IN CASE YOU'RE WONDERING, THE 'MINORITY REPORT' IS HERE.

Smart signs using facial recognition software are
scheduled for introduction in three cities this month.  (credits: Immersive Labs)

I was already concerned about my privacy before I read this article in the NYTimes, "Face Recognition Makes the Leap From Sci-Fi"

As this excerpt explains, "As SceneTap® suggests, techniques like facial detection, which perceives human faces but does not identify specific individuals, and facial recognition, which does identify individuals, are poised to become the next big thing for personalized marketing and smart phones. That is great news for companies that want to tailor services to customers, and not so great news for people who cherish their privacy. The spread of such technology — essentially, the democratization of surveillance — may herald the end of anonymity."

"SceneTap, a new app for smart phones, uses cameras with facial detection software to scout bar scenes". This app has been rolled out to the excitement of 20-somethings, hoping to successfully hook-up on their night out on the town.

Facebook is also incorporating this facial recognition software to assist in ‘tagging’ friends in photos (see FB article: http://www.facebook.com/blog.php?post=467145887130).

The article states, “When you or a friend upload new photos, we use face recognition software—similar to that found in many photo editing tools—to match your new photos to other photos you're tagged in.”  However, this FB practice is drawing fire from both governmental agencies and users alike so it is doubtful that this new feature will be the success that FB originally had in mind.

My Virtual Neighbor

My Virtual Neighbor is a social media site aimed at neighborhood homeowners hoping to fight crime in their locale. Founder Amit Mehta claims that this new social website has reduced neighborhood crime by a large percentage. Mr. Mehta claims that this site is the cornerstone of "National Night Out", which, as a member of a HOA, I've known about for years. In my own neighborhood, we have used a Yahoo® Groups for years and it has been helpful in keeping up with events in the neighborhood.

A case study was done in Houston, Texas, for a period of ten (10) weeks and, apparently, Mr. Mehta has the stats to prove an 80% reduction in crime. Although my neighborhood moderator (of our Yahoo Group) does keep the homeowners well informed, many of us tend to ignore postings that look like complaints or robo-messsages from the association managers (a separate business) and sometimes miss really important messages (like local murders, utility shut-offs, etc. and other frequently occurring events that happen on the East side of ATX).

The article goes on to state that users have more privacy controls than Facebook® or Yahoo by allowing the users to be the moderators as well as the users. This feature encourages homeowners to feel safe when becoming acquainted with their neighbors, with the end result being a more secure neighborhood. For neighborhoods that do not have a virtual network in place for homeowners, this would be a good option.

To read more, visit http://www.sacbee.com/2011/09/28/3945100/new-social-media-my-virtual-neighbor.html#ixzz1ZHbfLdlt     Posted by Michele Myette at 2:58 PM

My Virtual Neighbor

My Virtual Neighbor is a social media site aimed at neighborhood homeowners hoping to fight crime in their locale. Founder Amit Mehta claims that this new social website has reduced neighborhood crime by a large percentage. Mr. Mehta claims that this site is the cornerstone of "National Night Out", which, as a member of a HOA, I've known about for years. In my own neighborhood, we have used a Yahoo® Groups for years and it has been helpful in keeping up with events in the neighborhood.

A case study was done in Houston, Texas, for a period of ten (10) weeks and, apparently, Mr. Mehta has the stats to prove an 80% reduction in crime. Although my neighborhood moderator (of our Yahoo Group) does keep the homeowners well informed, many of us tend to ignore postings that look like complaints or robo-messsages from the association managers (a separate business) and sometimes miss really important messages (like local murders, utility shut-offs, etc. and other frequently occurring events that happen on the East side of ATX).

The article goes on to state that users have more privacy controls than Facebook® or Yahoo by allowing the users to be the moderators as well as the users. This feature encourages homeowners to feel safe when becoming acquainted with their neighbors, with the end result being a more secure neighborhood. For neighborhoods that do not have a virtual network in place for homeowners, this would be a good option.

To read more, visit http://www.sacbee.com/2011/09/28/3945100/new-social-media-my-virtual-neighbor.html#ixzz1ZHbfLdlt

CRAIGSLIST on TWITTER! (or How to Spend $0 on Books for College)

Well, not exactly, but pretty close. According to an article posted by TechCrunch,
a new, free e-trade site was launched during a recent TechCrunch ‘Hackathon’ (http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/11/watch-the-techcrunch-disrupt-hackathon-live-2/).

This newly launched Twitter business, @Shopr.com, coordinates those hoping to sell and those looking to buy in specific regions or cities, similar to Craigslist. A quote from the article states, “The service’s founders tell me that in their initial research currently around 7,000 Tweets per hour relate to commerce and people looking to buy and sell items (over 5,000 selling-related Tweets are sent every hour).”

As an avid Craigslist user myself, I love free advertising and no commissions. I’ve paid for most of my required books for college by buying and selling all my books at discount rates. I shop around on such sites as Half.com, Craigslist.com, Amazon.com and Textbooks.com to buy my books and I sell them as soon as I’m done using them. All in all, I’ve pretty much broken even, give or take thirty dollars. This is far cheaper than buying e-books or renting books and both leave you with nothing tangible to sell.

The article goes on to state that sellers can tweet their wares on their own site and go on about their day. @Shopr mines data from Twitter and matches the two parties, notifying the seller if an interested buyer tweets similar or matching information. If the seller hopes to have the item found by @Shopr, the seller must clearly describe the item for sale, where it’s being sold and the asking price. However, the seller can also post their items directly at #!/shoprsell.

Buyers can go to #!/shoprbuy and post items they are searching for or simply tweet about the item(s) on their own page, again listing particulars. Buyers, too, can also go directly to @Shopr’s site to poke around.

Unbelievable as it sounds, my television died the day before the Superbowl® one year. Need I say more? Thanks to Craigslist, by the end of the day, we had a TV (which, as we all know, is cheaper than a divorce). It will be interesting to see how Twitter’s @Shopr competes against Craigslist as both platforms use the same process. Ultimately, it boils down to how quickly the seller would like to make a sale and how quickly the buyer needs the item.

(From TechCrunch) http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/11/shopr-connects-buyers-and-sellers-on-twitter/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29

Google+: Full-Court Press on Facebook

Tom Taulli in the Finance Corner of Forbes.com discusses the previous flops of Google but gives props to Google+ stating it "may have the right stuff". This article includes several good quotes from reputable companies that all seem to be in favor of Google+. Lyle Fong, CEO and Co-Founder of Lithium quotes Google+ as a game changer in social media. Has Facebook met it's match? Will Google+, with their circles, take over as the new social media?


http://blogs.forbes.com/tomtaulli/2011/07/14/google-a-full-court-press-on-facebook/