>Please Vote For Our Show

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Please Come Vote for us “The Facebook & Zynga Podcast” as Best Podcast on the Blogger Choice Awards 2011. Every Vote counts and we want yours so please Vote here:  
http://bloggerschoiceawards.com/categories/33
 


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If you want to hear our show go right to our Facebook Fan Page and click on our player or you can click on the player right on my Blog. 

>Fake Profiles On Facebook Becomes A Crime In California In 2011

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Well it seems California has once again came out with a new law, this one is funny but good. Basically they are saying that you cant pretend to be someone else on the web and Facebook. 


LMAO, Pretending not to be something or someone coming from the state of plastic people, fake green grass, the land of movie magic where they take you to make believe worlds. Just kinda funny and ironic isnt it.


But in reality this is a pretty good law and will help to protect alot of people, especially our children who fall prey to alot of this. While it is a small step in safe guarding the public from some of the unscrupulous individuals that prey on the innocent and naive, it is a necessary one.  


The law prohibits impersonating anyone online with the objective of harming, intimidating, threatening or defrauding. Such acts become misdemeanors punishable by a fine up to $1000 and a year in jail and goes into effect this Saturday and the law effective Saturday qualifies that the person who is impersonated has to be real and credible. That means it is still legal to have profiles that are parodies or fictional characters.


The author of the law, California Democratic state Senator Joe Simitian, was quoted in an article in the San Jose Mercury News saying:

As a Silicon Valley legislator, I’m nothing but enthusiastic about technology. But the question is, is the technology used wisely and appropriately? This is one area where some constraint appeared necessary… The goal here really is to try to change behavior…

So what does this mean on Facebook, well it helps users that are impersonated in the state of California have some kind of legal recourse to go after the said offenders. 

It will unfortunately open up a whole new can of worms, as the amount of lawsuits for damages due to this will surely go up as a result of this new law. This will surely overburden &  the overworked court system in California.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see other states come up with similar laws to help safeguard their citizens. Some might be tougher than others but they will come you can bet on it. While it may not seem too tough of a law, it lays the groundwork for other legislation to come along that will do more. Time will tell.

For Facebook users be aware that if you are in California and you do have a fake profile you might be at risk if you are reported and your information is forwarded to the authorities. 

You will be made an example because it is good press for the law & state but most importantly Facebook as it shows they are willing to safeguard their users.  

So you have been warned and be safe out their.

>The New Show Is Up With Zynga

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*** The Show Is Up *** Well we had Nate from Zynga on for the entire show answering your questions. We covered a wide range of topics and bounced some ideas off him for the future of the game plus we also talked about unknown security features on Facebook to protect your from potential hackers and how Zynga can help you get your lost loot back.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/john-sweeney-jr/2010/12/27/the-facebook-zynga-podcast?a=y

>Track Santa On the Internet – Tampa Bay Social Media | Examiner.com

>Track Santa On the Internet – Tampa Bay Social Media | Examiner.com

>Skype Crashes And The World Goes Nuts

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Today Skype crashed and the world, including me, went nuts. Businesses didn’t get work done as they couldn’t get together with their suppliers, customers, business partners or colleagues. 


The Facebook community that relies heavily on Skype to talk to friends and family are posting all over the site venting their frustration. 


According to Skype the problem is wide spread and here is their official statement from their site : 

Skype downtime today

Earlier today, we noticed that the number of people online on Skype was falling, which wasn’t typical or expected, so we began to investigate.

Skype isn’t a network like a conventional phone or IM network – instead, it relies on millions of individual connections between computers and phones to keep things up and running. Some of these computers are what we call ‘supernodes’ – they act a bit like phone directories for Skype. If you want to talk to someone, and your Skype app can’t find them immediately (for example, because they’re connecting from a different location or from a different device) your computer or phone will first try to find a supernode to figure out how to reach them.

Under normal circumstances, there are a large number of supernodes available. Unfortunately, today, many of them were taken offline by a problem affecting some versions of Skype. As Skype relies on being able to maintain contact with supernodes, it may appear offline for some of you.

What are we doing to help? Our engineers are creating new ‘mega-supernodes’ as fast as they can, which should gradually return things to normal. This may take a few hours, and we sincerely apologise for the disruption to your conversations. Some features, like group video calling, may take longer to return to normal.

Enterprise products including Skype Connect and Skype Manager continue to function normally.

Customers using the enterprise version of Skype for Windows may still experience delays signing in.

Stay tuned to @skype on Twitter for the latest updates on the situation – and many thanks for your continued patience in the meantime.

So there you have it thats why it is so quiet today. So if you want to chat with you friends you will have to use your instant messenger from Yahoo, AOL of even Facebook’s Chat. You do remember them right LOL.

>FCC Gives The Internet To Big Business

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The FCC has passed a new internet regulatory plan which in essence censors the net, what we see, how we use it and opens the door for big business to charge more for it’s use.

The FCC claims it is a major breakthough for internet oversite, while Congress see it as a major job killer and free speech issue. This upcoming Congression session is sure to be heated as this will the top issue on their agenda when Congress reconvenes on January 5th 2011.

What the new law does is this. It means different rules for people with wired internet and others with wireless or phone access. The phone companies are in control of what you see not you. 

It paves the way for the big intenet providers like Comcast, Verizon, Bright House & many others to charge more for total access to the internet. While the big comapnies like Google & Amazon can surely pay these fees to ensure their sites be on all platforms & search engines, the small business sites, bloggers, and independent based newspapers like Examiner.com are the ones who cant afford to pay those fees thus leaving them behind and possibly killing them off. 

Thus this would create a public and a private internet ending Free Speech on the internet as we know it. It could also lead to the social networks like Facebook & Myspace to go ahead and charge us for complete access without fear of any repercussions by anyone because the FCC allows it. 

It can also be bad for the education system (which is already cash strapped), students on all levels including college to have to dish out morew money to get complete access. Thus making the education system even worse than it already is because now their students and teachers dont have the access they need and deserve due to bugetary issues.

Picture this, your child comes home and has to do a report on current events and need to reference where they got the information. Well that would be fine if you had a newspaper but lets face it not many people get the newspaper anymore they use the internet to read the news. Well your child needs to access the local paper online or even the New York Times online but in order to read the content you now have to pay a fee to that site even if you are only going to use it once. 

Are you going to be happy, will your child be happy, NO !!! But that is what this new law is capable of doing and that is not a good thing. The internet is supposed to a place where the world can come and express itself freely and with hinderance. Yes we dont agree with all the various sites that are available but it is their right to Free Speech and shouldnt be regulated like this.

We should be the ones who are to make the choice if we want to go to that site or not and we do have the abilty to block sites with Parental Controls, that are offered by every internet provider FREE, from our children or even ourselves if we dont ever want to see that kind of content. 

The funny thing about this new law the FCC made is that it was drafted by the big companies, Comcast & AT&T, the companies the FCC is supposed to regulate. It also helps break a campaign promise by President Obama to keep the net neutral & off limits. 

The internet is supposed to free as it sparks innovation, free speech, investments & consumer choice. This new law destroys all of that and allows big business to decide what is best for you, which of course is whjat makes them the most money.

I suggest you all contact you local Congessman or woman, voice your concerns and show them that we are not happy with the new FCC law and we dont approve it or want it. We want the web free for everyone and dont not want our rights trampled on so big business can make a few extra bucks and take away our Free Speech rights.

Reprinted from my news column at examiner.com to see this column and others I have written please click here. 

>FCC Gives The Internet To Big Business – Tampa Bay Social Media | Examiner.com

>FCC Gives The Internet To Big Business – Tampa Bay Social Media | Examiner.com

>UPDATE : Hey Look Whats Coming To Mafia Wars !!!

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Here is an update of my earlier blog about the new holiday robbing event. Looks like a lot of work to put us thru for the holidays, but here you go the full skinny on the event. I have reprinted the 411 on it and if you want to visit it just click here.

Thanks to Jennifer The MW Loot Lady for the Graphic above. 

Tis The Season For Robbing 411 and FAQ (Holiday Event)

Updated 12/21/2010 03:05 PM

The holiday season is here and it’s time to collect gifts Mafia Wars style! Every player will be granted a tree that starts at level 1 and holds different color presents. The tree has a maximum of 5 levels and each greater level holds more presents.

During this event presents can be requested and stored throughout this holiday event. Be careful because unlike other events presents can be stolen! All presents will remain locked until New Year’s Day when they can be opened to start the New Year off with some cool prizes. Be sure to review this article to gain a better understanding how Presents, Tree, Robbing, and Opening Presents will function. Happy Holidays from Mafia Wars!

How Presents Work?

Presents will come in three different colors: red, blue, and green. Each color of presents will have a unique set of items. Items found in red presents will be different from items found in green presents and so forth. Players will earn presents by requesting from friends, robbing other Trees for presents and collecting from Holiday Mystery Bags. All presents regardless of color are of equal value. Be sure to upgrade the Tree to level 5 so the maximum amount of 45 gifts can be stored.

What are Holiday Sacks and how do they work?

You’ll receive Holiday Sacks from friends through Facebook requests or by clicking the envelope on the Mafia Wars homepage.

Your Holiday Sacks may be filled with Presents or lumps of coals. Accept your Holiday Sacks by midnight on Dec. 31. You must have 45 presents accepted by New Year’s Eve in order to earn the Grand Prize.

If you reach the maximum capacity of presents (45) for your tree, you will be awarded an alternative item when you accept a Holiday Sack.

What’s happening on Dec. 25?

Come back and play Mafia Wars on Dec. 25 to receive one free upgrade to your Tree. You will also receive a special reward, the North Pole weapon (ATT 110, DEF 93).

How do I rob presents from a tree?

In this event it is important to protect your presents because gifts can be stolen! That’s right. You have the ability to rob another player’s presents and add extra presents to your own tree. Trees can be robbed through the robbing board, which can be found under the Fight tab from the homepage. Presents can be stolen throughout the entire event until New Year’s Eve when presents can be opened.

Can a player be repeatedly robbed?
-Users can only rob presents from the robbing board and no one player can be repeatedly robbed. However, it is possible to be robbed multiple times per day and lose different amounts of presents per day. All users with presents under their trees are eligible to be robbed.

What do I get if I rob a present from another player’s tree?-When a user successfully robs an unprotected property they earn one present and the user of the robbed property loses one present.

-Failure on a robbery results in no present. If a player fails while robbing, regardless of protected status, no reward is gained and only half the XP will be rewarded.

-If a property is protected and is successfully robbed, the rob attempt will remove one protector from the property. The robbinguser will not earn a present since the property is protected but instead a substitute item will be rewarded.

-If a robbing user has successfully robbed a present from underneath a tree and has also reached the max capacity of presents, then a substitute item will be rewarded.

How Protection Works?

Ask friends to protect your presents from being robbed. Protection can be purchased directly with reward points or when friends accept a request you send to their Facebook wall. Every Tree has a maximum of 6 protectors for their presents at any given time. Each time a user is successfully robbed while being protected, one protector is lost.

Protection covers all presents. Only one wall-to-wall message can be posted to the same user in a 24-hour period (this limit applies to other in-game wall to wall messages as well). Any player can click on the wall-to-wall message link to become a protector. Players who accept protector requests earn a holiday sack and count as one protector. A user can be a protector to multiple players, but he or she will only count as one protector for each player.

Opening Presents (New Years Day)

Players will be informed their presents are available to open starting on New Year’s Day. Presents come in three colors (Red, Green and Blue) and each color of presents has a separate group of items.

Once all presents have been opened, the Tree will disappear and the event will be removed from the home page. Any HolidaySacks opened after New Year’s Day will reward items found in regular mystery bags.

**Users who fully upgrade their Tree and mange to safeguard and open the maximum of 45 gifts (Level 5 Tree with maximum stored gifts) will earn the Grand Prize, the Auld Sang Lyne (ATT 110, DEF 135). Be sure to fully protect your Tree prior to New Years Day to ensure the ultimate reward item is achieved***

On New Year’s Day players can no longer rob from Trees or send/ask for extra presents.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many levels does the Tree have?
The Tree has a maximum of 5 levels

What items will be needed to upgrade the Tree?
The Tree can be upgraded with Ornaments, Lights and Candy Canes

Where can I find the items needed to upgrade the Storage Tree?
Ornaments, Lights, and Candy Canes can be purchased with reward points, found through news feeds, wall-to-wall messages, posting requests to ask for items and inside Holiday Sacks.

Can I send Tree upgrade items or presents to friends through the free gifts page?
No, upgrade items and presents can be asked/sent through wall-to-wall messages, postings and requests.

What are the limitations on wall-to-wall messages?
Up to 3 rewards can be granted from each wall-to-wall message; one wall-to-wall message can be submitted to the same user every 48 hours

How many times can I collect items from wall-to-wall messages?
Up to 10 rewards can be earned from wall-to-wall message every 24 hours

How many wall-to-wall messages can be sent per day?
Up to 45 wall-to-wall posts can be posted to different friends within a 24 hour period

How many items are needed to upgrade the storage tree and what are the storage limits?

Storage limit / Number of Items needed to upgrade storage tree

Level 1: 3 Gifts
Level 2: 9 Gifts / 9 Items (3 of each: Ornaments, Lights, and Candy Canes)
Level 3: 18 Gifts / 12 Items (4 of each: Ornaments, Lights, and Candy Canes)
Level 4: 30 Gifts / 18 Items (6 of each: Ornaments, Lights, and Candy Canes)
Level 5: 45 Gifts / 24 Items (8 of each: Ornaments, Lights, and Candy Canes)

**Secret Tip**
If you haven’t received your gifts, your tree will be empty. An empty tree cannot be robbed. However, you will need a full tree before the clock strikes midnight, Pacific Time. It is a good idea to make sure your tree is fully upgraded to Level 5 and make sure your tree is full before the timer runs out on December 31st.

>RED ALERT !!! New Scam Alert with Mafia Wars !!!

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Tis the season for the scams, well here is a new one !!! 


Do NOT click on the fake feeds that ask you to give access to a supposed Zynga promotion about Secret Stash and Christmas Tree. It sends you to a page, but then says you have to answer a survey to get access.

THIS IS A HACKER PHISHING SCAM. It looks like this on your friends’ walls:

“Just wanted to tell you that Zynga is offering Mafia Wars Secret Stash absolutely free due to Christmas celebration. I got mine .Get yours its a limited offer for FEW HOURS ONLY. If you don t believe me go check their app.”

The survey asks for your birthdate, email address, and lots of other personal information that will help get you hacked.

Zynga would never ask for that information as they already have it. You have been warned! 




PLEASE NOTE : THERE IS A NEW CHRISTMAS TREE EVENT COMING WITH MAFIA WARS BUT THEY WILL PUT IT UP IN THE GAME AND YOU WILL BE ABLE TO DO IT FROM THE GAME !!!! YOU WILL NEVER BE REDIRECTED TO ANOTHER SITE BY ZYNGA TO PLAY THERE GAMES. 

>Hey Look Whats Coming To Mafia Wars !!!

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Oh Goody Another Holiday Event coming From Mafia Wars. I just got this in my email about it. It seems like we will have to collect Holiday Ornaments, Candy Canes & Christmas Lights among other things to build our tree and then rob people to fill it with presents LOL. Then you can open them on New Years Day. 


We are all about to become Grinches for Christmas. Gotta love it. Well at least this explains why I was getting weird gifts the other night. I think I might like this because the stamina I will have to use to rob people will not only help me get the presents from people but will also give me better rewards than fighting as you seem to get more experience from it. This will be coming this week so watch for it. 


So batten down the hatches, light a fire in the fireplace and get your shotgun ready because our Mafia is coming to steal your presents. Tis the season to be robbing Fa la la la la la la la !!!! MWUAHHH !!!! I cant wait till New Years to see what I get LOL !!!