San Francisco - After a sophisticated attack hit Twitter's users over the weekend, the micro-blogging firm is ramping up their efforts to implement a "two-factor authentication" option that would make it impossible for hackers or vandals to break into accounts - even if they acquired the passwords. (more…) 
New York -- In a move to keep its users engrossed, the emerging social-networking site is mixing things up a bit to make its pins even more gripping. Pinterest, over the weekend showed off a new look that it will be testing out with a few select users. The update will roll out on Pinterest.com to “a small group of people,” Pinterest said in a blog post. Those who are interested in testing it out can request to be included in that group.
The changes are subtle but Pinterest is readying a test that will alter the inspirational site with a tweaked navigation, bigger pins, and an overall faster site experience, the company announced.
First, the experimental Pinterest look will roll out to a small group of people as the startup attempts to help its users get more information about pins they care about. “We made the navigation more intuitive, so it is faster to get to where you want to go,” Pinterest said.
On the other hand, it appears as though Pinterest is incorporating the features already present on its mobile apps, like drop-down menus on the top left for the various Pinterest categories (see below) rather than the smaller ones currently in the center on Pinterest.com.
As a matter of fact, the updates may be hard to spot for those who are not design enthusiasts, the aesthetic is easier on the eyes with a new gray gradient background behind all pins and the subtle changes will be an improvement for discovering new content on the site.
“Pins are bigger and we have added more information related to pins, so it is easier to find things you are interested in,” Vy Pham, software engineer at Pinterest, wrote in an official company blog post. “For instance, on each pin, you will see pins from the same board, other boards this pin was pinned to, and a whole slew of related pins.”
Pinterest tests bigger, bolder pins... (Credit: Pinterest)
“In addition to the changes you can see, we also made some improvements behind the scenes that we hope will make things faster.” With the redesign, Pinterest.com will also be testing its navigational elements contained inside a red-button drop-down menu on the left-hand side that offers members shortcut access to the feed, popular pins, and categories of pins. The structure replaces the current “Following,” “Categories,” “Everything,” and “Popular” links atop the homepage.
In fact, from the looks of it, Pinterest has opted for a design-driven approach to get people to explore pins with reckless abandon. Once the changes are previewed with a small group of users and Pinterest “works out the kinks, we will share it more broadly.”
Pinterest is testing a new navigation menu designed to make exploration more intuitive... (Credit: Pinterest)
Pinterest is a social network for clipping recipes, fashion finds, housewares, and other aspirational digital goods to collections called “boards.” The update preview comes shortly after Pinterest made its first acquisition--recipe discovery site Punchfork. Last year, Pinterest boasted what Nielsen reported is the largest year-over-year increase in total time spent on social media in the U.S. -- 1,698 percent.
Now, the San Francisco-based company is getting ready to mix things up a bit. So, if you are interested to join the test group, Pinterest is offering an early access to its new features. You can send your information here to get started.
San Francisco -- If you are the kind of person who likes to send text messages using emoticons, then according to TechCrunch, Facebook just allowed a small number of its users post statuses this week that include small and colorful icons, similar to the emoticons people often use in text messages, emails and on Facebook chat, which could help the network gauge your interests in real-time.
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Los Angeles - Are you searching for something special to get your Facebook friend as a gift? Well! In a surprising move, Facebook Inc., the most popular social network on Thursday unveiled the Facebook Card, which it dubbed as "a new type of gift card," a reusable gift card that can be used at Jamba Juice, Olive Garden, Sephora, and Target.
London -- Riding on the heels of the recent U.S. lawsuit against Google for Safari tracking, a new privacy battle against the Web giant is heating up in the U.K. as a group of Apple's Safari web browser users have initiated their own legal campaign against Google over privacy concerns. The group asserts that Google dodged Safari's security settings to install cookies which tracked their movements on the internet. (more…) 
Dubai -- In view of its rising interest in the region, micro-blogging outfit Twitter Inc., late last week commenced advertising services in the Middle East and North Africa, in association with an Egyptian digital advertising agency Connect Ads, as the social media firm seeks to exploit a tripling of its regional subscriber base following its widespread use during the Arab Spring protests in the region over the past year. (more…)