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

Wednesday July 31, 2013

Tampon Marketing Gets Real For The Social Media Age

"We just thought we were telling this endearing story women could relate to," says HelloFlo founder Naama Bloom. Courtesy of HelloFlo hide caption

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Courtesy of HelloFlo

Social Web

Tampon Marketing Gets Real For The Social Media Age

July 31, 2013 • An online video spot for HelloFlo breaks the familiar mold of cheesy tampon commercials in a clever way. Ad watchers say it's a reflection of the open, transparent conversations spurred by social media.

Tampon Marketing Gets Real For The Social Media Age

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Tuesday July 30, 2013

Scott Simon On Sharing His Mother's Final Moments On Twitter

Simon's parents on their wedding day. Courtesy of Scott Simon hide caption

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Courtesy of Scott Simon

Society

Scott Simon On Sharing His Mother's Final Moments On Twitter

July 30, 2013 • The Weekend Edition host used Twitter to share his observations and feelings in the final, tender moments of his mother's life. In a conversation with NPR's Audie Cornish, Simon remembers his late mom and explains how the social media community bolstered his spirits in a time of grieving.

Scott Simon On Sharing His Mother's Final Moments On Twitter

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Monday July 29, 2013

A New App Will Let You Share Your Leftovers With Strangers

Leftover Swap will let you share your unfinished meals with strangers. Laura Mundee/Flickr hide caption

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Laura Mundee/Flickr

Gadgets & Apps

A New App Will Let You Share Your Leftovers With Strangers

July 29, 2013 • As part of a bid to reduce wasted food, two former college roommates have come up with Leftover Swap, an app in which you post photos of leftovers for other users to claim.

Monday July 22, 2013

On Digital Dating: Never Committing, And Never Breaking Up

Texting and social media make romantic ties simultaneously easy to avoid and harder to shake. Ben Margot/AP hide caption

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Ben Margot/AP

Social Web

On Digital Dating: Never Committing, And Never Breaking Up

July 22, 2013 • Today, with texts, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, it's easy to keep relationships ambiguous and uncommitted. But keeping a digital distance from exes is also next to impossible.

Monday July 15, 2013

Did Social Media Help Ease Tensions After Zimmerman Verdict?

Trayvon Martin supporters sit in New York City's Times Square on Sunday after marching from a rally for Martin in Manhattan. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

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Mario Tama/Getty Images

Social Web

Did Social Media Help Ease Tensions After Zimmerman Verdict?

July 15, 2013 • Protests of the George Zimmerman verdict remained largely peaceful this weekend, as social media continued to be the place to vent, bicker and debate over the killing of Trayvon Martin and its aftermath.

Thursday July 11, 2013

Robert Siegel Helps Us Test Out Instagram Embedding

Host Robert Siegel and NPR News Senior Vice President Margaret Low Smith in 2012. Stephen Voss hide caption

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Stephen Voss

Social Web

Robert Siegel Helps Us Test Out Instagram Embedding

July 11, 2013 • Instagram added the ability to embed photos and video this week, so we're testing it out with the help of NPR's All Things Considered host Robert Siegel.

Monday July 8, 2013

When Social Sharing Goes Wrong: Regretting The Facebook Post

A model poses for photos next to a life-size makeshift Facebook browser in the Philippines. Ted Aljibe/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Ted Aljibe/AFP/Getty Images

Social Web

When Social Sharing Goes Wrong: Regretting The Facebook Post

July 8, 2013 • Researchers explored the many ways what we say on Facebook get us in trouble and how offline and online regret aren't the same. Users often don't remember or know who might see their Facebook content until it's too late.

Friday July 5, 2013

At Tech-Free Camps, People Pay Hundreds To Unplug

Camp Grounded is located in Northern California. Courtesy of Scott Sporleder hide caption

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Courtesy of Scott Sporleder

Society

At Tech-Free Camps, People Pay Hundreds To Unplug

July 5, 2013 • As electronic communication grows more pervasive, demand is growing for paid retreats where you have to surrender all electronic devices. One participant says giving up his phone for a weekend was "liberating"; another says she was inspired to observe tech-free Friday nights.

Friday June 28, 2013

Please Text And Tweet During This Theater Performance

A show called #Hashtag encourages audience members to tweet during the performance. Quinn.Anya/via Flickr hide caption

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Quinn.Anya/via Flickr

Social Web

Please Text And Tweet During This Theater Performance

Turnstyle

June 28, 2013 • A play that encourages the audience to keep its phones on, take photos and live-tweet the characters onstage. "All it really did was give me a chance to check my email during the show," contributor Noah Nelson writes.

Monday June 24, 2013

For Modern Jurors, Being On A Case Means Being Offline

More courts are asking jurors to avoid social media services and tools that have become an integral part of modern life, like Twitter, Facebook, email, texting, instant messaging and Internet research. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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iStockphoto.com

Society

For Modern Jurors, Being On A Case Means Being Offline

June 24, 2013 • In simpler times, jurors were told not to discuss their cases with others. But with the proliferation of mobile devices, courts must now contend with Facebook, tweets, texts, instant messaging and Google — all tools that can compromise a juror's impartiality.

For Modern Jurors, Being On A Case Means Being Offline

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Monday May 20, 2013

Yahoo's Other Billion-Dollar Bets: Where Are They Now?

GeoCities employees pose for a picture in 1999 after the Yahoo acquisition was announced. Yahoo quietly shut down GeoCities a decade later. Mark J. Terrill/AP hide caption

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Mark J. Terrill/AP

Social Web

Yahoo's Other Billion-Dollar Bets: Where Are They Now?

May 20, 2013 • Tumblr joins GeoCities, Broadcast.com and Overture in the small fraternity of Yahoo's $1 billion-plus acquisitions. What can the company can learn from its previous purchases?

Monday May 13, 2013

Facebook Users Question $20 Million Settlement Over Ads

Dado Ruvic/Reuters/Landov

The Industry

Facebook Users Question $20 Million Settlement Over Ads

May 13, 2013 • Facebook is expected to pay out $20 million in a settlement over its "Sponsored Stories" advertising service, after placing user images in personalized ads. But the settlement doesn't stop the service, and a legal expert says Facebook's option to let users opt out creates more problems.

Facebook Users Question $20 Million Settlement Over Ads

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Saturday May 11, 2013

Make Your Own Comics: Storytelling With Friends

Nishat's got spring fever. Bitstrips hide caption

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Bitstrips

Gadgets & Apps

Make Your Own Comics: Storytelling With Friends

Turnstyle

May 11, 2013 • Bitstrips is a popular website and Facebook app that has teens and others making their own cartoons. Using templates they can modify, users can tell stories or jokes online and share them with friends. And the app is catching on in several foreign markets, including Mexico and Portugal.

Tuesday April 30, 2013