links for 2011-03-02

A very enthusiastic telling of a beer-fuelled hackday app build, including lots of nice sketches

"Sunday, Facebook rolled out a change in the functionality of the Facebook “Like” button on websites across the Internet, essentially giving it the same basic functionality as the “Share” button. The only difference is that pushing the Like button doesn’t open up a new window or give you any way to edit what you’re posting to your wall. It just posts it. All of it. One click and the details are posted on your wall as well as into the streams of your friends. You cannot edit the message. Whatever the website you’re Liking has in their meta tags, that’s the message you’re posting."

"What journalism in its professional state is now rapidly working out is what work can be done by algorithms and automation and tools, what is better done by witnesses, and what has to be done by journalists. Journalists being those who are both held accountable by professional standards and have institutional protection – whether it is physical, financial or legal – to continue to apply the metaphorical shoulder to the door."

Whilst agreeing with most of the thrust of this article, it still comes down to the question - why would you deliberately throw away the most profitable bit of your business in the short term. You surely have to let print revenue glide down, rather than just cut it off

For me, "Like" will never be an acceptable verb on all news stories. End of discussion.