JACK IS BACK!

Twitter just added automatic link-shortening on Twitter.com. This means that whenever you paste a link into the tweet box on Twitter.com, it will get shortened automatically. 

We wouldn't have noticed it because it already happens on the apps we use, but, hey, neat!

More importantly, as Jason Calacanis points out (on Twitter, natch), this is part of a volley of new features that have been added to the Twitter product lately, like a follow button, new Twitter photos service and a revamped Twitter search. Not to mention the amazing deal to integrate Twitter deeply into iOS.

The reason for that is that Twitter's inventor and product visionary, Jack Dorsey, is back in the house. Twitter's problem is breaking into the mainstream: hundreds of millions of people are signed up for the service and even more people have heard of it, but comparatively few people actually use it.

We said that getting people to use it won't be one big thing, but plenty of small things. Jack Dorsey apparently agrees, and he's hard at work making it happen. And as big Twitter fans, it's great to watch.

Don't Miss: Jack Dorsey, Apple CEO?

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See Also:

• HUGE WIN FOR TWITTER
• Jack Dorsey Says He's Working 16-20 Hours A Day At Square And Twitter
• Twitter Buys A Startup – And The CEO Takes A Job At Facebook Instead

JACK IS BACK!

Backlink: http://www.businessinsider.com/jack-dorsey-twitter-executive-chairman-product-leader-2011-6

The One Technology Google Is Holding Back (GOOG)

Google has been known for ambitiously developing technology that seems more science fiction than Silicon Valley, such as self-driving cars, but former Google CEO Eric Schmidt shared one technology he says is the only one Google has ever built, then withheld: facial recognition.

Continue at HuffPo >

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See Also:

• Google Wallet: Handicapping Why It Will (And Won't) Work
• INSIDE GOOGLE: "In The Plex" Author Steven Levy Tells Us Everything
• Google Starts Including A Bunch Of Useless Flight Data In Search Results

The One Technology Google Is Holding Back (GOOG)

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MySpace Founder Hints He'd Like To Buy It Back

MySpace cofounder Chris DeWolfe hinted that he's interested in buying his old company back from News Corp.

DeWolfe's interest was rumored earlier this year, but yesterday in an interview with Businessweek, he issued a non-denial denial that suggests he's strongly interested:

I can't talk about whether we have any interest in buying Myspace now—it's a confidential process—but it's the biggest property for sale at what, in this market, would be a somewhat reasonable price. You always care if there's an asset that you feel is undervalued when you had a plan to develop it.

DeWolfe runs social gaming company MindJolt now.

He says that he's open to working on any platform: "It doesn't matter if you play on Facebook or your smartphone. We're not wedded to one platform. I'd love to work with Myspace again."

It's hard to imagine anybody turning MySpace around, but at least he understands the pitfalls: you can't just compete with dominant players like Facebook and Twitter. You have to "outflank" them, he says.

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See Also:

• How Do You Feel About Facebook?
• Zuckerberg And Sandberg "Fundamentally Disagree" Over Whether Facebook Should Go To China
• BUSTED: It Was FACEBOOK That Hired A Former CNBC Reporter To Spread Lies About Google

MySpace Founder Hints He'd Like To Buy It Back

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Comment on Back to the (Office of the) Future by Anonymous

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Comment on Back to the (Office of the) Future by Anonymous

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Happy Birthday Twitter. Yes, You’re Awesome. Now Back To Work (On Search And Archives)

I woke up this morning and my Twitter stream looked like a Facebook Wall on a teenager's birthday. "Happy birthday, Twitter!" "Twitter, you're the best, happy bday!" "Can't believe you're five Twitter!" These messages came in fast and furious from folks in the tech sphere, folks not in the tech sphere, celebrities, Twitter employees. On and on and on. And that's great. Twitter is awesome. Even if you're unwilling to admit that it has changed the world, there's no denying that it has drastically changed the tech landscape and the way information is created and consumed. And it continues to do so. So yes, happy birthday, Twitter. And now it's time to get back to work.

Happy Birthday Twitter. Yes, You’re Awesome. Now Back To Work (On Search And Archives)

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Microsoft: Please Bring Back The Old Windows Phone Ads (MSFT)

Microsoft's first crop of ads for Windows Phone puzzled some folks, but they put forth a simple idea -- using Windows Phone means you don't have to spend so much time staring at your phone -- in a funny way.

Dropping your phone in a urinal? Forgetting to open your parachute because you're taking pictures on your phone? That's funny. Or at least memorable.

But they didn't help sales, and now Microsoft has reverted to form. The new ads outline features of the phone.

The tagline: "the only phone with Office, Xbox Live, and thousands of apps."

That's true, but Office? That's a real eye-glazer for most consumers. It's certainly not going to inspire the kind of emotional response that a good iPhone ad does.

The ads actually debuted last month, but they're showing up a lot during the March Madness NCAA basketball tournament.

Here's the 30-second ad that showed up during the UConn-Cincy game last night. Judge for yourself.

And here's a one minute ad that includes a telling quote from a user: "corrected a power point in my bed...pretty awesome."

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See Also:

• Microsoft Is Taking Pains To Keep Samsung On Board With Windows Phone
• THE MICROSOFT INVESTOR: HP Basically Tells Microsoft It Doesn't Need Them
• Microsoft's Latest For Windows Phone 7: Onit, An App For Men

Microsoft: Please Bring Back The Old Windows Phone Ads (MSFT)

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Google Docs Missing ‘Details View’ Back Now!

Google Docs recent homepage refresh added many useful features, but also made some changes; like Google somehow decided to hide useful information like the last modified date and the list of collaborators from the list view because it was available in the sidebar.

Google Docs Missing ‘Details View’ Back Now!

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Page Is Back as CEO, But Is That What Google Really Needs?

Just as Silicon Valley was starting to come to terms with the sudden departure of Apple founder and CEO Steve Jobs, another technology giant dropped a bombshell: Google CEO Eric Schmidt said he is stepping down to become executive chairman of the company. Schmidt says he will focus primarily on government relations, while Larry Page is going to take back the CEO role he held until Schmidt arrived to take the job in 2001. Although Schmidt will still be around to advise on various matters, the executive shuffle makes it clear that Larry Page is now in sole control of the web giant. But does he have what Google needs? That’s not obvious.

Page Is Back as CEO, But Is That What Google Really Needs?

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Comment on Page Is Back as CEO, But Is That What Google Really Needs? by PXLated

I'll second that - Excellent post - Best of the many I've read.

Comment on Page Is Back as CEO, But Is That What Google Really Needs? by PXLated

Backlink: http://gigaom.com/2011/01/20/eric-schmidt-larry-page-google-ceo/#comment-578639

Comment on Why People Don't Follow Back on Twitter by Lee

I agree. Twitter is about getting the best of strangers, accessing ideas and information from people you wouldn't otherwise come into contact with. The social part is the part where anyone can mention you and interact with you - not the following back indiscriminately.

Comment on Why People Don't Follow Back on Twitter by Lee

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TUMBLR IS BACK!

Tumblr is on its way back up after an extended outage that started yesterday.

While the outage was certainly a bad and stressful thing for the company, it shouldn't cost it too many users, provided it doesn't become a habit. (And provided there wasn't a massive data loss.) It's not like this is an expensive enterprise software suite.

Tumblr's twitter account says: "The recovering database cluster is online and healthy. We're incrementally opening up access to blogs while monitoring performance."

For proof, here's a screenshot of Tumblr founder David Karp's blog.

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See Also:

• Vote On Which Tumblr You Miss The Most With "Tumblr Has Failed"
• How Tumblr Grew From 450,000 Users To Several Millions
• Tumblr Lands "Very Big And Competitive" Round From Sequoia

TUMBLR IS BACK!

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