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Zuck's Moscow night: A turn on a Russian talk show

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is known for his awkwardness during interviews, but his most recent one was bound to be awkward even without Zuckerberg's usual stiffness.

Appearing on Russian late-night TV show "Evening Urgant," hosted by Ivan Urgant, Zuckerberg talked about meeting Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, and Facebook's interest in Russian developers.

But there was a language barrier to overcome. Zuck listened to the translation of Urgant's quips through an earpiece. And everything he said was immediately translated for the audience by a Russian woman doing a voice-over.

"It was a lot of … Read more

Facebook: We're 'very focused' on putting ads in newsfeeds

NEW YORK -- Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg and investor Marc Andreessen again made the case for the social networking giant's opportunity in the mobile market, saying advertising on smartphones and tablets is the company's primary focus.

The two, speaking today during an interview with Charlie Rose at an advertising conference in New York, dismissed concerns that Facebook is struggling and said it's making strides in mobile.

"This is word of mouth at scale, and it's made possible through real identity ... on mobile devices we haven't seen before," Sandberg said. "… Read more

Confused by Facebook? Meet its new Help Center

No one has ever accused Facebook of being easy to figure out -- particularly when it comes to understanding its privacy polices and just what is getting shared where and with whom.

So today brings Facebook's new Help Center, which it bills as having "improved tools to improve your Facebook experience." This is a major upgrade from Facebook's first Help Center, which was launched in 2007. And while any help section is standard fare for a Web service, it's important for Facebook to be extra clear as it amps up the ways it's using … Read more

Who controls your digital assets post-mortem?

Just as you choose where your money goes after you die, you should be able to control your "digital assets" -- your online data -- when you pass away, according to a University of Illinois law professor.

Professor Jason Mazzone has written a paper titled "Facebook's Afterlife," which argues that federal agencies are responsible for safeguarding "digital afterlives" in the same manner that a bank has a duty to properly bequeath a deceased person's assets.

Mazzone, an expert in intellectual property law, says the U.S. government should take a solid role … Read more

Facebook: Clicks don't matter as much as advertisers think

Facebook, under pressure to show its power as an advertising medium, is urging advertisers to consider the bigger picture instead of measuring success with the number of clicks an ad gets.

The company says that a majority of sales come from people who see, but don't necessarily click on, online ads that promote campaigns, according to a study done in partnership with Datalogix, which compiles consumer purchasing data from retail stores.

Brad Smallwood, Facebook's head of measurement and insights, talked about the study -- which analyzed nearly 50 digital campaigns -- today at an advertising conference in New York. … Read more

No Russian research center planned for Facebook

Facebook has denied reports that Facebook plans to establish a research center in Moscow instead of luring Russian programmers to the U.S.

A company spokesperson told CNET that while the company is interested in Russia, it had no plans to expand operations into Russia at this time.

The news, reported by the Associated Press, was based on a tweet that may have been lost in translation. The tweet came from Russian communications minister Nikolay Nikiforov, who was commenting on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's visit to Russian today.

"U @ MedvedevRussia agreed with Zuckerberg, it is more profitable to … Read more

Facebook COO: Search to harness the 'wisdom of friends'

While Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg wouldn't affirm whether or not Facebook could take on Google in the search arena, it's clear the social-networking giant thinks there's an untapped revenue stream in a social search product.

"I think people are surprised how much search is done on Facebook, you know, every day there's an enormous percentage of search. There's also a promise in the market that search could become more social that we don't think this has been met," she told CNBC this morning. "When you're looking for information, … Read more

Facebook explains ad moves to try to prevent privacy freakout

Facebook, responding to worries about some of its recent advertising changes, shared some details about how it safeguards user information and said it created its new features with "privacy in mind."

Joey Tyson, Facebook privacy engineer, said yesterday in a blog post that while Facebook has designed its site to show ads that "help people discover products that are interesting to them," it also realizes that users trust the company to protect their information.

"Maintaining that trust is a top priority as we continue to grow," he said.

Tyson took pains in his blog … Read more

Facebook and Gates Foundation host education hackathon

Facebook partnered with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today to host an education-centered hackathon called "HackEd."

The goal of "HackEd" is to kick-off the Gates Foundation's new $2.5 million investment fund called the College Knowledge Challenge. The fund is dedicated to getting developers to build apps for students that would assist them in navigating the college process -- this means helping young folks get into school and stay there.

"At Facebook, we believe that a more open and connected world can have a big impact in addressing some of society's biggest … Read more