Myspace

If you use both Outlook and MySpace, you are part of an interesting demographic. But you are also in luck.

Microsoft and MySpace said on Wednesday that they are ready with the beta version of a tool that lets Outlook users see their MySpace connections within the e-mail and calendaring program. A new "social connector" feature for Outlook lets users connect to social networks, including MySpace, LinkedIn, and soon Facebook, too.

In a blog posting, Microsoft said the connector for MySpace is now ready.

"MySpace for Outlook enables you to view activity updates for friends and colleagues … Read more

Earlier this week, BoomTown visited MySpace headquarters in Beverly Hills, Calif., to interview its new co-presidents, Michael Jones and Jason Hirschhorn, and get a look-see at its evolving revival plans to stop the social-networking ship from sinking further.

Thus, I got a tour of a storyboard-like room at MySpace, where the team is trying to formulate the "discover and be discovered" motto it is now using, which is pretty much its old motto restated.

Can the old become new again?

In fact, a lot of the plan does sound a lot like shades of the past at MySpace, … Read more

A recent survey from the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 73 percent of online teens use social-networking sites. Updating their Facebook or MySpace page has become a regular activity for teens as is using these services to catch up on what their peers are doing. But, for the most part, teens are using social networking while they are away from school. Many schools actually ban access to services like Facebook and Twitter and often configure filtering programs to block students from accessing them.

While I can understand why it might not be educationally relevant for schools to … Read more

MySpace has apparently scheduled an all-hands meeting Thursday, which one source noted was to talk about new order and rally the likely much dispirited troops at the struggling social-networking site.

With the sudden firing of relatively recently installed CEO Owen Van Natta last week by News Corp. digital head Jon Miller, it will be up to the two new co-presidents he installed, Jason Hirschhorn and Mike Jones, to give the MySpace employees a whole lot of reason to believe that they can reinvigorate a site that seems woefully resistant to revival so far.

While the one-time trio of Van Natta, … Read more

In our struggling economy, it's nice to know that our commander-in-chief is doing his part to provide jobs to our country. Well, at least one: Barack Obama is hiring a new Social Networks Manager! Your mission, should you choose to accept it, will be to "maintain the Democratic Party and Organizing for America accounts on all social networks (such as Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace accounts, etc." Who wouldn't want to be Barack Obama's Internet ambassador? It's time to beef up that resume, write an outstanding cover letter, channel your inner Gabriel, and fill out this application...no word yet on compensation.

Touch-screen smartphones are fun to use, but what happens when users don't want to remove their gloves in the freezing winter to send a text message or a play a game? We've seen some asinine iPhone accessories, but the latest trend in South Korea is too hilarious to ignore.

Clever citizens discovered that a certain brand of sausage can be used as a stylus in lieu of a human finger. CJ Corporation, the business behind the "Maekseubong" sausages, reported a record breaking 39 percent revenue increase over the last year thanks to the discovery. Check out this video of a guy playing a Taiko drumming game using two of the Maxbong (tiny sausage) snacks.

Lots of sticker pictures and voice-mails today, including an official 404 Olympic Update and a crazy story about how The 404 helped a listener through an automobile accident. Glad you're safe, Jersey from Pete!

Considering all you hear about social networks finally starting to convince the advertising industry that they're a worthwhile destination for dollars, it's a bit surprising to see new numbers from eMarketer that put social networks' share of the digital-ad marketplace at a paltry 5.5 percent last year.

That's up from 5 percent in 2008, the stats released Thursday say. The good news is that, unlike some other sectors of the ad world, it's not shrinking--but it's also not growing exponentially by any means. After plunging from a 61 percent rate of growth in 2008 … Read more

Japanese pop star Leah Dizon joins the guys on today's episode of CNET's The 404 Podcast, and Mark Licea also joins the fun to talk about his personal history with the international sensation.

It's not every day we get a chance to interview a Japanese pop star, so when we found out that Mark Licea of CNET's The Green Show grew up with host/model/singer Leah Dizon, we booked her right away. Mark hangs out in the studio as well and we get the inside scoop on their childhood friendship, Leah's rise to fame in the States and abroad, and Japan's advanced technology that makes our iPhone look like the Jitterbug.

In the second half of the show, Wilson tells us a strange story about a man who claims that a booty call cell phone ruined his life. Apparently a Canadian woman found a series of lewd photo messages on her boyfriend's phone. After she confronted him about the pictures, the guy blamed Virgin Mobile for selling him a used phone with preloaded media. Nothing fishy here...

We also can't ignore the big news of the day: Google is testing out its new Internet service that promises speeds of 1Gbps. The fiber-optic network is set to humiliate Verizon FiOS, but at a more "competitive price," whatever that means. If you want Google to test out the service in your home town, you can sign up online anytime before March 26.

Thanks to Leah Dizon for chatting with us today! Check out her Web site and buy her music! Also, be sure to send your Valentine's Day questions to the404(at)cnet[dot]com, because the girls of Sugar Rock Catwalk will be in the studio tomorrow to offer tips on how to impress your boo bear this Sunday!

MySpace Chief Executive Owen Van Natta is stepping down less than one year after assuming the job, parent company News Corp. announced late on Wednesday.

Van Natta's resignation is effective immediately. He will be replaced by Mike Jones, chief operating officer, and Jason Hirschhorn, chief product officer, who are being promoted to serve as co-presidents, News Corp. said in a statement.

The new co-presidents will each report to Jon Miller, chairman and chief executive of digital media for News Corp. Asked whether the company would be looking to hire a new CEO for MySpace, spokeswoman Dani Dudeck said the … Read more

As social-media sites like Facebook grow in popularity among teenagers and young adults, good ol' blogging has declined sharply over the past three years for this set, a new report shows.

In 2006, 28 percent of teens ages 12 to 17 and young adults ages 18 to 29 were bloggers, according to survey results released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center. By the fall of 2009, however, these numbers dropped to 14 percent of teens and 15 percent of young adults. During the same period, the percentage of online adults over 30 who are blogging rose from 7 percent in … Read more