Last week everyone was discussing and trying out the newly-redesigned Digg site which went live on 25 August. With changes like a new focus on social interaction and incorporating friends from Facebook, Twitter, and Google and an upgraded link submission, Kevin Rose, Digg?s co-founder and the rest of the Digg crew waited in anticipation to see our reaction. Unfortunately for some, it was like throwing gasoline on a fire.</p> <p>Until now, one of the primary problems with the Digg site were Digg?s ?power users?; people who worked alone and in groups to game the news pages in order to promote or bury stories based upon their own personal agenda, which was often a political one. However, this new design is supposed to put an end to that; or so Digg hopes. Of course one should never underestimate the wrath of a power user; especially when you?ve taken away their bury button. On Monday, they spoke out by flooding the Top News page with links leading to Reddit, a rival social media site.</p> <p>In his Twitter feed, Kevin Rose has acknowledged technical problems and the issues with the new design. He promises they will be recovering some of verson 3?s more popular tools, including the section highlighting uncoming stories. Users will also be able to recover deleted favourites through the ?Saved Story? section and the new ?popularity contest? element will be eliminated.</p> <p>As of this writing, changes are still being made.

Yesterday, Digg version 4 went live. Announced throughout the day via social media venues like Twitter, people logged in to discover that the site had been completely redesigned.</p> <p>When asked about the changes earlier this year, Kevin Rose, Digg?s co-founder told the Telegraph, ?We're making some drastic changes, but they're much-needed drastic changes. People are going to be shocked at some of the directions we're taking. You have to be comfortable with completely tearing down and throwing away a bunch of ideas." Then yesterday in the company?s blog, Rose summed up the key changes:</p> <p>?Speed - the new Digg is faster in every way: submitting articles, loading pages, and Digging content.</p> <p>?Personalization - we put a lot of thought into how people consume news and wanted to make it easy to view content from the friends, publishers, and influencers you care about. Once you start following your friends, and sources you trust, we'll build a custom news homepage for you called "My News?. Customizing Digg will enable you to see your friend's recent Digg or Comment, as well as the latest article submitted by a publisher.?</p> <p>?Friends and sharing - the new Digg is all about making it easy to see the stories your friends are Digging and commenting on, and to share interesting stories with them. You'll notice activity from the profiles you're following highlighted in stories, on comment pages, and even on their profile page as you navigate the site. Attach your blog or RSS feed to your profile and send your followers content as you create it.?

Wales is celebrating their bloggers. In the first-ever Wales Blog Awards, Media Wales, in conjunction with Warwick Emanuel PR, will be celebrating and recognising Welsh bloggers ? with awards categories including best Welsh language blog, best fashion blog, and best writer.</p> <p>According to an article in WalesOnline, the reason for the acknowledgement is simple; Wales recognises how much blogs contribute to Welsh life, politics, and business. According to Wynford Emanuel, one of the competition judges and director of Warwick Emanuel PR, ?I have seen an absolute explosion of blogs in the UK and in Wales, which I think is an extremely positive development.</p> <p>?Never before has there been such opportunity for people to make their views known to a relatively large audience. The medium is great for individuals, it is good for democratic expression and it gives a voice to people who previously may not have been heard.?</p> <p>Ed Walker, another judge and editor of WalesOnline Communities adds, ??The Blog Awards are a way to showcase all the great blogging that?s going on throughout Wales. There are plenty of people putting out great blogs about a whole range of subjects and we wanted to highlight those people who give a lot of time to their passions and hobbies. We hope to see people entering from all over Wales and nominating their favourite reads on the web.?</p> <p>Nominations for the Wales Blog Awards will run through 1 September 2010. Winners will be revealed during an Awards Night Ceremony held on 14 October. To find out more or enter, please visit: Wales Blog Awards.

Earlier this month, it was announced that the US Library of Congress determined jailbreaking an iPhone (unlocking it in order to run non-Apple approved code) was a fair use activity and therefore legal. Of course, Apple was not happy with the decision; and now they are doing something about it.</p> <p>Almost every mobile OS includes the ability to remotely remove apps from the smartphones on which they are installed; however if patented, Apple?s ?kill switch? will take that ability a step further by allowing Apple to lock down iPhones through crippling or completely shutting them down when unauthorised use is determined. Although the ?Systems and Methods for Identifying Unauthorized Users of an Electronic Device? appears primarily a security option focussed on theft and hacking, the terminology used in the document specifically states ?jailbreaking? and ?unlocking? are indicators of unauthorised use.</p> <p>Then there is this: Apple?s ability to spy on users through remote control of the iPhone?s cameras. To quote the patent, Apple will be able to protect users from unauthorised use is by ?surreptitiously activating the iPhone camera, geotagging the image and uploading it to the server and transmitting sensitive data to the server and then wiping it from the device.? Which leads to the question: Do iPhone users really want Apple in control of their cameras?</p> <p>Apple is well-known for its obsessive focus on keeping everything about its products proprietary; however, with this one cannot help but wonder if they?ve gone a step too far ? even for the most devout of Apple fans.

In Philadelphia Pennsylvania, the city government has asked its bloggers who run adverts on their blogs (thus turning it from hobby to business) to pay for a ?business privilege license? consisting of a one-time fee of $300 or $50 a year.</p> <p>Alerting Philadelphians to the news in a recently-published article, Philadelphia City Paper writer Valerie Rubinsky wrote: ?After dutifully reporting even the smallest profits on their tax filings this year, a number ? though no one knows exactly what that number is ? of Philadelphia bloggers were dispatched letters informing them that they owe $300 for a privilege license, plus taxes on any profits they made.?</p> <p>The story has quickly taken off; with headlines appearing all over the USA, including yesterday?s New York Daily News? article entitled ?Cash-strapped Philly: Bloggers must pay for business license?, which, according to Washington Post?s Rob Pegoraro, put a somewhat inaccurate spin on the story.</p> <p>But, as Pegoraro, with tounge firmly planted in cheek observes;</p> <p>?Kidding aside, there are real policy issues here. The city government put itself into this box with a law requiring anybody running a business of any sort to pay for this license, so bloggers running ads next to their copy shouldn't be exempt if the requirement also applies to people selling old junk on eBay, collecting an ad-revenue share from funny cat videos posted on YouTube or hawking custom t-shirts at CafePress??</p> <p>And he?s right; most blogs provide minimal income at best. In light of that, isn?t Philadelphia?s reaction over-the-top?

In a recent article written by Scott Rosenberg on the Open Salon website, Rosenberg discusses the use of content farms </p>

Soon, Facebook users in the USA will able to track their friends? whereabouts using the site?s new ?Places? tool. The feature, which is being presented to select users beginning next week, is said to allow users to share where they are, locate friends in the area, as well as check out local services and events.</p> <p>While the inclusion of this new technology represents a new source of revenue and additional growth for Facebook, it brings with it unique challenges concerning privacy. Of the issue and application, Michael Sharon, Places product manager said:</p> <p>?This is not about broadcasting your location to the world; it?s about sharing where you are with your friends.?</p> <p>The Places feature will be accessible through an app developed for iPhone. Users can ?check in? from their phones and their location is then posted in their status. In the same light, users can look up friends? locations when they are checked in as well ? either through updates or through a separate Places webpage. If two or more friends happen to be with someone, they can tag them as being together.</p> <p>On the business side of things, Places will facilitate Facebook gaining a larger portion of local advertising markets by targeting users with location-based advertisements ? offering discounts and vouchers to encourage users to visit and trade at those shops and services.</p> <p>The first wave of ?Places? is scheduled to be rolled out in the USA on Wednesday, with the feature going nationwide in the weeks to follow.

Last week, Gabi Gregg, a plus-size fashion blogger with a degree in international relations and African-American studies, set a new precedent by becoming MTV?s first official ?Twitter Jockey?. In her new role, Ms Gregg will serve as a sort of ?virtual liaison? between MTV and its fans ? providing her followers with a peek inside the world of the MTV offices.</p> <p>Gregg?s journey from unemployed graduate to digital pioneer has been an interesting one. After graduating from Mount Holyoke College, she embarked upon several months of unsuccessful job hunting. Then, in October 2008, she started a blog entitled, ?Young, Fat, and Fabulous?. ?There was nothing out there for people like me ? young and trendy and also plus-size? she said.</p> <p>It wasn?t long before Gregg?s blog, which had gained a strong following, caught the attention of both media and the wider public. Gregg appeared on ?Good Morning America?, fashion designers began sending her sample shoes, and her plus-sized fans began seeking her out for fashion advice. Suddenly, Gregg was a much-respected figure. She also discovered Twitter.</p> <p>But despite the somewhat Cinderella-effect of her blog didn?t prepare her for how quickly attention and respect could turn into a new job opportunity. But then, MTV approached Ms Gregg and invited her to audition for the Twitter Jockey position ? with a salary of $100,000 USD per year. Originally one of 19 considered, Ms Gregg made the cut to the final five and then, after two weeks of challenges, won the spot.</p> <p>Follow Ms Gregg on Twitter: @MTVTJ

Recently, Starbucks made the decision to offer free Wi-Fi to patrons of its coffee houses ? going live last month with Internet at all 6,800 of its US locations. To make the most of this decision, the Seattle USA-based company is now joining forces with Yahoo! to create websites customised to each location.</p> <p>Known as the Starbucks Digital Network, content providers for customised webpages will include Yahoo!, the New York Times, USA Today, Zagat, as well as Rodale, Nickelodeon?s Nick Jr Boost, and the online charity DonorsChoose.org.</p> <p>People accessing Wi-Fi at the coffee shops will encounter the localised webpage upon access to the Internet. From there, they can choose to remain on the home page or surf beyond it.</p> <p>For those choosing to remain on the Starbuck home page, they will have access to perks like free iTune downloads and content on paid subscription sites like the Wall Street Journal. There is also an optional log in for ?My Starbucks Rewards? and, of course, a Yahoo! search box along with six channels of topics including news, wellness, business and career, entertainment, ?my neighbourhood? and ?Starbucks?.</p> <p>Content offered will be tailored to the specific area. For instance, users can read about local happenings on the ?my neighbourhood? channel or go to the ?wellness? channel to find the nearest running track or bike trail.</p> <p>Starbuck?s decision to provide free Wi-Fi and localised content is a response to many of the store?s rivals charging for or eliminating Wi-Fi altogether in order to dissuade customers from setting up ?home offices? in their shops.

We don?t hear much from the people of North Korea. Until now, the reclusive country has had virtually no presence in the social media world. However recently, that has begun to change.</p> <p>First there was the YouTube channel opened last month by Uriminzokkiri, a North Korean media outlet that provides news and information to the outside English speaking world. And then last week, the Twitter account, @uriminzok appeared, with the first tweet declaring (in Korean) that ?Our People? (the English translation for uriminzok) now had a Twitter account.</p> <p>While definitely a first for the country, Uriminzokkiri?s presence in social media cannot be construed as North Korea showing any interest in establishing an interactive international presence, but rather that it has discovered social networking as a viable means for distributing propaganda.</p> <p>As of this writing, the YouTube account only has 78 videos ?all of them propaganda-oriented. As for the Twitter presence; so far most of the tweets have been links to historical documents and articles with anti-South Korean and anti-US sentiment.</p> <p>While it is difficult to tell, it is fairly certain that the Twitter account is being maintained by the North Korean government and many speculate that the account was opened specifically to serve as an offensive measure against accusations that North Korea was responsible for delivering the torpedo that destroyed a South Korean frigate on 26 March 2010, costing the lives of 46 sailors.</p> <p>Whatever its purpose, @uriminzok represents the first official presence of North Korea on the social networking site.