Results tagged “facebook”

Local blogger Ben Somberg writes in to let us know he's had just about enough of front page stories about Facebook from the Washington Post. And he's got the evidence to prove he's not just a big whiner: since September of 2006, the Post has now devoted A1 space to stories about the social networking site a total of 15 times, by Somberg's count. Today's story, penned by youth reporter Ian Shapira, focuses on those rare individuals who aren't too old for Facebook, but still refuse to participate. Says Somberg: "It's alright, though I don't see exactly what it adds -- I don't leave the story having learned much I didn't already know. It belongs inside, not on Page 1."

You gotta love the Washington Times for splashing this story across the top of their local coverage today: "EXCLUSIVE: Capitol Police probe officers' Facebook pages" reads the headline, with the subhead, "Complaint cites degradation of women, hedonism." Apparently a couple of officers are "members" of a public group on Facebook called the "Make-it-Rain Foundation for Underprivileged Hoes," which we gather means these guys want it to be known that they are fans of going to strip clubs. Talk about a snoozefest. But wait, there's more!

One of the three men also listed himself as a member of the "He-Man Woman Hater's Club" and founded a Facebook group called "Passed Out in Trashcans" - a three-member group geared toward "anyone else that has woken up from a long night of drinking to find themselves in the trashcan."

D.C. Wire tips us off to a new Twitter feed and Facebook page for the D.C. Fire Department and EMS services. In a nod to the Washington Post city desk's sometimes strained relationship to blogging, they don't actually provide you with direct links to the new features, instead just suggesting that you search for them yourself, so here you go: twitter.com/dcfireems and Dc Fireems on Facebook. DC Fire/EMS spokesperson Alan Etter told D.C. Wire he plans to post breaking news and other official department updates on the Twitter feed, which today has already garnered entertaining results. To wit:

With all of its current budgetary struggles, Metro's certainly in need of some friends. Well, in what may be its most transparent grab for public support, you -- yes, you! -- can now pledge your undying friendship to the region's major mass transit provider on Facebook.

Ted Leonsis has reached Facebook's limit of 5,000 friends. Leonsis has made more than 3,9002,900 friends since mid-April, when he blogged that he had almost 2,100 and asked, in typically affable style, "if this is winning, why do I sometimes feel like such a loser for being so connected? :-)"

We first learned about it via Twitter this morning: "Scrabulous is disabled for US and Canadian users until further notice," one friend updated, and then another, and another, each expressing escalating amounts of dread. Now, The New York Times tech blog Bits confirms it: Facebook has had to shut down Scrabulous, the Scrabble-like game that's become wildly popular over the last couple of years. Scrabble maker Hasbro filed suit against the makers of Scrabulous in January, and indeed there is now a licensed beta version of Scrabble available on the social networking site. Still, we know how much you love wasting time on the internet, so we imagine more than a few of you are in a panic over the death of Scrabulous. Feel free to use the comments as group therapy.

Virgil Griffith has a lot of time on his hands. A lot.

A frenzy over whether staff-led tours of the U.S. Capitol will continue began earlier this month. At issue is a proposal from the Architect of the Capitol that would require all Capitol tours to be led by professionally certified tour guides once the new Capitol Visitor Center opens in November 2008. Unlike the smaller tours currently led by Congressional staff and interns, visitors would be put into groups of 40, given earphones and shown a...

Facebook isn't just for ridiculous photos of politicians' kids anymore. Now university presidents are getting into the act. We'd usually say that a college administrator having a profile on Facebook, the big social networking site that started with colleges but has since spread everywhere, sounds pretty neat — the administration is trying to be transparent and stay in touch with the students' internet fads. We can imagine a lot of good uses for the site...

Compiled by DCist Contributors Josh Kramer and Sarah Stonesifer The Eagle - American: >> AU is fine-tuning their free HIV testing program to accommodate students' schedules. They've also switched from an anonymous testing program to a confidential one. The changes aim to bring the school in line with the District government's HIV testing initiative. >> The American University bus drivers were approved by the Undergraduate Senate to have their own union, a debate that had...

Good morning, Washington. It's only the end of September, but if drug store candy aisles are any indication, many of you are probably already thinking ahead just a little bit to the holiday season. What will you be for Halloween? Will you stay in town for Thanksgiving? What kind of Christmas bonus will you be getting this year? For some D.C. government employees, the answer to that last question is now up in the air....

These United States, DCist's favorite local alt-country Unbuckled alums and purveyor of tour diaries, is in the running for a spot in this year's famed CMJ Music Marathon. TUS has been touring relentlessly and doing all the good stuff bands should do, but are still doing all of their booking, promotion, traveling, managing and everything else on their own. Have you seen their tour schedule lately? That's a hell of a lot of stuff...

Famed jazz flute player Tony Snow will step down as White House Press Secretary on Sept. 14, adding one more bleeding gash to the already hemorrhaging patient known as the Bush Administration. CNN is reporting that Snow, who makes $168,000 as the White House spokesman, says he is leaving for financial reasons, reiterating that he took a significant pay cut to take the position over a year ago in April 2006. It's an awfully weird...

While SFist cringed at the fatal dose of crime littering the Bay Area, it found solace in Hillary Clinton's San Francisco campaign headquarters opening, which featured loads of exposed mammary glands. In other news, SF Taxi Commission ruled that Satan's cab must keep its (in)famous medallion number, 666; and in an un-fashion-forward frenzy, San Francisco Fashion Week (chortle) bars bloggers from covering and getting smashed at their shows and parties, respectively. Also, they found a...

Seattlest has a talk with the photographer from last week's "Segway Mom" and then experiences some dissension in the ranks over the question of wine vs. beer. It's not West Side Story, but about as close as they'll get. They're also still waiting on some inbox relief after a spammer is arrested. As Chicagoist counts down the days to its third anniversary party, they found all-organic pizza to be underwhelming amidst the hoopla, tried...

>> Help the merchants displaced after the Eastern Market fire at happy hour tonight by imbibing at one of more than 20 D.C. bars that have signed up to donate a portion of their proceeds to begin the rebuilding. Started as the Facebook.com group "Rescue Eastern Market" by Clay Johnson on the day of the fire, you can find the full list and a handy map of participating taverns and cafes at Rescue Eastern...

MONDAY As a part of its ongoing “Face It: We Are Probably All Going To Die or at the Very Least, Suffer Immeasurably” Series, Politics and Prose kicks off the week with a visit from Stephen Flynn, author of The Edge of Disaster, which, apparently, we are teetering on (cf. “all going to die,” “suffer immeasurably”). Also: CSI: Miami is on tonight! 5015 Connecticut Avenue, NW, 7 p.m. TUESDAY The art of letter writing is...

Though the initial shock of seeing Eastern Market almost consumed by flames has passed, members of the community have ramped up fundraising efforts to ensure that the rebuilding begins as quickly as possible and the displaced vendors are cared for. On Tuesday, May 8, a number of bars will direct a percentage of their proceeds to the Capitol Hill Community Foundation, which is serving as focal point for Eastern Market-related fundraising efforts. So far,...

It's almost graduation time for colleges around the D.C. area, but many George Washington students aren't that thrilled about it. Why? The keynote speaker at their commencement is none other than... their outgoing university president. We guess that's what the highest tuition in the country gets you these days. Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, who has been president of the Foggy Bottom university for 19 years, always speaks at graduation, but he usually does so alongside folks...

Back in the day, people would gather to lobby, write letters and protest for a cause. These days, all it takes is access to a computer and a creative approach to using online tools. And while the fight for District voting rights has involved a good amount of old-school tactics, online activists have more resources at their disposal than ever before. Newly-elected Shadow Representative Mike Panetta has been leading this fight in recent years, employing...

If you've ever browsed Craigslist housing ads, you've invariably seen those bizarro room share ads - random, extremely cheap prices ($261/mo), strange symbols in the text (۞), questionable grammar and capitalization, and generic email addresses (usually the name of a European country followed by some numbers). The ads all sound about the same, the houses (or whatever they are) always seem to be in Silver Spring or upper 16th Street, and they offer a free...

This weekend's weather hinted at what is yet to come in the Washington region in the months ahead -- heat and humidity. And given that this Wednesday marks the official start of summer, the change in weather has come right on time. Look for high temperatures and afternoon thunderstorms through Sunday.

"Wisey's" -- another Georgetown tradition and the undisputed closest alcohol vendor to campus) will not renew the lease that has allowed Chol Kim and his wife to feed the milkshake-craving regulars for generations. Although some Hoya faculty, students and alums would prefer that Sugar's not go gently into that good night, another vocal camp is aggressively welcoming the legendary mom-and-pop shop's demise. And among the student community, much of the flight over the future of Sugar's is playing out over on The Facebook -- that student procrastination tool/excuse to score a poke.

Today's weather is being described by local weathermen as "blustery." So while it may be sunny and the world outside your office may look inviting, be forewarned -- temperatures will feel cooler than the mid 50s predicted as wind whips across the area. Mayoral Candidates Engage in Lively Debate: The District's five mayoral candidates engaged in lively debate last night at the University of the District of Columbia, defending their records and promoting their...