Social Web : All Tech Considered Sites like Facebook and Twitter have revolutionized the Web, altered how we interact with each other and even changed the way news is gathered and delivered. Read about the impact of social media and its continuing evolution.

All Tech Considered

Tech, Culture and Connection

Social Web

Monday December 23, 2013

Quantified Men: Tinder, Lulu And The Fallacy Of Hot Dating Apps

With the Tinder dating app, you swipe right if you want to meet someone, and swipe left if you don't. Courtesy of Tinder hide caption

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Courtesy of Tinder

Social Web

Quantified Men: Tinder, Lulu And The Fallacy Of Hot Dating Apps

December 23, 2013 • They have millions of users, and help facilitate millions of matches per day. But while these apps open up a world of romantic possibilities, they might also put up even more barriers to love.

Friday December 13, 2013

Twitter Critics Say It's Not Sensitive Enough To Cyberbullying

Twitter revoked its new blocking policy after backlash from users. Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images

Social Web

Twitter Critics Say It's Not Sensitive Enough To Cyberbullying

December 13, 2013 • Twitter on Thursday changed its blocking policy, then changed it back. Users were outraged that the initial switch allowed stalkers and abusers open access to their posts. Some say the incident shows that Twitter isn't listening to women and cyberbullying victims on the site.

Twitter Critics Say It's Not Sensitive Enough To Cyberbullying

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Thursday December 12, 2013

Take A Look At The Top Tweeted Moments Of The Year

Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images

Social Web

Take A Look At The Top Tweeted Moments Of The Year

December 12, 2013 • The nation used Twitter to mark the second inauguration of President Obama and to get information on the Boston Marathon bombing. But the year's most retweeted tweet was about the sudden death of a TV star.

Friday November 29, 2013

For Advocacy Groups, Video Games Are The Next Frontier

A screenshot of Half the Sky, where virtual successes sometimes lead to real-life donations. Games For Change hide caption

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Games For Change

Gaming

For Advocacy Groups, Video Games Are The Next Frontier

November 29, 2013 • As video games become more mainstream, some social action organizations are using them to raise awareness or raise funds. They advocate for a range of causes, from the struggles of women in the developing world to the effects of power in Congress.

For Advocacy Groups, Video Games Are The Next Frontier

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Monday November 25, 2013

Helping Low-Income Seniors Build A Social Web Online

Hazel Avery, 86, holds her iPad for the first time. The Connecting to Community program, with funding from the AARP Foundation, teaches low-income seniors how to increase social engagement online. The Washington, D.C., program chose seniors with no previous computer experience. Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post/Getty Images hide caption

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Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post/Getty Images

Behavior

Helping Low-Income Seniors Build A Social Web Online

November 25, 2013 • More older Americans are going online, but many seniors don't have the resources, devices or skills to navigate the Web. One pilot program is giving tablets and training to seniors to help them combat isolation while staying safe online.

Helping Low-Income Seniors Build A Social Web Online

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Monday November 11, 2013

Share And Share Alike: A Time Of Collaborative Consumption

Renting out your couches — or your entire place — is powered by San Francisco–based Airbnb, which has now connected more than half a million willing hosts and travelers in more than 34,000 cities. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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iStockphoto.com

Social Web

Share And Share Alike: A Time Of Collaborative Consumption

November 11, 2013 • From renting lightly used gowns to assembling Ikea furniture, things or tasks can now easily be rented or outsourced. Fast Company writer Danielle Sacks discusses the implications of the sharing economy and where it goes from here.

Share And Share Alike: A Time Of Collaborative Consumption

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This Week, Exploring The Sharing Economy

Citi Bike is the bike sharing program that launched this May in New York City. Bike sharing is part of the sharing economy. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

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Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Social Web

This Week, Exploring The Sharing Economy

November 11, 2013 • Why buy a bike, car or vacation home when you can share them? The shift from ownership to access is powering the sharing economy. What do you want to learn about the world of collaborative consumption?

Thursday November 7, 2013

Facebook Takes On Cyberbullies As More Teens Leave Site

On Wednesday, Facebook released a digital resource center to expand its efforts against online harassment. Facebook hide caption

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Facebook

Social Web

Facebook Takes On Cyberbullies As More Teens Leave Site

November 7, 2013 • The social networking site with 1.2 billion users released a cyberbullying prevention hub with suggestions on how to start conversations, both online and off, and take action on Facebook. It's the first step — but one digital advocacy group says it should have been taken earlier.

Social Web

On Twitter's IPO Day, A Look At How 5 Tech Stocks Have Fared

November 7, 2013 • As eyes turn to the markets on Twitter's first day of trading, NPR wondered how some other tech stocks have performed since their IPOs. Some have soared, some have stumbled.

Nick Bilton On Twitter's Creation Myth & 'Forgotten Founder'

A worker unveils a floor mat bearing the logo of Twitter on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Andrew Burton/Getty Images hide caption

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Andrew Burton/Getty Images

The Industry

Nick Bilton On Twitter's Creation Myth & 'Forgotten Founder'

November 7, 2013 • Thursday's stock darling was an idea that came out of one man's loneliness. Bilton shares details of the betrayals and ousters during Twitter's earliest days.

Nick Bilton On Twitter's Creation Myth & 'Forgotten Founder'

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Tuesday October 29, 2013

Raising Social Media Teens Means Constant Parental Learning

The Ask.fm website has been linked to two bullying cases that led to suicides. Danny E. Martindale/Getty Images hide caption

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Danny E. Martindale/Getty Images

Social Web

Raising Social Media Teens Means Constant Parental Learning

October 29, 2013 • For parents of teens in the fast-changing social media landscape, which includes sites such as Ask.fm, it can be tough to figure out the balance between giving your children freedom and protecting them from danger. That dilemma was illustrated by the suicide of a 12-year-old Florida girl who reportedly was cyberbullied.

Raising Social Media Teens Means Constant Parental Learning

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Monday October 21, 2013

Online Dating Is On The Rise (But There Are Still Haters)

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Monkey Business Images/iStockphoto.com

Social Web

Online Dating Is On The Rise (But There Are Still Haters)

October 21, 2013 • We're buying cars online, ordering groceries online and, more and more, finding love there too. Online dating, and social support for it, is at an all-time high. But whether you're beginning or ending relationships digitally, you might have some awkward encounters.

Saturday October 19, 2013

Credit Cards Under Pressure To Police Online Expression

Some advocacy groups say credit card companies should stop doing business with websites that promote controversial views or policy positions. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Behavior

Credit Cards Under Pressure To Police Online Expression

October 19, 2013 • The Web is full of sites promoting views that many find offensive — and often, those sites do business with credit card companies. Some advocacy groups are pressuring Visa and MasterCard to end those relationships, but others worry these campaigns will have a chilling effect on free speech online.

Credit Cards Under Pressure To Police Online Expression

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Tuesday October 15, 2013

A Company's Tweets Can Help Make It Creditworthy

Courtesy of Kabbage

The Industry

A Company's Tweets Can Help Make It Creditworthy

October 15, 2013 • Banks use credit scores and similar metrics to assess creditworthiness. A company called Kabbage that lends working capital to small businesses does some of that but also relies on unconventional measures, using real-time data from things like UPS shipments, eBay, Facebook and Twitter.

A Company's Tweets Can Help Make It Creditworthy

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Thursday October 3, 2013

What We Learned When Twitter Filed For Its IPO

Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images

Social Web

What We Learned When Twitter Filed For Its IPO

October 3, 2013 • Twitter has filed to go public, and it will sell shares under the name TWTR. The IPO will initially seek to raise up to $1 billion. A look at what else the social media giant's IPO filing reveals about the seven-year-old company.