TV’s smart new age and Facebook’s app problems: top stories you have to read

Facebook’s irreconcilable interests may be putting its developers at risk, but TV is getting smarter and sexier as Myspace eyes a return to stardom and Twitter celebrates its seventh birthday. What am I on about? You’ll undestand once you’ve read these four interesting stories we’ve found on the web and featured in this week’s instalment of our top tech stories series.

The new rules of the hyper-social, data-driven, actor-friendly, super-seductive platinum age of television

Let’s face it: the old Nielsen family rating is dead. But the TV industry is getting smarter — they realise it’s not just about how many people watch your show when it airs, but about the Twitter trending topics, social media mentions, plays on online TV sites and viewers who record and watch the show days after it originally came out. Wired provides an interesting look into the evolution of TV, from the changing plot devices to Netflix’s first original series, the social TV analytics front runners and the smarter optimised ads headed for your next series session.

Tensions rise between Facebook and developers

Developers haven’t been shy about questioning Facebook’s motives about limiting their apps’ functionality and a few have even suggested the social networking site is a bit of a bully, but as it grows bigger and fights to add more features, is it abusing its power? Or are the apps just casualties in Faebook’s fight against spam?

Consider Myspace: What a comeback could look like

We’ve been harping on about Myspace’s shot at returning to the top of the social media game for a while — but are they going about it the right way (i.e. with Timberlake fan fare and a pretty new look but no mobile presence?). Pando Daily considers the social networking platform that was and what it should be doing to make the most of its strengths.

7 years later, another look at Twitter

Seven years ago, co-founder Jack Dorsey posted he was “setting up [his] twttr” and the first tweet hit the web. Since then, the service has spread breaking news around the world in seconds, helped fuel revolutions and swelled to over 200-million monthly active users. But to keep growing, it needs to overcome the barriers to entry that slow adoption and engagement rates. The Next Web goes back to basics, as reporter Matthew Panzarino signs up all over again to see what new users are facing and chats to Twitter’s VP of Product about how Twitter is faring on its quest to becoming a real media company.