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  • YouTube opens up partner programme to everyone

    By on 13 April, 2012

    YouTube’s partner programme is what allows people to make money -- real money that is -- from the video-sharing platform. For most of its existence, it’s been available to a select few. All that’s about to change. The Google-owned service announced that it would be opening up the programme to all YouTube users. YouTube claims that, as long you live in one of 20 eligible countries, the process of becoming a partner is fairly simple: YouTube uploaders in these countries can become YouTube partners by enabling their YouTube accounts, and successfully monetising at least one of their videos. The video-sharing...

  • iPads still own the tablet market, but is Microsoft onto something big?

    By on 12 April, 2012

    Apple’s been dominating the tablet scene ever since the first iPad came out. Given the record sales figures for the new iPad it’s hardly surprising that dominance is expected to continue into the foreseeable future. Even a soaring market -- sales are up 98% from 2011 -- and a slew of cheap new devices such as Amazon's Kindle Fire can’t put a dent in the Cupertino-based tech giant’s dominance. According to tech research company Gartner, tablets running iOS are expected to account for around 61.4% of tablets sales in 2012. That share is expected to slip to around 45%...

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  • Facebook is giving you more of your data, how nice

    By on 12 April, 2012

    Facebook has decided that it will allow users to download more of their private data. This, it claims, will allow them to back up more detailed information from their Facebook account. In a short post on its privacy page, the social networks explain what data it intends to make available to users: Starting today, you will be able to download an expanded archive of your Facebook account history. First introduced in 2010, Download Your Information lets you get a copy of what you've shared on Facebook, such as photos, posts, messages, a list of friends and chat conversations. Now you...

  • StumbleUpon joins the Facebook Timeline party

    By on 12 April, 2012

    Web users the world over love StumbleUpon as a procrastination tool. Now the social discovery engine has become the latest big name to launch a Facebook Timeline app. In an official blog post, the company says it hopes to bring "the things in life you're most passionate about...to life" with the app. Stumbleupon claims its app is like a number of other Timeline apps in as much as it groups your activity "in a more streamlined format". Rather than being displayed one at a time, it says, your likes will be grouped together. StumbleUpon says the app...

  • Nando’s wishes Jacob Zuma a happy 70th in typical style

    By on 12 April, 2012

    He shares initials with a famous rapper, loves to dance, and always seems to have forgotten where he put his machine gun. Yup, it’s South African president Jacob Zuma and he turns 70 today. Fast-food chain Nando’s decided to celebrate the occasion with one of its trademark ads. The ad makes light of Zuma’s efforts to keep the ANC Youth League under the control of the party as well as his numerous wives and children. Full Size Come to think of it: four wives, and 20 or so children and we’d also forget where things were. Happy Birthday Mr Pres....

  • CNN’s Anderson Cooper giggles over Pussy Willow beating [Video]

    By on 12 April, 2012

    Remember when Anderson Cooper started giggling on live television during is his RidicuList segment? It's happened again. Cooper seems to be suffering from a giggle fit here while doing a report on the Polish-American end-of-Lent holiday known as Dyngus Day -- yep apparently that's a real thing. Cooper's fit begins when a reporter mentions that it is traditional on Dyngus day for women to hit men with Pussy Willows. Seriously? I can't say I blame him for laughing, really Pussy Willows? I guess it takes all sorts. The video is epic, trust me you'll be in fits of giggle after...

  • 5 Reasons Facebook Timeline’s time is limited

    By on 12 April, 2012

    By now, most Facebook users have made the transition to the new Timeline profile page, and it’s only inevitable that the resistant few will be forced to follow, as Facebook make the changes permanent in the next week or so. The change has been advertised as a way in which to “rediscover the things you shared”, but more importantly, as a way to map personal milestones that occurred in the days pre-social media. As with all Facebook updates, user response has been mixed, with many complaining that the new features are cumbersome to use; and to be fair, they’re...

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  • Are the BRICS building legal barriers to social media?

    By on 12 April, 2012

    Are emerging market countries, notably the BRICS, clamping down on internet freedoms? Google's Chief Internet Evangelist Vincent Cerf warned last year of an "authoritarian" trend particularly among certain emerging market countries. We know about China. Western social networks are often blocked by a series of filters colloquially called the Great Firewall of China. Authorities in the Asian superpower are also clamping down on native social networks such as the incredibly popular microblogging site Sina Weibo. Most recently, China passed legislation requiring social networks to verify their user accounts, purportedly in an attempt to put a halt...

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  • 4 Lessons from the PSFK Conference on creativity, business and technology

    By on 12 April, 2012

    It took some time to digest the insight given out by speakers at the recent PSFK Conference in New York, but the information imparted was well worth the tech time-out. 1. It is possible to have deeper and longer-lasting ways for people to tell stories about their lives Even as we hurtle towards this over-load of information that seems to be disposable and created by someone else, Jonathan Harris believes we have an opportunity to create something more tangible. He’s behind the online community Cowbird, where people upload their stories in often quirky, always engaging ways. It’s designed to be a...

  • Digital publishing conduit Snapplify launches Android platform

    By on 12 April, 2012

    If you haven’t heard of Snapplify, it’s a solution that enables publishers, authors and content providers to convert their books, magazines and brochures into digital publications. If the concept sounds compelling to you and you happen to be in London between 16 and 18 April this year, Snapplify will be on hand at the London Book Fair to launch its new Android platform. Its iOS version currently supports publishers such as iMaverick, Random House Struik, New Holland Publishing and Fiell Publishing. CEO Wesley Lynch says other items on the London agenda include the strengthening of Snapplify’s regional channels and...

  • Why every business should become a digital media producer

    By on 12 April, 2012

    The Guardian newspaper’s plans to offer courses in digital media production is an important development and one that should be followed by newspapers around the world. It would provide much-needed revenues to many struggling media businesses. I've written many times that the future of journalism is in helping communities, which includes businesses, to tell their stories. Media literacy is important but that’s just one side of the coin: knowing how to produce and publish digital media is just as important, maybe more. Freedom of speech is pointless if you don’t know how to make it heard. Newspapers know how and they...

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  • Facebook post lands KFC in hot water

    By on 12 April, 2012

    Wow. Giant fast food chains just can’t seem to get social media right. First McDonald's had its nightmare badtag run and now KFC is in hot water over post it put up on its Thai Facebook page. As tsunami warnings were issued to countries around the Indian Ocean yesterday the fried chicken giant told Thai citizens to evacuate to their homes, but to order a bucket of chicken on the way. Classy. According to the Associated Press, the post said: Let's hurry home and follow the earthquake news. And don't forget to order your favourite KFC menu. Thousands of Thais...

  • Google angers developer with Google+ redesign

    By on 12 April, 2012

    Every found yourself asking: "Why is Google trying to be so evil to the developer community?" You are not alone. Following the search giant's recent unveiling of the new Google+, a Google Plus developer has come forward with a rather ranty blog post on how Google broke all his "apps and extensions". The developer in question, Mohamed Mansour, posted extensive details of his issues under the title "Thank you Google for breaking all my apps and extensions without warning!" on Google+. Mansour is one of many active developers thinking of new ways to adapt the platform for users...

  • China to spend 350bn online by 2015

    By on 12 April, 2012

    Half a billion internet users and an economy which, although not immune to international economic pressures, is still on the up means that China is poised to experience a massive ecommerce boost. Add in an anticipated 200-million more users and the Asian superpower could become the world’s biggest ecommerce market by 2015. According to the Boston Consulting Group(BCG), the country’s online market could be worth as much as US$350-billion by then. China already has more online shoppers than any other country -- around 193-million -- but overall spend remains higher in the US. BCG warns, however, that although China...

  • WineConnected brings wine-making online

    By on 11 April, 2012

    It’s not easy to get excited about wine if you have been living under the notion that US$2 box wine is the best of the best. It takes a smartly designed website, and an online wine-ordering system to bring wooded cabernet sauvignons to the masses. That website is WineConnected. WineConnected wants you to become a member of its family. It’s not simply a matter of logging on, ordering a case of bubbly and drinking till dawn. No sir, WineConnected gets you invested in the concept of wine creation. From grape to glass, it’s your show baby. The concept comes from...