The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO) has teamed up with popular mobile social network MXit and JamiiX to bring emergency preparedness information to chat users in disaster-prone Indonesia.This new approach is part of WHO’s wider effort to strengthen disaster preparedness in the region and build public awareness of the urgent need for safe hospitals in disaster zones.Indonesians using MXit chat will be able to access personal preparedness information, including what to do ...

Microblogging sensation Twitter is expected to rake in US$150-million in advertising revenue this year, according to a study published Monday. This is largely due to the "Promoted Tweets" advertising program which was launched last April, and has pulled in major ad campaigns from global powerhouses such as Mercedes-Benz, Pepsi, Starbucks and Disney.The study, by digital research firm eMarketer, said ad spending on Twitter in 2010 was an estimated US$45-million, and would rise to US$150-million this year and could reach US$250-million ...

Google's outgoing chief executive Eric Schmidt, who is set to step down in April for co-founder Larry Page, is set to receive US$100-million in stock and stock options, as well as a possible talk show on CNN.Google announced the compensation for Schmidt, who has served as chief executive of the Internet search and advertising giant for a decade, in a filing on Monday with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).The Mountain View, California-based company said the equity awards approved ...

Google, the internet darling of what could be termed the "web 2.0" era is searching for its mojo in the era of the social web, now largely defined by companies like Facebook, Twitter and Ning.Although the search giant is recording massive profits, it now seems somewhat of a bumbling giant in the guise of an old technology company like Microsoft rather than the sexy new game-changer of its early years.Microsoft didn't "get the internet", key to Google's DNA. Now ...

Cape Town-based online and mobile advertising network Ad Dynamo has announced a second round of funding via venture capital firm Invenfin, the Remgro Group's investment arm.Its CEO, Sean Riley, says the capital will be used to fund Ad Dynamo’s "international expansion programme into key foreign territories". Riley refused to discuss the funding amount but an insider close to the deal told Memeburn that the investment is in "the R15-million region". The source claimed the new VC tranche would ...

The world's most dangerous man is about to have his life exposed in a cinematic fashion. The saga of Wikileaks and Julian Assange, the founder of the whistle-blower site, has played out in the media with the same vigour as a fast-paced movie... so it only stands to reason that Hollywood would come calling.Film-industry bible, "Variety", has announced that a movie version is in the works.Assange landed in the crosshairs of the US authorities when he published cables ...

“Tweet trouble as top celebs face crackdown” squawked the headline in a major newspaper's media and marketing section. I wondered if Lady Gaga was telling her 7,8-million followers about the joys of ritually beating Azerbaijani folk dancers on the soles of their feet but no, as it turns out, various celebrities have offended their followers -- and the British Office of Fair Trading -- by tweeting about brands. This has given rise to speculation that they are being paid ...

Since Google's offer to buy Groupon was spurned, it seems the search giant has now taken the decision to start its own group buying venture. When it comes to Silicon Valley it seems to be a case of "if you can't buy them, then join them".US social media analysis site Mashable on Friday reportedly received a "fact sheet" from a source at Google, revealing "Google Offers is a new product to help potential customers and clientele find great deals in ...

The internet is running out of addresses, and in the next few weeks the last of the four billion addresses available on the IPv4 standard will run out.With everything from smartphones to internet-linked appliances and cars getting online, the group entrusted with organising the Web is running out of the "IP" numbers that identify destinations for digital traffic.The touted solution to the problem is a switch to a standard called IPv6 that allows trillions of internet addresses."The big pool in ...

Like Alice going down the rabbit hole, or Dorothy on arrival in the Land of Oz when she pronounced, "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore," any new social media user is likely to experience a sense of bemusement and wonder.Regardless of which platform one uses, when entering the world of social media for the first time, a sense of bemusent and befuddled is an understatement.Classic stories such as The Wizard of Oz and Alice In ...