.. it is trying to create a new niche.

Microsoft is happy with niche markets now? Back in 2009, Balmer said I'm glad we're doing a great job with the other 96 and a half percent." We was perfectly fine with Apple having their little three and a half percent.

Of course, this isn't the first niche MS has tried to carve out. The Zune wasn't competing with iPods, it was a whole new niche of social media players. Just like that amazing niche market of social phones served by the KIN line.

"Now they have Windows Phone."

More specifically, they have a soon-to-be out-of-date Windows phone which their "partner" will not allow it to be updated.

"Withdrawing in disgust is not the same as apathy." -- Oblique Strategies

> Why was he arrested for planning to have sex with her? Is that now illegal?

In the US, as in most countries, it is not true that it's only a crime if you succeed. So yes, planning to have sex with a 13 year old girl is a real crime.

A "thoughtcrime" (one word, from the book 1984) is an unacceptable belief. No action is required for these bad thoughts to be a crime, just the idea is a crime. He didn't merely have the thoughts, he took actions. Contacting a minor and going to meet her far exceed mere thoughts.

You're free to fantasize about killing your boss, but if you buy a gun and hide in the bushes outside his house and fire the gun at him (but miss), you've still committed a real crime. If attempted murder can be a crime, I don't see why attempted statutory rape wouldn't a crime. In fact, I don't see why soliciting a minor (even if he/she says no) shouldn't be a crime (it is).

Thoughts, ideas and motivations have always been a part of the law. The distinction between first degree (premeditated) murder and second degree murder predates the United States by thousands of years. In order to distinguish accidental and intentional murder, a jury must speculate on the thoughts of the accused. These personal thoughts are revealed through actions. We don't call that "thoughtcrime".

Contacting a minor, making plans to have sex, and going to meet her are all actions that the man took and are obviously illegal.

None of this should be seen as a defense of Facebook for spying on private communications. I just want to clarify that attempting to commit a crime is still a crime.

> The thing was, Google was already under an FCC settlement because of violating privacy policies in the past

Uh huh. And so is Facebook:

http://www.ftc.gov/os/caselist/0923184/111129facebookagree.pdf

The coding also has a role in some Facebook games and "apps"---particularly if the app wants to store a user's login information or game scores. In fact, a corporate Facebook page for app developers called "Best Practices" includes a link to Mr. Garg's blog post.

So, how large of a fine is Facebook going to pay?

How does it feel being an anonymous coward with -1 score?

OK so I said "the way people find news is shifting to social" and you said four things which say "I think HuffPo is bad"

Did you want to say anything that counters my assertion, or are you just trying to get ratings or votes or something? It's sad that many people will read what you wrote, and agree with it because they don't think logically and realize that you said nothing. Go google straw man. You attack something which I didn't say. Everyone thinks they're on Fox news.

Anyway, if you're capable of logic, follow me for a minute. Do you really claim that if an actual piece of journalism, an actual news item, one that met your discerning standards were to be shared on Twitter or Facebook it would somehow become not real news? That seems completely illogical and counter interintuitive, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you meant that the things that people share are not real news. But again, that does nothing for your claim.

It kinda feels like I'm doing all the work for you, right?

You might have meant that it's not true that people are shifting from search to social in order to find news. Maybe you don't like the things people consider news, but it's happening. News is entertainment, whether you like it or not.

And I don't care about being "useful or respected in any way" especially by a random douche on the internet.

I typed the offending sentence into Word, which pointed out that there was a problem with the word "be." I right-clicked the offending word and it suggested "are". So, according to MS Word, the correct sentence should have read: "There also we are some other great keynotes beginning at 10am on the same page."

The reason comments/shares/engagement are important is because the way people find news is shifting to social. SEO is still important because news on TV and Radio (and read over the shoulder of the guy in the subway) necessitates searching for the article when you get yourself online.

Disclaimer: I'm root@buzzfeed.com - Jonah Peretti (Huffpo's technical co-founder) is our CEO

When you don't notice that Jean-Louis Gassée is a co-author

But please, god, skip the prequel ("When the Tripods Came"), written 20 years after the original trilogy.