The Social Networking Goldrush

I discovered a very interesting opensourse 'social software' service called elgg.net today that on the surface, appears to be much better than that ugly old beast 'myspace' (elgg.net has a focus upon learning). This article by one the the writers on the elgg.net system, Ben Ward, tells it all.

Whose Space?

 

In April 2005, the New York State Attorney General alleged that Intermix Media, an Internet marketing firm, was the source for illegally installed spyware that quietly launched ads on millions of computers across the country. They had created a website that allowed users to change their mouse cursor to one of their choosing (something that you can do anyway with a very minimal amount of tweaking) – and the catch was a pop up advertising engine that users inadvertently downloaded at the same time. Intermix Media eventually settled for nearly $8 million without admitting guilt.