As a former con man once pointed out, the more personal information you have publicly on Facebook, the easier it is for an identity thief to strike. NextAdvisor.com compiled an infographic showing how often identity thieves use social media, and what kind of information Facebook users share.
Lisa Raphael (left), the social media producer at Katie Couric's daytime talk show Katie, is one of our featured speakers in Mediabistro's upcoming Social Media Marketing Boot Camp, an online event and workshop starting June 6, 2013. Lisa will share a case study on how the hit show uses Twitter to build interest and buzz around upcoming segments. Learn more about our our twelve event speakers and register here. 
The Password Protection Act of 2012 — which was introduced in both the Senate and House of Representatives last May, but not acted upon and sent to committee — was the subject of an amendment at the House Labor Committee that would make an exception to the prohibition of employers requesting the Facebook passwords of employees or applicants in the event of company investigations.
An enterprising mom in California had an idea for an application that would be similar to OpenTable or Yelp, but for babysitters. Using Facebook’s platform as a vehicle, Lynn Perkins started UrbanSitter about a year-and-a-half ago. So far, there are 15,000 babysitters in the program and 50,000 families — a number that grows as the platform rolls out to more cities. The app and website allow families (largely in areas such as San Francisco, New York, and Boston), to find college-aged babysitters, and to see who their Facebook friends have hired to take care of their kids.
Not too many people can handle a tax bill of more than $1 billion, but Facebook Co-Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is a member of that exclusive club, and CNN Money reported that his total tab will likely end up at around $1.1 billion.
This week’s Supreme Court hearings on two cases related to same-sex marriage have taken over many a Facebook News Feed, and according to a post on the LGBTQ@Facebook page, “equality” was the top related term on the Facebook Talk Meter.
Facebook users who are puzzled by seeing red equal signs all over their News Feeds, here’s what they’re all about: With the Supreme Court hearing arguments Tuesday on California’s Proposition 8, which mandates that the state recognize only marriages between men and women, Human Rights Campaign is urging Facebook users who support same-sex marriage to change their profile pictures to the red equal sign image.
The Oregon House of Representatives will hear a bill Friday that would prevent employers from demanding that job applicants reveal their passwords to Facebook and other social networks.
Facebook is at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, both personally and through the myriad smartphones on scene. Everywhere, people are liking, commenting, and sharing. The social network recommended to AllFacebook some applications that festival-goers can use to enhance their experiences, while others are using the event to gain traction.
Who says you can’t go home again? Facebook, which was founded in a dormitory at Harvard University, is hunting for 7,000 square feet of office space in the Kendall Square area of Cambridge, Mass., home of Harvard, for three-dozen software engineers that the social network plans to hire over the next six months, according to reports.
Last April, Facebook joined an effort by law firm Fenwick & West and the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County (Calif.) in which attorneys from the three entities donate their time to advise low-income seniors and disabled adults on how to qualify for affordable healthcare coverage via clinics established by the latter two.
