Might be bad for Yahoo, but I'm not sorry the deal fell through...

Quoted: It is axiomatic in the online world that no one knows what anything is truly worth. Yet for practically all of its corporate life, Yahoo has been comfortable with the answer: It's worth more.

Really fascinating article from Slate that questions the idea of Web democracy through user-generated content sites like Wikipedia and Digg. The author raises some great points. Tal, this reminds me of the book you edited!

Quoted: Social-media sites like Wikipedia and Digg are celebrated as shining examples of Web democracy, places built by millions of Web users who all act as writers, editors, and voters. In reality, a small number of people are running the show. According to researchers in Palo Alto, 1 percent of Wikipedia users are responsible for about half of the site's edits.

Despite the fact that Yahoo! Answers has been more successful than Google's similar venture, this article refers to it as "every middle-school teacher's worst nightmare about the Web." Apparently the factual errors are egregious...

Quoted: The blockbuster success of Yahoo! Answers is surprising once you spend a few days using the site. While Answers is a valuable window into how people look for information online, it looks like a complete disaster as a traditional reference tool.

Yeah, this was a bad PR move. I mean, of course users were going to be annoyed when they figured it out...

Quoted: Saying it went too far in its pursuit of profit, the popular Internet hangout is allowing its users to permanently turn off its "Beacon" advertising program.

Fascinating piece about how e-mail is becoming obsolete (although not in my world - I check it obsessively). Apparently, 50% of teen Internet users prefer IM over e-mail and Web sites like Facebook are now the communication hubs.

Quoted: Those of us older than 25 can't imagine a life without e-mail. For the Facebook generation, it's hard to imagine a life of only e-mail, much less a life before it.

Happy birthday to my fellow Virgo, digital smiley face!

Quoted: Twenty-five years ago, a Carnegie Mellon University professor was the first to use three keystrokes — a colon followed by a hyphen  and a parenthesis as a horizontal "smiley face" in a computer message.

Apparently this is the social networking site of choice for preteens. The more penguins in your igloo, the more popular you are. Great, the awkward social divisions of middle school have a new outlet...

Quoted: I'm not sure, but I think I went on date with a 12-year-old last night. We met at Club Penguin, a social networking site for preteens. I was a blue penguin, new to town. She was pink, and carrying a surfboard.