Posts

Your photos? Not so according to many popular photo-sharing apps

As is so often the case with many companies now, lawsuits and consumer outrage result in a reversal of course (Facebook,Google,Apple, etc.), or clarification of position (Facebook,Google,Apple, etc.) to quell the stemming tide of the masses. Today it was popular Twitter photo-sharing service Twitpic. On itsblogTwitpic clarifiedtheir terms of service(ToS), stating, “To clarify our ToS regarding ownership, you the user retain all copyrights to your photos and videos, it’s your content....

Your product has a story, Simple Story Videos helps you tell it

We get loads of pitches here at TNW. One of the determining factors between a good one and a bad one is how much information is included. Sometimes a great video can tell all the story that you need to get an overview of a product, andSimple Story Videosis out to make them easy and affordable. Started by a marketer and a Web designer based in Ottawa, Simple Story Videos is a sub-brand of a design shop known asNetgen....

Your social media ‘engagement’ is making you vulnerable to manipulation

Facebook has beenquietly experimentingwith reducing the amount of political content it puts in users’ news feeds. The move is a tacit acknowledgment that the way the company’s algorithms workcan be a problem. The heart of the matter is the distinction between provoking a response and providing content people want. Social media algorithms – the rules their computers follow in deciding the content that you see – rely heavily on people’s behavior to make these decisions....

Your Spotify Wrapped 2021 is embarrassing and there’s nothing you can do about it

The looming arrival of Spotify Wrapped always arouses excitement — and terror. If, like me, you have exquisite taste, the end-of-year breakdown of your listening habits is an eagerly-awaited reminder of your discerning judgment. If, however, you have a tin ear for music, it’s time to feverishly hit repeat on some pretentious tracks that you don’t actually like. Those who neglect this duty shall be granted a Wrapped that leaves them ostracized by their friends and family (sorry, grandma)....

Your startup isn’t ready for Europe’s privacy shake-up — but here’s how it can be

For decades, people have proclaimed the now-common refrain that “privacy is dead.” I often think back to Scott McNealy, then CEO at Sun Microsystems, claiming in 1999 that “you have zero privacy anyway… get over it.” I wouldn’t go as far as saying that leaders at startups hold such a strong disregard for privacy, but I do find many taking the stance that the world’s strictest data privacy laws don’t apply to them....