
This is the A2SM Link Post for May 8th through May 10th. To see more of the bookmarks we’ve found, check out our Delicious Feed.
- Skype to Introduce Ads? – As Skype prepares to roll out five-way video calling this week — an addition the company plans to charge for at a later date — it’s also thinking of monetizing the now free user-to-user web calling serving with advertisements.
- WordPress 3.0: The 5 Most Important New Features – WordPress has long been known as a dedicated blogging platform, giving users the tools they need to publish their message and interact with readers. However, with the official release of version 3.0, set to drop this month, the platform will be much closer, if not well within the territory of a content management system (CMS).
- Twitter Bug Lets You Control Who Follows You – Twitter has an embarrassing bug on its hands – one that allows users to make anyone follow them. Mashable reader Ozan Yılmaz emailed us the details this morning, writing “[tweet] accept [username]” then the [username] immediately starts following you.”
- Facebook Roundup: Privacy Visualization, Topix, Unlikes, Parature and Oil – Visualizing Facebook’s Move Towards Openness — Whatever you think about Facebook’s relentless efforts to make its service more open and central to the web — and sneakily destroy user privacy, as some see it — you should be sure to check out this infographic of the company’s changes. Created by user interface developer Matt McKeon, it shows concentric circles of privacy, from your friends to the entire internet, segmented by feature type.
- Facebook Looks for More DC Legal Help – Facebook’s most recent privacy-related changes have brought it new scrutiny from privacy groups, attorneys general and even some members of Congress. So the company has brought in a top anti-trust lawyer named Timothy Muris to help defend it to the federal government, according to the Financial Times.
- Facebook Game Usage Drops Greatly Due to Notification Changes – Facebook has undergone a number of changes this year, but the one that's had the most serious effect on the gaming side of Facebook was the implementation of restrictions on notifications. Those notifications served as a major way of drawing people back into whatever game sent it; a user would go online to see if they had any messages and end up playing a game because of a notification that said their friend had fertilized their crops in FarmVille or gotten a better high score in Bejeweled Blitz. With those notifications banished from Facebook, quite a few games have seen significant drops in usage — 18 of the top 25 games (based upon monthly active users) lost users last month compared to the month prior, with 12 of those games losing at least 1 million users.
- Visual Guide To Facebook’s Privacy Changes Over Time (PICTURES) – Facebook has been continually revamping its privacy policies, with the general trend being towards encouraging users to share more about themselves with more people.













