graphs

Google Knowledge Graph hands-on: The Web's tail is long indeed

I got the magic cookie to turn on the new Google Search Knowledge Graph feature yesterday.

My searches now ping Google's 500-million-strong database of "things." So in addition to standard list-of-links search results, I get sweet data, beautifully packaged -- when there's a Knowledge Graph hit -- in place of an empty sidebar or one filled with ads.

Except for when I don't get the Knowledge Graph, which is most of the time.

It turns out that searching for "things" isn't something I do a lot of the time. If I were … Read more

Google adds factoids to search results

In today's show, Google search gets smarter, Verizon ends its unlimited data era, and E.T. tweet home?

Google search results will now look a bit different. Google has launched the Knowledge Graph, a database of 500 million people, places, and things, and it will show up in your search to give you more info on a topic and help you find related items. Google is rolling it out in the next few days to desktop, mobile and tablet users.

You can't always count on iPhone rumors being true, but here's one that's looking pretty solid: … Read more

Google bringing new smarts to search with Knowledge Graph

Google has long sought to index the world's information -- and it's now taking things a step farther with an effort to create "a database of everything in the world." And it's bringing this effort to your search results pages.

The new Knowledge Graph project, rolling out to English-language Google Search users over the next few days, provides more data snippets alongside its query results than the search engine currently provides. The results are based on Google's new database of 500 million people, places, and things, says Jack Menzel, Product Management Director of Search … Read more

Facebook's Trending Articles finds foes among the clutter

Facebook's new "Trending Articles" feature, which it's been testing for the last few weeks, is already finding critics complaining about clutter in their News Feeds.

The new feature, which adds links to articles that friends have read in their News Feed, is part of a broader effort by Facebook to create what it calls "frictionless" sharing. Media companies that have created apps using the feature include Yahoo and The Guardian, among others.

Mingled among posts from friends about their kids accomplishments or their latest vacation adventures, Facebook is adding links to articles that those … Read more

Facebook's Timeline spells success for apps

A couple of months ago, most people had no idea what Viddy was. Since getting its start in April 2011, this app -- which is like Instagram but for video -- tallied 60,000 monthly active users. Then, in February, Viddy launched its Facebook Timeline app and it's been smooth sailing ever since.

Now Viddy has more than 1.7 million monthly active users and averages about 300,000 new registered users per day. Since its Timeline launch, there have been more than 15 million interactions with Viddy content on Facebook. Also, for the first time ever, it's … Read more

Facebook inserts 'listen' button on musicians' pages

The ways to listen to music on Facebook continue to grow. The social network launched a "listen" button on music artists' pages today.

On the top right corner between the "like" and "message" buttons on musicians' fan pages, users can click "listen" and be guided to songs on any of the music streaming services the user has signed up for, such as Spotify and Rdio.

This is different than the "listen with" buttons users can click when they see what their friends are listening too; those buttons were created by … Read more

Touch-screen spread sheets

Numbers for iOS works well for creating spreadsheets and organizing data while away from your desktop, with a multitude of useful tools and a smart interface design to make your spreadsheet work easier. On the iPhone the app works admirably, but the smaller screen size makes it a bit less easy to use than the iPad version.

The app comes with a Getting Started file that walks you through everything from basic spreadsheet use to more-complicated features using an intuitive tabbed interface. As you learn the various features, the Getting Started file directs you to try them on your own … Read more

Facebook adds 12 media apps to its Timeline roster

Love 'em or hate 'em, Facebook's timeline apps seem to be here to stay.

After news yesterday of Open Graph driving astounding amounts of traffic, Facebook announced today that 12 more media properties would be adding apps to Facebook's timeline.

"As media organizations build new timeline apps, initial results show significant increases in traffic and engagement, while allowing media sites to reach new--often younger--demographics," Facebook Director of Media Partnerships Justin Osofsky said in a statement.

The new apps include Buzzfeed, CBS Local: Los Angeles and New York, CMT, The Daily Show, GetGlue, Huffington Post, Mashable, MSNBC.… Read more

Open Graph boosts traffic to Facebook Timeline apps

After less than a month in the wild, Open Graph is already a huge source of traffic and engagement for Facebook Timeline apps.

Facebook revealed last fall that it would be expanding its lexicon beyond the "like" with Open Graph, which helps third-party publishers link their content with the social network and allows users to see what friends are doing on other sites and join in. Although it's only been a few weeks since additional verbs like eating, buying, and listening to began appearing in earnest, the social network is pleased with the early results.

Facebook today … Read more