In case you’ve been living under a rock or spending every conceivable moment on Facebook and nowhere else on the web here’s a list of five stories from the past week that are worth taking a look at.
1. YouTube Sending User-Submitted Science Experiments Into Space
How cool would it be to have Stephen Hawking and a group of his peers choose your science experiment to launch into outerspace. YouTube is holding a contest through their YouTube Space Lab which allows users to submit 2-minute experiment ideas. Two winners will watch live as their experiments are carried out aboard the International Space Station. This is social media meets social experimentation at it’s finest.
2. Social Funding Platform Kickstarter Surpasses $100 Million In Pledges
Kickstarter has managed to raise more than $100 million for various startup ventures. Whether you have a new iPhone 4S peripheral you want to develop or you want to take some time off to write a children’s book this is the platform to raise the money you need for your project. Some users on Kickstarter donate $10 and some donate upwards of $5000, with those type of user generated donations it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Kickstart is fueling the new wave of technological and art based initiatives.
3. Google+ Announces Real-Time Search, Hashtag Support
With 40+ million users it was only a matter of time before Google+ began rolling out new features that might one day help fuel the Google search engine and this week they started on that journey with Real-Time Google Searches from withing Google+ while also adding Hashtag support which leads to search friendly results.
4. Foursquare iPhone and iPad Update Delivers ‘Radar’ Feature
Foursquare on Thursday rolled out the next version of their iPhone and iPad apps which brings “Radar” to the forefront of the system. Radar allows users to find recommended locations near their place of check-in and also keeps track of friends in the area.
5. 6 Reasons to Register Your Site with the U.S. Copyright Office
Our resident blogging legal expert Jonathan Bailey explains why registering your site with the U.S. Copyright Office is essential in protecting your work from copyright infringement. Jonathan also explains the difficulties that can arise when trying to collect from damages associated with a non-copyright protected blog.
Stay tuned for more social media from the Blog Herald.
