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Archive for the ‘tech news’ Category

Instagram’s Disagreeable Service Agreement Update   4 comments

I am a huge advocate for Instagram. I think it’s a brilliant concept, on the part of its developers. I know that it has caused a lot of eye-rolling among many professional photographers, but I think it’s fun, okay? I like that relatively poor-quality, often blurry mobile uploads can look a little bit prettier, and I don’t see anything wrong with that. As an Android user, I was thrilled when the app opened to us. I no longer had to watch enviously as my not-even-close-to-artsy Apple friends tweeted and posted all of these artsy-looking pictures, and could join in uploading filtered food photos with the best of them.

I generally try to maintain a less personal, company-encompassing narrative in my TurnKey articles, but the topic that I want to discuss with you today has incited a reaction from me on a personal level, and I feel as though I should discuss it as such. I have an issue with Instagram’s amended Terms of Service.

Basically, Facebook (they own Instagram now, if you weren’t aware) is now asserting their right to sell your photos at absolutely no profit to you whatsoever, and it doesn’t stop there! They also declare a right to employ your image and personal information as they see fit. This is not okay with me at all. I understand that the app is free and Facebook wants to generate revenue and all that good stuff, but there are ways around this. Also—I have to say it—are you really losing that much money over Instagram, Facebook? You invested a billion dollars in a company that you are now this desperate to keep afloat?

Here’s an excerpt:

Some or all of the Service may be supported by advertising revenue. To help us deliver interesting paid or sponsored content or promotions, you agree that a business or other entity may pay us to display your username, likeness, photos (along with any associated metadata), and/or actions you take, in connection with paid or sponsored content or promotions, without any compensation to you.”

Improper usage of photographic material is not a new thing at all, and maybe I’m being hyper-sensitive about this due to a background in photography. However, my pictures are mine, and if Facebook wants to use them, they need to ask me first. Regardless, it is not okay—and shouldn’t be okay—for them to use my personal material and information in a way that exploits me.

Usually, I tend to be rather neutral in regards to topics like this. I think they are largely sensationalized by the media, and that people fly into an uproar when it’s not completely necessary. For instance, Dave wrote a really insightful article about the Google vs. EU issue not too long ago, and I found myself agreeing wholeheartedly with his stance. If you’re interested or need a refresher, you can read the article here.

Anyway, now we’re faced with a choice: do we just divert our gaze and allow them to do this, or do we wash our hands of Instagram? Do we log out of our accounts and set off into the great unknown, desperately seeking to fill the void in our once-filtered mobile existence? That may be a little dramatic, considering Twitter just rolled out replacement filters after the pull on syncing photos, but that’s another article entirely. Luckily, we have until January 16, 2013 to decide which road we want to take, as that is when the new terms go into effect.

Wouldn’t you know it? This all rolls out almost exactly at the same time that I set up TurnKey’s Instagram account, and I almost want to close it to protest! I won’t though, mainly because I’m border-line obsessed with this picture of a lollipop bouquet.

What do you think? Am I over-blowing this? Do you think this is fair and understandable or invasive and downright wrong? I’d love to hear what you have to say.

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Written by Emily on December 18th, 2012

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EU Targets Google’s Latest Privacy Policy   no comments

Posted at Oct 18, 2012 @ 1:44pm News,online marketing,social media,tech news

google magnifying glass

 

Recently, there has been quite a stir over the EU’s response to Google’s most recent privacy policy…

 

From PARIS (Reuters): “Google has four months to make its privacy policy comply with requests from European Union data protection watchdogs or start facing the possibility of disciplinary action at a national level.”

France’s Commission Nationale de l’Informatique, working on behalf of the EU’s 27 national data regulators, said on Tuesday it had found legal flaws with a new approach to user data that Google adopted in March.

Among CNIL’s concerns was the way the U.S. group combines anonymous data from users’ browsing histories across its services to better target advertising.

From theguardian:  “Google’s latest privacy policy means that users get a simpler experience when signing up for a new Google-owned service. But it also means that Google can build up a more comprehensive picture of the user for advertising – for example, monitoring a person’s use of YouTube to help better target adverts within Gmail.”

 

I find it interesting that the EU’s various sanctioning bodies have an issue with this.  What do they think Google is going to do with the information?  Seriously!?  Google is in business to make money.  They make money by helping advertisers get in front of people who are most likely to purchase their products and services.  Let me give a perfect example – Let’s say that a feminine hygiene advertisement is placed in front of male audience members. I dare say, that is a waste of the advertisers’ money because odds are probably REALLY good that there isn’t a single purchaser in the group.

Another example: I watch YouTube all the time.  99.8% of my YouTube views are music.  Actually, I can’t imagine life without YouTube – but that’s another blog.  In the past year alone, I’ve probably watched in the neighborhood of 2,500 music videos – and once, ONCE, was an advertisement placed in front of me that I was interested in.  I actually sat there and watched the advertisement because it was something I was interested in.  That means the other 2499 times that ads were placed in front of me were a total waste.  From both efficiency and user-experience standpoints, wouldn’t it be better if YouTube, Google, or whoever is displaying the content, knew something about the viewer’s likes, dislikes, sites visited, etc.?  It irks me a little bit that I have to wait the 5 seconds before I can click on the “Skip Ad” button.  I’d much rather see an advertisement that actually interests me.

In other words, by being able to target your viewer, as Google is allegedly doing, it serves both the advertiser as well as the viewer.  My question is: Why does the EU want to make it harder on advertisers (businesses within the European Union) and the citizens of the European Union?  Ah, government regulatory bodies at their finest, once again. Apparently the EU wants advertisers to pay for ads that get displayed in front of randomly selected people who might not have any interest at all in the product or service being touted, rather than be able to target their ads to those who have shown some type of behavior that identifies them as a potential buyer.  Also, why should anyone have to sit through an ad that they have no interest in?

Now, I do agree that people should have the ability to opt out of certain things like email, but isn’t what Google is doing beneficial for everyone?

If I were an advertiser and it was costing me X dollars each time my ad was presented, I would want to be darn sure that my ad was being placed in front of people who are most likely to take advantage of what I’m offering.

I’d be interested in hearing other views on whether Google, who is allegedly doing what the regulatory bodies claim, is right or wrong.  Perhaps you are indifferent? How do you feel about the use of this alleged data?

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Written by Dave on October 18th, 2012

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TurnKey Internet Wins Ping! Zine Readers’ Choice Award   no comments

Posted at Sep 26, 2012 @ 1:27pm News,tech news

Do you read Ping! Zine? If you do, great! We do too. We love Ping! Zine.

If you don’t, we’ll tell the latter of you a little bit about them and you’ll be bummed that you’ve been missing out for so long. Ping! Zine readers — hang out for a second. We have some exciting news.

Ping! Zine is a web tech magazine, which caters to service providers and consumers alike. They’re celebrating their 10th year (happy birthday, guys!) and are aging phenomenally. Want to read about super-cool gadgets? Head to Ping! Zine. What about web design? Read about it on Ping! Zine. Are you into cloud computing? We hope you are, for obvious reasons, but guess what — they cover that too! You can read more about them on their website, here, because we’re simply dying to arrive at the main point of this article. Also, because if you’re already familiar with our Ping! Zine buddies, we can practically hear you wishing we would tell you something you don’t already know.

Well, here it is: The Ping! Zine readers have spoken, and guess what they’re talking about…Us! We’re beyond excited to announce that TurnKey Internet was selected to receive a Ping! Zine Readers’ Choice Award for our dedicated servers. You can check out the Readers’ Choice Issue here, but only if you pay special attention to page 15.

We’re so thrilled and honored to have been acknowledged by such a stellar community. We’re also excited to pin another cool little award badge to our website, but that’s not important right now. What is important, however, is extending a massive “thank you” to everyone at Ping! Zine; readers, staff…everyone! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you X infinity. You guys rock.

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Written by Emily on September 26th, 2012

Happy September 21, one and all! Here, have an iPhone 5!   no comments

Posted at Sep 21, 2012 @ 2:40pm gadgets and gizmos,Holidays,News,tech news

iPhone 5Today sure feels like a holiday… Wouldn’t you say, iPhone lovers? The iPhone 5 seems to not only have lived up to, but surpassed all hype and expectations, in innovative features and anticipation alike. It would have to, to make it worth waiting in the lines that are wrapped around blocks and buildings in nearly every Apple store in the country—well, world, actually. Did you pre-order your new smartphone, or show up to wait amongst your fellow iPhoners and iPhonettes a few (dozen) hours early? Lines in New York City could be measured per-hundred in the wee hours of the morning today! If you’ve been camping out for several days, we pass no judgment. Whatever it takes, right?

The iPhone 5 is expected to blow all previous models’ sales completely out of the water. So what’s all the fuss about? When Apple released the 4S, a quick once-over didn’t reveal all that much of an aesthetic difference from the 4. However, the 5 is a different story entirely, from the shiny surface of its larger screen all the way down to the bottom of its redesigned ear buds. It’s thinner, it’s lighter, it’s faster—oh, my!—and boasts a plethora of new technological advancements that I could go on for days about. It’s going to be so cool, guys.

Now, I am not personally an iPhone user—“yet,” as my friends like to remind me. However, the iPhone is very near and dear to all of us here at TurnKey Internet… For the obvious, we-heart-technology, tech-R-us, reasons, but also for some that live a little deeper. For instance, when Apple introduced the world to the iPhone phenomenon in 2007, it simultaneously paved the way to the modern day cloud. Now, let’s back up a few steps. Apple did not invent the smart phone. It also did not invent the cloud. However, their innovations with the iPhone brought the hand held device that could connect you anywhere, anytime, to anything, into the mainstream spotlight. Thus, the cloud hurdled forward in its wake, creating infrastructure repositories for applications, data, and storage, that the iPhone—and now, every other device from Android phones, to iPads, to desktop PCs—can remotely connect to.

Anyway, we know you’re just as excited as we are. Go ahead and put that iPhone 4S back in your pocket for the precious culmination of your time together, and have fun getting to know your new best friend. We wish you a wonderful journey together!

 

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Written by Emily on September 21st, 2012