Facebook Gifts

Facebook is introducing a new feature, Gifts!

This new feature allows you to send real gifts to your Facebook friends. When I logged in to Facebook this morning, I saw this:

Facebook Gift link on profile

A new entry called Gifts between  App Center and Games Feed. As you can see in the next screenshot, Facebook has made it really easy to send gifts to friends.

How to send gifts to Facebook Friends

You can send gifts in a few simple steps. Browse for the right gift to send to your friend, Add your message and send!

Facebook Wine Gift

They have a decent collection of gift items, from chocolates to cards to variety of wines.

What are the countries supported by Facebook Gifts?
According to their help page:

Counties supported by Facebook Gifts

"Please note, the ability to send or receive a gift is currently limited to people located within the United States. If you are located within the US, you will only see the option to give a gift to friends also located in the US."

So, if you are living outside of US, you have to wait for Facebook to launch this feature in your country.

Some interesting things to know about Facebook Gifts:

• You don't need to know your friend's address to be able to send gifts!
• Your friend won't see the price of the gift!
• They can choose a different size, color or style(if it's available)
• They can even swap it for another similarly priced gift before it ships!
• Your friends gets to decide the shipping address.

Sounds interesting right?  Go to https://www.facebook.com/about/gifts to watch introductory video.Or head to their help page for more information.

Happy Gifting!

Updates To Facebook Data Use Policy & SRR

Facebook today announced some proposed updates to their Data Use Policy and Statement of Rights and Responsibilities (SRR).

A new document on their Facebook Site Governance Page announces the proposed change and also gives us links to the new documents.

Excerpt from the document:

Today we are proposing some updates to two documents which govern our site: our Data Use Policy, which explains how we collect and use data when people use Facebook, and our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities (SRR), which explains the terms governing the use of our services. These updates provide more detailed information about our practices, reflect changes to our products, and improve how we conduct our site governance process.

          ..................
          .................

• Ask the Chief Privacy Officer. We’ll be launching a new feature on our Facebook and Privacy Page to let you submit questions about privacy to our Chief Privacy Officer of Policy, Erin Egan.

• Facebook Live Events. Erin Egan will host webcasts on a regular basis to address your comments and questions about privacy, safety and security.

As you can see from the document they are adding a new feature to address questions about the changes. The document highlights the following changes:

• New tools for managing your Facebook Messages – replacing the “Who can send you Facebook messages” setting with new filters for managing incoming messages.
• Changes to how we refer to certain products, like instant personalization.
• Reminders about what’s visible to other people on Facebook. For instance, when you hide things from your timeline, those posts are visible elsewhere, like in news feed, on other people’s timelines, or in search results.
• Tips on managing your timeline. For example, you can use tools on your timeline or activity log to delete your own posts, or you can ask someone else to delete a post in which you’re tagged.

However to know what all has changed wrt Data Use Policy and Statement of Rights and Responsibilities (SRR), we have to read the new documents.

Use the following links to see the proposed changes. You can leave your comments on those pages. 

• Proposed Statement of Rights and Responsibilities 
• Proposed SRR Redline(PDF)
• Proposed Data Use Policy
• Proposed Data Use Policy Redline(PDF)

Click here to comment. Remember that these documents are open for comment till 9:00 AM PST on November 28, 2012. Make sure you read and understand new documents.

Happy and safe Facebooking!

Facebook Messenger for Windows

Facebook recently announced launch of Facebook Messenger for desktop. They are promoting this new Windows app. They want us to keep using Facebook even when we are not using a browser. From their website:

Messenger is a new app that brings Facebook to your desktop. While you surf the web or use other applications on your computer, you can: 

• Chat and message with your friends on Facebook
• See the latest updates from your friends in ticker
• Get quick notifications about what’s going on

Messenger lets you use Facebook without being on www.facebook.com. You will now be able to stay in touch anytime, no matter what you're doing. 

When I logged into my Facebook account today, I saw a small popup box in the bottom right corner of the page suggesting me to install the Windows App.

Facebook Windows app banner

Though I do not use Facebook chat much, nor I like to receive ticker updates from friends, I decided to give this a try. So, I started by clicking on the "Install Messenger" button.

Installing Facebook Messenger for Windows 7
You will need to Windows 7 to run this app. If you are on Windows 7, follow these steps.

1. Go to Facebook Messenger home page  http://www.facebook.com/about/messenger
   
   
2. Click on the Install button seen on that page. This will download a small setup file called FacebookMessengerSetup.exe 
3. Double click on the downloaded file to run it. Click on the "Run" button on Windows security alert.
4. Continue the installation by clicking Install button. 
5. Make sure your firewall(if you have one) is configured to allow this new application to connect to internet.
6. You are ready to go! Now you should be able to use the messenger to see ticker updates from friends and to chat with friends.
                                                  
7. Enjoy Facebooking!
8. For more information and help, visit Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs).

Google Knol Is Going Away

Google is shutting down Google Knol!

Here's an email I recently received from the Knol team:

As part of Google’s prioritization of product efforts, we will be retiring Knol.  From now through April 30th, 2012, Knol will work as usual, but we’ve made it easy for you to download your knols to file and/or export them to Wordpress.com.  From May 1, 2012 through October 1, 2012, knols will no longer be viewable, but can be downloaded and exported.  After that time, knol content will no longer be accessible.  We hope that this timeline provides you ample time to transition your content.  For more information, please visit our FAQ: https://knol-redirects.appspot.com/faq.html

Thank you,
The Knol team

© 2012 Google Inc. 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043 

Some FAQs

What is Knol?

Knol launched in 2007 as a method for authors to work together to create authoritative articles about specific topics that they know about.

Why is Knol being discontinued?

Google is prioritizing our product efforts so we can make things much simpler for our users and devote more resources to high impact products.

When is Knol being discontinued?

From now through April 30th, 2012, Knol will work as usual, but we’ve made it easy for you to download your knols to file and/or export them to WordPress.com. From May 1, 2012 through October 1, 2012, knols will no longer be viewable, but can be downloaded and exported. After that time, Knol content will no longer be accessible.

How do I download my knols?

From now through October 1, 2012, you can download your knols from knol.google.com. There will be a large section at the top of the page with links to either export your knols to WordPress.com or download them to a file. Clicking the latter will take you to Google Takeout where you can create your archive.

 Find answers for more FAQs here.

You'll see a Big notice on Knol Website

with links to Export my knols to WordPress.com and Download my knols to a file.

Read Wikipedia entry for Knol to know more about Knol. For an alternative to Google Knol, check Annotum.

Annotum helps you to easily migrate your knol data. They have a neat Getting Started Guide.

Karnataka Jnana Ayoga Announces Eligibility list for Jnana Fellowship 2011

Karnataka Jnana Ayoga on 12th August 2011 announced the list of eligible candidates for its Jnana Fellowship 2011 program.

Click here to download the spreadsheet containing name and other details of shortlisted candidates. The official announcement of the result can be found here.

Background

Karnataka Jnana Ayoga(KJA) had called for applications for its Jnana Fellowship Program 2011. Best part was that you could apply for the fellowship online!

What next?

• After processing the applications, the KJA as announced the list of eligible candidates.
• If you had applied and you are shortlisted, the start preparing for verification of documents.
• When:
   August 21st 2011 at 9 AM
• Where:
  Government R.C. College of Commerce and Management, Basaveshwara Circle, Palace Road, Bangalore-560 001
• What documents:
• All Marks Cards (SSLC; PUC/Diploma; Graduation(all semesters); Post Graduation(all semesters); Certificate of M Phil; Ph.D. etc.,)
• Offer Letter of Current Job and related documents
• Work Experience Certificates
• Address Proof in Candidate's Name (Electricity/Water/Phone Bill; Voter ID; Ration Card; Bank Passbook with One Year of Recent Statement; Passport)
• Computer Education (if any)
• 3 passport size recent photographs.
• Keep visiting KJA website for more information and updates about the program.

Some useful links

• Official Website of Karnataka Jnana Ayoga(KJA): http://www.jnanaayoga.in/home.htm
• FAQs on  JNANA FELLOWSHIP - 2011: http://www.jnanaayoga.in/html/jnana_fellowship/faqs.htm
• Approach Paper on Jnana Fellowships: http://www.jnanaayoga.in/document/jnana_fellowship/jnana_fellowship.pdf

Related Links

• Jnana Fellowship 2011 Provisional Merit List