Instagram's new 'Photos of You' feature lets users tag each other

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Instagram 35 lets users tag each other in photos" data-src-height="340" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/05/instagram-photos-of-you-1367514891.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">It was just a matter of time, really. We're well acquainted with Facebook letting us tag friends in our photos, so it's no shock that a similar feature has just spread to the social network's mobile darling, Instagram. The Android and iOS apps will both hit version 3.5 today, letting users tag others in a shot (whether or not they're human). A new Photos of You section has also been added to members' profiles, where you can see any photo linked to that account. As you might imagine, Instagram is already trying to head off potential privacy issues -- account holders have until May 16th before their Photos of You sections become public, and settings will let them turn down connections to any revealing (or simply inaccurate) images. The update is already available through the iTunes App Store and should be landing soon in Google Play. Hit up the source links if you've ever wanted to see how other Instagrammers see you.</div></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/65246801" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe></div>

Instagram's new 'Photos of You' feature lets users tag each other

It was just a matter of time, really. We're well acquainted with Facebook letting us tag friends in our photos, so it's no shock th...

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كشف بطاقات تويتر للمنتجات، وتطبيقات ومعارض الصور

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><b><span class="" id="result_box" lang="ar"><span class="hps"> </span></span></b><a href="http://greenzoneregypt.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Twitter Cards for apps, products and photo galleries unveiled" data-src-height="410" data-src-width="526" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/twitter-cards.jpg" /></a><br /><b><span class="" id="result_box" lang="ar"><a href="http://greenzoneregypt.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span class="hps">تويتر</span></a> <span class="hps">اختتم أعماله مؤخرا</span> <span class="hps">في</span> <span class="hps">حفلة راقصة</span> <span class="hps">مطور</span> <span class="hps">فرانسيسكو</span> <span class="hps">في</span> <span class="hps">سان</span> <span class="hps">HQ</span> <span class="hps">و</span><span>هرول</span> <span class="hps">الى ثلاثة</span> <span class="hps">معاينة</span> <span class="hps">محتوى جديد</span> <span class="hps">البطاقات.</span> <span class="hps">عندما</span> <span class="hps">الروابط</span> <span class="hps">المستخدم إلى صفحة</span> <span class="hps">تويتر</span> <span class="hps">الخاصة</span> <span class="hps">مع</span> <span class="hps">العلامات</span><span>،</span> <span class="hps">و</span><span class="">سقسقة</span> <span class="hps">تتميز</span> <span class="hps">اسم</span> <span class="hps">أحد التطبيقات</span><span>،</span> <span class="hps">رمز</span><span>، والوصف،</span> <span class="hps">و</span><span>التصنيف</span> <span class="hps">السعر</span> <span class="hps">داخل</span> <span class="hps">بطاقة</span> <span class="hps">طازجة</span> <span class="hps">دمى</span> <span class="hps">و</span><span class="">كشف</span> <span class="hps">الرابط</span> <span class="hps">إلى <a href="http://greenzoneregypt.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Google Play</a></span><span>، أو</span> <span class="hps">دمى</span> <span class="hps">صفحة</span> <span class="hps">المتجر،</span> <span class="hps">للتمهيد</span><span>.</span> <span class="hps">بطاقات</span> <span class="hps">المنتج</span> <span class="hps">من ناحية أخرى</span><span class="">، وتسليط الضوء</span> <span class="hps">البضائع</span> <span class="hps">مع</span> <span class="hps">تقييمات</span> <span class="hps">صورة</span> <span class="hps">والسعر و</span><span>حتى</span><span>.</span> <span class="hps">عندما</span> <span class="hps">يرتبط المثال</span> <span class="hps">تويت</span> <span class="hps">معرض الصور</span> <span class="hps">على شبكة الإنترنت،</span> <span class="hps">فإن</span> <span class="hps">شبكة اجتماعية</span> <span class="hps">استخدام</span> <span class="hps">بطاقة</span> <span class="hps">معرض</span> <span class="hps">لعرض</span> <span class="hps">مجموعة من</span> <span class="hps">أربع صور</span><span>، مشيرا إلى أنه</span> <span class="hps">يشير إلى</span> <span class="hps">مجموعة</span> <span class="hps">الصور</span><span class="">، وليس</span> <span class="hps">مجرد صورة</span> <span class="hps">وحيدة.</span> <span class="hps">تقريب</span> <span class="hps">الشركة</span> <span class="hps">من</span> <span class="hps">التحديثات</span> <span class="hps atn">مع "</span><span>جول</span> <span class="hps">العميقة</span> <span class="hps">التي تربط</span><span>"</span> <span class="hps">وهو ما يعني أن</span> <span class="hps">الرياضة</span> <span class="hps">يمكن</span> <span class="hps">تويت</span> <span class="hps">على رابط لتحميل</span> <span class="hps">التطبيق</span> <span class="hps">الذي</span> <span class="hps">تم استخدامه ل</span><span>نشرها.</span> <span class="hps">و</span><span>فليكر،</span> <span class="hps">شخصيات قصص الابطال الخارقين</span><span>،</span> <span class="hps">مسار،</span> <span class="hps">فاين</span> <span class="hps">وغيرهم</span> <span class="hps">الاستفادة من</span> <span class="hps">الميزات الجديدة</span> <span class="hps">عندما</span> <span class="hps">الاطلاق،</span> <span class="hps">التي ينبغي أن تكون</span> <span class="hps">غدا</span> <span class="hps">وفقا ل</span><span>كلمة من</span> <span class="hps">المبرمج</span> <span class="hps">لقاء</span><span class="">.</span></span></b></div>

كشف بطاقات تويتر للمنتجات، وتطبيقات ومعارض الصور

  تويتر اختتم أعماله مؤخرا في حفلة راقصة مطور فرانسيسكو في سان HQ و هرول الى ثلاثة معاينة محتوى جديد البطاقات. عندما الروابط ...

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Twitterrific 5.2 brings push notifications, one handful of testers at a time

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="copy post-body" dir="ltr" itemprop="text" style="text-align: left;"> <div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Twitterrific 52 brings push notifications, one handful of testers at a time" data-src-height="340" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/twitterrific-5-iphone-5.jpg" /></div>More than a few iOS-based Twitter users were happy to see Twitterrific 5 appear late last year with a fresh design, but were less than thrilled to go without the push notifications that many take for granted in other apps. Equality has come through Twitterrific 5.2 -- for some, at least. The upgrade at last pops up interactions as they happen, with a symbol to indicate whether it's a conversation, favorite or retweet. Push delivery isn't guaranteed at this point, however. Iconfactory is currently rolling out the beta-level feature to users in batches of 1,000 to avoid oversaturating its servers; you may have to wait awhile. The impatient still get some upgrades to sate their appetite, though, including user banners on profiles, discussion sharing through email and Droplr content thumbnails. If you're willing to pay $6 ($3 on sale) for more than what Twitter gives away for free, the new version may be a good excuse to try something new.<br /> </div></div>

Twitterrific 5.2 brings push notifications, one handful of testers at a time

More than a few iOS-based Twitter users were happy to see Twitterrific 5 appear late last year with a fresh design, but were less than th...

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Myriad Social TV brings social networking to your cable box (hands-on video)

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Myriad Social TV brings social networking to your cable box hands on video" data-src-height="411" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/myriadsocialtvlead01-1363859057.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The marriage of social networking and television is nothing new, but Myriad recently launched Social TV, a white label solution which allows TV service providers to roll out their own custom social networking platform on your cable box. It complements services like Twitter, Facebook and Google+ by offering a more contextual way for viewers to interact with their friends while watching TV. Social TV provides an integrated HTML5 experience that's consistent across both television and companion devices (phones and tablets). Viewers can chose between receiving alerts on their TVs, mobile devices or both and can create show- or series-specific virtual communities that automatically expire when the program ends. The system is even mindful of time zones and time-shifts messages to prevent spoilers. More after the break.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> <img alt="Gallery Image" height="425" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/myriadsocialtv03-1363859139.jpg" width="640" /><img alt="Gallery Image" height="425" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/myriadsocialtv01-1363859136.jpg" width="640" /><img alt="Gallery Image" height="425" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/myriadsocialtv04-1363859140.jpg" width="640" /><img alt="Gallery Image" height="425" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/myriadsocialtv05-1363859141.jpg" width="640" /><img alt="Gallery Image" height="425" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/myriadsocialtv02-1363859138.jpg" width="640" /><img alt="Gallery Image" height="360" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/myriadsocialtv06.jpg" width="640" /><img alt="Gallery Image" height="400" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/myriadsocialtv07.jpg" width="640" /> </div></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="349" id="viddler-c1d8dfb8" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="//www.viddler.com/embed/c1d8dfb8/?f=1&offset=0&autoplay=0&secret=73077369&disablebranding=0&view_secret=73077369" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="545"></iframe>We talked with Myriad's Dave Weidner who fielded our questions and gave us a demo of the tech in action. TV service providers can brand and tweak the solution and companion apps to their liking and create content with social networking in mind. In return, Social TV can gather detailed user metrics that enable targeted advertising for additional revenue. The system combines two of Myriad's existing products, Alien Vue (an environment which runs Android apps on non-Android set-top boxes and TVs) and the company's social networking back end (already used by multiple mobile operators worldwide). We saw Social TV running on a Broadcom BCM97425C reference set-top box and Nexus 7 tablet, but it's designed to work with most cable boxes including older models already deployed in the field. Trials are expected to begin by the end of the year, but final pricing and availability will be up to the individual TV service providers. Don't forget to watch our hands-on video. </div></div>

Myriad Social TV brings social networking to your cable box (hands-on video)

The marriage of social networking and television is nothing new, but Myriad recently launched Social TV, a white label solution which allow...

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Tumblr 3.3 hits iOS with new camera, easier link swapping

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <img alt="Tumblr 33 hits App Store with new camera, photosets" data-src-height="340" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/tumblr-ios-3-12-13-02.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">After a complete refresh of its iOS app and full-on iPad support, Tumblr's keeping the updates coming for the Apple set with version 3.3. The main tweak is with the camera, which the microblogging company's taken from a fairly barebones affair to one in which you can adjust the flash, add a rule-of-thirds grid and access galleries by swiping up from below. Other features include the ability to create photosets straight from the app, double-tap posts to like and easily change your avatar or add URLs. The latter will seek out the title of an article when you type in the web address -- always a bonus on a site where pop culture references flow like water.</div></div>

Tumblr 3.3 hits iOS with new camera, easier link swapping

  After a complete refresh of its iOS app and full-on iPad support, Tumblr's keeping the updates coming for the Apple set with version ...

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Facebook freshens up News Feed, brings bigger images, feed filtering and a uniform cross-platform UX

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <img alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/fbnewsfeed02.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">We knew Facebook had something new planned for its News Feed, and today at an event at Facebook HQ in Menlo Park, the company confirmed those rumors. As suspected, the new feed filters<span> content by type to display whatever specific feed you choose (be it photos, music, games, etc.), plus it presents even larger images and bigger advertisements. The new layout also serves to better highlight </span><span>Pages users have liked in a more central and easier to access area, and provides info pulled in by services linked to folks' Facebook IDs.</span><span>The desktop FB site's not the only beneficiary of the new layout, as the Social Network is also bringing these features to its mobile apps as well to provide a consistent experience across platforms. And, the best part is it starts rolling out today to a select few, with a wider rollout to follow once all the kinks have been worked out.</span><span></span></div><div class="post-gallery" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><h3 class="title"><strong>Facebook News Feed event</strong></h3></div><div class="post-gallery" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/fbnewsfeed02-1362680512_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/fbnewsfeed03_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/fbnewsfeed04_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/fbnewsfeed05_95x95.jpg" /><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/fbnewsfeed06_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/fbnewsfeed07_95x95.jpg" /> <ul class="thumbs">See all photos</ul></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <span>Why the change? Well, Mark Zuckerberg said that the goal for News Feed is to "</span><span>give everyone in the world the best personalized newspaper we can," and making it more visually engaging will help Facebook reach that goal. You see, almost 50 percent of the content in News Feed is now photos, and almost 30 percent of content comes from Pages. Want to know more? There's more info about the changes after the break.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> The redesigned News Feed was built with mobile in mind to ensure that the experience would be the same on PCs, tablets and phones. This forced the design team to simplify the look for it to be as flexible as needed. It now has a uniform menu tray that pops out from the left side that looks the same across all screen sizes, which allows users to navigate to any part of Facebook without needing to go back to the home page -- meaning it's easier than ever to get sucked down a rabbit hole of baby pictures, witty comments, likes and pokes. So, the real question is, with Facebook being an even more efficient time waster, what's the toll going to be on worldwide productivity?</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <em>Nicole Lee contributed to this report.</em></div></div>

Facebook freshens up News Feed, brings bigger images, feed filtering and a uniform cross-platform UX

  We knew Facebook had something new planned for its News Feed, and today at an event at Facebook HQ in Menlo Park, the company confirmed th...

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Posterous closing on April 30th to focus on Twitter

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><hr dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" /><div class="copy post-body" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"><div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Posterous closing on April 30th to focus on Twitter " data-src-height="340" data-src-width="620" height="218" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/posterous-rip.jpg" width="400" /></div></div>It's almost inevitable as breathing: a tech powerhouse acquires a clever yet small startup solely for its talent or technology, and lets any leftover services wither away. Posterous' decision to shut down following its 2012 acquisition by Twitter is very nearly a textbook example. The 4-year-old firm will close its Posterous Spaces service on April 30th to shift all of its attention to Twitter, giving customers just over two months to back up their content. There is an unusual twist to this seemingly predictable story, however. Those still using Spaces will have a place to go -- along with Squarespace and Wordpress import tools, Posterous founders Brett Gibson and Garry Tan are planning to launch Posthaven as a (not entirely intentional) refuge. Diehards will still have reason to mourn the end of an era, but the closure at least won't be the end to their creations.</div></div>

Posterous closing on April 30th to focus on Twitter

It's almost inevitable as breathing: a tech powerhouse acquires a clever yet small startup solely for its talent or technology, and let...

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Facebook launches Ask Our Chief Privacy Officer, says knowing is half the battle

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><hr style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto;" /> <div class="copy post-body" style="text-align: left;"> <div class="image-container" style="text-align: left;"> <img alt="Facebook launches Ask Our Chief Privacy Officer, hopes to clear the air" data-src-height="340" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/facebook-like-sign-340.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> There's no denying that Facebook's voting system for privacy policies is flawed -- when halting any measure requires enough votes to populate a large country, the attempt at democracy is more of a token gesture. As proposed, the company has launched an Ask Our Chief Privacy Officer page that's a tad more engaging. Fill out a short form and CPO Erin Egan just might offer a direct answer as to why Facebook chose a given privacy path, and possibly tackle any outstanding concerns head-on. Those curious users whose questions are picked will have to wait for a monthly public response to get their answers, so don't consider the page a personal hotline. It might, however, help make better sense of a company whose attitude towards our information is in constant flux.</div></div></div>

Facebook launches Ask Our Chief Privacy Officer, says knowing is half the battle

There's no denying that Facebook's voting system for privacy policies is flawed -- when halti...

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Editorial: Facebook vs. Vine is another chapter in the book of 'We Own You'

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><hr /> <div class="image-container" style="text-align: left;"> <img alt="Editorial Facebook vs Vine is another chapter in the book of 'We Own You'" data-src-height="386" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/brad-hill-pic-1359380274.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Oh man, Vine is fun. It is already apparent that with creativity and planning you can produce something approaching an epic experience in a 6-second video. <span>Vine is a perfect enhancement of Twitter's casual "what's happening now" social base. With stop-and-go videos that resemble animated GIFs, Vine puts greater movement and reality into life-casting. I showed it to my wife, who is not remotely a Twitter user, and she immediately began storyboarding microvideo adventures for our Serta sheep. So my message to all seven people who follow me on Vine: You've got a lot to look forward to.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Speaking of followers, let's consider the tectonic unfriending that transpired in the ongoing skirmish between Facebook and Twitter, the serfdom of social media users and the historical risks of walled gardens.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> A bit of background. Vine is a Twitter-owned mobile startup represented by an iOS-only app for iPhone / iPod touch (it works on iPads too) that turns the device's video function into a rudimentary real-time editing machine. The sweet-and-simple interface keeps the video rolling for as long as your finger is touching the screen, for six seconds. You can lift and replace your finger (stop and start) as fast and often as you like, creating jumpy, time-crunched stories like an entire commute to work or cooking an elaborate dinner dish.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> Don't get haughty about this before trying it -- unless you're an Android user, in which case haught away. There's been a fair amount of "So what?" user commentary posted since Vine launched last Wednesday, along with generally positive critical reviews for the app. Surfing Vine as a stand-alone service is rewarding, but as you might expect, quality and substance are spread unevenly, as in Twitter. The cute brigade is bulking up with cat and dog clips, foodies assume we have an appetite for 6-second visual timelines of dinner devouring, and stop-motion specialists are reborn in the new format.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> After joining this thing I started seeing Twitter photos differently, as underpowered Vine potentials. I am not a disciple of the internet's tidal migration to video, and I worry about already debilitated attention spans in the online citizenry. But Vine is too much fun on its own to quibble, and it's a perfect Twitter accessory.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> The people I stalk on Twitter don't seem to be rushing in: of the 385 individuals I follow, only 12 had signed up (via their Twitter accounts) by Sunday night. If I could expand my fledgling Vine community with Facebook friends ... oh, never mind. In a well-publicized<span> maneuver, Facebook cut Vine's access to Facebook's friend-finder API which external platforms use to connect their members to Facebook friends.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Facebook cut a path through <span>confused and generally negative media coverage by revising its </span>Facebook Platform Policies<span> for developers. The chief explanatory addendum related to the Vine cut-off says this: "</span><span>Replicating core functionality: You may not use Facebook Platform to promote, or to export user data to, a product or service that replicates a core Facebook product or service without our permission."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"> You might not think that Vine's quick-vid, point-and-shoot app replicates a core function of Facebook, since uploading a video directly to FB can be a soul-tormenting experience that ends in failure and dismay. Facebook is in the media-sharing business for sure, and in that broader context the new clause apparently applies. A parallel context is an assumed reciprocal animosity between Facebook and Twitter -- when Facebook acquired Instagram, which was and is rabidly used in tweets, Twitter cut the same friend-finding cord to Facebook.</div><div class="image-container" style="text-align: left;"> <img alt="Editorial Facebook vs Vine is another chapter in the book of 'We Own You'" data-src-height="350" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/vine-on-phone.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> The truest context is the largest, and shines light on the role of social media users in ecosystem battles. Facebook and Twitter are both naturally motivated to keep visitors magnetized to their respective platforms. Facebook doesn't mind its users stepping into the larger internet for unrelated activities. But the company fears losing its grip on addicted users who might be lured onto a platform that has out-innovated Facebook in a certain space. It's not really that Vine is "replicating core functionality" now, but it is anticipating what Facebook might want to launch and monetize in the future.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> These argumentative feints seem painfully trivial since anyone can join Vine at any time. For Facebook, maintaining scale in a relentlessly competitive environment involves plugging possible usage leaks. For users, the complaint is about an artificially fragmented social graph.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> Many people who are socially active online enjoy the variety and contrasting features of different platforms, and are happy with multiple residences and communities with more or less overlap. My three main hangouts -- Facebook, Twitter and SoundCloud -- are distinct from each other. Twitter is the most virtual; I haven't met most of the people I follow. Facebook is better for extending offline relationships onto the screen. My SoundCloud connections are kindred around music creation.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> Even with this degree of separation, users are right to expect porous boundaries when liquidity is wanted. Sharing content across walls is part of it; I can extend tweets to Facebook, and share SoundCloud tracks everywhere. The more important user need is accessing friendship connections in different networks. The desire might not arise often, but when it is blocked, the ensuing friction feels artificial and hostile.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> The issue arose in both the Instagram acquisition (by Facebook) and the Vine launch (by Twitter), for a reason that will become more common with new waves of mobile apps. <span>It is about the creative quality of those apps. When we create something above and beyond the bedrock social function of connecting to friends, we naturally want to gather together a large community for sharing. It is when sharing a creation, even a photo or 6-second video, that we want to flip our conception of our social graph from several independent networks to one integrated network. It's like a 3D painting that suddenly becomes deep when you look at it in a certain way.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><blockquote class="quote right"> If there is one giant lesson of the last 20 years in the online community industry, it is that walling the garden never succeeds in the long run.</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;"> When Facebook or Twitter cuts the cord which integrates our friendship circles (the friend-finding part of their API), it becomes frustratingly clear that we are owned. We don't freely own our social connections across the internet. Social users are owned assets, like dollars in the bank, guarded by platform policies and hedged by developmental roadmaps that seek to cut off competing apps at the knees. I'm not the first to speculate that Facebook might develop a Vine-like function pronto. If so, Facebook users might be delighted with it, and settle ever more comfortably into the walled garden. That's fine.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> But if there is one giant lesson of the last 20 years in the online community industry, it is that walling the garden never succeeds in the long run. AOL was the case study during the web's emergent period. Hugely successful during a span of years when mainstream confusion about the internet was neatly solved by carving out a comforting oasis, the company was eventually brought to a point of reinvention by better knowledge and better access. When you're a galaxy you can't hide the universe forever.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> Facebook has attained much greater scale than AOL ever did. This business with Twitter / Vine is just a snarky play in a continuing poker game. But as an ongoing strategy, disabling users from calling back to their friends from another social destination depersonalizes Facebook and contradicts the social ethos that it was founded on. No secrets, Mark? Then the users of whom you demand that standard should be allowed to tell their friends about Vine, and the next one, and the next. Beat your competitors if you can. But don't obscure them from your users.</div></div>

Editorial: Facebook vs. Vine is another chapter in the book of 'We Own You'

Oh man, Vine is fun. It is already apparent that with creativity and planning you can produce somet...

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