Jennifer Christine Harris, a Des Moines, Iowa woman, reacted by sneaking over to a house in the dark of night. Sleeping soundly within were her old friend, Nikki Rasmussen, and Nikki's husband, Jim. Jennifer then set fire to the house, apparently hoping that Nikki and Jim would be killed in the resulting blaze. The reason? According to the police report, it was because Nikki had unfriended Jennifer on Facebook.

Then there was the drunk Texas man who last month beat his estranged wife for failing to "like" a poignant Facebook post he had made about the anniversary of his mother's death.

WARNING-- bloody. violent.

A scrawled sign was placed next to a decapitated body near a main road in the Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo. Its message was simple: Stop talking about drug cartels on the internet — or anywhere else. “Nuevo Laredo en Vivo and social networking sites,” the sign read, “I’m The Laredo Girl, and I’m here because of my reports, and yours.”

The execution of Marisol Macias Castaneda — known online as “The Laredo Girl” and as “Nena de Laredo” — is the latest in a series of attacks against Mexicans who go online to discuss drug violence. It’s an epidemic which a new report describes as “so horrific as to approach a civil war.”

Egypt’s military prosecution on Sunday launched an investigation against Asmaa Mahfouz, a 26-year-old activist accused of insulting the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).

Mahfouz was released on LE20,000 bail, said Noor Ayman Nour, an activist with the No Military Trials for Civilians group, from outside the military prosecution’s office. Shortly after speaking to Al-Masry Al-Youm, Nour was detained by military police.

NetProspex, a sales and marketing database company, has released its annual "Social Business Report," which analyzes the social media activity and connectedness of cities, industries, and businesses.

Among other findings, NetProspex ranks the top 50 "most social cities" in the United States--the cities with the "most social businesspeople"--based on a metric system called "NetProspex Social Index (NPSI)", which measures activity across nine major social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. NetProspex notes that the score takes into account "social presence," measured by "the number of employees with social media profiles across Twitter, Linkedin, or Facebook using a company email address," and "social connectedness," determined by tracking "the number of connections across social networks, including Twitter followers, Facebook friends, and LinkedIn connections."

I understand how a man like Anders Behring Breivik fed the flames of his hatred, even if that was not the only reason for his terrible act of terrorism, because I was, for a while, his friend on Facebook.

"The common wisdom these days is that social-media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are playing a key role in popular uprisings like the one going on in Egypt.

"Facebook and Twitter, this story goes, allow millions of people to communicate and organize themselves, and they thus trigger revolutions and make them much more effective.

"But that's bunk, says Hani Sabra, an analyst who covers the Middle East and Africa for the Eurasia Group.

"The world has gone social. In 2010, the industry truly reached a tipping point. 2011 seems to be more of the same, but with new innovations that will likely shift how we spend our Facebook and Twitter time into new directions.

This graphic by Online Schools puts it all into perspective for us. Enjoy!

Click to enlarge.

Commentary by the Oatmeal.

A reporter tagged in a Facebook image that mocked the Palestinian president said Saturday he faces trial for insulting a public figure, raising concerns about freedom of speech in the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.

"Hollywood portrays hackers as superpowered math geniuses who can intimidate computers into giving them whatever they want through intense keyboard mashing. Even outside of movies, they are feared as something like mysterious and powerful wizards -- the infamous hacker Kevin Mitnick was ordered to never use any networked technology more advanced than a pay phone, for fear that he could whistle a tone that would start a nuclear war.

But in reality, almost every "hacking" exploit that you hear about compromising some database or other is done with very simple methods that, many times, require no computer at all.

"One of the most powerful members of Tunisia's ruling class is denying rumours he fled to Montreal amid protests in the North African country that threaten the government's stability.

"Mohamed Sakher El Materi, a politician and billionaire son-in-law of the Tunisian president, has posted a video on his Facebook page that seeks to assure his supporters he is still in Tunisia.

"Earlier this morning Randi Zuckerberg participated in a live ABCNews.com talk about the shootings and told ABC News reporter Dan Harris that the top question being asked on Facebook today is whether Sarah Palin is responsible for the shootings. She also told Harris that over 2 million people on Facebook are communicating about the tragedy in AZ.

A new law to take effect in California:

"Once just a cruel joke, assuming another person's identity on the Internet and fabricating an e-mail or Facebook account is no longer a laughing matter.

"A state law effective Jan. 1, authored by Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, makes online impersonation, when it seeks to harm someone, illegal.

"Lake Superior State University released its 36th annual List of Words to Be Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness on Friday."

"It may be the holiday season, but scammers don't take vacations. If you spot a post in your Facebook news feed about a teenage mother being jailed for posting a "disgusting photo" of her baby, don't click on it.

"As in the real world, cyberspace has bad neighborhoods. But unlike the real world, risks in cyberspace are not easy to spot -- and the location of those digital bad neighborhoods can change all the time.

When security experts look back at 2010, they will see a major turning point in the world of cyberscares. The virtual and the real collided in new, dramatic ways during the past 12 months, and the Internet will never be the same.

The advance of technology....

"Twitter-phobes, you are not alone. Over forty percent of those on Twitter check their accounts "less than every few weeks or never check it at all." That's one of the many tidbits that's just been unearthed about the massive social networking site, courtesy of a new Pew Research center survey.

The report is the first to detail the demographics of Twitter as a stand-alone entity (as opposed to surveys that lump in the site with similar services).

"At only 26 years of age, Mark Zuckerberg is one of the world's youngest billionaires, but he's not keeping it all for himself. By signing onto Bill Gates and Warren Buffet's initiative called the "Giving Pledge," Mark agreed to give most of his wealth to charity.

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook will be awaiting some lawsuits in the future he's probably not even aware of. Right now, he's living every young man's childhood dream and he better enjoy it because worse times are ahead of him and his company.

"Facebook is betting that one day soon, we'll all be acting like high school students -- more texting and instant-messaging, at the expense of e-mail.

Facebook unveiled a new messaging system Monday, and while CEO Mark Zuckerberg didn't go as far as declaring e-mail dead, he clearly sees the four-decade-old technology being eclipsed by more real-time ways of communicating.

A mysterious blogger who set off an uproar in the Arab world by claiming he was God and hurling insults at the Prophet Muhammad is now behind bars — caught in a sting that used Facebook to track him down.

"Just 5 years after founding Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg is worth more than Apple's iconic chief Steve Jobs.

"The war between Google and Facebook is heating up: Google just made one small tweak to its Terms of Service that will have a big impact on the world's biggest social network. From now on, any service that accesses Google's Contacts API — which makes it easy to import your list of friends' and coworkers' email addresses into another service — will need to offer reciprocity. Facebook doesn't, so it's going to lose access to this key piece of the social graph.

"While some may argue that social networking tools, like Twitter and Facebook, are a waste of time, and others consider them to be innocent fun, there are a few people who would say these innovations are so much more.

"Detectives are to get training on using social network websites like Facebook and Twitter in order to catch killers.

An interesting approach...

"Up until a couple of years ago, I used to say that the average person could protect his or her privacy on the Web. Even as the founder of an online reputation-management company, ReputationDefender, I believed it was possible—so long as you were willing to commit some time to doing it.

"Imagine that a company could use the Web to rate your health, your employability—even your dating appeal. Welcome to the credit score of the future.

Facebook friends have a chance to ask noted activist, politician, and author, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a question. Comments may be left on this face book page with one to be chosen for a "Special Interview".

Facebook is working with a gay-advocacy group to reduce the amount of hate speech and bullying on the online social hub.

Actual screen shots.

""They trust me — dumb @!$%#s," says Zuckerberg in one of the instant messages, first published by former Valleywag Nicholas Carlson at Silicon Alley Insider, and now confirmed by Zuckerberg himself in Jose Antonio Vargas's New Yorker piece. Zuckerberg now tells Vargas, "I think I've grown and learned a lot" since those instant messages.

"Facebook is now worth as much as $33.7 billion, after investors have paid up to $76 for a share in the company ahead of its much-hyped flotation on the stock market, according to a report.

"Popular social networking site Facebook's founder Mark Zuckerberg is in trouble now as he is facing serious charges in Pakistan. That means, the 26 year old CEO of Facebook will have to avoid any journey to Pakistan to avoid death penalty.

"With a single decision, Colonel Jeffrey Taliaferro created quite a tempest at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota.

Earlier this month, Taliaferro, Commander of the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth, ended the playing of "Reveille" each morning, saying there's "no compelling reason to keep it." Colonel Taliaferro said he eliminated the bugle call because of noise complaints.

"South By Southwest Interactive is nerd paradise — Austin's annual tech smash has minted its share of Internet darlings. (Foursquare in 2009; Twitter in 2007.) While this year's conference didn't have a clear breakout star, it did offer insight to the trends and ideas that will be shaping the Web in 2010.

"If you use facebook, chances are you've encountered a few of these before."

With Newsweek recently slamming Will & Grace star Sean Hayes as being a guy who "tips off your grandmother's gaydar," it's no wonder business is good for voice coach Bob Corff, the L.A. speech guru actors hire to learn the straight talk.

"Bluegrass ain't dead. Not according to No Speed Limit, a young progressive bluegrass troupe from Southwest Virginia. A majority of the band's members are in their 20s -- singer Amber Collins is all of 21-years-old.

"1. Sergey Brin and Larry Page

"Yes, they're still under 40 -- and worth some $14 billion each. But this year has brought fresh challenges for the Mountain View monolith: antitrust investigations, growing concern over privacy and copyright issues, and a decline in ad revenue that led it to lay off hundreds of Googlers and thousands of contract workers.

Still, the company famously founded by the Russian-born Brin and Michigan-born Page in a Stanford dorm room is now a giant with a market value of $174 billion, fast expanding into new categories like mobile devices and software applications.
---------------------------------
2. Mark Zuckerberg
Founder, Facebook
Age: 25
Marital status: In a relationship
Highest Education: High school
The Harvard dropout's social-networking site now has 300 million members and a valuation of $10 billion. . .

Evoking Fear From Behind Bars: Convicted murderers in U.K. taunting victims' families through social networking sites

Did you know that there's a Facebook group in support of nominating Thich Nhat Hanh as a candidate for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize?

Twitter can now revert to its plan to shut down its Iran services and attend to maintenance work. Twitter goes into recess pleased that it probably embarrassed a resurgent regional power.

The Iranian government has blocked access to the social networking site Facebook amid political jockeying for the June 12 presidential elections, according to the semi-official Iranian Labour News Agency.

"Muslim clerics are seeking ways to regulate online behavior in Indonesia, saying the exploding popularity of social networking sites like Facebook could encourage illicit sex.

Israelis and Palestinians have taken their conflict to Facebook.

''Facebook has been asked to remove the Scrabulous game from its website by the makers of Scrabble.

The Facebook add-on has proved hugely popular on the social network site and regularly racks up more than 500,000 daily users.

Lawyers for toy makers Hasbro and Mattel say Scrabulous infringes their copyright on the board-based word game.

The move has sparked protests by regular fans of Scrabulous keen to keep the add-on running.

''A special report from an anonymous Jawa operative on jihadi use of the popular Facebook social networking website.

Much has been said about the lack of importance placed upon the "cyber jihad" from government and military counter-terrorism agencies. The YouTube Jihad phenomena as well as other domestic hosting of online terror activities has been well documented ...but recently I've been digging up another clever use of the internet by terror groups: the high school and college social networking megasite Facebook.com''