Social Software and Tagging

Best Coast Finds Its Right Place, the Second Time Around

Drifting Away from Twitter, Toward Reality

I've been known to strongly defend Twitter, which some people have found surprising because of my default digital skepticism. But of course, I was skeptical of it at first (if nothing else, because of the name, which is stupid), until I started using it. It really can be used for quite practical pur ... More >>

In Her Right Place

Forget about the cat — Best Coast's gorgeous second album is much more interesting.

Seeking a Path to Riches

Oh, good. More "sharing." The mobile social-app company Path (yes, the one that found itself in the middle a big privacy controversy not long ago) announced on Monday that it had landed another $30 million in venture financing from some top-tier firms, making its total valuation $250 million. Hey, t ... More >>

Giants Use Opening Day to Spread the Word About Sierra LaMar, Missing Teen

The San Francisco Giants reminded their Facebook fans that 15-year-old Sierra LaMar, the missing Morgan Hill teen, will not be among the millions of baseball fans tuning in to watch opening week. The Giants posted this message on the team Facebook page last night, hoping to keep story of the missi ... More >>

You're Not a Cyberstalker -- Here's How to Be

​I have read all this stuff about stalkers regarding Facebook. If someone makes you a Facebook friend they are offering you an invitation to view their activity on this social network. I'm not really a big Facebook person but I got an account so friends from the past can find me. I usually go to F ... More >>

Lost iPhone 5: Bernal Heights Man Says Visitors Impersonating Police Searched His Home (Exclusive)

​A Bernal Heights man says that six officials claiming to be San Francisco Police officers questioned him and searched his family's home in July for a lost iPhone 5 prototype they asserted had been traced to the residence using GPS technology.The man's statements to SF Weekly in an exclusive inter ... More >>

Illegal Facebook Accounts Give a Whole New Meaning to "Getting Poked" for State Prisoners (Video)

Earlier this week, SF Weekly told you about how the state was seeing a disturbing trend of more inmates accessing social-networking sites, including Facebook and MySpace -- and using these as outlets to harass and threaten victims. Facebook is responding to the state's demand to close down the inmat ... More >>

iPhone App to Push Earthquake-Themed Social Networking

Yow: Let's play earthquake preparedness!!!!​San Francisco's government is creating an iPhone app patterned after FarmVille and Foursquare where players can prepare themselves for an earthquake, rather than feed imaginary chickens or collect badges.Called SF Heroes, the app is scheduled to be relea ... More >>

Empires and Allies, New Zynga Game, Launches Today

Helllllooo, Scarlett​Zynga is launching its new online game today on Facebook, and it promises to have, well, a little more game. What that means is you can expect Empires and Allies to involve combat, which is straying from Zynga's typical nonviolent style which you will find in games like FarmVi ... More >>

E-mail Spammers Are Migrating to Social Media

Cramming your life​This morning, I had 12 e-mails in my spambox. That includes a few false positives, so really it's only nine. Older spams are deleted automatically -- every night. A few months ago, I was getting anywhere from a few dozen to a couple of hundred new spams a day -- the overwhelming ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

Cramming your life​This morning, I had 12 e-mails in my spambox. That includes a few false positives, so really it's only nine. Older spams are deleted automatically -- every night. A few months ago, I was getting anywhere from a few dozen to a couple of hundred new spams a day -- the overwhelming ... More >>

Facebook Depression Is Real

Next up: An emoticon for Facebook depression​Certainly, I'm not the only one who's gotten dumped repeatedly by someone on Facebook -- a former friend or lover? Maybe you, too, were never "accepted" by an esteemed colleague or classmate on Facebook. Or perhaps your friend request still sits in the ... More >>

High School Principal Upset Over Facebook Parody, Has Student Arrested at School

High school principals are always easy targets​Here's a bizarre story from the far-flung corners of Fresno County. A Clovis West High School principal got more than upset -- he got even -- after student repeatedly logged onto a Facebook page that parodied the school master. Some might say the prin ... More >>

Twitter: Aha! So There Aren't As Many Users After All

A defining moment for Twitter​Techies have long debated whether the number of people using Twitter is bloated thanks to spammers. But now we have some data, although not scientific, that show indeed just how few Twitter accounts are active. Twitter reportedly had an "aha moment" when it realized t ... More >>

The Billboard Social 50 Proves Internet Fame Can Only Get You So Far

Bieber: Fame via YouTube​In early December, Billboard launched a new chart called The Social 50. It factors in all the times an artist is mentioned across various social media outlets and ranks them accordingly. When I heard about this, I was expecting to see a mix of both big name artists and a ... More >>

The Millennial generation defends itself online

Bieber: Fame via YouTube​In early December, Billboard launched a new chart called The Social 50. It factors in all the times an artist is mentioned across various social media outlets and ranks them accordingly. When I heard about this, I was expecting to see a mix of both big name artists and a ... More >>

Zynga Scams Lawsuit to Move Forward

Treacherous ground?​A federal judge has found that Zynga is responsible for allegedly misleading business offers marketed to players of its popular Facebook games, setting the stage for a class-action lawsuit against the San Francisco-based company to move ahead.The plaintiff in the case, Rebecca ... More >>

Zynga Faces Class-Action Lawsuit over Alleged Privacy Breach

Life on the farm is never dull for long​No matter what they do, some companies seem chronically incapable of playing peacefully in the sandbox of American capitalism with others. San Francisco-based game developer Zynga -- the wildly successful firm behind such popular Facebook applications as&nbs ... More >>

Art Review: At "Teen Age" adults help teens expres their angst

Life on the farm is never dull for long​No matter what they do, some companies seem chronically incapable of playing peacefully in the sandbox of American capitalism with others. San Francisco-based game developer Zynga -- the wildly successful firm behind such popular Facebook applications as&nbs ... More >>

Zynga Mafia Wars Stickers Prompt City Attorney to Go to the Mattresses

Yes, money is power. But having the Unfair Competition Law at your disposal is power, too.​San Francisco's city attorney has decided that money is not enough to compensate for ad firm Davis Elen plastering 4,000 Zynga Mafia Wars stickers onto San Francisco sidewalks. And, unless ad executives agre ... More >>

Facebook Places: 'Your Ex-Wife Has Checked in to Your Girlfriend's Knife Drawer'

​Yesterday we were all treated to Facebook's big announcement of its new location service, called Places. To read the breathless coverage on the tech blogs, you'd think this was the announcement of V-E Day. As it turns out, the new service is fairly straightforward. It will nevertheless bring Face ... More >>

Facebook Vs. Foursquare: What You Need To Know About Today's 'Location' Announcement

​If you're the type who's always looking for another time-suck social-networking application to fall prey to, chances are you'll be tuned in to your Twitter account this afternoon for a much-anticipated announcement from Facebook at its Palo Alto headquarters. The technorati have been abuzz with r ... More >>

Republicans Following Porn on Twitter (NSFW)

By following @_PrettyAlison, the California GOP studied the body politic...​If you're going to get hit with a sex scandal, you should at least make sure to enjoy the sex. Yet the California Republican Party has been monitoring the online offerings of dozens of porn purveyors in a situation that ga ... More >>

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg Announces Privacy Reforms

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg​Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled a raft of privacy reforms today at the company's headquarters in Palo Alto in an effort to stanch outrage from the social-networking site's users over public availability of their profile information. Zuckerberg said th ... More >>

Will Big Winners in Facebook Privacy Flap Be Politicians?

And Facebook users are making it easy for him...​We've written a bit about how the furor over Facebook's opening of more user data to prying eyes could cost Attorney General candidate -- and former Facebook Chief Privacy Officer -- Chris Kelly. But for politicians who don't have high-profile Faceb ... More >>

More People Using 'Ninja' As Their Job Title On LinkedIn

​If you ever wondered what the spies at Facebook and LinkedIn have learned about their millions of users, here's your answer: An increasing number of people have job descriptions that include the word "ninja," open relationships don't work, and getting engaged turns women into unhappy bridezillas. ... More >>

Will Twitter 'Follow' Bug Raise Credibility Questions?

Sadly, Justin is wrong. He's still the shit.​It seems like the folks at Twitter are still struggling to deal with a glitch that had tech geeks buzzing this morning. After a brief period in which users' accounts were "reset" to display zero followers and followees -- the blog TechCrunch, for exampl ... More >>

Disclosing Your Love of Drugs and Porn on Facebook Now Worse Idea than Ever

Facebook now allows its users to embarrass themselves more effectively than ever! ​Remember -- it ain't a secret if it's between you, your friends, and millions of Internet voyeurs. So, your job at the Wienerschnitzel, hobby of cultivating vast quantities of marijuana, and deep appreciation for th ... More >>

Clone War

Facebook now allows its users to embarrass themselves more effectively than ever! ​Remember -- it ain't a secret if it's between you, your friends, and millions of Internet voyeurs. So, your job at the Wienerschnitzel, hobby of cultivating vast quantities of marijuana, and deep appreciation for th ... More >>

Can You Stay off the Cell Phone, Twitter, and Facebook for 24 Hours?

"Three thousand years of beautiful tradition, from Moses to Sandy Koufax -- you're goddamn right I'm living in the fucking past!" -- Walter Sobchak. Starting Friday evening, a campaign largely spread via Twitter, Facebook, and all things new media wants you to do something counter-intuitive. It wa ... More >>

Earthquake!!! Twitter Gets the Scoop

As any S.F. resident who has a Twitter account may know, a magnitude 4.1 earthquake occurred near Milpitas, CA at 10:09 AM today. Having worked next to a freeway overpass in Los Angeles, we are prone to second guessing ourselves when the earth starts shaking. This morning before we could finish ou ... More >>

Facebook Friends Cannot Elect Gavin Newsom -- Or Anyone Else

You can win friends and influence people on Facebook. But it won't get you elected governor of this state.​ Last week's shakeup in Gavin Newsom's campaign for governor was, in a sense, a triumph of old media over new media. Eric Jaye, Newsom's longtime campaign guru who loved Twitter and Faceb ... More >>

Weekend Web Wroundup - Part I

Welcome to our first installment of what may (possibly) be a regular feature here on All Shook Down - the Weekend Web Wroundup. GET IT? You see, the name mimics the "www" of the "world wide web" and therefore it...oh FINE. I couldn't think of anything better so Weekend Web Wroundup it is.The WWW (se ... More >>

E-Campaign to 'Save' Medjool's Rooftop Bar Kicks Off -- But Is it Grassroots or Astroturf?

At Medjool, in a manner of speaking, the roof is on fireInvitations to join a Facebook page titled "SAVE MEDJOOL" are flooding San Franciscans' e-mail inboxes. The missive pleads for locals' help in persuading the big, bad Planning Department from pulling the permits for the Mission establishment's ... More >>

Sunspot Jonz This Week's Featured Artist on MySpace

DIY 4 life: Sunspot Jonz Back in the day, the litmus test for independent hip-hop artists was being played on "The Wake Up Show." These days, it's being featured on MySpace. Oakland-born, original DIY rapper Sunspot Jonz --pioneer of the "Unsigned and Hella Broke" ideology and a founding member of ... More >>

Last Night: Twestival SF at the Paradise Lounge

Twestival SF Paradise Lounge Thursday, January 12 2009 Photos by Scott Siegel Better than: Going to a boring old party where you have to wear a nametag of your actual name. For an event dedicated to us compulsive microbloggers, Twestivalsf proved surprisingly swank - and surprisingly low tech. Hel ... More >>

Hear It in SF First: Mapei

While I was busy judging the Live 105 battle of the bands last night, music director Aaron Axelsen put a bug in my hear about a new favorite act of his, Mapei. She's a rapper from Stockholm of all places, and her grimy beats and tough chick delivery make the tracks on her MySpace page instantly stic ... More >>

Hot for 2009

(Image via River Glen Farm)Next year:•Eggs will make a triumphant return to the sunny side of frothy cocktailand•Secret menu items and specials will proliferate above a whisper•It'll be easier to make customizations/substitutions to a dining order •Boxed wine (including juicebox-sized tipple ... More >>

MP3 of the Day: Chumbawamba

(Image via River Glen Farm)Next year:•Eggs will make a triumphant return to the sunny side of frothy cocktailand•Secret menu items and specials will proliferate above a whisper•It'll be easier to make customizations/substitutions to a dining order •Boxed wine (including juicebox-sized tipple ... More >>

The Clickable Clit: "I'm getting spanked in Second Life, but I'd rather be sleeping."

(Image via River Glen Farm)Next year:•Eggs will make a triumphant return to the sunny side of frothy cocktailand•Secret menu items and specials will proliferate above a whisper•It'll be easier to make customizations/substitutions to a dining order •Boxed wine (including juicebox-sized tipple ... More >>

Web Extra: The Clickable Clit - A Cybersex Column

“I’m getting spanked in Second Life, but I’d rather be sleeping.”

LastNight: Flickr 4th Anniversary Party at 111 Minna

“I’m getting spanked in Second Life, but I’d rather be sleeping.”

Kraft Singles 2.0: Have A Happy Sandwich, Or Not

“I’m getting spanked in Second Life, but I’d rather be sleeping.”

Web 2.0 Training Teaches Nonprofits Benefits Of MySpace Stripper Friends, Ninja Vs. Pirate Competition

“I’m getting spanked in Second Life, but I’d rather be sleeping.”

Remote

A haunting tapestry that reveals how we connect while technology keeps us apart

I Was an Online Mother, Part 2

A haunting tapestry that reveals how we connect while technology keeps us apart

Letters to the Editor

Week of August 27, 2003