Facebook Hacked

Facebook says its computer system has been targeted in a series of attacks by an unidentified hacker group, however, the social media behemoth has stressed they don’t believe there is any evidence that user data has been compromised.

The company says the malware came from the infected website from a mobile developer.

“Last month, Facebook security discovered that our systems had been targeted in a sophisticated attack,” the company said in a blog post.

“The attack occurred when a handful of employees visited a mobile developer website that was compromised. We remediated all infected machines, informed law enforcement, and began a significant investigation that continues to this day.”

The social network, which says it has more than 1 billion active users worldwide, said it was not the sole target. Facebook’s announcement follows recent cyber attacks on other prominent websites :: Read the full article »»»»

REBLOG! Australians Addicted to Smartphones, the Rest of the World is Addicted to Social Media

Blogger and ABC contributor Peter Ryan has a superneat post on a new report confirming what most of us  already knew: Australians are addicted to their smartphones. The survey of smartphone users by tech behemoth Cisco reveals that the daily ritual for Gen Y Aussies kicks off with a quick txt.

Many of the survey participants admitted that they checked for messages, emails and updates at least twice an hour, many becoming anxious when their phone goes astray.

Kevin Bloch isn’t alone, our favourite news agency – Reuters – has an ubercool post on our latest addiction, Social Media.

Social media is now apparently a recognised addiction, a study undertaken last year by the University of Chicago found that Liking and Tweeting can be even more addictive than cigarettes or alcohol. The research showed that social networking sites gave users a burst of the addictive neurotransmitter dopamine :: Read the full article »»»»

Facebook Hits A Billion Users

Facebook reckons it now has more than one billion users, serious bragging rights by anyone’s standard.

However, some analysts still have serious worries about how the social network site can make money from members.

Co-founder and Head Honcho Mark Zuckerberg made the announcement yesterday, saying the number is “humbling”.

“This morning, there are more than one billion people using Facebook actively each month,” Zuckerberg said in a statement. ”Helping a billion people connect is amazing, humbling and by far the thing I am most proud of in my life.”

The social network site reached one billion monthly active users on September 14, according to Zuckerberg. The wizbang number is slightly lower but equally as impressive,  according to Zuckerberg Facebook has 600 million mobile users :: Read the full article »»»»

GO!

Facebook saw roller-coaster action in its first trading day as the social network with some 900 million members made one of the most eagerly-awaited market debuts in history

In the largest-ever initial public offering (IPO) for a technology company, Facebook shares made a gain of 0.97 per cent to end at $US38.37, with a record volume of more than 550 million shares.

Investors were expected to be hungry to get a piece of Facebook, which has become a global phenomenon since its beginnings in 2004 as a project of then-Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg and his dorm buddies.

Zuckerberg, wearing his trademark hoody, rang the bell – remotely – to open the Nasdaq, marking the historic share offering that confirms the growing importance of the social network giant.

“Going public is an important milestone in our history,” Mr Zuckerberg told the crowd at the company’s campus in Menlo Park :: Read the full article »»»»

Ready, Steady

As Facebook gears up for it’s big day, the social media giant has increased the size of its initial public share sale by 25 per cent. The company said it would add about 84 million shares to its public share sale when it begins tomorrow.

The additional shares will come from early investors such as Peter Thiel one of the founders of internet payment company PayPal and online gaming behemoth Zynga’s Mark Pincus.

Facebook’s listing on the Nasdaq market on Friday is expected to be the third-biggest initial public share sale in United States history, after credit card company Visa and car maker General Motors.

In unfortunate timing, GM has cancelled its advertising on Facebook, claiming the ads had little impact on consumers :: Read the full article »»»»