Tag Archives: Twitter

IBM Taps Big Data to Help Solve Water Challenges Across South Africa

“WaterWatchers,” a new mobile app, harnesses the power of crowdsourcing

Johannesburg, South Africa – 22 Mar 2013: IBM marks World Water Day with the launch of a crowdsoucing project to help capture, share and analyze information about the water distribution system in South Africa. The project, called “WaterWatchers,” is driven by a new mobile phone application and SMS capability that will enable South African citizens to report water leaks, faulty water pipes and general conditions of water canals. Every update will provide vital data points to an aggregated “WaterWatchers” report to create a single view of the issues challenging South Africa’s water distribution system.

The free app, which is currently available for Android and available for download at www.ibmwaterwatchers.co.za, and the SMS capability* together provide an easy way for anyone to collect and report issues on local waterways and pipes to a centralized portal. After taking a photo and answering three simple questions about the particular water canal or pipe, the data is uploaded in real-time to a central database. After 30 days, the data will be analyzed and aggregated into a meaningful “leak hot spot” map for South Africa. (more…)

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‘Most Verbose’: Meet Microsoft’s Original MVP

Twenty years ago, Calvin Hsia created a list of the “Most Verbose People” on a CompuServe forum that became Microsoft’s Most Valuable Professional program.

REDMOND, Wash. – It’s 1993, and you need technical support. Who you gonna call?

Most techies at the time would plug in their modems and dial up CompuServe. In the days before Twitter, Facebook and broadband, CompuServe’s forums were a gathering place for geeks to talk shop and get answers to burning questions. (more…)

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Social Network Use Reflects East-West Disparity

The stark contrast between America’s “me-first” culture and the “collective-good” mentality in China is reflected in the two countries’ use of social networking sites, according to a new study led by a Michigan State University scholar.

U.S. citizens spend more time on the networking sites, consider them to be more important and have more “friends” on the sites, the research found. The most popular social networking site in the United States is Facebook; in China, two of the most popular sites are RenRen and Qzone. (more…)

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Let Bing Show You the Love This Valentine’s Day

One in 10 people say February means the end for relationships gone bad — time to give Google the boot?

REDMOND, Wash. — Feb. 4, 2013 — Tired of being let down in love on Valentine’s Day? According to a recent survey from Bing and Impulse Research Corp., a surprising one in 10 people have ended a relationship on arguably the most romantic day of the year. This year Bing is challenging people to reconsider their search habit and break up with Google. You wouldn’t keep dating someone who isn’t trustworthy, so why use a search engine known for serving its interests over your own? In fact, a whopping 85 percent of people report that trustworthiness is the most important trait in a mate, beating out good in bed, sense of humor and wealth. (more…)

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Internet Banging: Gangs Use Social Media to Trade Insults, Threats

ANN ARBOR — Gangs now occupy two spaces: the streets and the Internet.

A new University of Michigan study reports that, in addition to carrying guns, gang members have armed themselves with social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to incite dares, trade insults or make threats that may result in homicide or other crimes.

Researchers have described this new interaction as “Internet banging.” They examine several factors, including the role of hip-hop music in this phenomenon and urban masculinity’s influence on social media behavior. (more…)

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IBM Delivers New Software and Cloud Services to Accelerate Social Business

ARMONK, N.Y. – 28 Jan 2013: IBM today announced new software and cloud-based services to help business leaders, such as chief marketing officers and chief human resource officers, advance their organization’s transformation with the adoption of social business technology. The new offerings will help business leaders integrate IBM’s industry-leading social networking and analytics technologies into their business processes to empower the 21st Century workforce and transform client experiences. (more…)

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Bing Brings More of Facebook to Search

Bing is the only search engine to bring your Facebook friends into your search. </object></div> <p><mce:script type=”text/javascript”><!– document.write(“<script type=’text/javascript’ src=’” + (window.location.protocol) + “//c.microsoft.com/ms.js’><\/script>”); // –></mce:script></p> <p><span style=”color: #000000;” _mce_style=”color: #000000;”><strong>REDMOND, Wash. — Jan. 17, 2013 —</strong> With every search that people do, Bing believes there is a person out there who can help you […]

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