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NEW YORK (AP) Facebook anonymously launched a new photo-sharing app in China in a new effort to make inroads in the world's most populous country.

China's ruling Communist Party controls internet traffic across the country's borders and tries to keep the public from seeing thousands of websites including Facebook.

The app, called Colorful Balloons, was launched in China earlier this year and does not carry Facebook's name. Facebook confirmed Saturday that it launched the app.

The social media company's connection to the app was first reported Friday by The New York Times, which said it was released in China through a separate local company called Youge Internet Technology.

The launch of the app comes as China is cracking down on technology that allows web surfers to evade Beijing's online censorship.

Last month, users of Facebook's What'sApp messaging service, which normally operates freely in China, were no longer able to send images without using a virtual private network. That came amid official efforts to suppress mention of the death of Liu Xiaobo, the imprisoned Nobel Peace laureate.

China's biggest internet service provider, China Telecom Ltd., sent a letter to corporate customers last month saying that VPNs, which create encrypted links between computers and can be used to see sites blocked by Beijing's web filters, would be permitted only to connect to a company's headquarters abroad. The move could block access to news, social media or business services that are obscured by China's Great Firewall.

Chinese authorities have long blocked Facebook, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, arguing that foreign social media services operating beyond their control pose a threat to national security.

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Facebook anonymously launches an app in China - Allentown Morning Call

NEWS ANALYSIS: The worlds largest social network, which has been envious of YouTube, Netflix, Vimeo and other video providers for years, has set the table for its own online television network.

Facebook not only has its users complete attention for news, social networking, games, instant messaging, email, video streaming and a dozen other use cases, it now wants their time in front of ads as a television network.

The worlds largest social network, which has been envious of YouTube, Netflix, Vimeo and other video providers for years, has set the table for its own online television network.

Earlier this year, Facebook reportedlyalthough it never confirmed this publiclyentered the market for discovering and buying content. According to The Hollywood Reporter and covered here in eWEEK, Facebook decided to pick up a canceled MTV show called Loosely Exactly Nicole, from Nicole Byer, creator of the popular Girl Code show. Nicole was canceled after one low-rated season (about 360,000 total viewers, dwindling to less than 150,000) on MTV.

Saw Potential in Former MTV Show

Nonetheless, Facebook saw potential in Nicole, and it was among the first news items about a network-show acquisition that leaked out. Theres more: Facebook apparently is looking at about six genres as focus areas for half-hour shows: sports, science, pop culture, lifestyle, gaming and teens; these will likely stream as weekly series.

Now that type of content, when it becomes available, will have a place to nest and grow. On Aug. 10, Facebook launched a new section of the network called Watch, as a specific home for video.

Watch will be available on mobile, on desktop and laptop, and in Facebook TV apps. It is basically a redesign of Facebooks first video tab, reconfigured in order to keep viewers watching for longer period of time and hopefully to return regularly to view shows. The concept is that when users open Facebook Watch, the most recent episodes of their favorite shows will be there waiting for them, so they can finish them or binge many shows when they feel like it.

Most Facebook users now see videos secondarily when they scroll past a friends post. YouTube, on the other hand, is a destination specifically for watching videos. Facebook obviously is seeing its own virtual television network it as a whole new advertising income stream.

Rolling Out Watch to Limited Number of Users at First

The company said it was rolling out Watch to a limited group of users in the United States before a wider release in the future. No general release date is known at this time.

Heres how Facebook itself described the limited launch Aug. 10:

Gear up for Watch! It is a new platform for all creators, publishers and social media influencers to find an audience, build a community of passionate fans, and earn money for their work on Facebook. We believe our Facebook shows will be successful, particularly because:

(1) Our shows engage fans and the sports community. For example NOW NBA Publicity Studio publishes a daily show where we make and share videos together with our fans from around the world. The NOW stands for Nationally Or Worldwide. The Watchlist makes it easy for our fans to catch every days episode.

(2) We have live shows that connect directly with our fans. We use a combination of recorded and live episodes to connect with our fans and answer questions in real time.

(3) We also have shows that follow a narrative arc and those that have a consistent theme.

(4) Finally, we have live events and rallies that bring communities together while connecting with friends and fellow fans on the Facebook platform.

More Specifics on Types of Content

More detail from Facebooks Director of Products Daniel Danker, who covered this in an Aug. 10 blogpost:

Facebook, with its 2 billion-plus international membership, undoubtedly is looking at that huge number of people to drive its online video viewershipand then talk about shows during or afterward, still on the network. The tools are all right there, theyre familiar, and they generally work well.

That will make the Facebook experience stand out from YouTube and Netflix, even though those, too, are social networks to an extent.

With Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube and other over the top (OTT) internet video and television services already maneuvering to get into mainstream cable networksComcast and AT&T come immediately to mindit may only be a matter of time before other major IT product and service companies such as Apple, Microsoft, LinkedIn and others come up with their own networks filled with their own original content.

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Facebook Launches Social Network Assault on TV with Watch (Update) - Gears Of Biz

When it comes to acquiring a new job in the service industry, you may feel left out of the circle when you go to apply at different websites or businesses.

While there are many hiring platforms online, they seem to leave the service and hospitality industry out of the loop, and there you are, looking for your place only to find none.

As a culinary or service professional, you're not seeking to submit your resume in the same pool as a contractor or marketer. You want an intuitive tracking and monitoring system to allow you the best results (and the best pay) for the position you're looking for in any job.

This is where Industry.co steps in. Industry is a professional network, and hiring solution for the service and hospitality industry and they have single-handedly changed the way people in this niche stay connected to each other. If you're in this market, let me explain what Industry has done in connecting the service and hospitality industry together for life.

One of the reasons job seekers in this industry have a difficult time is the fact at how easy it is to get lost in the mix. There are plenty of job sites online where you can submit your resume. However, there is one major flaw with them.

Most are formatted for white collar job positions. While this is great for your CEO's and people who handle large quantities of businesses and brands in the form of clients, it's no good for a non-white collar worker who is looking for a great job.

You want potential businesses who are looking for your qualities and characteristics, and you can't get this if you're not woven inside a platform which connects you with like-minded people. This is the greatest value with someone of your skills in the hospitality industry. You could be a bartender, waiter, or chef, and having a network of other people in this genre can get you one step closer to your dream job.

If you want to catch a shark, you've got to go to the ocean, not my dad's backyard pond. The same principle applies here. Connect yourself to the businesses who need your services and skills which allow you to create valuable relationships to help you pursue your career even further.

According to Forbes, the hospitality industry is one of the fastest growing industries right now. More and more people are working longer hours and taking on another job to make ends meet, and the service and hospitality industry is the perfect choice for many people.

This is one of the greatest attributes of how your professional life can change inside of a structured network. Not only do you have the opportunity to throw your paper resume away, but you also have the chance to grow your connections inside a platform built especially for you.

As you have probably already experienced, who you know has a big impact on the job opportunity you just applied for. In fact, you have a 2.6% - 6.6% higher chance of getting hired simply because of who you know inside of the company.

Industry understands this and has given you the best chances possible to make an impact on the people around you who are working in the same field. This is not just a simple jobs board for the different brands. So we can truly help people and businesses and take this vertical to the next level. You should always be focused on growth and keeping company with a platform which promotes this growth on every level.

Growing your professional career and building relationships is the cornerstone of any successful business and job position. Staying connected to these people is the foundation you need to build a solid relationship with them in the future.

If you're in the market for a new job in the hospitality profession, one of the things you don't want to be doing is spending too much time hoping someone is going to hire you. Simplicity is important in any scenario of your professional life and while you already understand that discovering a great job is one of the perks of a job platform, can it still be easy?

What you want is a platform where you can market your skills and assets to potential businesses who are looking for them. In a sense, it's part social networking, connecting, and discovering jobs all rolled into one.

Considering time constraints and ease of use, you need something on the go where you can always stay connected and informed with your hospitality profile. The beauty of how they have upgraded this piece of the service profession is in their mobility to be where you are at all times.

Upload your credentials, resumes, and other important items your potential boss will be able to see and begin connecting with those like-minded people. That's how simple it can be.

If you're in the service and hospitality industry, you don't have to feel left out anymore. Nor do you have to haul around resumes and cover letters in your car to find a job perfect for your skillset.

You can market your skills and entice businesses to hire you by staying consistent, building relationships, and keeping up to date on all of the information and news within your industry. While you might think you've lost connection with jobs in the world of hospitality, you have the opportunity to build your career bigger and better than you thought you ever could with Industry.

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How This Social Network is Changing the Way Companies Find Talent in the Restaurant Industry - Inc.com

Srinagar, Aug 10: Stating that some social networking news groups are spreading false and fake news in the state, the Jammu and Kashmir Police Chief Thursday said that police is to initiate strong action against all such groups. Anti peace elements are using the social media as a tool to foment bloodshed and violence in the valley. Unfortunately some whatsapp news groups are also spreading false and fake news. The CID department will soon identify and initiate legal action against such groups and that the process in this regard has already been initiated, the DGP S. P Vaid said. He said that social media is playing a big role in radicalizing young people in the Kashmir Valley. We have received the reports that the social media is being used by groups and stone-throwers in the Valley to exploit the sentiments of people, he maintained. He said internet services in the Valley had to be suspended to prevent the spread of disinformation. It has been seen that the people are posting anything they want on WhatsApp groups. It is unfortunate that they dont understand the repercussions of spreading the misinformation, the DGP maintained. He said that the police will constitute dedicated teams to counter the anti-national propaganda on the social media. Meanwhile sources said that Intelligence agencies have singled out WhatsApp groups allegedly involved in mobilizing stone-throwers in the Valley. The Intelligent Agencies have identified WhatsApp groups which provoke the crowd and orchestrate stone-throwers to interfere with anti-militant operations, sources in the intelligence agencies said. As per sources, the analysis of mobile phones by intelligence agencies have revealed that creators, administrators and some members of the WhatsApp groups were based in Pakistan. In April this year, the authorities blocked hundreds of WhatsApp groups for instigating violence in the Valley. (KNS)

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Police to initiate tough action against social networking news groups spreading fake news: DGP - Kasmir Monitor

Last year, Facebook had silently launched a teen-centric social networking application called Lifestage. Just as silently, the application has been pulled from the App store. The application shut out anyone over the age of 21, but users could fake their age to get in. Lifestage was launched to get teens to use Facebook services, over competing applicationsthat were particularly attractive to the demographic, such as Snapchat.

Lifestage

According to a report in Business Insider, Facebook will be using the learnings from the Lifestage experiment in its other products that have features similar to the camera-first Snapchat application, such as Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook "stories".

Lifestage was similar to a video version of a slambook, where teens could answer biographical questions and share a video profile of themselves on school networks. The application was primarily meant to be used among classmates.

Every time the profile was updated, it showed up in the feeds of other classmates. Users had to unlock school networks, and then could access the profiles of other users in the same school. A minimum of 20 users from the same network were required for any school to get active on the application. However, there was no integrated facility to check if a particular user actually went to the school they claimed they were going to. If users hit the age limit of 22, they could see their own profiles, but not that of others.

The application was initially an exclusive to the Apple App store, but was launched on Android in October 2016. However, adoption of the application was slow, and had dropped to the number 1289 in the Social Networking category on iTunes, according to analytics by App Annie by the time the app was launched on Android. Even then it was believed that the learnings and features from Lifestage would be included in Facebook, if Lifestage failed to catch on. The application never went viral.

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Facebook silently pulls the plug on teen-centric social networking app Lifestage, that it launched last year - Firstpost