social networking

Recent research on the cellphone habits of South Africans shows Twitter is being used by a lot more than previously thought, with at least one million people believed to be using the service.

World Wide Worx managing director, Arthur Goldstuck, believes Twitter will be bigger than MXit and Facebook, which has implications for cellphone companies, data providers and businesses trying to understand and better use new media to promote products.

"We believed initially, based on people whose profiles identified them as South Africans, that Twitter had about 100 000 local followers, but the Mobility 2011 research project found that at least six percent of cellphone users surveyed used the service, and 23 percent said they will use it in the future," explains Goldstuck.

To read the article titled, “Twitter in SA ‘much bigger than thought’,” click here.

Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, who left the booming social network to work on the online arm of Barack Obama's presidential campaign, is launching a start-up to promote charitable efforts.

Hughes announced the launch of the non-profit new venture called ‘Jumo’, on his personal blog at chrishughes.tumblr.com.

Hughes argues that there are no magic solutions to the challenges the world face, adding that, "But there are millions of people around the globe who work each day to improve the lives of others. Unfortunately, there are millions more who don't know how to meaningfully help.

To read the article titled, “FB founder to promote charity,” click here.

Facebook marked its sixth birthday by simplifying its home page and holding an all-night ‘hackathon’ to create new software for the social networking website.

Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, says that the online community is reaching another milestone with membership climbing to 400 million.

"So to celebrate six years of Facebook and the 400 million people on the service, we're doing what we like doing most – building and launching products for people," says Zuckerberg.

To read the article titled, “Facebook turns six,” click here

Social networking upstart, Twitter has made the jump to academia's hallowed halls, with 'tweets' made compulsory writing for will-be journalists at an Australian university.

Jacqui Ewart, a senior lecturer at Griffith University, points out that, “Some students' tweets are not as in depth as you might like. But I don't know if getting them to write an essay is any more beneficial,"

"Quite surprisingly, a lot of students didn't know what Twitter is. There were a couple of really vocal students who were saying they couldn't believe we were using it and thought it was a waste of time." says Ewart.

To read the article titled, “Twitter goes to university,” click here.