Social Networking

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The popularity of smartphones and social networking sites is keeping a growing number of people connected -- to danger, deception and a loss of academic or career opportunities.

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Internet shouldn't just be a place to gather information and connect with friends, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes. It should also be the place where you preserve and share the most important memories of your life.

Zuckerberg on Thursday unveiled a new centerpiece of the social network called "Timeline," along with ways to allow friends to discover and share music, read and comment on the news, or watch the same TV show or movie their friends are enjoying.

The eternal struggle to keep young people away from bad influences has moved to a new frontier: A research organization said Wednesday that teens who regularly log onto Facebook and other social networks are considerably more likely to smoke, drink or use marijuana than teens who don't visit the sites.

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found that teens who spend time on the networks are likely to see images of their peers drinking or using drugs -- images that could help to convince them that substance abuse is a normal, acceptable activity.

OJ Simpson pioneered public crime as spectator sport by leading the Los Angeles police on a multihour, nationally broadcast, slow-speed chase in 1994. It was riveting. People skipped dinner to watch.

I was reminded of this over the weekend as I pondered the Facebook page of Jason Valdez, the guy who posted while holding off the Ogden police for 16 hours in a hostage drama.

LOS ANGELES -- Social networking has been described as the contemporary way that people interact. While that may be true, an individual's social success in the virtual world doesn't appear to carry over into the real world, according to a new study.

Previous studies on how the Internet affects relationships have produced mixed findings. Some research shows that lots of social networking activity has a negative effect on social life while others suggest it enhances one's social circle. The new study, led by Thomas V. Pollet of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, examined 117 people age 18 to 63. They filled out an extensive questionnaire about the time they spend on instant messaging and social network sites, the number of relationships they had overall and the closeness of those relationships.

The researchers found that spending a lot of time online was not linked to having a larger number of "offline" friends. Moreover, the relationships of people who socialized online weren't any closer or stronger than people who didn't socialize online.

The average age of the study participants was 28, and it could be that age influences t

The city has approved social networking sites to get information out to residents.

The city’s website, www.northogdencity.com is still the main place for information, but the police department’s Twitter account, northogdenpd is the site the city will post any emergency information to residents and will feed back to the city’s website, said City Manager Ed Dickie.

There is also a Twitter North Ogden events site, northogdenevent and two Facebook pages for residents to access: NorthOgden PD and North Ogden City Special Events. The North Ogden recreation department also has a website that the seasonal activity guide is on at www.northogdenrecreation.com.

DENVER -- Facebook has agreed to modify its terms and conditions for agencies within states across the country, removing obstacles in resolving legal issues that arise from using the social networking site.

Changes announced Wednesday by Colorado Attorney General John Suthers include striking an indemnity clause that requires users to pay legal fees to Facebook for harm or loss, unless a state's constitution allows it.

Other changes include removing a provision that requires resolving legal disputes with Facebook in California courts, calling for the prominent display of a state agency's website on their Facebook page and encouraging amicable resolution to disputes.