Quora

The news headlines in Grand Rapids, Mich., were dominated this week by local sports, a debate over wage raises for workers who receive tips, and a man who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for encouraging his dog to kill a raccoon. But there was also some newsroom controversy within the local Grand Rapids Press newspaper: Just how quotable is Twitter?

An entertainment reporter, Rachael Recker, wrote an article in which she quoted several Twitter users and identified them by username. For those of us accustomed to the tech press, this is no surprise--but for a local newspaper, it's unorthodox … Read more

Some runner out there was a little overeager. A member of question-and-answer site Quora used the service to pose a burning question about a potentially reckless activity: "How do you train for a marathon with a stress fracture in your ankle or foot?" Seriously? Ouch.

Luckily, there happened to be a sports therapist who was reading. "There (are) plenty of marathons left in the world for you to do when the stress fracture has healed," the therapist warned. "The amount of training required for a marathon means that this will severely stress the bone if … Read more

After a weekend in the dog house, UberMedia's Twitter apps UberSocial (formerly UberTwitter) and Twidroyd are back in the mobile-app stores.

UberMedia's Twitter apps ran afoul of Twitter on Friday, which banned the apps over certain policy violations, preventing new users from downloading them and current users from using them. The ban affected Android users of Twidroyd and BlackBerry and iPhone users of UberTwitter.

"These violations include, but aren't limited to, a privacy issue with private Direct Messages longer than 140 characters, trademark infringement, and changing the content of users' Tweets in order to make money,&… Read more

If only.

If only Google had been run by at least one touchy-feely human being, as opposed to a goosey gaggle of engineers.

If only Microsoft had made itself more teddy-bearish, as opposed to another of Apple's big, bad brothers.

And if only Facebook had committed itself to the blue hedgehog.

No, I have not been supping to excess. You see, according to the L.A. Times, which seems to enjoy following questions on Quora, Sean Parker, in his Facebook heyday, was deeply keen on Facebook having a prickly mascot.

Specifically, a blue hedgehog.

Ezra Callaghan, formerly of Facebook, … Read more

Quora, an increasingly popular question-and-answer site with a social networking angle, has released an application programming interface that opens the door for third-party software to use the service.

The API, announced Friday, has very limited features and is only an alpha release that the company doesn't promise will remain stable. But it's an important milestone nevertheless for the company as it charts a course through the complexities of building a business on today's Net.

That's because an API, if rich enough, means people using a service don't necessarily have to use that services' Web site. … Read more

They are rare moments in the dot-com world: when a service literally seems to burst with usage, real usage rather than just hype, after a period of comparative sleepiness.

The launch of Facebook's developer platform in mid-2007 led to a rush of new users on a service that hadn't yet convinced the world it was useful outside college campuses. Several months earlier, a relatively unknown messaging service called Twitter had suddenly become the talk of the technology world when the South by Southwest Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas, proved to be the perfect laboratory for its fledgling growth.… Read more

At this point, it's almost embarrassing to be a Web company that hasn't been courted by Google.

Not a week goes by when news doesn't surface regarding Google's trolling the waters of Silicon Valley for a new acquisition; Friday's discussion surrounded daily-deals site Groupon. And for every big fish contemplating the Google bait, there are tons of smaller ones that don't get as much attention but are potentially just as important to Google's overall strategy.

At this point in its history, it's simply easier for Google to let outside firms nurture promising … Read more

After it was spotted, Yeti-like, by a few eagle-eyed observers this spring, Facebook has officially launched its Facebook Questions product in a limited beta test--and it may have some big implications for the Web.

"Millions of people ask their friends questions on Facebook every day. What new music should I listen to? Where's the best sushi place in town? How do I learn to play the piano?" a Facebook blog post announcing the new feature explained. "With this new application, you can get a broader set of answers and learn valuable information from people knowledgeable on … Read more

A new search site is hoping it has the winning answer.

Launched to the public on Monday, Quora is a Q&A site where people can ask and answer questions among a community of fellow users. The site falls into the broad category of "social search," relying directly on other people for information rather than database-generated search results.

The goal of the site is to help users grab information they can't easily locate through a traditional search engine such as Google. Users will find not only direct answers to questions but also opinions, advice, and recommendations.… Read more