Facebook ‘Gifts’ Feature Lets Users Send Each Other Real-Life Presents

FacebookFacebook is launching a service called Gifts which, as its name suggests, lets users send chocolate, coffee, socks and other real-life presents to one another.
Facebook Gifts launched Thursday to a subset of users in the U.S. and will roll out to more over the coming months as people begin to send gifts to each other.
Users will be able to click on a “gifts” icon on their Facebook friends’ pages on Facebook’s website or on Android mobile phones. (IPhone and iPad versions are coming soon.)
The icon will also show up on the right side of users’ Facebook pages with the notifications for friends’ birthdays, weddings and other life events. For example, if your friend’s birthday is coming up in two days, you’ll now see a “give her a gift” link and the gift icon next to her name and photo.
Clicking the icon will display presents you can buy, such as a Starbucks gift card, cupcakes or a teddy bear.
The recipient will be notified through Facebook to enter a shipping address for the presents. In some cases, they’ll be able to select their own cupcake flavors or size and style of socks. They can also exchange gifts for other items if they don’t like chocolate or don’t wear socks.
The move represents Facebook Inc.’s first real foray into e-commerce. The company will take an unspecified cut from each item sold. On Thursday, possible gifts included gourmet ice cream, Andy Warhol prints, flowers, organic dog toys and spa packages.
Facebook Gifts is the result of Facebook’s acquisition of Karma, a 16-person startup based in San Francisco. Facebook bought the company on May 18, the day of its rocky initial public offering. Karma’s mobile app let people send gifts to their friends on the go. Facebook Gifts, of course, works both on computers and mobile devices.
Lee Linden, the former head of Karma, is now head product manager for Facebook Gifts, which he says incorporates “the heart and soul of the Karma experience.”
“We think gifting is a form of communication,” he said
Source: BARBARA ORTUTAY

Facebook deleting fake 'likes', independent data suggests

The Facebook 'like' icon Advertising is Facebook's main revenue stream
Facebook has begun deleting fake page "likes", independent data suggests.
According to Pagedata, many of the site's most "liked" pages suffered large drops in numbers on Wednesday.
The move follows the social network's admission that 8.7% of its users are not "real", many having been set up by spammers who use them to artificially make pages appear more popular.
The issue poses a problem for Facebook as it seeks to expand its targeted advertising service.
Facebook's shares have slumped from their initial public offering of $38 (£23) in May to $20.62 on Thursday.
In a blog post written in August, Facebook said: "A 'like' that doesn't come from someone truly interested in connecting with a page benefits no-one."
Technology news site The Verge, citing Pagedata's statistics, noted that some of the most popular pages on Facebook had suddenly shed significant numbers of users.
The page for Texas HoldEm Poker, one of the site's most popular, shed 96,317 "likes" on Wednesday - compared with net gains of about 20,000 each day for the previous month.
Other prominent pages also saw a drop in numbers, including those of pop singers Rihanna (-28,275), Eminem (-15,420) and Lady Gaga (-34,326).
VirtualBagel Facebook page
Facebook would not confirm to the BBC that the purge was happening, but could not provide an alternative explanation for the drop in numbers.
Shedding fans Earlier this year, an investigation by BBC technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones highlighted some shortcomings in Facebook's "like" system.
His fake company, Virtual Bagel, which used Facebook's targeted advertising programme, attracted more than 1,600 "likes" - despite having neither products nor interesting content.
Closer inspection revealed these had come from accounts in countries such as India, Egypt, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Marketing experts argued that had Virtual Bagel been a real company, using Facebook advertising to gain these likes would have been a waste of money.
At the time, Facebook told the BBC that there was no "significant" problem.
But later, a blog post announced an impending crack-down on illegitimate activity. Facebook reassured users that impact would be minimal.
"On average, less than 1% of 'likes' on any given page will be removed, providing they and their affiliates have been abiding by our terms," the company said.

Facebook Inc.

Last Updated at 27 Sep 2012, 20:00 GMT *Chart shows local time Facebook Inc. intraday chart
price change %
20.32 -
-0.30
 -
-1.45
"These newly improved automated efforts will remove those 'likes' gained by malware, compromised accounts, deceived users, or purchased bulk 'likes'.
"While we have always had dedicated protections against each of these threats on Facebook, these improved systems have been specifically configured to identify and take action against suspicious 'likes'."
The aim of the tweaks was to provide "more accurate measurement of fan count and demographics" to brands that use the service to advertise their products or services.
Promoting online engagement with brands is a key component of Facebook's business model, in which it uses key information - such as age, gender and location - to target certain advertisements at specific recipients.
However, this system is increasingly coming under threat from a black market of fake "likes", sold in bulk in order to falsely boost a brand's figures.
A simple search brings up a host of websites offering large numbers of Facebook fans or "likes" - as well as followers on Twitter and views on YouTube.

Related Stories

Facebook suspends photo tag tool


Facebook Facebook-Ireland is responsible for all the site's data outside of the US and Canada and must abide by Irish law
Facebook has suspended the facial-recognition tool that suggests when registered users could be tagged in photographs uploaded to its website.
The move follows a review of Facebook's efforts to implement changes recommended by the Data Protection Commissioner of Ireland last year.
Billy Hawkes, who did not request the tool's total removal, said he was encouraged by the decision to switch it off for users in Europe by 15 October.
It is already unavailable to new users.
Mr Hawkes said Facebook "is sending a clear signal of its wish to demonstrate its commitment to best practice in data protection compliance".
Richard Allan, Facebook director of policy for Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: "The EU has looked at the issue of securing consent for this kind of technology and issued new guidance.
"Our intention is to reinstate the tag-suggest feature, but consistent with new guidelines. The service will need a different form of notice and consent."
The facial-recognition tool was not part of the company's commercial activities and did not generate many user complaints, he added.
In December 2011 the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) gave Facebook six months to comply with its recommendations.
They included more transparency about how data is used and individuals are targeted by advertisers and more user control over privacy settings.
On Friday, Mr Allan said: "When you think of the very wide ranging investigation the DPC carried out into Facebook, they looked at every aspect of our service, and our overall scorecard is very good.
"In the vast majority of areas the DPC looked into, they found we are behaving in a way that's not just compliant but a reasonable model for good practice."
Also on Friday, the DPC said there were still some areas where more work was required, and it has asked for another update from Facebook in these areas in four weeks' time.
Deputy Commissioner Gary Davis told the BBC the DPC remained concerned about whether photos marked for deletion were actually being deleted within 40 days as required under Irish Data Protection law.
"We also want some clarity about inactive and deactivated accounts - we think Facebook should contact those users after a period of time and see whether they want to come back," he said.
Many people did return to the website after long periods away, Mr David said, but users with inactive accounts should be contacted within two years of their last log-in.
Mr Davis also said he would like Facebook to do more to educate existing users about its privacy policies.
"We would also like more information in relation to advertising - there is the potential for the use of terms that could be sensitive - such as ethnicity, trade union membership, political affiliation - to be used by advertisers to target others based on those words," he said.
But Mr Davis added: "The discussions and negotiations that have taken place, while often robust on both sides, were at all times constructive with a collective goal of compliance with data protection requirements."
Source: Zoe Kleinman Technology reporter, BBC News

Related Stories

Facebook suspends photo tag tool


Facebook Facebook-Ireland is responsible for all the site's data outside of the US and Canada and must abide by Irish law
Facebook has suspended the facial-recognition tool that suggests when registered users could be tagged in photographs uploaded to its website.
The move follows a review of Facebook's efforts to implement changes recommended by the Data Protection Commissioner of Ireland last year.
Billy Hawkes, who did not request the tool's total removal, said he was encouraged by the decision to switch it off for users in Europe by 15 October.
It is already unavailable to new users.
Mr Hawkes said Facebook "is sending a clear signal of its wish to demonstrate its commitment to best practice in data protection compliance".
Richard Allan, Facebook director of policy for Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: "The EU has looked at the issue of securing consent for this kind of technology and issued new guidance.
"Our intention is to reinstate the tag-suggest feature, but consistent with new guidelines. The service will need a different form of notice and consent."
The facial-recognition tool was not part of the company's commercial activities and did not generate many user complaints, he added.
In December 2011 the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) gave Facebook six months to comply with its recommendations.
They included more transparency about how data is used and individuals are targeted by advertisers and more user control over privacy settings.
On Friday, Mr Allan said: "When you think of the very wide ranging investigation the DPC carried out into Facebook, they looked at every aspect of our service, and our overall scorecard is very good.
"In the vast majority of areas the DPC looked into, they found we are behaving in a way that's not just compliant but a reasonable model for good practice."
Also on Friday, the DPC said there were still some areas where more work was required, and it has asked for another update from Facebook in these areas in four weeks' time.
Deputy Commissioner Gary Davis told the BBC the DPC remained concerned about whether photos marked for deletion were actually being deleted within 40 days as required under Irish Data Protection law.
"We also want some clarity about inactive and deactivated accounts - we think Facebook should contact those users after a period of time and see whether they want to come back," he said.
Many people did return to the website after long periods away, Mr David said, but users with inactive accounts should be contacted within two years of their last log-in.
Mr Davis also said he would like Facebook to do more to educate existing users about its privacy policies.
"We would also like more information in relation to advertising - there is the potential for the use of terms that could be sensitive - such as ethnicity, trade union membership, political affiliation - to be used by advertisers to target others based on those words," he said.
But Mr Davis added: "The discussions and negotiations that have taken place, while often robust on both sides, were at all times constructive with a collective goal of compliance with data protection requirements."
Source: Zoe Kleinman Technology reporter, BBC News

Related Stories

Facebook suspends photo tag tool


Facebook Facebook-Ireland is responsible for all the site's data outside of the US and Canada and must abide by Irish law
Facebook has suspended the facial-recognition tool that suggests when registered users could be tagged in photographs uploaded to its website.
The move follows a review of Facebook's efforts to implement changes recommended by the Data Protection Commissioner of Ireland last year.
Billy Hawkes, who did not request the tool's total removal, said he was encouraged by the decision to switch it off for users in Europe by 15 October.
It is already unavailable to new users.
Mr Hawkes said Facebook "is sending a clear signal of its wish to demonstrate its commitment to best practice in data protection compliance".
Richard Allan, Facebook director of policy for Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: "The EU has looked at the issue of securing consent for this kind of technology and issued new guidance.
"Our intention is to reinstate the tag-suggest feature, but consistent with new guidelines. The service will need a different form of notice and consent."
The facial-recognition tool was not part of the company's commercial activities and did not generate many user complaints, he added.
In December 2011 the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) gave Facebook six months to comply with its recommendations.
They included more transparency about how data is used and individuals are targeted by advertisers and more user control over privacy settings.
On Friday, Mr Allan said: "When you think of the very wide ranging investigation the DPC carried out into Facebook, they looked at every aspect of our service, and our overall scorecard is very good.
"In the vast majority of areas the DPC looked into, they found we are behaving in a way that's not just compliant but a reasonable model for good practice."
Also on Friday, the DPC said there were still some areas where more work was required, and it has asked for another update from Facebook in these areas in four weeks' time.
Deputy Commissioner Gary Davis told the BBC the DPC remained concerned about whether photos marked for deletion were actually being deleted within 40 days as required under Irish Data Protection law.
"We also want some clarity about inactive and deactivated accounts - we think Facebook should contact those users after a period of time and see whether they want to come back," he said.
Many people did return to the website after long periods away, Mr David said, but users with inactive accounts should be contacted within two years of their last log-in.
Mr Davis also said he would like Facebook to do more to educate existing users about its privacy policies.
"We would also like more information in relation to advertising - there is the potential for the use of terms that could be sensitive - such as ethnicity, trade union membership, political affiliation - to be used by advertisers to target others based on those words," he said.
But Mr Davis added: "The discussions and negotiations that have taken place, while often robust on both sides, were at all times constructive with a collective goal of compliance with data protection requirements."
Source: Zoe Kleinman Technology reporter, BBC News

Related Stories

Richest Billionaires in the World

Two-thirds of the wealthiest people in the U.S. added to their fortunes, boosting their average net worth by $400 million to a record $4.2 billion.

Rank Name Net Worth Age Source Country of Citizenship
1 Carlos Slim Helu & family

Carlos Slim Helu & family

 $69 B 72 telecom Mexico
2 Bill Gates

Bill Gates

 $61 B 56 Microsoft United States
3 Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett

 $44 B 81 Berkshire Hathaway United States
4 Bernard Arnault

Bernard Arnault

 $41 B 63 LVMH France
5 Amancio Ortega

Amancio Ortega

 $37.5 B 75 Zara Spain
6 Larry Ellison

Larry Ellison

 $36 B 67 Oracle United States
7 Eike Batista

Eike Batista

 $30 B 55 mining, oil Brazil
8 Stefan Persson

Stefan Persson

 $26 B 64 H&M Sweden
9 Li Ka-shing

Li Ka-shing

 $25.5 B 83 diversified Hong Kong
10 Karl Albrecht

Karl Albrecht

 $25.4 B 92 Aldi Germany
11 Christy Walton & family

Christy Walton & family

 $25.3 B 57 Wal-Mart United States
12 Charles Koch

Charles Koch

 $25 B 76 diversified United States
12 David Koch

David Koch

 $25 B 71 diversified United States
14 Sheldon Adelson

Sheldon Adelson

 $24.9 B 78 casinos United States
15 Liliane Bettencourt

Liliane Bettencourt

 $24 B 89 L'Oreal France
16 Jim Walton

Jim Walton

 $23.7 B 64 Wal-Mart United States
17 Alice Walton

Alice Walton

 $23.3 B 62 Wal-Mart United States
18 S. Robson Walton

S. Robson Walton

 $23.1 B 68 Wal-Mart United States
19 Mukesh Ambani

Mukesh Ambani

 $22.3 B 54 petrochemicals, oil & gas India
20 Michael Bloomberg

Michael Bloomberg

 $22 B 70 Bloomberg LP United States
21 Lakshmi Mittal

Lakshmi Mittal

 $20.7 B 61 steel India
22 George Soros

George Soros

 $20 B 81 hedge funds United States
23 Michele Ferrero & family

Michele Ferrero & family

 $19 B 85 chocolates Italy
24 Sergey Brin

Sergey Brin

 $18.7 B 38 Google United States
24 Larry Page

Larry Page

 $18.7 B 39 Google United States
26 Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos

 $18.4 B 48 Amazon.com United States
27 Thomas & Raymond Kwok & family

Thomas & Raymond Kwok & family

 $18.3 B 0 real estate Hong Kong
28 Alisher Usmanov

Alisher Usmanov

 $18.1 B 58 steel, telecom, investments Russia
29 Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud

Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud

 $18 B 57 investments Saudi Arabia
29 Lee Shau Kee

Lee Shau Kee

 $18 B 84 diversified Hong Kong
29 Georgina Rinehart

Georgina Rinehart

 $18 B 58 Mining Australia
32 Berthold & Theo Jr. Albrecht

Berthold & Theo Jr. Albrecht

 $17.8 B 0 Aldi, Trader Joe's Germany
32 Iris Fontbona & family

Iris Fontbona & family

 $17.8 B 69 mining Chile
34 Michael Otto & family

Michael Otto & family

 $17.6 B 68 retail, real estate Germany
35 David Thomson & family

David Thomson & family

 $17.5 B 54 media Canada
35 Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg

 $17.5 B 27 Facebook United States
37 Ricardo Salinas Pliego & family

Ricardo Salinas Pliego & family

 $17.4 B 56 retail, media Mexico
38 Alberto Bailleres Gonzalez & family

Alberto Bailleres Gonzalez & family

 $16.5 B 80 mining Mexico
39 Rinat Akhmetov

Rinat Akhmetov

 $16 B 45 steel, coal Ukraine
39 Cheng Yu-tung

Cheng Yu-tung

 $16 B 86 diversified Hong Kong
41 Michael Dell

Michael Dell

 $15.9 B 47 Dell United States
41 Vladimir Lisin

Vladimir Lisin

 $15.9 B 55 steel, transport Russia
41 Azim Premji

Azim Premji

 $15.9 B 66 software India
44 Steve Ballmer

Steve Ballmer

 $15.7 B 56 Microsoft United States
45 Alexey Mordashov

Alexey Mordashov

 $15.3 B 46 steel, investments Russia
46 Vladimir Potanin

Vladimir Potanin

 $14.5 B 51 metals Russia
47 Phil Knight

Phil Knight

 $14.4 B 74 Nike United States
48 Paul Allen

Paul Allen

 $14.2 B 59 Microsoft, investments United States
48 German Larrea Mota Velasco & family

German Larrea Mota Velasco & family

 $14.2 B 58 mining Mexico
50 Carl Icahn

Carl Icahn

 $14 B 76 leveraged buyouts United States
50 Birgit Rausing & family

Birgit Rausing & family

 $14 B 88 packaging Sweden
52 Forrest Mars, Jr.

Forrest Mars, Jr.

 $13.8 B 80 candy United States
52 Jacqueline Mars

Jacqueline Mars

 $13.8 B 72 candy United States
52 John Mars

John Mars

 $13.8 B 75 candy United States
52 Joseph Safra

Joseph Safra

 $13.8 B 73 banking Brazil
56 Vagit Alekperov

Vagit Alekperov

 $13.5 B 61 Lukoil Russia
57 Mikhail Fridman

Mikhail Fridman

 $13.4 B 47 oil, banking, telecom Russia
58 Mikhail Prokhorov

Mikhail Prokhorov

 $13.2 B 46 investments Russia
59 Susanne Klatten

Susanne Klatten

 $13 B 49 BMW, pharmaceuticals Germany
59 Francois Pinault & family

Francois Pinault & family

 $13 B 75 retail France
61 Mohammed Al Amoudi

Mohammed Al Amoudi

 $12.5 B 67 oil, diversified Saudi Arabia
61 Anne Cox Chambers

Anne Cox Chambers

 $12.5 B 92 media United States
61 John Paulson

John Paulson

 $12.5 B 56 hedge funds United States
64 Robert Kuok

Robert Kuok

 $12.4 B 88 diversified Malaysia
64 Luis Carlos Sarmiento

Luis Carlos Sarmiento

 $12.4 B 79 banking Colombia
64 Viktor Vekselberg

Viktor Vekselberg

 $12.4 B 54 oil, metals Russia
67 Antonio Ermirio de Moraes & family

Antonio Ermirio de Moraes & family

 $12.2 B 83 diversified Brazil
68 Roman Abramovich

Roman Abramovich

 $12.1 B 45 steel, investments Russia
69 Donald Bren

Donald Bren

 $12 B 79 real estate United States
69 Jorge Paulo Lemann

Jorge Paulo Lemann

 $12 B 72 beer Brazil
69 Ronald Perelman

Ronald Perelman

 $12 B 69 leveraged buyouts United States
72 Len Blavatnik

Len Blavatnik

 $11.9 B 54 diversified United States
72 Leonid Mikhelson

Leonid Mikhelson

 $11.9 B 56 gas, chemicals Russia
74 Leonardo Del Vecchio

Leonardo Del Vecchio

 $11.5 B 76 eyewear Italy
75 John Fredriksen

John Fredriksen

 $11.3 B 67 shipping Cyprus
76 Aliko Dangote

Aliko Dangote

 $11.2 B 54 sugar, flour, cement Nigeria
76 Stefan Quandt

Stefan Quandt

 $11.2 B 45 BMW Germany
78 Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor & family

Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor & family

 $11 B 60 real estate United Kingdom
78 Harold Hamm

Harold Hamm

 $11 B 66 oil & gas United States
80 Savitri Jindal & family

Savitri Jindal & family

 $10.9 B 62 steel India
81 Andrey Melnichenko

Andrey Melnichenko

 $10.8 B 40 coal, fertilizers Russia
82 James Simons

James Simons

 $10.7 B 73 hedge funds United States
83 Ernesto Bertarelli & family

Ernesto Bertarelli & family

 $10.6 B 46 biotech, investments Switzerland
84 Jack Taylor & family

Jack Taylor & family

 $10.4 B 89 Enterprise Rent-A-Car United States
85 Abigail Johnson

Abigail Johnson

 $10.3 B 50 Fidelity United States
86 Robin Li

Robin Li

 $10.2 B 43 Technology China
86 Eliodoro, Bernardo & Patricia Matte

Eliodoro, Bernardo & Patricia Matte

 $10.2 B 0 paper Chile
88 Ray Dalio

Ray Dalio

 $10 B 62 hedge funds United States
88 George Kaiser

George Kaiser

 $10 B 69 oil & gas, banking United States
88 Johanna Quandt

Johanna Quandt

 $10 B 85 BMW Germany
88 Hans Rausing

Hans Rausing

 $10 B 86 packaging Sweden
88 Tadashi Yanai & family

Tadashi Yanai & family

 $10 B 63 retail Japan
93 Serge Dassault & family

Serge Dassault & family

 $9.9 B 86 aviation France
93 Ananda Krishnan

Ananda Krishnan

 $9.9 B 73 telecoms Malaysia
95 Klaus-Michael Kuhne

Klaus-Michael Kuhne

 $9.8 B 74 shipping Germany
96 Pallonji Mistry

Pallonji Mistry

 $9.7 B 82 construction Ireland
97 Alejandro Santo Domingo Davila

Alejandro Santo Domingo Davila

 $9.5 B 35 beer Colombia
98 Horst Paulmann & family

Horst Paulmann & family

 $9.3 B 77 retail Chile
99 Gennady Timchenko

Gennady Timchenko

 $9.1 B 59 oil & gas Russia
100 Laurene Powell Jobs & family

Laurene Powell Jobs & family

 $9 B 48 Apple, Disney United States
More Stories

Billionaires Who've Signed the Giving Pledge

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)