Social networks are trying to out-friendly each other in the eyes of developers. Facebook, MySpace and now Google have all pushed the "open" development card, but Google has taken the idea to the extreme with OpenSocial, an alliance that offers a universal development platform to programmers, so they create software that runs on multiple social networks. MySpace and Bebo, the No. 1 and No. 3 ranked social networks are among those that have signed up for the Google initiative. However, as with any new development, there are security concerns. In the midst of all this "openness," how can the …

At mobile wireless conference in Asia, Warner Music Chief Edgar Bronfman basically admitted that the music industry has been wrong in its reaction to peer-to-peer file-sharing networks, over which millions of copyrighted materials are illegally downloaded every day. Bronfman warned the mobile industry against making the same mistake. "How were we wrong? By standing still or moving at a glacial pace, we inadvertently went to war with consumers by denying them what they wanted and could otherwise find and as a result of course, consumers won," he said. Turning to mobile content, Bronfman said "the …

Bebo on Tuesday became the first social network to invite major media companies to make their content available to its 20 million-strong user base. The site's users can now legally post music and video files to their profile pages. The initiative, called Open, has an impressive list of launch partners, too: Viacom's MTV, CBS Corp., Walt Disney Co.'s ESPN, Yahoo Inc., Sony Pictures Entertainment Co.'s Crackle and JibJab Media Inc. Bebo is the No. 3 social network on the Web, but its strategy of connecting users through entertainment--which now includes both original programming and traditional media content--encroaches more …

Both Google and Yahoo aim to turn their email services into social networks. Both plan to introduce social features that keep people using their applications for longer. The idea is to turn iGoogle and MyYahoo into a more central hub that serves the triple purpose of being a personalized home page, an email inbox and a social networking profile. So you can ignore Orkut, OpenSocial, Yahoo Mash and Yahoo 360-baby steps in a broader plan-although these will one day be integrated with the new socialized home pages. Google was shorter on details about its plan, but Joe Kraus, …

Google's recent moves-OpenSocial, Android and the Open Handset Alliance, and enhancements to Google Maps and its Gmail email service-indicate the Web giant is on the path to ubiquity. The company wants all Internet users to do everything online, and store everything they do online, from sharing digital pictures to creating spreadsheets.. The company calls it "cloud computing," which refers to the ready accessibility of Google's vast database of information from any device, anywhere across the globe. Google wants its users to always be connected, so it can constantly send relevant advertisements their way, all day. The so-called "cloud" …

Yahoo on Tuesday settled a lawsuit brought against it by two Chinese journalists who were imprisoned after the company handed over information about their pro-democracy activities on Yahoo's sites. The Chinese writers had accused Yahoo of being complicit in their wrongful arrest for exercising free speech on the Web. The settlement is an interesting development considering that most lawyers thought the Chinese pair really had no case against Yahoo. Last week, the Web giant received a high-profile tongue lashing in a public hearing conducted by the House Foreign Affairs Committee about the company's activities in China, which included handing over …

Things have been looking down for telecom giant Sprint Nextel for some time. Following the resignation of CEO Gary Forsee, the company's WiMAX plans are up in the air. Investors see WiMAX as a huge risk, particularly for a company that's recently been under-performing so badly. Last week, Sprint announced it was halting its joint venture with Clearwire, citing Forsee's departure and the complexity of building a nationwide WiMAX network. Now, rumor has it that Google might be interested in buying Sprint. With the search giant's mobile ambitions are on the table, it's clear that the biggest impediment to …

Last week, Google launched Android as a mobile software operating system. Yesterday, Google released its software development kit for Android and posted a demonstration video on YouTube that shows off the platform, urging developers to start creating software. The search giant also set aside $10 million to give out as prizes for developers who create programs for Android. Co-founder Andy Rubin says that the key differentiator between Android and Windows Mobile or OS X is "openness." Rather than just an open SDK, the entire operating system is open to inspection, meaning that the whole mobile industry will have access …

The Web advertising industry is at a crossroads: Nobody pays any attention to display ads, classifieds are ruled by Craigslist, which is free, and search continues to be the industry's main driver. Aside from search, a direct marketing tactic, "there's scant evidence that online ads are finding their mark." Meanwhile, money continues to pour into the Web. Facebook Ads vs. OpenSocial (the Google alliance) is "the first great battle for the future of advertising on the web." With Facebook Ads, we have the first attempt by a large social network to leverage the substantial power of interpersonal word of mouth …

Rumor has it the Federal Trade Commission is seriously considering a "Do Not Track" list that would let Web users opt-out of data tracking. Consumer privacy groups have suggested as much, saying the marketing practice is out of control and that industry self-regulation is no longer effective. To the layman, it might sound as though there is no self-regulation at all, and that consumers are powerless to do anything about the backlog of data being collected about them. That's untrue: "Informed consumers can, using the tools available right now on their computers and choices companies provide them, control the extent …