Social Networks

The Klemmer family has released eight rap videos on Facebook since the pandemic began. (Bobby Klemmer)SOUTH LYON, Mich. – The Klemmer family has been making waves on Facebook with their original rap videos that they’ve been creating since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.Dad Bobby Klemmer’s oldest daughter, Sienna, was given a homework assignment in the spring using an online vocabulary tool that engages children through hip-hop.“One of the options was to write a rap,” said Klemmer. “When she mentioned it to me I said, ‘We’re totally doing this.’”After she wrote several raps for her class covering various academic topics, Klemmer said his other children started to become interested in writing and performing raps as well.In the beginning, the videos focused on being in quarantine. Klemmer said their tribute to healthcare workers was shared 500 times and had over 32,000 views.They also did one for Mother’s Day, one to celebrate teachers, a video to encourage people to vote, and, most recently, a Christmas rap.Klemmer and his wife both teach at Washtenaw Community College. Before that, he taught for 13 years at Ann Arbor’s Pioneer High School.They have five children ages 18 months through 11 years. Their youngest, Eliza, was hospitalized…

An internal company-wide meeting at Facebook revealed some disturbing statements and projects from the social network this week. In addition to tone-deaf language, a Facebook product manager revealed a tool called “TL;DR” currently in development. It’s been suggested that this AI tool will summarize long form articles “and spit out bullet points so people don’t have to read the full piece.” Reading your articles for you Information about this meeting comes via Ryan Mac, senior tech reporter for BuzzFeed News. Per his relay of the meeting, the TL;DR tool will decide which parts of articles are most important via artificial intelligence. This tool will also (apparently) work with voice assistant systems to parse articles and offer answers to contextual questions. In other words, Facebook’s computers will decide which bits of what articles are most important for you to read. While Twitter attempts to push people to actually READ the articles they share, Facebook’s aiming to shorten the reading to the bare minimum. Facebook compared to COVID vaccine “We all get the privilege of seeing the future, because we are making it,” said Facebook CTO Mike Schroepfer. “We have to build responsibly to earn trust and the right to continue to…

Thursday December 17, 2020 2:41 am PST by Tim HardwickWhatsApp will soon let Mac users make voice and video calls from the platform's desktop client, according to a new report from forthcoming feature specialist WABetaInfo. WhatsApp has offered voice and video calling in its mobile app for some time, but the feature doesn't extend to the encrypted messaging platform's web and desktop clients. However, that looks set to change, based on a beta of WhatsApp's desktop variant. As the screenshot below shows, users involved in the beta testing stage of the client can see new voice and video calling buttons in the chat header of the app window. Clicking either button initiates a voice or video call to the selected contact, and then displays a separate pop-up window showing options to enable or disable video, mute the call, or hang up. Meanwhile, a call recipient using the desktop client sees a similar pop-up window indicating someone is calling them and offering them options to accept or decline the incoming call. It's not clear how long voice and video calls will remain in beta testing on the desktop client, but WhatsApp is fairly quick at introducing new features, so if we…

There is nothing I hate more than using USSD payment based systems like ZIPIT, Ecocash and OneMoney. The whole thing is like walking on your hands- it’s very possible but unnatural. It also doesn’t take you very far. Don’t believe me, try doing five ZIPIT transactions using USSD. Zimbos live on WhatsApp and therefore need more local payment solutions on it While people are using the internet more and more at the expense of voice, for most Zimbabweans, WhatsApp is the internet. This is because the majority of people, about 95% according to POTRAZ, prefer using bundles instead of out of bundle browsing and it is these bundles that shape the way we consume stuff online. WhatsApp bundles just happen to be the most accessible. This has led to a lot of informal businesses setting up shop on the platform. A lot of tech-savvy sellers out there are already taking advantage of some of the features that WhatsApp business offers including catalogues. Sadly the Zimbabwean WhatsApp shopping experience is sorely lacking with the platform only being used to initiate transactions which are then concluded in the real world. Recently WhatsApp introduced a shopping cart feature. Unfortunately without the necessary payment…

Photo for representation. Tribune File New Delhi, December 17 Indian professionals are cautiously optimistic heading into 2021 as two in five Indian professionals expect an increase in the number of new jobs, LinkedIn year-end data shows. LinkedIn on Thursday released key survey and platform data for 2020. According to LinkedIn year-end data, India has remained cautiously optimistic and resilient in the face of uncertainty, and overall confidence scores remained steady between 50 and 57 from April to November. As per the findings, two in five (40 per cent) Indian professionals expect an increase in the number of new jobs (up from 19 per cent in April), and one in two (53 per cent) expect their companies to do better in the next six months, going into 2021. The workforce sentiment data and confidence scores are based on the online survey responses of 21,066 professionals from April to November 2020 as part of the LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Index, which is a fortnightly pulse on the confidence of the Indian workforce. “The year 2020 was a disruptive year, and 2021 will help us tackle unforeseen challenges and prepare for new realities. Going forward, India will reimagine the future of work across five…

SynopsisAdam Mosseri, the global head of Instagram, spoke to Anumeha Chaturvedi and Vinod Mahanta about the growing importance of India, the ban on TikTok, relationships with governments, regulating big tech and the rising scrutiny on Facebook worldwide. Adam Mosseri, the global head of Instagram, spoke to ET's Anumeha Chaturvedi and Vinod Mahanta about the growing importance of India, the ban on TikTok, relationships with governments, regulating big tech and the rising scrutiny on Facebook worldwide. Edited excerpts: Q: What is your take on the US Federal Trade Commission's antitrust lawsuit against Facebook calling for it to be broken up and for the divestment of Instagram and WhatsApp? A: IBYET Bureau 11 mins read, Last Updated: Dec 17, 2020, 02:14 PM ISTGIFT ARTICLEFONT SIZEAbcSmallAbcMediumAbcLargeSAVECOMMENTSign in to read the full articleYou’ve got this Prime Story as a Free GiftYearly(Save 49%)₹249915 Days Trial +Includes DocuBay and TimesPrime Membership worth ₹1499 & ₹999 resp.2-Year(Save 63%)₹359915 Days Trial +Includes DocuBay and TimesPrime Membership worth ₹1499 & ₹999 resp.Already a Member? Sign In nowWhy ?Sharp Insight-rich, Indepth stories across 20+ sectorsAccess the exclusive Economic Times stories, Editorial and Expert opinionClean experience withMinimal AdsComment & Engage with ET Prime communityExclusive invites to Virtual Events with Industry LeadersA…

It’s no longer a secret that the coronavirus pandemic has led to increased social media and video consumption. And, there is no slowing down as we head into 2021. It's a tactic that smart brands will use, as evidenced by Techjury reporting that 80% of consumers would rather watch a brand’s livestreamed video than read one of its blog posts. But how? SmartBrief talked with Zen Media’s founder and CEO Shama Hyder, a sought-after keynote speaker and a LinkedIn Top Voice in Marketing, about how brands can use livestreaming video to their advantage. Below is the video interview, along with a transcript that has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity. Why is livestreaming important for brands? Livestreaming is really important because video is important and video connects consumers -- whether you're B2B or B2C -- to your brand like nothing else. In fact, did you know that over 64% of people will watch up to a 30-minute commercial video clip versus 24% who will finish reading an article. Now, what livestreaming does is it takes that video element and it makes it even more personal. It brings it even closer because the audience knows that it is “live” and…

Over 28 fake extensions disguised as aids for Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo, and others are infecting Google Chrome and Edge browsers with malware.A report by Avast Intelligence Security estimates that over 3 million people around the world have been affected by these malicious extensions capable of redirecting URLs, collecting personal information, and tracking your location. Google and Microsoft are currently investigating the issue, but the extensions remain available on the Chrome Web Store and the Microsoft Edge Add-ons portal. Immensely popular and innocently disguised Facebook, Vimeo and Instagram extensions on your web browser may actually be malware, according to the internet security provider Avast. Especially if you’re a part of the majority using Google Chrome.BrowserNumber of malicious extensionsGoogle Chrome15Edge13The malware is affecting around three million people around the world as per install numbers and can ‘hijack’ your URL. It means that the extension can track every time you click on a new link and alert the hacker. The hacker then has the option to redirect you to a new URL of his choosing, rather than sending you to your real destination. And, as with most crimes, there’s a monetary motive at play. Redirecting user traffic to ads and phishing sites by…

Over 28 fake extensions disguised as aids for Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo, and others are infecting Google Chrome and Edge browsers with malware.A report by Avast Intelligence Security estimates that over 3 million people around the world have been affected by these malicious extensions capable of redirecting URLs, collecting personal information, and tracking your location. Google and Microsoft are currently investigating the issue, but the extensions remain available on the Chrome Web Store and the Microsoft Edge Add-ons portal. Immensely popular and innocently disguised Facebook, Vimeo and Instagram extensions on your web browser may actually be malware, according to the internet security provider Avast. Especially if you’re a part of the majority using Google Chrome.BrowserNumber of malicious extensionsGoogle Chrome15Edge13The malware is affecting around three million people around the world as per install numbers and can ‘hijack’ your URL. It means that the extension can track every time you click on a new link and alert the hacker. The hacker then has the option to redirect you to a new URL of his choosing, rather than sending you to your real destination. And, as with most crimes, there’s a monetary motive at play. Redirecting user traffic to ads and phishing sites by…

BOTTOMS (BRAY), Celestine LouiseCelebration of Life service for Celestine Louise Bray Bottoms, will be held Friday December 18th at 1:00 pm at Big Bethel A.M.E. Church 220 Auburn Avenue, NE, Atlanta, GA 30303. Reverend John Foster, Ph.D., Pastor. Services will be Live Streamed @ vimeo.com/murraybrothers. Interment Lincoln Cemetery.She is survived by her children Derrick (Keisha Lance) Bottoms and Darian (Karrie) Bottoms; siblings Cecil (Barbara) Bray and Donald (Valley) Bray; grandchildren, nieces, nephews, other relatives and friendsPublic viewing is today from 1-6 pm at Murray Brothers Funeral Home, Inc. Cascade chapel 404-349-3000.