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Facebook has heard the complaints and appears to be moving towards appeasing those users who are worried about the privacy and security concerns of the world’s most popular social networking site.  Two recent updates were rolled out to assuage some of these concerns.

App Passwords – probably the most comprehensive of the two, this one is the quiet change that everyone is underestimating.  First, it allows you to set unique passwords for one or all of your Facebook apps, keeping them separate from your Facebook account.

This does a couple of things to your account, security-wise.  First, it allows you to keep apps separate from your social network, which means that someone who gains access to one of your apps nefariously will not be able to get into your actual FB account.

Second, and maybe more important, it allows you to shut down an app without hoping that their unsubscribe button works.  All you have to do is close out the password’s access to your account and the app no longer has access.

The part that gets missed?  This also gives you a back door into your Facebook account should you forget your password.  You can access on public systems or open networks using this alternate password.  This means that if you’re signing up for something that requires you to “log in” using your Facebook account, you can do it with an alternate password instead of your main one, which keeps your account secure.

Trusted Friends – is another addition that allows you another good way to regain access to your Facebook account should it be hacked, your password gets lost, etc.  It allows you to designate friends you trust with your account.  Then, if you can’t gain access, you can opt to have it send password change codes to your Trusted Friends.  They can then forward them to you or use them on your behalf to change your password.

Both of these are a good step forward.  They don’t quite cover everything, of course, but they show that Facebook is at least concerned about user perception.

Netflix, based in Los Gatos, California, is launching service in the United Kingdom and Ireland in early 2012.  The service will, as in the United States and Canada, offer unlimited streaming TV shows and movies, but will not be offering its DVD by mail service in the new territory.

When the service launches, instant viewing will immediately become available to subscribers in the UK region and devices to capture Netflix streams, such as set-top boxes and the like, will be available to consumers starting this Holiday season.

Netflix is currently available in the U.S., Canada, and 43 countries in Latin America.  This will be its first foray across the Atlantic.  Netflix is currently allowing UK and Irish customers to sign up for a membership list that will alert them when membership subscriptions become available to them.

Despite some heavy losses and negative PR in recent times, Netflix seems determined to bounce back before new competition from rivals appears in force.  This expansion is obviously meant to grow market share further before rivals even really begin taking share in the U.S.

The news has been full of the name Steve Yegge in recent days.  Steve is an engineer who works for Google, and he does not seem to like Google Plus very much.  He wrote a 4,000-word post about his misgivings and added it to his own Google Plus account.

This may not seem too worrisome to begin with.  However, if you know anything at all about Google Plus you will know that one of the features is that you can have different Circles with different people in them.  One of Steve’s Circles had his Google colleagues in it.  It was this Circle he intended to publish his thoughts to.  Instead, he published it publicly, meaning anyone who viewed his Google Plus account could read it.  Many of them did.

Even though he then took it down, many people had already read it and the message was out.  His oft repeated opinion that Google’s new social networking platform was a “pathetic afterthought” reverberated around the internet, hitting the headlines and giving Google some publicity it probably would rather not have had.

While Steve may not be at the highest management level of the company, he is an engineer and has enough experience and insight to know what is working and what is not.  Many have agreed with his comments, so while they were never meant to be read publicly he has had much support as a result.  It makes you wonder whether Google will take notice.

The buzz around Google Buzz was huge when it first got underway back in February 2010.  However, the buzz did not last very long, and now Google has announced that Google Buzz is shortly to be no more.

Some would say that this will be no great loss.  Google is apparently going to focus more on its new social media site Google Plus, rather than trying to keep going with Google Buzz.  The latter has not seen much traction since the first flurry of excitement over its launch.  Nevertheless, with that said it could now be a similar picture with Google Plus, which has also seen a large drop in traffic after the initial bout of excitement.

In any event, Google Buzz will very likely not be missed by many people.  The main difference between the two services in terms of promotion is that the Google Plus site can now be accessed via the bar running along the top of the Google home page.  This is evident from the +You prompt.  Google Buzz never had this advantage.

Google Buzz is undoubtedly the biggest casualty among a handful of things Google is getting rid of over the coming weeks.  Some will miss it but it is likely that there will not be much furore over the changes.  Only those who have a Google account are likely to notice the demise of Buzz, and others may miss it altogether.  Only time will tell us if Google Plus will stand up as a worthy replacement.

This has become one of my favorite apps and I’m not really much of a musician.  It’s fun to play with, allows you to do some really cool mixes, and is simple to learn and understand.

DM1 is an advanced drum machine based on the older vintage style in-studio machines that many musicians are familiar with.  It turns your iPad into one of those machines and allows you to utilize different parts of the mixing board to create beats and changes quickly.

It’s got 29 electronic drum kits built-in and graphics that mimic the original machine, so it’s easier to learn.

Although this may not be stuio-ready, for the home recording artist and someone who needs good beats and sounds for practice or other use (or just to play with, for that matter), this is great.  It’s easy to edit and pull together sequences with a drag-and-drop finger-based interface.

Another limitation is that the app can’t import or export samples.  While for most hobbyists, this probably isn’t much of a limit, for a pro or semi-pro, it will be.  Still, it’s not meant for that market.

Overall, DM1 is a lot of fun and very well made.  Whether you play another instrument and need a backdrop or are just interested in playing with mixes and creating mixmaster fun, this Fingerlab app is for you.

Tons of fun, well worth the $5.99, and runs smoothly while being easy to learn.  A great app.

Most people would accept that big brands and businesses of all sizes use social media websites to help them connect with their target audience and help to promote their products or services.  Now a recent survey by ISBA in association with Havas Media Social has put a figure on how many CEOs actually realise how important these social media sites are – a full three-quarters of them.

Fifty marketers were spoken to for the survey, which ended up revealing some other interesting facts too.  For example, they were all involved in social media to some degree, with 66% of them saying they were using a proper strategy to try to get the results they sought.  However, a huge 96% of those questioned said they did not do all the hard work themselves; rather, they hired agencies to help them achieve the best possible results.

These figures are intriguing and they show that many more people are involved with social media marketing than may first be thought.  However, since the survey only focused on those businesses large enough to have a CEO, it does not take into account smaller businesses and one-person businesses.  It would be interesting to see if similar patterns were seen in these areas as well.

One thing can be taken from this survey though.  It is clear that many people in big businesses are serious about social media marketing and the advantages it can bring them.