Analysis: Yahoo rejoins the cool kids with Twitter deal

Computerworld - Yahoo Inc.'s deal with microblogging phenom Twitter Inc., announced yesterday, could prove timely for an Internet pioneer looking to regain lost momentum and join the social networking glitterati.

"This is a company struggling for relevance," said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at Enderle Group. "Social networking, rather than search, was closer to Yahoo's initial strength, and they lost their way by going after Google. This takes them back to their roots, and typically that is a good thing. This does give Yahoo some much needed visibility."
Yahoo and Twitter said the deal calls for enabling Yahoo's search engine to access real-time Twitter tweets in its search results. The agreement will also let Twitter feeds be accessed on various Yahoo properties, including its home page and its Yahoo Mail and Yahoo Sports pages. And Twitter users will be able to update their status from Yahoo sites, the companies said.
Last October, Twitter signed similar deals to integrate tweets into Google and Microsoft Bing search results.
Analysts note that the Yahoo-Twitter deal goes a step or two further by enabling users to access their Twitter feeds and to make status changes from Yahoo sites.
"The Yahoo deal is more extensive than the deals Google and [Microsoft] made with Twitter, and I think it demonstrates a new assertiveness on the part of Yahoo," said Augie Ray, an analyst at Forrester Research Inc. "The new Twitter-Yahoo deal has the potential to position Yahoo in the intersection of the search, content and social worlds. Whether this allows Yahoo to grab more buzz and build some momentum will depend upon the speed and effectiveness in rolling out the new Twitter features."
Ezra Gottheil, an analyst at Technology Business Research, said the move should help struggling Yahoo to slowly move in a more positive direction.
"I think [Yahoo] has to get comfortable with being a slow-growth company," said Gottheil. "It needs to communicate to the world and to the market that it's a long-term growth concern. It's not likely to show explosive growth going forward.
"Companies can't grow like high-tech start-ups forever," Gottheil added. "Most healthy companies mature and go into a phase of slower growth and reasonable profitability. It's harder to do that in the tech world, where every year some new company passes you in some metric, but if you take care of your customers, you can go on for a very long time."
Analysts also noted that this week's deal is the latest sign that Twitter has reached a new level of relevance.
For a long time the microblogging site was thought of as a silly service that enabled people to yammer on about their favorite sandwich or the great parking spot they snagged in front of their favorite restaurant. But last year, the company turned a corner when Twitterers began using the site to get information out about important events, like turmoil in Iran and rescue efforts after the devastating earthquake in Haiti.
"For Twitter, this [week's deal] continues to cement its place in the social media world," Ray said. "Twitter's traffic continues to grow, but there are some nagging reports that some portion of new users post a couple of times and then drift away. These search engine deals help to raise Twitter's profile and drive traffic to Twitter. And Yahoo's approach will help to make Twitter a vital part of Yahoo users' communication and sharing tools."

Hold the panic on Italian Google verdict

Will an Italian court's decision to convict three Google executives of invasion of privacy have widespread effects on the Internet beyond Italian borders?

Google certainly thinks so, but it could take a significant change in thinking around the globe to prove Italy is not an outlier. Three Google executives, including head lawyer David Drummond and Chief Privacy Counsel Peter Fleischer, were convicted of invasion of privacy Wednesday by a court in Milan because a video of students taunting an autistic boy was uploaded to Google Video in 2006. George Reyes, who was chief financial officer but left the company in 2008, was also convicted.
The judge ruled that Google had a duty to make sure the video didn't violate Italian privacy laws before it was displayed on Google Video, and since Italian law allows individual employees of a company to be held liable for the actions of their corporations, the individual executives were subject to trial. The obvious implication of the decision is that Google employees are now personally liable for all the content hosted on its site in Italy, forcing the company to either ban user-generated content from its sites or carefully review each submission.
That's going to be expensive, and it's likely unworkable. "If ... sites like Blogger, YouTube and indeed every social network and any community bulletin board, are held responsible for vetting every single piece of content that is uploaded to them--every piece of text, every photo, every file, every video--then the Web as we know it will cease to exist, and many of the economic, social, political and technological benefits it brings could disappear," Google said in a blog post objecting to the ruling.
Google plans to appeal the decision, and for now is going about business as usual in Italy, said Scott Rubin, a spokesman for Google.
In the U.S, things are a little different. Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act protects Internet companies such as Google that are considered "interactive computer services" or "information content providers" from liability for content that is uploaded or published by others. The sheer amount of content available on the Internet makes it nearly impossible to review every single document for potentially objectionable material, meaning that companies that provide access to such material might just block access entirely rather than be forced to screen every bit and byte for potential litigious content.
On just the YouTube service alone, "20 hours of video are uploaded every minute," Google's Rubin said. "It would be impossible to prescreen content."
The potential problem for Google in Europe is that European data-protection laws are over a decade old and are more like expressions of principles rather than explicit statutes, said Lisa Sotto, a privacy and data protection lawyer with Hunton & Williams in New York. That means there is room for individual countries to interpret those laws in different ways, with some hewing to the more Internet-company friendly U.S. interpretation and others opting for more along the lines of what Italian prosecutors have pursued.
Still, Google believes that both European and Italian laws recognize the concept of a safe harbor for Internet companies, and intends to argue that point on appeal.
Google's Fleischer expressed doubt in a blog post from November 2009 that the situation in Italy would catch on elsewhere, based on attitudes in other countries.
"I'm sure such prosecutions will remain rare, and perhaps my current prosecution will [be the] last of its type," he wrote. "But maybe not. And working for one of the world's most visible Internet companies puts me at more risk than most of my colleagues in the field of data protection, as the current prosecution has shown."
As with Google's dispute in China over search censorship, the Italian case exposes how difficult it can be for Internet companies to operate on a global basis when laws governing these sectors conflict, said Julie Ahrens, associate director of the Fair-Use Project at Stanford University.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in reacting to the cyberattacks against Google and other U.S. companies that prompted Google's dispute with the Chinese government, declared that it is the policy of the U.S government to support Internet freedom around the world, calling on foreign governments to move away from using the Internet as a repressive tool. In an indirect way, court decisions such as the one in Milan could work against those goals, since companies like Google, Yahoo, Twitter, and Facebook that have been used by those organizing against autocratic governments would likely have to shut down their services if faced with the prohibitive cost of monitoring the content production of each and every user of their services.
"How do you consistently comply with all the laws?" Stanford's Ahrens said. "Complying with Italian law could be a violation of U.S. law."
Should the Italian interpretation of Google's responsibilities catch on, it's not hard to see how Internet companies would have to pull back on their operations for fear of widespread liability. But for the moment, it seems that this case is a one-off example of why data protection laws need to take into account the 21st century notion of the Internet.
"I think it places an enormous burden on the Internet as a vehicle of free speech and free expression," Sotto said. "This decision is so out of step with contemporary data law, and that's a bad result."

The women finding love in the World of Warcraft

Computer games aren’t the preserve of teenage boys any more — the face of gaming nowadays is feisty, foxy and female. And their online quests lead to real-life matches

Innocense casts a healing spell on the battle-worn warriors, scoops up her gold and mounts her winged dragon. Before flying over the mountains to Dalaran, she indulges in a little flirtatious banter with Eroskar, a tall, dark-haired knight who also happens to be her boyfriend. In real life, Innocense is Jennifer — a slight, softly-spoken 23-year-old administrator who lives in Cumbria. As Innocense, she plays the most successful online role-playing game yet: World of Warcraft. With 12 million players worldwide, an entire episode of South Park devoted to it and many celebrity fans, World of Warcraft is a global phenomenon and a significant number of its fans are women.

Imagine a typical computer game devotee and what springs to mind? A Dungeons & Dragons-playing, Lord of the Rings-reading teenage boy? A middle-aged man who lives with his mum? Maybe once upon a time, but not any more. Girls got bored with watching their boyfriends spending hours playing computer games, logged on, and got hooked. From stay-at-home mums to celebrities, the new face of online gaming is feisty, foxy and female.

But how have the boys responded to women invading their virtual world? Has it led to romance? Sexism? Drama and intrigue? All of that, actually, and lots more . . .

In World of Warcraft (known as WoW), players create a character and as they progress through the game, completing quests and gaining experience, their character increases in strength.

Players join forces to form groups known as guilds and organise raids, where they log on to the game at the same time to complete challenges, sharing the spoils afterwards. They can communicate through instant messaging in the game, and can chat via Skype-style headsets.

And this is where the fun begins. Guilds are often known for their interpersonal intrigues — feuds and flirtation are the order of the day in many. Throw some girls into the mix and geeky gamers — not famed for their social skills — would be forgiven for getting their joysticks in a twist. (They don’t actually use joysticks — WoW is played on a computer keyboard, but you get the picture.) While most female gamers say they love the competitive element of the game, the social aspect is equally important. Women say they can catch up with friends, flirt and even find love in this virtual world. It’s like Facebook. But with dragons. And swords.

Jennifer’s been playing WoW for three years and after initially using it as an escape from boredom, the game became her solace and eventually led to a new life. “When I originally started playing, I had no intention of looking for love. I was settled in a relationship and things were going smoothly.”

But as her real-life relationship deteriorated, she started developing feelings for guild-mate Nicky. “We spent every night sharing photos and talking on webcam. In time we grew closer and closer. We didn’t play WoW for the game any longer, but rather to be together. Both of us were scared of our feelings but one night we declared our love for each other.”

As her feelings for Nicky grew, Jennifer’s relationship reached crisis point: “Me and my partner separated shortly after this, however, we were forced by financial difficulties to live in the same house. One night we were arguing and I didn’t realise I’d left the webcam on and Nicky had helplessly witnessed us fight. It was at this point he came to my rescue. Nicky and his dad drove across the country and took all my stuff up to Cumbria, where I stayed with his parents until I had enough money to support myself. This was a true escape for me as I had little family I could rely on and I had nowhere to go.”

And so a real-life romance was born in a computer game: “We now have a cottage together and I have a lovely job. I’ve gained a new family, new friends and a loving boyfriend. It may be early days in terms of our relationship but 12 months on we’ve celebrated our first Christmas together and continue to find time for the friends we’ve made on WoW, who supported us through everything.”

Jennifer is a member of the HELKPO guild, which has a significantly higher number of female members than most guilds. One of her female guild-mates is Erla Guðrún Sturludóttir, 17, a student from Reykjavík. She says: “Girls are attracted to this guild. I guess it’s because of the relaxed atmosphere and the fact that everyone is very easygoing. In a raid a few months ago we noticed that half the raiders were girls. I think we were more shocked than the guys.” Another HELKPO member, Sheena, 22, lives in Denmark. “In the beginning I played simply to have some fun and to ‘hang around’ with my friends whenever we weren’t at the pub. Then I met this guy online and it quickly went from being a casual activity to having a strong social aspect.”

Former Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Felicia Day is the world’s most famous female gamer. She became a cult heroine on the web through her sitcom, The Guild, which she writes, stars in and shows free on YouTube. The first episode has been watched 3.7 million times and Microsoft sponsors the show, allowing episodes to be downloaded and watched on Xbox LIVE. The Guild follows a motley crew of gamers’ real-life adventures. It’s brought online role-playing to a new audience. “I hear from people that it makes them less ashamed to say that they game as a hobby, and I’ve had a lot of women say it’s made them start playing on their own, or with their boyfriend or husband. I love hearing that,” she says.

For Felicia, the aspects of online gaming that appeal to men are just as attractive to female players: “I love the immersive environment, the achievement of building a character, and having a community at my fingertips that I can connect to and play with. Collaborative gaming is a very satisfying hobby.” Felicia is proud to label herself as a feminist: “I would consider myself a feminist. If I’m helping women get into playing games when they wouldn’t have before, I’m proud of that. Women should be on equal footing everywhere.”

Commissioning editor for education at Channel 4 and enthusiastic gamer, Alice Taylor, 38, is one of Felicia Day’s many fans. “She’s talented, and funny, and it’s hilarious to think that a famous actress spends her off-screen time raiding. Jonathan Ross and [his wife] Jane Goldman play too, but Jane has a level 80 [character] where Jonathan is a mere level 7! They’ve helped normalise gaming, and WoW, where stereotypes previously prevailed.”

Alice’s gaming habits have evolved as her life has changed and she now plays with family-friendly guilds. “In the hour or two I have at night once the kidlet is asleep, it’s a glass of wine and a trip into WoW.”

Like Felicia, Alice is a feminist. She says women playing WoW have brought “balance to the force. It makes WoW feel like a dinner party rather than ‘a waste of time’. I believe 100 per cent that women and men are equal in intellect and capability and men are equally capable of all the so-called female traits, like empathy and sociability. Balancing the genders brings out the best in both sides.” So-called female traits are crucial to success in the game because players have to work together as a team and communicate effectively to achieve their goals — there’s no room for egos when you’re trying to kill a giant dragon.

Online role-playing might seem niche but the reality is that games like WoW are big business and female gamers matter. A Nielsen report published in 2009 found that women aged 25 and older make up the largest block of gamers in the United States, accounting for 54.6 per cent of all game play minutes in December 2008. For WoW, the male/female ratio is fairly balanced, with 428,621 women between 25 and 54 playing in December 2008 versus 675,713 men in the same age group.Another report suggests that in Britain women make up 48 per cent of total gamers who play online once a week.

ShawnAnne Dixon is a member of the women-only Got Girls guild in America. She explains: “In 2006 I purchased two copies of WoW, one for myself and one for my brother who lives 3,000 miles away. This was a great opportunity for us to do something we love while still keeping updated on each other’s lives. Our mother and cousin play with us as well.” ShawnAnne concedes that male gamers aren’t always supportiveof their female counterparts in World of Warcraft forums and chatrooms: “We do hear quite a number of negative comments,mostly crude statements about women, WoW and our monthly cycles. Our guild motto is ‘Girls Do It Better’ and we hold ourselves to a strict code of conduct whereby we ignore such ignorant comments.

“As a group we ask each other for advice and have discussions about everything from child-rearing to relationships to where we should go on holiday. We celebrated a guild member’s 21st birthday and a wedding recently. One of our members has a son getting ready to deploy to Iraq — Got Girls has become a big part of her support system. We have truly become a family.”

So has the invasion of the female horde benefited WoW? Absolutely, Jennifer says: “Men assume you play because you’re lonely and looking for love, but we bring equality to a very male-dominated online society and even offer relationship advice to our male companions.”

Sheena agrees: “I think the guys secretly like to get some insight and listen to all the gossip we toss about when we aren’t talking about WoW.” Ultimately, female gamers are getting as much out of WoW as they are putting in and are changing the gaming landscape for good. As Erla says: “Female players have brought a bit of drama in to WoW, which is no bad thing. Sometimes political correctness goes out of the window — but it’s all OK as we know that they’re joking and we give as good as we get.” Girls who love playing World of Warcraft have learnt that the best way to silence their male critics is to beat them at their own game.