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Telling Instant Messages About the History of Facebook from Zuckerberg in 2004

Facebook's origin is mired in controversy. The Winklevoss Twins have long claimed that Harvard University dropout Mark Zuckerberg stole their idea; Mark has always claimed he was working on "TheFacebook" before the school seniors ever asked him to code their dating site.

Eight years later, some telling instant messaging conversations have been leaked, preserved by the courts due to lawsuits. One is a chat between a 19-year-old Zuck and Adam D'Angelo, the first Facebook chief technology officer (he left in 2008 to co-found Quora). Through the dialogue, you catch a glimpse of Mark's internal debate - does he build the Winklevoss' dating site or focus on TheFacebook?

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Vancouver's Exploding Barrel Games Launches Margaritaville on Facebook and iOS [VIDEO]

Are you ready to live the island dream?

First announced back in May 2011, Vancouver-based startup Exploding Barrel Games has at long last launched Margaritaville Online, a free Facebook and iOS game. The social, cross-platform game is an "immersive, everyday escape" inspired by the lifestyle of Jimmy Buffett. 

"The Margaritaville laid-back state of mind is inherently social, and this game has captured the spirit of that lifestyle," said Jimmy Buffett, who consulted on the game. "With Margaritaville Online, fans across the globe can party together any time and any place."

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HUBRIS: Special Investigation Unit Uses Social Media to Catch Defrauder Red-Handed on Facebook

Corbin Lewis Joseph was prohibited from driving in 2009 after operating a vehicle while drunk and rolling his truck into a ditch on a rural road outside of Springhouse, a small community west of Williams Lake. The truck was totalled, though fortunately no one in the vehicle was seriously injured. Still, it seemed like a bad situation for the young man—but he had a plan.

The 22-year-old, now 24, convinced a friend to tell the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia that she was driving the truck at the time of the crash. This way, he could collect insurance on the totalled vehicle. His plan worked, and he did collect—a whopping $18,000, in fact.

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Facebook Developer Launches 'Dont Be Evil' Plugin For Less Biased Google Search Results [VIDEO]

A group of engineers has built a bookmarklet that redirects Google's new social search to results that include all social networks—including Twitter, Tumblr, and even MySpace—versus just Google+. Led by Facebook developer Blake Ross, the plugin is called "Don't Be Evil"—Google's now controversial mantra—and is hosted on a website called "Focus on the User," another jab at Google's seemingly corrupt philosophy.

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Facebook is Going to Force You to Use Facebook Timeline and Consequently Auto-Share Everything

It's clear through the first 60 Timeline apps that Facebook wants you to auto-share absolutely everything. For the fear of those who haven't complied with Facebook's request to activate Timeline, it'll be forced upon you eventually. Some of Timeline's apps include the ever popular Oodle, Yahoo News, Causes, Flixster, The Washington Post Social, Pinterest and more. You can check out what your friends are using by clicking here.

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Zuckerberg on SOPA: 'We can't let poorly thought out laws get in the way of the internet's development'

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has publicly spoken out against SOPA. This morning, the billionaire posted a status stating that "Facebook opposes SOPA AND PIPA."

"The internet is the most powerful tool we have for creating a more open and connected world," says Mark. "We can't let poorly thought out laws get in the way of the internet's development." Mr. Zuckerberg believes that the world "needs political leaders who are pro-internet." 

Mark's status update has garnered 300,000 Likes, 60,000 shares, and 6,000 comments in just two short hours. Facebook's full stance on anti-piracy bills can be found here, where the company states its position in detail.

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Half of Canadians Don't Want to Engage with Brands on Social Networks

Many Canadians don't really think brands and social networks mix. According to new data from research firm TNS Canada, 54% of Canadians don't want to engage with brands on social networks. Calling it a "digital wasteland" for businesses, TNS vice president Ron Caughlin says that "winning and maintaining brand loyalty is now harder than ever."

Even so, 44% of consumers agree that they'd consider engaging with a brand recommended by a friend. "The online world presents massive opportunitiy for brands," Ron notes, but "misguided digital strategies are generating mountains of digital waste, making it harder for brands to be heard."

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Facebook to IPO in May, Report Says

Facebook's ba-jillion dollar IPO looks due in May, according to a report by AllThingsD. Citing "multiple sources," tech reporter Kara Swisher says that "if there are no issues," such as a "turbulent market," then the much-hyped initial public offering of Facebook is slated for the "third week of May." In order for this to happen, AllThingsD notes, Facebook must file its IPO documents within the next month because the Securities and Exchange Commission generally takes a good three months to review.

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