spread news, says Dan Zarrella, a social media scientist who works at a software company called HubSpot. A quick scan reveals the news of the moment as the most important stories of the day bubble up and are reposted.

Check your lists

Twitter is such a fast-moving stream that you may not want to follow everyone who posts about your interests. That’s one reason Twitter invented Lists, which anyone can create. Someone could separate celebrity users or tech pundits, for example, so they get an unadulterated stream of news on only the topic they want at that moment.

If you don’t know who the best users are on a favorite topic, look for Lists on sites such as Listorious or by checking profiles.

Virtually attend a conference

Most conferences these days have a Twitter hashtag. At the exclusive TED conference in Long Beach, California, in February, for example, attendees added #TED to the end of their posts.

By searching #TED on Twitter, people could read the latest updates (and skip the $6000 attendance fee). People wrote quotes from the speakers, like this one: “‘If I had only one wish for the next 50 years, it’d be to invent the thing that halves the cost of CO2′ – Bill Gates #TED.”

What’s around you right now

Twitter is working on ways to deliver news nearby, like alerts about an earthquake or the closing of a bridge, Stone says.

Twitter’s list of trending topics can now be searched by city. Some Twitter apps, such as Tweetie and TwitterLocal, let you search posts near you. Check the website Happn.in to see the most discussed topics in your area.

Ask questions

You can use Twitter to ask questions when you don’t know whom to ask, such as where to eat dinner in a new city, for example, or how to extend your iPhone’s battery life, and you are sure to get answers.

Some people are even using Twitter for more urgent questions. A medical student at the University of Debrecen in Hungary, Bertalan Mesko, wrote a post about a patient with mysterious symptoms: “Strange case today in internal medicine rotation. 16 years old boy with acute pancreatitis (for the 6th! time). Any ideas?”

Within hours, specialists worldwide had responded. One of the suggestions helped the doctors with a diagnosis.

“It would have been impossible to find that specialist through e-mail, because we had no idea who to contact,” Mesko says.

New York Times

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

With my record of iPhone losses in the past 6 months I am not sure if this would be a good idea for me.  Is the mobile becoming so important we will not be able to get into your home without it as well….if lost, will the person that finds it be able to?

But when it comes to getting rid of extra possessions to carry around, yes it is great, especially with those security tags at apartments etc.

Article telegraph.co.uk: Introducing the iKey – Apple’s answer to the humble door key by Richard Gray.

Apple has already revolutionised the personal stereo and mobile phone, but now the computer firm behind the iPhone has its sights set on the humble front door key.

The computer giant, which manufactures the iPod and iPhone, has plans to replace the traditional door key with a hi-tech alternative.

It is developing technology, already being nicknamed the “iKey”, which will mean that rather than carrying around a bunch of keys, people will be able to use a single electronic device to unlock their car, front door and gain access to their office. Users would simply have to enter a pin code and wave the device over an electronic pad fitted beside a door to open it.

The technology is revealed in a newly published patent application, which has generated speculation that the next model of the iPhone will contain this feature.

Apple filed the application with the US Patent Office. It states: “The device can communicate with an external device to open a lock. By way of example, the electronic device may be a model of an iPhone.

“The external device may be any suitable electronic device such as a portable media player, personal data assistant or electronic lock that may be used to access a door, car, house or other physical area.”

The iKey uses a similar principal to the technology employed by card access entry systems commonly used in many workplaces and the Oyster Card, used on public transport in London.

Car manufacturers, including Mercedes, Lexus and Toyota, are also starting to use such keyless entry systems for their vehicles through key fobs.

According to the patent, Apple hopes to replace these cards and keyfobs by allowing the iPhone to be used instead to unlock doors to buildings and cars.

It would exploit a technology known as Near Field Communication, which allows electronic devices to transmit information between each other when in proximity.

In a home, householders would need to install electronic, computer controlled locks to their doors.

The iPhone would need to be registered with the locks so that they could communicate with each other.

By rotating the iPhone near the electronic lock, consumers then select their pin numbers on a dial displayed on the screen, as if entering a combination on a safe.

If the combination entered matched the one held by the electronic lock, the door would open.

If not, an alarm could be sounded or alerts sent to the householder to indicate someone was attempting to gain unauthorised entry.

The patent also proposes encrypting any information that passes between the iPhone and the computer-controlled lock to prevent hackers from “listening in”.

The iPhone has become a huge success for Apple after combining their popular iPod with mobile phone technology, selling more than 40 million worldwide.

The iKey technology will take Apple one step further towards creating a ubiquitous mobile device that is the only thing people need to carry in their pockets.

A spokesman for Apple refused to comment on the patent.

But Leander Kahney, a consumer technology expert and author of a book and blog called the Cult of Mac, said there were strong rumours that Apple had already been testing the technology and it could lead to the company even trying to replace consumers’ wallets.

He said: “If true, it’s a very big deal. As well as opening doors and unlocking your car, it could also turn your iPhone into an electronic wallet and ID card.

“You’d be able to pay for buses and trains, as well as your morning coffee and groceries in a jiffy, just by laying your iPhone on a special pad, and the price is electronically deducted from your account.

“The trouble is that the technology hasn’t gone completely mainstream. If Apple were to adopt the technology, they would likely set the standard, and that would drive widespread adoption as everyone scrambles to make their systems iPhone-friendly.”

If granted, the patent will offer Apple legal protection from other companies copying its ideas and technology.

Earlier this month Apple filed a lawsuit against mobile phone firm HTC, claiming the company had infringed on 20 of Apple’s iPhone patents.

“We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive.

“We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”

When I was in LA, it was great to see a little bit of home…The Nicole Kidman Star.

Check out this great virtual site of the Hollywood Star Walk by the Los Angeles Times.

and for more info .

A great site for all of your Hollywood Fame info.

Article Los Angeles Times: HOLLYWOOD STAR WALK – Take a virtual tour of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Times’ virtual tour puts readers on the streets of Hollywood to visit the nearly 2,400 stars on the Walk of Fame.

Select a category to learn more about the bombshells, cowboys, crooners and other entertainers who are honored on the walk. An interactive map then takes readers to the exact location of each star along the sidewalks of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street.

Read more about the stars in a database that uses more than a century of the archives of the Los Angeles Times to go deeper into the lives of hundreds of fan favorites, as well as those whose names are no longer well-known.

About the Hollywood Star Walk

The Los Angeles Times’ Hollywood Star Walk provides both a virtual tour of the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a database of the stars and organizations enshrined on the sidewalks along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street.

Questions and Answers:

• How was this site created?
• When was the Walk of Fame created?
• How are stars awarded?
• How many different kinds of stars are there?
• Who has the most stars on the Walk of Fame?
• Why doesn’t Clint Eastwood have a star?
• How do you determine dates of birth and death and locations?
• How does Grauman’s Chinese Theatre differ?
• Where did the biographies for the project come from?

The Hollywood Star Walk virtual tour follows the actual order of the more than 2,400 terrazzo stars on the Walk of Fame, which stretches along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street. This order was created based on work by Times researchers to catalogue the locations and generate points on a map for each. Each star was photographed.

The virtual tour is powered by an in-depth database—created using more than a century of the archives of the Los Angeles Times. On the database pages, the locations of the terrazzo stars appear on a map as close as possible to their precise location. In addition, those maps may include other places meaningful in the star’s life.

Because some entertainers have been awarded stars in multiple fields, about 2,100 individuals or groups are represented among the more than 2,300 Walk of Fame stars.

The Times has completed entries for more than 800 stars and more are coming soon. As The Times continues to add biographies, articles and photos, readers are invited to help make connections between stars and the people and places that were meaningful to them.

As new stars are awarded, they will be added.

The Times was unable to locate three stars listed by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, those honoring Akim Tamiroff, Richard Crooks and the film career of Geraldine Farrar, who also has a star for her music career, on the west side of the 1700 block of Vine Street. Each still has a page in the database.

WOW, How do you choose!  That is definitely cool.

@ConanOBrien” I’ve decided to follow someone at random. She likes peanut butter and gummy dinosaurs. Sarah Killen, your life is about to change.

Article:VF Daily/Vanity Fair: Conan O’Brien Decided to Follow One Person on Twitter

Conan O’Brien has 538,309 followers on Twitter. This afternoon, he randomly selected one of them to follow. Internet, meet “LovelyButton.” She already has 5,856 followers of her own. “OMG. this is Fantastically exciting,” wrote Ms. Button. It strangely sort of is!

@claresmith75’s birthday celebrations continue with dinner and a girlie night at Alice in Wonderland….if we can make it through the hailstone and storm threatened roads.

@claresmith75:  At hoyts chadstone with @Codenamemax for Alice 3d after jam factory was closed – managed to get tickets via @famdragon awesome work! Sat 06 Mar 20:21

@codenamemax:With the birthday girl about to see Alice 3D (@ Hoyts Chadstone) http://4sq.com/8ctcdj

There is a review below but I cannot wait to don those 3D glasses and see for myself….us kids at heart, @claresmith75 and @codenamemax hope to be taking back into the magical world of make believe.

RAVE Movies: Alice in Wonderland Trailer Review: B+(trailer too.)

Congratulation to the AFLPA Blog relating to the same article featured in yesterday’s Code name Max blog.

As Anthony commented on your blog: ‘Dialogue not mologue’ It’s the best way to engage the fans Ian. You guys are definitely leading the path for sporting associations in Australia and I can tell have had some great advice along the way.

Check out their retweet from @AFLPAToday

RT @IanPrendergast: @stevealessio delivering the AFLPA’s strategy re Social Media at Sydney club visit http://yfrog.us/744h3z

Article : SOCIAL MEDIA IS ALL ABOUT ENGAGE ENGAGE ENGAGE posted by Ian Prendergast, AFLPA’s General Manager of Player Relations

At the AFL Players’ Association, we like to take a glass half full view when it comes to social media.

Sure, there are a number of pitfalls, but with care, support and education, we see mostly upsides for players in this space.

As an organisation we’ve made the decision to commit to opening up via social media.

We’ve established our blog – http://www.aflpablog.com.au/ which features opinion pieces from a range of AFLPA staff on a range of topical issues.

A number of key people are a regular presence on Twitter with @SteveAlessio and @IanPrendergast providing regular updates and insights as well as our organisational wide Twitter presence – @AFLPAToday.

We also have a Facebook presence – www.facebook.com/AFLPA of which in the coming weeks you will see the introduction of some exciting new features.

This is all in the spirit opening up regular two way communication channels.

We want to shine a light on our work.  We want people to know about it.

Today’s Herald Sun back page – ‘Clubs spy on Stars’ makes some valuable contributions to this area.

We are strong advocates for players to make use of the variety of social media options – with thought.

But we also see great upsides for Players and fans.

For some time, the AFLPA has advocated for a ‘3 E’ approach when it comes to use of social media by players.

For us, its all about EDUCATION, ENFORCEMENT and ENGAGEMENT.

We educate the players on the opportunities and threats.

We enforce and vigorously protect the rights of AFL Players online rights.

We engage and reach out to fans.

In particular, Facebook and Twitter are terrific ways for Players to engage and communicate with fans.

Whilst our work in reaching out and connecting fans with players’ social media may be in its infancy, we are committed to promoting and developing such two way conversations.

FAKE PLAYER SITES

A tweet from harry_0:

2 days ago I started taking stats 4 http://harrysworld.com.au/ & in that 48hrs Iv had 4,000 hits. Im so grateful & its just the beginning.  Fri 5 Mar. 09:29

In recent days I have noticed Harry O’Brien, AFL Collingwood player has taken on social media in big way. You can catch him at his Blog Harry’s World.  He is doing a great job and all Collingwood Fans must love it.

He has not listed a Facebook page on his Twitter Profile. @Harry_O seems to be handling the Social media scene okay…If you know it is the real deal then everyone should realize any others are fake.

@Jobe Watson and @AngusMonfries are on Twitter as well.

@ JobeWatson:  Just got our new suits from Soho. Glad the pirate will have something to wear to the Season Launch at Etihad on March 16. http://is.gd/9yzJk Wed 3 Mar 9:13

@JobeWatson: getting ready to head to visy for practice match against melbourne, looking forward to a good hitout. Sat 27 Feb 9:52

@AngusMonfries: Thanks for questions. I’m studying journalism at Latrobe Uni, been doing it for a few years part time, trying to fit it in around training!! Thur 4 Mar 20.52

Let’s not scare then off, an official presence makes all other dummy pages just that, fakes….and as for facebook there is always Unfriend.`

In the article below McLean said she was not deterring players from using Facebook, but was urging them to play it smarter.

Great Advice: PLAY IT SMARTER.

Article : Herald Sun: AFL clubs spy on football stars by Mark Stevens

AFL clubs are turning to a renowned “cyber cop” amid mounting concerns about the pitfalls of mobile phones and Facebook pages.

Susan McLean, a former policewoman with 27 years’ experience, has been called into the inner sanctum at Carlton and Fremantle in recent weeks.

McLean, who also visited the Brisbane Lions last year, has delivered warts-and-all briefings on the dangers of the web and “sexting” on phones.

It is understood the clubs paid McLean, Australia’s leading expert on the issue, about $1500 a session.

McLean said yesterday she confronted players with examples close to home, researching heavily to expose dangerous Facebook pages.

“When I go into clubs I’ve spent a fair bit of time trying to dig the dirt on the players,” McLean said.

“I say to them, ‘These are the pictures I can find’. I’ve got some interesting stuff on all the clubs that I’ve been in.

“Clubs have now got a handle on this, identifying it as a welfare issue and the players are jumping on it.

“Clubs, certainly the ones I’ve spoken to, are now developing it as part of their code of conduct to give them guidance.”

Several players have also been the victim of fake Facebook sites, using their name to lure friends.

Even Carlton coach Brett Ratten is the target of a dummy page as the problem spreads, with McLean offering advice on how to kill off fakes.

McLean has also focused on mobile phones, warning that young players keeping naked photos of girlfriends under 18 were breaking the law.

With Brendan Fevola copping heat for allegedly forwarding a naked photo of Lara Bingle via his mobile phone, McLean’s services are likely to be in high demand.

“I missed Fevola at Brisbane because he wasn’t there last year and I missed him at Carlton because he was at Brisbane,” McLean said.

At least two other clubs are considering calling in McLean, who said players were in need of an outlet to discuss cyber and phone issues.

McLean was the first Victoria Police officer appointed to a position involving cyber safety and young people and now has a key role in schools and universities to eradicate bullying.

She yesterday outlined several damaging examples on the web, including:

A HIGH-PROFILE player whose first friend on Facebook was pictured naked.

McLean told the players at the club: “If she had any clothes on, I couldn’t find them. This is one of your teammates’ No. 1 friends … but what is this showing?”

A YOUNG star at the centre of a fake Facebook page, which attracted hundreds of female friends thinking they were interacting with the player himself.

“While the player has nothing to do with it, he was concerned he was hurting people,” McLean said.

A PLAYER had 1600 “close personal friends” listed. “That’s not manageable in any way, shape or form. It’s just sheer stupidity,” McLean said.

McLean, who provides a 90-minute presentation as well as a one-on-one follow-up, made it clear the message on Facebook was getting through.

“About 50 per cent of each club’s players have a presence on Facebook. After I’ve been, it would probably drop down to 10 per cent,” McLean said.

“I know because I go back and look. They’ve all gone. They’ve heeded the message.”

McLean said she was not deterring players from using Facebook, but was urging them to play it smarter.