Internet & Websites News - Page 27

The latest and most important Internet & Websites news - Page 27.

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Twitter loosens up on character limit starting today

Sean Ridgeley | Sep 20, 2016 12:27 PM CDT

Announced in May, Twitter has finally implemented changes to its 140 character limit.

Twitter loosens up on character limit starting today

The limit still remains, of course, but in modified form: now photos, quoted tweets, polls, GIFs, and basically anything that isn't original, raw text will no longer count toward it. The result: a much more convenient experience when tweeting anything but text or in addition to text.

Posting images or videos not uploaded to Twitter directly will still count, however, which has the inadvertent benefit of encouraging users to employ Twitter's side services.

Continue reading: Twitter loosens up on character limit starting today (full post)

AdBlock Plus launches optional ad filtering system

Derek Strickland | Sep 13, 2016 4:28 PM CDT

AdBlock Plus has launched its new Acceptable Ads Platform, which acts as an optional filter of sorts to let advertisements show up on specific websites.

AdBlock Plus launches optional ad filtering system

The Acceptable Ads Platform is now available in beta form, and is described as "an interactive platform that lets publishers and bloggers choose from a marketplace of pre-whitelisted ads that they can drag and drop onto their sites." According to info from AdBlock Plus, you'll be able to turn off the program at any time: "Users can still turn off the Acceptable Ads feature completely if they choose."

"The Acceptable Ads Platform contains ad placements that abide by the Acceptable Ads criteria for size and labeling; and it allows ads to be positioned only in spots deemed appropriate by the Acceptable Ads rules for ad placement. An intuitive drag-and-drop editor gives publishers the ability to place readymade ads directly onto their site in real-time, and be instantly viewable to millions of Adblock Plus users who have agreed to allow non-intrudisve ads to support their favorite websites," reads a recent ABP press release.

Continue reading: AdBlock Plus launches optional ad filtering system (full post)

Netflix spares children 150 hours of ads annually

Sean Ridgeley | Sep 1, 2016 4:04 PM CDT

New research reveals the average child in recent years is spared 150 hours of commercials by virtue of using streaming services like Netflix. As Exstreamist's investigation illustrates, children now watch approximately 1.8 hours of streaming content per day; extrapolated over a year, that represents 650 hours, and in turn, 150 hours of commercials.

The potential results of this shift are intriguing to ponder: perhaps we'll see less kids stamping their feet in the grocery store, demanding that toy or treat. And perhaps as adults, said children will less materialistic. Either way, it's hard to imagine parents aren't happier (and richer) for it.

Continue reading: Netflix spares children 150 hours of ads annually (full post)

Google to punish mobile sites with intrusive advertising

Sean Ridgeley | Aug 24, 2016 1:21 PM CDT

Facebook is punishing clickbait, and now Google is about to punish intrusive ads on mobile -- the future of the internet is bright, indeed.

The search engine giant acknowledges how frustrating intrusive "interstitials" (pop-up ads that obscure content) can be, and says it will soon be cracking down. Should a site employ these types of ads, its ranking on Google may find itself lower than it would otherwise. The emphasis here is on "may", because if the content is of great quality and relevant enough, it could still rank highly.

The policy does not affect pop-ups related to cookie usage, age verification, login, or reasonably sized banners.

Continue reading: Google to punish mobile sites with intrusive advertising (full post)

Chrome will block all Flash content starting next month

Sean Ridgeley | Aug 10, 2016 9:27 PM CDT

Flash's swift decline is imminent, as Google is preparing to block all content that uses the software in its Chrome browser. Larger Flash content has been blocked in the popular browser for awhile now, Google is extending its coverage to the smaller stuff too. Tacking platforms and page analytics are among that, and can slow down browsing and drain battery just the same.

It's taken awhile to provide coverage for small Flash elements because until recently, there was no way to detect them.

Google isn't taking a hard stance on Flash quite yet though: if you want to enable Flash objects on a given page (like Twitch and Facebook, which require it), you'll still be able to. Eventually, such an option won't exist.

Continue reading: Chrome will block all Flash content starting next month (full post)

Disney to launch sports streaming network, invests $1bn

Sean Ridgeley | Aug 10, 2016 5:29 PM CDT

Disney is buying one-third of revered streaming company BAM Tech -- which powers NHL.tv and MLB.tv -- at a cost of $1 billion.

The company's long-term plan with this move is to launch an ESPN-branded subscription-based streaming network (emphasis on branded, because it won't include current ESPN programming, but rather, separate, ESPN-type channels).

The network makes the most of any for Disney and it's already formed ESPN deals with cable and satellite companies, so understandably, it doesn't want to mess up a good thing. However, should the whole cordcutting thing really take off, Disney can easily shift its content.

Continue reading: Disney to launch sports streaming network, invests $1bn (full post)

Hulu ending free streaming, expanding Yahoo parternship

Sean Ridgeley | Aug 8, 2016 2:31 PM CDT

Hulu is ending its free streaming service and moving to a subscription only model. By no coincidence, it's also expanding its partnership with Yahoo, who will be launching Yahoo View, an ad-supported TV streaming site.

View will feature the five newest episodes of shows from ABC, NBC, and Fox, among others -- eight days after the original air date. Also available: day-after clips and full seasons of anime shows and Korean dramas.

"For the past couple years, we've been focused on building a subscription service that provides the deepest, most personalized content experience possible to our viewers," Hulu senior VP and head of experience Ben Smith explained in a statement. "As we have continued to enhance that offering with new originals, exclusive acquisitions, and movies, the free service became very limited and no longer aligned with the Hulu experience or content strategy."

Continue reading: Hulu ending free streaming, expanding Yahoo parternship (full post)

Largest torrent meta search engine Torrentz shuts down

Sean Ridgeley | Aug 5, 2016 2:04 PM CDT

Torrentz.eu has been a fixture in the torrent community for more than 13 years, providing users with aggregated torrent search engine results. Now, due to what appears to be legal trouble, it has all but closed its doors.

Earlier today, it very suddenly disabled its search and login functionality, and its external links to torrents no longer work. Additionally, the site now refers to itself in the past tense.

The site's operator reached out to Torrentfreak, but would not comment on the situation, at least not publicly. Typically when this happens, it's for legal reasons, and given the trouble Torrentz has had with the RIAA and MPAA in recent years, it's not hard to believe his hand was forced.

Continue reading: Largest torrent meta search engine Torrentz shuts down (full post)

Facebook updating news feed to reduce clickbait

Sean Ridgeley | Aug 4, 2016 6:30 PM CDT

Facebook's handy news feed isn't perfect, sometimes offering up misleading and/or clickbait article titles. Well, the people have spoken and as a result, the company is cracking down.

"We've heard from people that they specifically want to see fewer stories with clickbait headlines or link titles," it writes in a blog post. "These are headlines that intentionally leave out crucial information, or mislead people, forcing people to click to find out the answer. For example: "When She Looked Under Her Couch Cushions And Saw THIS... I Was SHOCKED!"; "He Put Garlic In His Shoes Before Going To Bed And What Happens Next Is Hard To Believe"; or "The Dog Barked At The Deliveryman And His Reaction Was Priceless."

"To address this feedback from our community, we're making an update to News Feed ranking to further reduce clickbait headlines in the coming weeks. With this update, people will see fewer clickbait stories and more of the stories they want to see higher up in their feeds."

Continue reading: Facebook updating news feed to reduce clickbait (full post)

Chrome, Firefox extension plays random TV show episodes

Sean Ridgeley | Aug 3, 2016 3:04 PM CDT

Continue reading: Chrome, Firefox extension plays random TV show episodes (full post)