Close
Updated:

Around the Virtual World – August 29, 2012

  A weekly wrap up of interesting news about virtual worlds, virtual goods and other social media.

 

 

 

Bait and Switch? @TextInstagram Transfers Followers to Personal Account
The creator of viral parody Twitter handle @TextInstagram is in hot water after he transformed the account into a personal account, @JoshHelfferich. 

Twitter Tweaks Developers With Tough Rules
Twitter introduced new rules for developers who create applications that rely on Twitter data, provoking disappointment and condemnation among those who write code.

OnLive assets sold to new company, service will continue
Cloud gaming pioneer OnLive has confirmed that its assets have been sold to a newly-formed company with “substantial backing.” OnLive will continue to operate its gaming and desktop streaming services and supports its current partnerships, the company said in a statement.

California Social Media Privacy Bill Would Put New Restrictions On Employers
Employers are tricky: many increasingly require applicants to turn over their social media passwords so they can take a look at interviewees’ profiles. Earlier this week, the state of California took moves to outlaw this practice when the state senate unanimously voted for a bill banning employers from demanding access to the social media profiles of both job applicants and current employees as well as barring retaliation if such requests are denied.

Kixeye Poaches CityVille GM Patmore From Zynga to be VP of Product
Zynga’s tanking stock price is everyone else’s gain. Kixeye, the iconoclastic, midcore Facebook gaming company, just hired away the general manager of CityVille, Alan Patmore, to be its vice president of product. It’s a score for the company at a time when the entire social gaming industry is in flux.

Applifier’s Everyplay, Which Lets Mobile Gamers Share Glory, Attracts Interest From 100 Developers
Applifier, a Helsinki and San Francisco-based mobile-social gaming network, added a lot more richness to its user experience this week with Everyplay, a way for gamers to share and replay their greatest moments. Everyplay lets gamers share their favorite titles by recording and replaying sessions of games — like a time they might have gotten a high score.