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

Sunday September 29, 2013

What Gets Lost In Our Carefully Crafted Online Conversations

Researchers are studying the effects of the "masks" we wear online. iStockPhoto hide caption

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iStockPhoto

Social Web

What Gets Lost In Our Carefully Crafted Online Conversations

September 29, 2013 • When we text or email, we can craft a message to get it just right. But researchers say if we get too used to doing that, we may find it hard to have face-to-face conversations.

Monday September 23, 2013

Fake Reviewers Get Zero Stars From New York Attorney General

Some reputation management companies required that its writers have a certain number of Yelp friends. Yelp says it welcomed the New York attorney general's crackdown on fake reviewers. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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iStockphoto.com

Social Web

Fake Reviewers Get Zero Stars From New York Attorney General

September 23, 2013 • Nineteen companies agreed to pay more than $350,000 in penalties to settle accusations that they wrote or bought phony online reviews of their products, services or restaurants.

Fake Reviewers Get Zero Stars From New York Attorney General

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Sunday September 22, 2013

The Promises And Pitfalls Of Social Media — For Police

David Oliver, chief of police in Brimfield, Ohio, maintains a Facebook page that went viral (by police Facebook page standards) earlier this year. With more than 80,000 followers, he mixes humor with blunt opinions. Tony Dejak/AP hide caption

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Tony Dejak/AP

Social Web

The Promises And Pitfalls Of Social Media — For Police

September 22, 2013 • More and more, cops are using social media as a tool to investigate crimes and reach out to their communities. And it's not just a fad of funny tweets or YouTube surveillance videos — some are saying it's becoming a necessary tool for policing.

Thursday September 19, 2013

How To Spot And Outfake Bogus Twitter Followers

A hashtag in the digital age. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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iStockphoto.com

Social Web

How To Spot And Outfake Bogus Twitter Followers

September 19, 2013 • You may want to think twice before bragging about all of those Twitter followers you've racked up. Apps and websites help figure out which followers are real, fake and "inactive" users.

How To Spot And Outfake Bogus Twitter Followers

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Tuesday September 17, 2013

How Blogging And Twitter Are Making Us Smarter

Students studying on their laptops in Berlin. Writer Clive Thompson says that actively engaging with computers is making students better writers. Sean Gallup/Getty Images hide caption

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Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Social Web

How Blogging And Twitter Are Making Us Smarter

September 17, 2013 • Blogging and social media force us to think in public, says writer Clive Thompson, and that is making us smarter. It can make students quicker writers too, he says.

Monday September 16, 2013

Whether Facebook Makes You Lonely Depends On How You Use It

Does Facebook make you sadder? It depends on how you use it. Facebook hide caption

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Facebook

Social Web

Whether Facebook Makes You Lonely Depends On How You Use It

September 16, 2013 • A recent study showed Facebook use makes us feel sadder and lonelier, but other studies show the exact opposite. How you engage with the platform explains the difference.

Friday September 13, 2013

Tech Week That Was: Brogrammers, New iPhones, Twitter IPO

Twitter announced by tweet Thursday that it plans to go public. Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images

Social Web

Tech Week That Was: Brogrammers, New iPhones, Twitter IPO

September 13, 2013 • Between Apple's announcement, Twitter's announcement and the sexist pronouncements at an industry conference, there's plenty of tech news to catch up on.

Thursday September 12, 2013

Twitter's Plan To Make Money? It's All In Your Stream

Twitter employees at work, in a photo tweeted Wednesday by the company. Twitter hide caption

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Twitter

Social Web

Twitter's Plan To Make Money? It's All In Your Stream

September 12, 2013 • Twitter will soon make its stock market debut. Its recent record gives a glimpse of several ways it plans to make a profit.

Tuesday August 27, 2013

Social Web

Faux Instagram Tutorial Teaches Seniors How To Tech

August 27, 2013 • In a series of faux tutorials for seniors, a "senior tech expert" named Bob explains how Instagram works. Let's just say he doesn't get all the details right.

Monday August 26, 2013

'I'd Tap That' And Other NSA Pickup Lines Are All The Rage

An anti-NSA protester in Washington, DC. Steve Rhodes/Flickr hide caption

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Steve Rhodes/Flickr

Privacy & Security

'I'd Tap That' And Other NSA Pickup Lines Are All The Rage

August 26, 2013 • Revelations that national security officials have used their agency's eavesdropping power to spy on love interests has sparked a new meme: #NSAPickupLines

'I'd Tap That' And Other NSA Pickup Lines Are All The Rage

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Tuesday August 20, 2013

Facebook Makes Us Sadder And Less Satisfied, Study Finds

Researchers say Facebook use can lead to a decline in happiness and satisfaction. Joerg Koch/AP hide caption

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Joerg Koch/AP

Social Web

Facebook Makes Us Sadder And Less Satisfied, Study Finds

August 20, 2013 • Researchers from the University of Michigan find that while Facebook provides an invaluable resource for social connection, it actually undermines well-being.

Friday August 16, 2013

Herzog Plumbs Guilt And Loss Wrought By Texting And Driving

Reggie Shaw killed two men while he was texting on a Utah highway. He now speaks to groups about the dangers of texting and driving. ShareATT/YouTube hide caption

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ShareATT/YouTube

The Industry

Herzog Plumbs Guilt And Loss Wrought By Texting And Driving

August 16, 2013 • Werner Herzog's latest project is a slight departure for the acclaimed filmmaker: a 35-minute public service announcement on the dangers of texting and driving. Yes, it's long, he says, but the "inner landscape" of great suffering such accidents can cause "can only be shown if you have more time."

Herzog Plumbs Guilt And Loss Wrought By Texting And Driving

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Thursday August 15, 2013

Teenagers turn to their phones and social media to find rides. Tanggineka Hall/Youth Radio hide caption

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Tanggineka Hall/Youth Radio

Social Web

Teens Use Twitter To Thumb Rides

YR Media

August 15, 2013 • Need a ride to the party or the concert? Instead of making endless phone calls, these days teens turn to social media to arrange transportation. It's called ridesharing, a form of cyber-hitchhiking used by a generation that isn't rushing to get a driver's license or dream car.

Teens Use Twitter To Thumb Rides

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Wednesday August 14, 2013

'The New York Times' Site, Apps Return After Two-Hour Outage

The New York Times headquarters in New York City. Ramin Talaie/Getty Images hide caption

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Ramin Talaie/Getty Images

Social Web

'The New York Times' Site, Apps Return After Two-Hour Outage

August 14, 2013 • The New York Times' website and app went down just after 11 a.m. ET and began returning just after 1 p.m. E.T. The news organization says it's an internal technical problem.

'The New York Times' Site, Apps Return After Two-Hour Outage

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Monday August 12, 2013

The Biggest Twitter Moments Ever Feature Beyonce, Romney

At a peak of 268,000 tweets per minute, Beyonce's 2013 Super Bowl halftime performance was the biggest moment on Twitter, ever. Chris Graythen/Getty Images hide caption

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Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Social Web

The Biggest Twitter Moments Ever Feature Beyonce, Romney

August 12, 2013 • Super Bowls and Olympics tend to generate major Twitter spikes, but how do the biggest Twitter moments compare to one another? A closer look.