Tech Talk

This is an example of the new Facebook profile design. The new cover image is visible above the profile image.

Facebook has revolutionized its network for the betterment of its users.

The social media giant has unveiled a transformed profile interface that offers many beneficial upgrades.

Overall, the pages are cleaner and more visually appealing.

For starters, users will be able to select a strong horizontal cover image to showcase their personalities. Facebook allows users to select any shaped image and drag it around the canvas. This relieves users of the need to resize images before uploading them to the network.

However, it is important to note that because the cover image is so much wider than tall, not every photo will work well in the space. Users may update this space as often as they would like – and as easily as they would update their profile picture, which still exists.  Also, like with the profile picture, a new album is created with cover photos.

A common concern will likely concern privacy since years-old posts will now be visible again. However, users may easily hide such posts from their timeline. This is a good opportunity to remember that the best way to protect one’s privacy, however, is not upload embarrassing photos or posts.

Photos, stories and life events are now visible going back years on the timeline. One could scroll back to one’s birth or simply select a specific time by clicking on a date along the right side of the timeline.

A user could also expand a post, as well as hide or delete it at any time.

Although I have been on Facebook since 2004, posts seem to only go back to 2009 as of this posting. However, information that goes as far as back as one’s birth can be added.

Facebook Places is utilized to a greater degree than ever before.

One of the coolest things about the redesigned Facebook is the ability to see all of the places a user has checked-in on Facebook Places.

Check-ins are now presented on an attractive map, in a similar way to how the iPhone displays where images were captured. Photos and individuals tagged in a check-in are also included as well as the time and date of visit on a large global map. This upgrade will likely inspire more check-ins.

Six randomly selected friends’ images are now automatically selected and placed beneath the cover image. The link to all of one’s friends sits next to the user’s biographical information. The user’s photos, Facebook Places check-ins (categorized as “Map,”) and likes are to the widget’s right in simply-designed boxes.

Another addition is the activity log which lists all of a user’s posts and activities going back to the beginning. A user can go to this private area that other users cannot view to change the privacy for individual stories, to delete posts and more.

Although Facebook is getting a lot of criticism over the changes, the public is likely to embrace them once folks realize just how beneficial, and in many ways, overdue, the changes are.

The future of social media is here. It’s called Google+.

The technology giant’s latest attempt of dominating the social media world combines the best aspects of Facebook and Twitter. Millions of people around the world are already members of the Google community. Now these users have a simple and intuitive platform to join.

Among its many pluses (pun intended), a few stand out:

The circles feature, which your humble Tech Talk editor was at first very skeptical of, is a game-changer.

The feature gives you the opportunity to easily group information around a specific topic or group of individuals. It’s also much cleaner, like what Facebook was when it debuted more than a half-decade ago and has since cluttered. There are no applications or other annoyances to distract the user — yet.

Users are likely to find this platform to be refreshing in that they can still connect with whoever they’d like, but don’t have to be bombarded with every detail a given connection posts. Users may choose to select specific groups of individuals to populate their news feeds at any given moment. Sure, Facebook and Twitter have these options, but Google does it better. It’s easier, more prominently placed and more intuitive.

The integration with other services (like GMail, Calendar, Reader, etc…) people are already using will attract more people to Google+.

The platform is also fast and seemingly dependable.

Google+ also allows users to share content and updates with individuals not using the platform by still allowing you to add them to a circle. Your updates then get emailed to them.

While it remains to be seen if Facebook will continue its dominance in ways MySpace and other services could not, this editor is confident Google+ will be a major player. Facebook is not going to die anytime soon, but folks now have another viable option to connect with others.

Prediction: Within a year, Google+ will be more popular than Twitter and give Facebook a real run for its money.

One of the fastest spreading video clips of the past week focused on NBC’s Today Show hosts trying to figure out what the Internet was back in 1994. It was an eye-opening clip, not because three of the most educated and connected broadcasters of the time were ignorant or stupid, but because it showed how far the network has come in less than two decades.

It was also great publicity for NBC, a network your Tech Talk editor once proudly produced and edited content for.

Unfortunately, according to Washington Post columnist Rob Pegoraro, the peacock network still doesn’t understand how the Internet works.

Pegoraro tweeted late Wednesday:

The guy who posted the 1994 Today Show “what is Internet?” clip on YouTube e-mailed to say he got canned for that. Ugh.

An organization as large as NBC should recognize that such an action would do nothing good — or crush the story. One would think NBC would know that its own reporting of the technology.

In fact, if the report is true, it will simply reignite the story and lead to criticism of the network. A story that initially brought smiles to countless viewers’ faces will now surely bring grimaces.

Miss the clip? Simply search Google for “Couric + Internet” and you will quickly find one of thousands of sources.

Not smart, guys.

A new website has the potential to change the way folks look at America’s cities.

Hottblock.com, launched last week

Paul Mansour launched hottblock.com, a self-funded website out of Austin, Texas, last Tuesday. Masour created the innovative site after becoming frustrated while considering the pros and cons of job offers in different cities. He did not know anything about the communities, and his web research only provided him with statistical data — and not a feel for the culture.

After hearing that many of his friends suffered the same concerns, he launched the site that offers reviews and ratings of many medium and large cities across the country. It will give folks the opportunity to share the benefits and drawbacks of each community.

Among the communities locally listed:

• Ansonia
• Bridgeport
• Danbury
• Derby
• Milford
• New Haven
• Norwalk
• Shelton
• Stamford
• Waterbury
• West Haven

However, none of the aforementioned communities have been reviewed as of this posting. But you can change that. In fact, the founder told Tech Talk that he is depending on members of the community to help populate the pages.

“Contemplating a new job in a new city is hard enough already without the added difficulties of weighing the pros and cons of a particular city and its many neighborhoods,” Mansour told Tech Talk. ”Unless you know someone in your prospective town, it’s difficult to find the best neighborhood or part of town. I’ve had many friends over the past few years who have encountered this issue and not been satisfied with the resources currently available online.”

He said there are many sites that offer housing statistics, restaurant reviews and opinions on destinations from the perspective of a visitor — but not any that tie it all together.

“You can scour the Web for articles or posts with similar information, but hottblock.com gives visitors a chance to learn about a city from long-time residents in once place,” Mansour said. ”Though larger cities comprise most of the reviews, visitors have the option to explore reviews for any city or town in the country with a population over 5,000.”

He told Tech Talk that he is considering expanding the site to offer multimedia opportunities. It currently only allows text to be posted.

Hottblock.com has a lot of potential. Its success, however, will depend on how involved he could make the numerous communities in which he has launched portals. Currently, Mansour is depending on the site to grow through word-of-mouth. He may need to do a little more than that to be successful.

A new browser is changing the way people surf the Web and share information.

RockMelt, which requires those interested to request an invitation, allows users to share websites with friends instantly through Facebook and Twitter — while monitoring other sites through linked RSS feeds.

The specialty browser, which is integrated with Facebook and requires folks to sign into Facebook to use, allows users to monitor which friends are online and chat with them while surfing the web.

The browser will be particularly useful to folks who enjoys regularly sharing information with their friends. RockMelt allows people to simply drag and drop content to the two vertical sidebars docked on both sides of users’ screen. Suggested information is already filled in. It’s as innovative as it is simple.

Give it a try. You won’t regret it.

Facebook has introduced a dynamic new feature to help highlight various relationships users share on the social network.

The network has begun generating personalized pages for users documenting photos with both users, mutual friends, recent wall posts and similar interests. The page is accessible by either:

• Visiting a friend’s page and then selecting “View you and [person's name]“, or by
• Selecting “See Friendship” below a Wall post.

However, the feature is not just limited to you and a friend — although it does work best for folks who interact the most. It is also available if you are friends with one of the people and have permission to see both people’s profiles.

It seems to have expanded the technology first utilized when Facebook posted a photo of two people together when they declared themselves to be in a relationship.

One of the smartest people I know and Stamford’s own Matthew T. Comer once hypothesized that if time travel will ever be possible, it has already happened. He went on to explain that chances are a time traveler from the future would likely want to explore history hence going to a time earlier than today. Logical. So is time travel possible? Comer believes so.

If he is right, and he almost always is, then why hasn’t a time traveler been identified yet? Perhaps at least one has.

The Web is alive in talk about a man captured talking on what appears to be a cell phone during the filming of Charlie Chaplin’s 1928 silent movie, “The Circus.” You can read more about it in this New York Daily News article.

Of course, if it is a cell phone, Tech Talk would have to believe it is far from the distant future as there would not be the satellites or towers to allow for conversation and it would need to have technology within it to do without them. And one would think it would transcend transcontinental communication. It would very likely be transtime chat — and just imagine the possibility of that.

Above all, it is a fun idea to think about. Similarly seemingly irrational ideas have been proven possible. So why not this?

The Sony Walkman ushered in a new generation of technology — and with it a definition of what it means to be cool.

Thirty-one years ago the world was a different place.

Among the goings-on in 1979:

• Margaret Thatcher became prime minister of the United Kingdom;
• The Soviets invaded Afghanistan;
• Tom Wolfe had “The Right Stuff”;
• Three Mile Island threatened to have a melt down; and
• The world’s masses was first able to transport their most happening tunes with them wherever they went.

Of course, the Walkman’s quality was nowhere near the digital purity Apple’s iPod would offer a generation later — nor would it risk unspooling listeners’ favorite beats. But it nonetheless revolutionized our music-listening habits.

And for all of that, the world has moved on. And Sony has announced that it would no longer be manufacturing the cassette-playing device, according to media reports.

However, all is that not lost. While Sony may no longer be manufacturing the universe-shifting device, several companies in China will continue to under licensing agreements. But still, an era has ended and the world will never be quite the same.