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Back in February, TechCrunch published an article titled Did Last.fm Just Hand Over User Listening Data to the RIAA? That story was the subject of short, but intense debate.  Last.fm vehemently denied the accusation that they’d given up user information to the Recording Industry Association of America.  The core of the debate, however, seemed to center around the inability of CBS and Last.fm to get their stories straight and in synch.

Friday evening, TechCrunch published a follow up titled Deny This, Last.fm in which Michael Arrington claims that another source inside Last.fm has confirmed the handoff of user information from Last.fm to CBS and subsequently to RIAA.  For what the data would be used for is anyone’s guess, but the story has a few holes on both sides of the fence.

TechCrunch chose to publish the story on a Friday, late in the afternoon, before a long, holiday weekend.  Then, on Saturday, posted a second piece to lambast the official response from Last.fm, written by one of their lead developers, Russ Garrett.  The official, hurried, response was not very carefully worded, but given the circumstances, this could be understandable.

The issue is about user privacy, which is a hot-button issue amongst those of us who spend the bulk of our lives online.  This is compounded by the even hotter-button issue of RIAA and how they treat user privacy and the civil litigation system like their own exclusive playground.  With these two issues at hand and the potential to do serious damage to a fledgling company’s reputation, I think a little more tact with the timing of their post would have been in order.

As someone who publishes online myself, I understand the compelling need to “get the scoop” or put the information out there as quickly as possible.  Sometimes, however, this needs to be tempered by some consideration for the situation at hand.  It’s not likely anything would have been lost had TechCrunch waited until Tuesday morning to publish their story.

Another issue is with the source of the story itself: an unnamed employee of Last.fm.  While anonymous sources aren’t unheard of in the journalistic enterprise, they are also too easily fabricated–either by the journalist or the source.  Any reader should be heavy with the salt if the only source for a story is anonymous.  In my mind, this is another reason TechCrunch should have waited to publish.

In the end, the story will play out and probably be very similar to the February brouhaha.  This time, however, it will be exacerbated by the story’s dissemination (largely one-sided) over the long weekend.

As the story plays out, it should be interesting to note two things: how CBS responds to the issue and, more importantly, how the user information that could have (illegally) been transferred to RIAA would be useful to them.  Given that what is purported to have been passed along is actually publically-available on Last.fm already.

Once again, Facebook is all over the tech and business news.  The fast-rising star of the social networking planetarium is on the verge of surpassing MySpace as most-used and is becoming the target of lawsuits and speculation.  Like any Hollywood star, Facebook is getting massive publicity and papparazzi-style scrutiny.

The latest news is with the Russian investment group, Digital Sky Technologies, and their move to put $200 million into Facebook, valuing the social networking giant at $10 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal.  There’s no word on whether Facebook has accepted the offer, but Facebook has been talking to several investment firms thanks to this new, larger valuation.

TechCrunch says that there’s no word on whether Digital Sky would want a board seat, which was the deal-killer in an earlier $200 million investment attempt.  That would mean that if Digital Sky gets one, a board seat at the social networking site is worth $2 billion.

Meanwhile, the legal side of Facebook’s rise saw an improvement this week.  Friday, the site issued a press release announcing that it had settled a trademark dispute with Think Computer Corporation.  The lawsuit was initiated by Think’s founder Aaron Greenspan, who claimed that his student efforts at Harvard in building the houseSYSTEM and it’s Face Book feature were infringed by Facebook.

Zubkerberg of Facebook was a classmate of Greenspans and, it turns out, also a user of houseSYSTEM while at Harvard.  No one has said how much the settlement was worth, but Facebook’s last settlement was rumored for $65 million, so Greenspan likely saw a huge sum.

For more details on the lawsuit and Greenspan’s claims against Facebook, review this insidefacebook.com article.

Last and likely least in the Facebook frenzy this week, Greg Sterling, on his blog, ties together several columns and thoughts from various people in the business of tech regarding whether Facebook should just buy up Yelp.  Arguments for this buyout are both for and against, with the core idea being whether Facebook should get into search.

All in all, Facebook is climbing the hill and becoming the King in social media.  Of course, like all Kings of the Hill, once up there, the struggle has just started.  Staying on top of the hill is the real challenge.

When you’re a brick-and-mortar retailer competing against the best of the best of online businesses, such as Amazon and Netflix, you need to fortify your click-and-mortar presence with a number of strategic partnerships.

Book, music and movie retail chain Barnes & Noble, Inc., boasting nearly 800 locations in all 50 states, knows this all too well, as its chief virtual competitors don’t have to worry about paying someone to clean the bathrooms or stock the employee break room – at least for its customer-facing operation.

That’s why a recent partnership with MapQuest Inc., the Net’s original provider of free directions from point A to point B, has Barnes & Noble pointed in the right direction. Leveraging proven technology from respected brands is much cheaper than hiring your own in-house team to replicate a technology from scratch.

The MapQuest platform will allow visitors to the entertainment chain’s BN.com website to not only find the locations nearest them, but to also learn about book and writers groups, storytimes for the kids, as well as author visits and signings. You can even subscribe to RSS feeds to keep you updated about what’s happening at your neighborhood bookstore. Other companies that have partnered with MapQuests enterprise solutions include Hilton Hotels and Smarter Agent, Inc.

So turn the page on thinking that dusty old bookstores don’t have the high-tech moxy to help you find what you need. That philosophy is as antiquated as the Dewey Decimal System.

Based in Portland, Oregon, Educadium is a unique online classroom/school that provides something that has been a long time coming: education in specific fields for corporate or individual use. The company started in 2008 as a collaboration between a group of dedicated teachers and technologists who wanted to provide more business-friendly education online.

Users can sign up for single courses or to take a suite of classes aimed towards a final education destination such as competence in a new programming language, software suite, business management, etc.

While Educadium doesn’t offer any accredited courses or degrees, their focus is not on traditional classroom education, but rather is on specific-need education. They aim to enhance employee productivity and value by teaching job-specific skills as well as general education centered around the business climate.

HR managers or group managers can create a virtual classroom for employees to visit, learn in, participate in specific courses, etc. This portal can act as the management solution for your company’s learning needs.

At the same time, if you are an educator or someone with specific knowledge you think could be taught through the Educadium system, you can sign up to become a professor there and build your own classrooms around your training materials.

This is a great idea that has been needed in the business climate of today. With things so fast-paced, most colleges and universities can’t keep up with current trends and often management has the right person for the job, but they’re missing one key skillset or weak in another. Freelancers might find this a great way to enhance their skills without having to make time to attend standard educational classroom settings.

Educadium’s price structure is based on your needs. Most will find it reasonable, starting at $14.99/month.

On Saturday, June 6th from 9am to 2pm, job-seekers, freelancers, startup entrepreneurs and others in professional transition will have the unique opportunity to gain perspective, discover new interests, and reinvent their careers at LaidOffCamp Miami. The free one-day event will offer this and more in Miami at its new expanded location the Miami Beach Convention Center 1901 Convention Center Dr., Miami Beach, FL 33139. (Free Tickets are limited and available on a first come first served basis.) LaidOffCamp Miami is sponsored by founding sponsor VOIS.com (pronounced “Voice”) (OTCBB: VOIS) (OTCBB: VOISW), a social commerce Web company that combines social networking with an online marketplace for professional freelance and on-demand services as well as sponsors, The City of Miami Beach, FreelanceCamp, Miami Beach Christian Community Services, Chef George Catering, Ultimate Vision Productions and Papasoft. Additional sponsorship is still available.

What is LaidOffCamp Miami

Modeled after conferences like FreelanceCamp and BarCamp, LaidOffCamp Miami features an open, participatory discussion forum designed to educate, empower, and connect community members who are experiencing challenges in the current economic climate. LaidOffCamp Miami will include panels, workshops, and discussions focused on topics including building your personal brand, transitioning to a new industry, legal & accounting demands of launching a new business, finding affordable health insurance, alternative working spaces, alternative income sources, and how to become a freelancer.

Why you should attend LaidOffCamp Miami — if you are:

--  Looking for creative ways to supplement your income or change your
    career

--  Running or trying to start your own business as a freelancer, solo
    entrepreneur or startup company

--  Wanting to connect with creative, friendly and helpful people

--  Seeking employment or recently laid off

What hiring managers, recruiters will gain

--  Opportunity to meet eager, qualified candidates

--  How to work with freelancers

Media coverage so far

– CNN “… its like a free day camp for the unemployed… you never know whom you might meet.”

– Wired “What do I do next? — the most enterprising among them are revisiting the goals they once abandoned.”

– CNET Audio slide show from various LaidOffCamp SF sessions.

– Business Week “… an organization to connect other people who were out of work… informal sessions and networking for the unemployed and self-employed.”

– Huffington Post “… might also allow the unemployed to make their voices heard more clearly and help turn them into a more powerful political force.”

– CBS Video of LaidOffCamp SF as “a job fair aimed at the internet generation.”

– SF Chronicle “… brimming with entrepreneurs who wanted to help people hurt by the economy.”
– Venue: Miami Beach Convention Center

– Date: Saturday, June 6, 2009

– Time: 9am – 2pm

– Cost: FREE

– Register: http://laidoffcampmiami09.eventbrite.com

– More Information: http://laidoffcampmiami.org

Officially, the new Wolfram Alpha search tool launched on Monday, May 18.  I don’t think there’s any special correlation with Victoria Day in Canada, though.  What there is, however, is a buzz of hype in the press about the new “Google Killer” and talk about how Monday will mark the end of Google’s reign as Search King.

If you’re a little skeptical about those claims, you have good reason to be.  One look at the site, without even using it, and you’ll know why the popular press is so often just…well, lame.

Reading a few words on the main page of the site and even a non-rocket scientist can understand that Wolfram Alpha is nothing like Google.  The only thing they have in common is that someone visiting the site plans to “search” for something.  What you’re looking for specifically, though, is going to be different on each site.

Google searches for websites.  Wolfram Alpha searches for answers.

So Google can sit back, relax, and ignore the hype.  Which is a good thing, because they have plenty of other stuff to worry about already.  Like fines in the EU and possible anti-trust suits here in the USA.

Back to Wolfram Alfa, though.  If you’re in the US or Europe, the site is likely up and functional for you, so you can go check it out (after you’re done reading this, of course).

If you don’t know already, Wolfram Alpha is a contextual/semantic search engine wherein you can input your question (like “what is 1+1″) and get an answer (<strike>3</strike>2).  You can also get a little more complicated and say “O, great Oz, what is 1+1 in the infinity of time?”  To which it will respond:

To tell the truth, you can ask it a lot of questions and generally get the answer you’re looking for.  At least, if your questions are about facts, figures, mathematics, or something similar.  It won’t tell you the secret to understanding women, how many licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, or anything very philosophical.

The database that Wolfram pulls from is growing by the hour as the team at Wolfram Alpha keep stuffing data into the matrix.  The semantic search is much better than the old “Ask Jeeves” that was supposed to revolutionize the ‘Net.

So far, Wolfram Alpha is off to a pretty good start.  I suspect it will be a while before it can really become popular, but for now, science geeks and people with too much time on their hands (you can guess which one of those I am) can play with it and get some interesting results.

Personally, I’m waiting for the “Jive Talking Wolfram” Firefox plugin.