The CEO Game

As aforementioned, the social network already offers a “like” button that allowspeople to rate and respond to other people’s comments and posts. Online securityfirm Sophos said it was the latest in a series of “survey scams” that included linksto a video purporting to show an anaconda snake vomiting up a hippo. “One thingwe commonly see is that the message starts with ‘OMG, shocking video’”, Sophosspokesman said. Basically the problem is that the viral links “appear to come fromyour Facebook friend, giving it a ringing endorsement.”
The dislike button scam prompts people to download an application with thefollowing message: “Download the official DISLIKE button now”. When usersclick on the link, it prompts them to install a rogue application, which does notfunction as a dislike button nor any other button. Instead, once a user has giventhe application permission to access their profile, it updates the user’s page with alink and a message: “I just got the dislike button, so now I can dislike all of yourdumb posts lol!!!”. According to Facebook usage polls, turns out many people aregiving permission for completely unknown apps, thinking they are totally unharmful.
As for the surveys (linked from the spam messages), they appear to be from genuinecompanies. As far as most users can tell, they appear to be legitimate. “It couldbe that the firms are not policing their affiliates properly”, Sophos suggested. Thescam finally points users towards a Firefox add-on that installs a “dislike” button.The add-on also appears to be legitimate. By the way, according to many antiphishing sites, the scam makers did not respond to any request for comment.
A spokesperson for Facebook said that the site had a “very quick process in place”to make sure that links and rogue applications were taken down quickly. “We alwaysencourage people to not click on links that appear suspicious – even if posted froma friend”, a spokesperson said. “They can report any posts to us. We can make surethat we take down any application or all of the links across Facebook.” But manyweb security specialists suggest that although Facebook could respond quickly, itshould police the development of rogue applications more closely. They claim thatanyone can write a Facebook app, thus these scams are constantly springing up.
Finally, while the advantages of using Facebook are obvious, it comes with its veryown share of problems, so always remember to protect your personal data andbeware of useless innocent looking requests.
Omer Shachnai

The CEO Game.

On Facebook’s new move which just might change the Web as we know it.

Facebook wants it all: the popular social network is expanding and seeks to take over the Web. As the first day of Facebook’s annual “f8″ developers conference got underway this Wednesday in San Francisco, Facebook revealed its plans to take over the entire Internet. The means: integrating its social networking service into all websites and deepening the connection between the Web itself to its users. In short: Facebook will be wherever you look, whenever you look. A revolution?

Puts people at the center

After making an entrance which is reserved only for rock stars, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg got down to the business of explaining what their plans are all about. He then rolled out a bunch of changes that are all apart of an “unavoidable evolution” in people’s interactions, activities, events and interests all folded into their online identities who follow them all across the Web.

The crown jewel of the new Facebook platform is what Zuckerberg likes to call the “Open Graph”, “the most transformative thing we’ve ever done for the Web”, according to him. “Today, the Web exists as a series of unstructured links between pages,” said Zuckerberg, whose social network boasts more than 400 million users around the world. “The open graph puts people at the center of the Web”.

The concept, is basically to map out user behavior across various corners of the Internet. He explained that this can be achieved by using information gathered from a user’s general online behavior. Thus creating “a smarter, personalized Web that gets better with every action taken”.

He then gave the example of a Facebook user who clicks on a news story in CNN and then automatically sees which of their friends liked that piece. In addition, a Facebook member could visit Pandora (an online radio station) or ESPN online and instantly share “likes” or “dislikes” about the song being played or game news with their friends in Facebook. “Pandora will start playing music from bands you have liked all across the Web,” Zuckerberg said. It’s a revolution in the way we experience the Web, everything is interlinked and any page can become a de facto Facebook page.

Moreover, Facebook vice president of engineering Mike Schroepfer believes the move could turn websites into digital age versions of “Cheers”, the old TV comedy show set in a bar where everyone knows each other. “It’s like Cheers, the bar where everyone knows your name,” Schroepfer announced.”People can have instantly social and personalized experiences everywhere they go”, Zuckerberg added.

Facebook’s move is a strike at their competitors (like Web searching giant Google) who constantly fight for people’s attention and advertising bucks. Zuckerberg said that Facebook seeks to benefit by strengthening bonds people have to the social networking service. “The more people use Facebook the stronger the bond”, he added.

Finally, the new tools have one downside- they could mean less and less people will visit the Facebook site itself. “How do we create a world where when we show up anywhere our friends are there?” Facebook vice president Chris Cox asked rhetorically. “Our answer is an open platform and to give these tools to developers”. A one which just might change the Web as we know it.

Omer Shachnai

The CEO Game

Twitter watch out, Facebook beware? After Facebook has announced on a mail service, searching giant Google has announced tonight (Tuesday) on a new media sharing service and status updating platform named “Buzz”: which will transform Gmail to a social network that will compete with the large social networks. Following today’s earlier reports, Google held a press conference tonight which was broadcasted on YouTube, Google’s very own video site. The new out bursting service Buzz, will be an “entire separate world inside Gmail” according to Tod Jackson, the product manager.

Go search for your friends in Google. The goal of the new service is to allow sharing friends with links, RSS feeds, media content such as Picasa’s galleries or YouTube clips, addresses books and to allow status updates as well, just like in Twitter. Buzz will be mobile friendly and even support the iPhone and it’s URL is buzz.google.com.

Anytime Anywhere. Those mobile users will also be able to inform Buzz of their Geographic whereabouts, and therefore not only update what’s going on but where. The social network will also be available as a new GIS layer in Google’s maps service, Google Earth.

Security and Privacy. Google promises to advanced and easy security settings and moreover privacy settings such as blocking user from watching your updates, and removing them from the loop, the friend update list. Of course you will be able to watch the updates of other users who aren’t your friends, but have made their updates and statuses public.

Google has also announced future plans to create an enterprise version of Buzz which will be designated for inner organization communication. The company said that Gmail users, will soon start seeing the social network’s features in their mailboxes, while other users will be able to get more information from the site which will launch soon.

In Conclusion Google’s new Buzz, will definitely fuel the raging feud amongst the social networks and it might just be the next big thing. It sounds promising and definitely something to watch out for especially when Google says the next step is “to dial Buzz”.

Omer Shachnai

The CEO Game.

The first of two articles on the products of Tycoon Systems: IndustryPlayer and IndustryMasters. Both are online business games which join together light entertainment of multiplayer gaming with educational purposes.

Industry Masters.

IndustryMasters is an online, multiplayer, business strategy game, brought to you by Tycoon Masters, a Brazilian business education software firm and is intended to replicate real world economy. This business game first saw light in 2007, subsequent to Tycoon Masters’ additional simulation game IndustryPlayer which was launched in August 2006. In IndustryMasters, players assume the role of a company’s CEO and battle one another in real time for profit and in order to rule the market and have the highest share price. Generally, the concept behind the game is allowing the players to experience the results of their actions in this real-like situation of ongoing financial strive.

The novice CEOs (and maybe next-generation executives) who consist of business and engineering students, corporates’ trainees and amateur users; engage at running their company and must deal with all the aspects of their corporations’ business including planning strategy, financial investments, product branding, pricing, quality assurance, research and development, HR and even ecology. The game contains approximately 250 industries which are divided into 16 categories. The goal is to constantly increase the share price by making smart investments. Each week a new tournament begins, where you start out as a low level manager and get promoted with time. With each promotion the challenge and rewards gradually increase as well. The tournament consists of 100 participants hourly rounds, which represent sixty business months. Therefore, each month is one minute of game time, which in the end of – scores and market data are automatically updated. The players can play individually or group up and in the end can get analysis on their performance.

The game is available in few editions customized for different usages:

• Single User Simulations – Self paced study while competing with specific business scenarios.
• Real Time Simulations – The public RTS where you compete with players worldwide.
• Simulation Workshops – Single seminary class, lasting 1 – 2 hours, for 10-50 players.
• Simulation Seminars – A longer comprehensive 2 days simulation.
• Competitions Events -The game also provides a solution for extensive business competitions and events.

Since the game was first released in 2007, it continually grows and has expanded to Facebook, the widely renowned social network, where it has nearly 3500 active monthly users. Here in the CEO Game we tackle relatively similar issues to the ones IndustryMasters deals with, with micro and macroeconomics concepts such as product life cycle, economies of scope and scale, benchmarking and much more. Moreover, we strongly believe in creating and providing a real world business environment, influenced by day-by-day events and trends, thus creating a new, addictive, easy to learn, fun to master challenging simulation which will help predict and maneuver the global economic markets.

Omer Shachnai

The CEO Game.