Web Development Live

The Wall Street Journal has just accepted Facebook’s request to be online friends.
Hoping to tap into the growing buzz of online social networks, the Journal is adding a feature to its Web site that will allow readers to see which Journal stories are popular among that user’s Facebook friends.
The feature, which goes live early Wednesday morning, is called “SeenThis?” and is powered by a company called Loomia Inc. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.
Loomia already provides WSJ.com with another feature called “People who read this … also read these stories” which appears on the right-hand side of the text of a story.
News Web sites will commonly feature lists of the most popular stories on the site, as measured by the most views, most e-mailed or most recommended or blogged about.
But by showing articles that were read by viewers who apparently had similar interests, the Journal is hoping to harness some of the magic of successful shopping sites like Amazon.com Inc., which will make recommendations to shoppers based on what other buyers also bought.
Adding the link with Facebook takes the idea a step further, by letting viewers see what stories their own friends are interested in, not only those of the general WSJ.com readership.
Daniel Bernard, general manager for Wall Street Journal Online, said the “SeenThis?” feature will be opt-in only, meaning it won’t start up unless the viewer expressly asks it to, and users can opt out any time.
The application also won’t collect personally identifiable information on which people are reading which articles, just aggregated information on which articles are being read most by those in a readers’ group of Facebook friends or networks.
Loomia’s chief executive, Dave McMurtry, said the Journal was the first media company to fully implement the “SeenThis?” application. General Electric Co.’s NBC Universal and CNET have also signed up to use it.
The module that will be visible on the Journal Web site is something called a “widget” in Internet lingo _ a small, self-contained application that does a specific task.
The user can also add that application on to his or her Facebook page, where it would show users not only which Journal articles are most popular among that users’ friends and networks, but also video and other material from CNET or other providers.
Bernard said the Journal’s goal in adding the fixture was not only to help make the Web page more functional for its existing users but also to try and lure in new users from outside sources such as Facebook.
Other newspapers have also been developing widgets that people can post to their Web sites or pages on online social networks like Facebook in hopes of bringing in more online traffic and spreading awareness of their brand name.
The New York Times offers an online crossword puzzle through Google Inc.’s personalized Web pages as well as a news quiz application on Facebook. Gannett Co.’s USA Today also offers users widgets for various uses, as does The Washington Post Co.

That’s the warning from Ian Fogg, research director at JupiterResearch Europe, who was speaking during a Westminster eForum debate on the future of broadband in Britain.

Without investment to improve broadband infrastructure ?such as fibre to the home (FTTH) and fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) ?Fogg said the danger is “the next big thing on the internet may not work in the UK”.

But, even so, Fogg admitted that the business case for fibre is “incredibly hard” as the market has seen a slide in the average price for broadband over the last few years and consumers don’t see why they should pay more for fat-pipe access.

All-IP next-generation networks (NGNs) are being rolled out in the UK ?such as BT’s 21CN ?but NGNs do not solve the problem of legacy copper wiring at street level, from exchanges to cabinets and homes ?an issue known as “next-generation access” (NGA). NGA is the fly in the ointment of faster broadband in the UK.

Antony Walker, chief executive of the Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG), told delegates the prospects for early investment in NGA are not good. But he said this is an issue that is likely to trouble small businesses before it annoys consumers, as SMEs might feel they are losing a competitive edge for accessing and competing in global markets where fibre deployments have ?or may ?outstrip the UK.

Consumer demand for upgrading the UK’s broadband infrastructure is less clear cut, Walker said. This point was echoed by Ofcom executive Peter Phillips, partner for strategy and markets development, who said there is still “a lot of uncertainty” about how long current broadband networks will deliver what consumers need.

The speakers at the eForum touched on various applications ?from videoconferencing to greater opportunities for home working to the rise of social networking and even the BBC’s iPlayer ?that might benefit from improved broadband infrastructure. But the general consensus was no “killer app” for NGNs has yet emerged.

JupiterResearch’s Fogg said: “No-one has yet identified that unique application that can only be delivered over next-generation broadband.”

Ofcom’s Phillips added that there may even be some advantage to the UK holding back on broadband development ?to see how things pan out in other countries and learn from their experience. The regulator is currently consulting on NGA.

The stance of the network operators was summed up by Andrew Lazarus, head of regulatory policy and strategy at BT, who said the company “does believe we can get a lot more out of copper”.

Lazarus cited ADSL+ ?coming next year, with top speeds of up to 24Mbps ?and said speeds would still “satisfy a lot of apps”. Issues such as broadband “not spots” ?areas not currently served by fat pipes ?and headline speeds are “not necessarily part of the fibre debate”, according to Lazarus.

NUCLEAR ENERGYAsk for the full clean up
Do you remember the nuclear waste deal in 1995? Colorful ads promised this nuclear deal would “say no to leaving waste over the aquifer.” They promised if we import tons of foreign spent nuclear fuel, this deal would “guarantee that the federal government must come up with the money to clean-up existing INEL waste for disposal outside our state.”The final plan is out for official public comment now, quietly released during the holiday season. The “preferred alternative” #4 does not come even close to removing 10 percent of the buried plutonium.Why is the state not demanding alternative #5, which removes “all” the buried plutonium?The final plan concludes a full clean-up is too expensive! Have you ever seen an Idaho politician refuse $8 billion in nuclear jobs? Why are the politicians refusing to demand a full clean-up?Do you remember the infamous Pit 9? In 1993, that was chosen as the worst plutonium pit. Now, this final plan cherry picks just a very small portion of Pit 9!When God blessed Idaho, there was no man-made plutonium in our water. Please call your silent politicians. Ask for the full clean-up proposed in Alternative 5 at Brandt.Meagher@icp.doe.gov.DR. PETER RICKARDS, D.P.M., Twin FallsWhere did the West go? Keep Idaho green
Coming up nuclear plants?What ever happened to “green” - windmills, solar and vouchers for fuel cell-natural gas homes, buildings and electric cars and trucks? “Keep Idaho green,” don’t put us, our aquifers, the Tetons, Yellowstone, our farms, our tourism under a dark cloud, or worse a disaster.We have to ask, would housing costs go down, sales, would people move away? What ever happened to common sense … smelling the roses, or our Snake River, the gas? Where did the West go?Help save Idaho, all us Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Libertarians, Christians and non-Christians! It’s a no-brainer to my way of thinking. We haven’t yet even used “traditional” energy sources. Slam the door on nuclear power.”Keep Idaho green.”MONTY STIPP, MeridianHEALTH CARESave money, go to Mexico for dental work
Imagine a country where the majority of the people have no health insurance and they cannot afford to go to the doctor or the dentist.Image a country where the majority of people hope they die before they have to go to a nursing home because of the cost.The last four years I have been going to the dentist in Algodones, Mexico. I was happy with my local dentist, but I could not afford the cost. I am almost 70 years old, my teeth are worn down and I had a few teeth missing. This fall I went to Mexico to a dentist that I have 100 percent confidence in, and got 28 new porcelain crowns, including three bridges. The whole process took three days. The total cost was less than what my daughter paid a specialist to get one crown. I now have teeth better than my originals.Millions of Americans go to Mexico for major operations, dental work, and prescription drugs because they cannot afford the price in the US. Millions of Mexicans come to this country and go to our hospital emergency rooms and receive free health care. What kind of country would let this happen?If you need dental work, check out this Web page, www.sanidentalgroup.cjb.net.GARY WILLSON, ReubensEAGLE FOOTHILLSCity Council put best interests of Eagle first
Power (city voters) and knowledge (North Ada County Foothills Association) helped lead City Council to approve a far more responsible M3 Company Foothills development agreement than what Council was ready to approve just two months ago. The Nov. 6 Eagle city election results proved that knowledgeable Foothills’ advocates are not a “relatively small group of critics” with a “significant self-serving negative bias that does not truly represent breadth of the community.” (Councilman Bandy’s October campaign quote.)Congratulations and gratitude go to John Petrovsky’s NACFA for pursuing a course of public leadership, persistence and informed advocacy for a responsibly managed foothills growth plan, during the past five years at the county and city levels. NACFA stepped in where elected city officials feared to tread with developers.Gratitude goes as well to the recent successful and influential Preserve Eagle campaign platform. City Council subsequently switched to damage control mode to regain leadership credibility on the major issue of city growth. Thanks go to Council for deciding on Nov. 20 and Dec. 11 to put the best interests of the city of Eagle first rather than those of a Foothills developer. Well done, City Council.PATRICIA MINKIEWICZ, EagleBARACK OBAMAStop spreading political rumors as facts
Most will agree that politics is too partisan; but what to do about it? First, stop spreading “Patriot Police” rumors as fact. Clarice Wright stated that Barack Obama attended a radical Muslim school as a child, and recited the Pledge of Allegiance with his hands at his side, his back to the American flag.CNN investigated the charge of attending a radical Muslim school, a “madrassa.” Not true. He attended the Basuki school, a general school, from 1969-1971. Students dress in school uniforms and teachers in Western attire.A photograph of Sen. Obama’s alleged pledge infraction was taken on Sept. 16, 2007, at Sen. Tom Harkin’s annual steak fry festivities in Iowa. The photo was taken during the National Anthem not a recitation of the pledge. The area was covered with American flags so while he had his back to the one in the picture he was facing a flag as were the others in the picture.To diminish the partisan nature of our system, Clarice, stop spreading false rumors. When anyone allows themselves to be used by the “Patriot Police,” partisanship is magnified. So what will it be? Furthering the problem or becoming part of the solution?ED LONSDALE, Boise

Presidential raceMcCain抯 top priority should trail bigger issuesAs the presidential primary races heat up in both dominant parties, I have not yet formed a solid opinion of who I believe is the best candidate in either party. However, a recent comment by Sen. McCain on the McNeil News Hour makes me question his understanding of the world today. He stated that the 搕ranscendent challenge of the 21st century is the struggle against radical Islamic extremism.?If he truly believes this, then I sense that he will not help our nation invest our attention and resources wisely.What qualifies as 搕he transcendent challenge of the 21st century?has to be something with deeper roots, something that is truly standing in the way of progress in the world. Something which, when overcome, will open up unlimited potential for human development (and global sustainability). Only a few things qualify as the transcendent challenge. It might be the gap between rich and poor; it might be the ongoing struggle of our education systems to transform themselves; it might be the unwillingness of individual citizens and consumers to make major shifts in lifestyles to help the environment. In any case, Sen. McCain is missing the mark with his important but secondary priority.Matthew Shapiro, BoiseRush LimbaughSenators should be too busy to complain about radioThe Oct. 20 N.Y. Times article refers to a letter sent to Rush Limbaugh from the U.S. Senate. The letter was in fact sent to Mark Mays, the CEO of Clear Channel, requesting that he take some action. You can check it out online. Apparently the N.Y. Times did not. I do not think that the senators should be going directly to broadcasters with complaints of program content since they are in the business of regulating broadcast licensees through the FCC. It could seem like the senators are trying to dictate content to the licensee, and that is not their function. I don抰 recall a Senate letter going out to CBS during the Imus controversy.With all of the problems like immigration, health care, and the budget waiting for solutions, it seems strange
that 41 U.S. senators have time to write letters and make speeches complaining about a radio program.Jim Goeppner, NampaNuclear PowerIdaho should build, rely on a nuclear power plantIn response to 搉uclear energy?by Larry Munden on Sept. 18.The United States generates power basically seven ways: hydro, coal, gas, oil, wind turbines, solar and nuclear power.Hydro-electric is the least damaging for greenhouse gases. Coal, gas and oil are the most damaging. Solar and wind are dependent on weather and need large amounts of land. Nuclear power releases no greenhouse gases, needs no oil or gas wells, no trees are destroyed, no large purchase of land is required, and it is not dependent on the weather. Spent fuel is a problem, but if we would recycle our spent fuel like other countries do, that problem would be greatly reduced.The worst accident this nation ever had with a nuclear power plant hurt no one, and did nothing but make us fearful of nuclear power.This state was the first to generate electricity by nuclear power, and we have a large engineering group devoted to making nuclear power safe and affordable. We should be proud of that fact, and proud someone wants to build a nuclear power plant here. It would create good-paying jobs and ensure the people of Idaho have enough power to meet our growing demands well into the future, without increasing greenhouse gasses.Larry E. Young, MeridianEducationSupport author抯 efforts to better educate childrenWe were glad to see 揘o Child Left Untested: As federal school reform law comes up for review, some Idahoans want changes?featured on the front page of the Sunday, Oct. 21, edition. Thank you for covering such an important issue. Many Idahoans do indeed want changes. Those changes are well-articulated by Jonathan Kozol, author of 揇eath at an Early Age,?揟he Shame of the Nation,?and 揝avage Inequalities?to name a few. You can find Jonathan and the members of the Education Action! Team抯 10 proposals for change to No Child Left Behind on Ed Action抯 Web site at: www.ed
action.com/content/NCLBPoints.pdf.Mr. Kozol has been on a partial fast since July 4 to protest the damage being done by NCLB.
He will continue to fast until members of the U.S. Senate Health, Education Labor %26 Pensions (HELP) Committee consider these proposals. Please contact Sen. Kennedy抯 education office, (202) 224-9214, to have your objections to NCLB heard. Join us in our 揷ollective fast,?as we each fast a different day of the week, to support Mr. Kozol in his admirable efforts. Visit Ed Action. Let Mr. Kozol know he is not alone in his concern for children.Mike Carnell, Jazmin Daley, Barbara Greenwood, Annette Hanson, Jerry Hendershot, Karen Moss and Veronica Daley Zaleha, BoiseSensible changes needed for Idaho抯 testing regimeBravo to the parents and teachers at Boise抯 Whitney Elementary who are seeking sensible changes in Idaho抯 testing regime.Like the insightful Whitney parents, the general public is coming to understand the ugly nature of deformed education that testing is imposing on our youth. The wrong-headed federal No Child Left Behind law is a prime example.In a global competitive environment where critical thinking and analytical skills are keys to our future, what do politicians and policymakers demand? Tests that narrow curriculum away from writing, science and history; tests that discourage the reading of books; and tests that cripple higher-order thinking skills.Educator Jonathan Kozol states that NCLB抯 poisonous essence lies in the mania of obsessive testing and the 搈iserable drill-and-kill curriculum of robotic 憈eaching to the test?it has imposed on teachers.?p/>What抯 Kozol doing about this? As of this writing, he is continuing to fast, an action he started this summer, as he fights for the soul of public education.What can you do? Speak up!1. Contact the State Board of Education at board@osbe.idaho.gov or call (208) 334-2270.2. Submit an electronic message to the president and Idaho抯 congressional delegation.
(See www3.capwiz.com/nea/issues/alert/?alertid=9728111%26type=ml)Terry Gilbert, BoiseOnline commentsStatesman should edit callous remarks on deathI was deeply saddened when I read about the death of Sarah Howard recently, after she was struck by an SUV while riding her bike. Sarah was a great person and a friend to many. However, what shocked me even more were the ridiculous and often callous remarks left online by your readers. Why the Statesman would choose to elicit comments on such a tragedy is beyond reason. Please show some class and some sensitivity, and to the gawkers who insist on their First Amendment right, 揇o not speak unless you can improve the silence??Proverbs.Kerri Dunn, EagleHalloweenSex offenders should turn on blue porch lightThe Lights Off policy for sex offenders during Halloween is severely flawed. There may be people who are out of town who leave their lights off, or people like myself who for personal reasons do not celebrate Halloween and have no desire to support it in any way. So we either have to risk being viewed by our neighbors as possible sex offenders, or turn kids away at our door.Perhaps a better solution is to require sex offenders to turn on a blue porch light year-round ?that would greatly increase the neighborhood awareness of sex offenders residing within their neighborhoods year-round and not just during Halloween. This may provide greater year-round protection for our children and not place undue suspicion on innocent neighbors who don抰 happen to have their porch lights on for whatever reason.Michael Kelley, Nampa

That’s the warning from Ian Fogg, research director at JupiterResearch Europe, who was speaking during a Westminster eForum debate on the future of broadband in Britain.

Without investment to improve broadband infrastructure ?such as fibre to the home (FTTH) and fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) ?Fogg said the danger is “the next big thing on the internet may not work in the UK”.

But, even so, Fogg admitted that the business case for fibre is “incredibly hard” as the market has seen a slide in the average price for broadband over the last few years and consumers don’t see why they should pay more for fat-pipe access.

All-IP next-generation networks (NGNs) are being rolled out in the UK ?such as BT’s 21CN ?but NGNs do not solve the problem of legacy copper wiring at street level, from exchanges to cabinets and homes ?an issue known as “next-generation access” (NGA). NGA is the fly in the ointment of faster broadband in the UK.

Antony Walker, chief executive of the Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG), told delegates the prospects for early investment in NGA are not good. But he said this is an issue that is likely to trouble small businesses before it annoys consumers, as SMEs might feel they are losing a competitive edge for accessing and competing in global markets where fibre deployments have ?or may ?outstrip the UK.

Consumer demand for upgrading the UK’s broadband infrastructure is less clear cut, Walker said. This point was echoed by Ofcom executive Peter Phillips, partner for strategy and markets development, who said there is still “a lot of uncertainty” about how long current broadband networks will deliver what consumers need.

The speakers at the eForum touched on various applications ?from videoconferencing to greater opportunities for home working to the rise of social networking and even the BBC’s iPlayer ?that might benefit from improved broadband infrastructure. But the general consensus was no “killer app” for NGNs has yet emerged.

JupiterResearch’s Fogg said: “No-one has yet identified that unique application that can only be delivered over next-generation broadband.”

Ofcom’s Phillips added that there may even be some advantage to the UK holding back on broadband development ?to see how things pan out in other countries and learn from their experience. The regulator is currently consulting on NGA.

The stance of the network operators was summed up by Andrew Lazarus, head of regulatory policy and strategy at BT, who said the company “does believe we can get a lot more out of copper”.

Lazarus cited ADSL+ ?coming next year, with top speeds of up to 24Mbps ?and said speeds would still “satisfy a lot of apps”. Issues such as broadband “not spots” ?areas not currently served by fat pipes ?and headline speeds are “not necessarily part of the fibre debate”, according to Lazarus.

Mike Downey, Adobe’s group manager for platform evangelism, hinted on Wednesday that the company might be about to develop such software.

Downey clarified the situation in an interview with ZDNet.co.uk’s sister site CNET News.com on Friday. He said that Adobe would focus primarily on providing its development platform, AIR, rather than creating online Office-style applications.

AIR (Adobe Integrated Runtime) would allow start-up companies to develop their own web-based applications which could rival Microsoft Office.

Adobe’s Flash Player is widely used on the web, and AIR lets web developers create desktop applications.

“Our primary focus is building a platform that allows developers to build great web-based applications,” Downey said. “AIR is the ideal platform for building these types of web applications that are robust and powerful.”

Adobe is itself using AIR to build some applications. The Adobe Media Player, which it announced earlier this year, is designed for watching internet videos. Even though it is an application, Adobe considers the media player part of the platform it provides to third parties who have the ability to customise it, Downey said.

Stuff wants to hear about the best and worst Christmas presents youve received from your boss. Out-of-date magazines? Alarm clocks? Bum-bags? Send us your feedback and well publish your comments.

RE: Kiwi companies generous at Christmas
Feedback (latest posts at top):
My worst Christmas present from an employer was when I was working at a Warehouse while I was at school. They gave us all plants from the Gardening department in the store and they were all clearance stock with 20c price stickers on them! That went straight in the bin when I got home! - Kylie Tunnicliffe
As a high school teacher, I get no Christmas gift from my boss - not even a card or box of chocolates! In fact, if we want to go to a Christmas party, we have to pay for it ourselves. And from the students - I didnt even get thanks miss Although we did get a 4 per cent pay rise, this wasnt back paid to when our contract expired so after inflation, I got a pay-cut this year… Although it beats the year the principal announced hed replaced me on the stage at the last day of term! Bah Humbug! - Kerensa Robertson
I remember one year when the company had had a good year and the directors gave themselves a great big pay out and the rest of the staff recived two wine glasses with the company logo on it. Miserable. - Sharon Ferris
At a company I worked for in Wellington in the mid-1990s we had a Christmas work lunch that was pot luck, and every year we would get a company diary for the following year (which we needed for work anyway). One year, with a great flourish, the ancient head of the company handed out an envelope along with the customary diary. Was it a gift voucher? Was it some sort of lucky prize draw? Nope, it was a piece of paper entitled Are you living the life you deserve?. It asked all of us to really look at how we were spending our lives and decide whether it was really how we wanted it to be. Needless to say, once the Christmas break was over an avalanche of resignation letters hit the bosss desk… funny that! - Claire
The worst christmas present I received from my now ex boss was a hamper that had lots of different nuts, I am deadly allergic to nuts. Needless to say I changed jobs pretty quickly after that. - Mandy
I was working at a plant nursery in Nelson last year, and for Christmas we were shouted on a jet boat wildlife tour of the Mapua estuary, then had a lovely picnic at a nearby reserve with delicious food and wine, then as if that wasnt enough we were also given special hand cream and fudge. It was awesome. - Lucy
I work for a web development company (www.blacksheepcreative.co.nz) and read your story on bosses giving their employees presents. This is the first real job Ive been in (started in March just after graduating from a degree in IT), and for Christmas my bosses are giving my co-workers and I a ticket to webstock (www.webstock.co.nz), a web development/design conference in Wellington next year. The tickets cost $900, and they are paying for our food/accommodations, so this is a present in excess of $1000. I feel I am very fortunate to have such nice employers, and work harder for it because I genuinely want to see this company succeed. - Andrew Ferri
When I was working for Consumer Magazine, we got all got a goose-down duvet inner - I though it was a fantastic present! I was over the moon! - Eve Williams
The staff at a friends company were last year each given a little green plastic apple. Kinda like a Chrissie tree toy but also kinda like the corporate logo. The staff discovered they didn%26acirc;%26euro;%26trade;t even break when thrown at an office wall. Someone reckoned these plastic apples were too cheap for the $2 shop to sell. - Melanie Brigden
I work at a bank contact centre and while the bank gave us great presents last year (bottle of wine, Christmas cake and a gourmet recipe book), the recruitment company that the bank was outsourcing to at the time were pretty thoughtless. The gave us a skipping rope (I assume for exercise) and these little tiny exercise weights that wouldnt give a good workout to a 3 year-old. Did they think we were going to skip home thinking; yay, Im getting fit? - FG
The worst Christmas gift Ive ever heard of actually came from Fairfax. A friend of mine was working at the Southland Times and was presented with the previous months issue of the NZ House and Garden. Thus the generous gift was actually an old magazine from the companys own stable. I dont think it inspired too much company loyalty to be honest… - Sophie

The Wall Street Journal has just accepted Facebook’s request to be online friends.
Hoping to tap into the growing buzz of online social networks, the Journal is adding a feature to its Web site that will allow readers to see which Journal stories are popular among that user’s Facebook friends.
The feature, which goes live early Wednesday morning, is called “SeenThis?” and is powered by a company called Loomia Inc. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.
Loomia already provides WSJ.com with another feature called “People who read this … also read these stories” which appears on the right-hand side of the text of a story.
News Web sites will commonly feature lists of the most popular stories on the site, as measured by the most views, most e-mailed or most recommended or blogged about.
But by showing articles that were read by viewers who apparently had similar interests, the Journal is hoping to harness some of the magic of successful shopping sites like Amazon.com Inc., which will make recommendations to shoppers based on what other buyers also bought.
Adding the link with Facebook takes the idea a step further, by letting viewers see what stories their own friends are interested in, not only those of the general WSJ.com readership.
Daniel Bernard, general manager for Wall Street Journal Online, said the “SeenThis?” feature will be opt-in only, meaning it won’t start up unless the viewer expressly asks it to, and users can opt out any time.
The application also won’t collect personally identifiable information on which people are reading which articles, just aggregated information on which articles are being read most by those in a readers’ group of Facebook friends or networks.
Loomia’s chief executive, Dave McMurtry, said the Journal was the first media company to fully implement the “SeenThis?” application. General Electric Co.’s NBC Universal and CNET have also signed up to use it.
The module that will be visible on the Journal Web site is something called a “widget” in Internet lingo _ a small, self-contained application that does a specific task.
The user can also add that application on to his or her Facebook page, where it would show users not only which Journal articles are most popular among that users’ friends and networks, but also video and other material from CNET or other providers.
Bernard said the Journal’s goal in adding the fixture was not only to help make the Web page more functional for its existing users but also to try and lure in new users from outside sources such as Facebook.
Other newspapers have also been developing widgets that people can post to their Web sites or pages on online social networks like Facebook in hopes of bringing in more online traffic and spreading awareness of their brand name.
The New York Times offers an online crossword puzzle through Google Inc.’s personalized Web pages as well as a news quiz application on Facebook. Gannett Co.’s USA Today also offers users widgets for various uses, as does The Washington Post Co.

The Wall Street Journal has just accepted Facebook’s request to be online friends.
Hoping to tap into the growing buzz of online social networks, the Journal is adding a feature to its Web site that will allow readers to see which Journal stories are popular among that user’s Facebook friends.
The feature, which goes live early Wednesday morning, is called “SeenThis?” and is powered by a company called Loomia Inc. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.
Loomia already provides WSJ.com with another feature called “People who read this … also read these stories” which appears on the right-hand side of the text of a story.
News Web sites will commonly feature lists of the most popular stories on the site, as measured by the most views, most e-mailed or most recommended or blogged about.
But by showing articles that were read by viewers who apparently had similar interests, the Journal is hoping to harness some of the magic of successful shopping sites like Amazon.com Inc., which will make recommendations to shoppers based on what other buyers also bought.
Adding the link with Facebook takes the idea a step further, by letting viewers see what stories their own friends are interested in, not only those of the general WSJ.com readership.
Daniel Bernard, general manager for Wall Street Journal Online, said the “SeenThis?” feature will be opt-in only, meaning it won’t start up unless the viewer expressly asks it to, and users can opt out any time.
The application also won’t collect personally identifiable information on which people are reading which articles, just aggregated information on which articles are being read most by those in a readers’ group of Facebook friends or networks.
Loomia’s chief executive, Dave McMurtry, said the Journal was the first media company to fully implement the “SeenThis?” application. General Electric Co.’s NBC Universal and CNET have also signed up to use it.
The module that will be visible on the Journal Web site is something called a “widget” in Internet lingo _ a small, self-contained application that does a specific task.
The user can also add that application on to his or her Facebook page, where it would show users not only which Journal articles are most popular among that users’ friends and networks, but also video and other material from CNET or other providers.
Bernard said the Journal’s goal in adding the fixture was not only to help make the Web page more functional for its existing users but also to try and lure in new users from outside sources such as Facebook.
Other newspapers have also been developing widgets that people can post to their Web sites or pages on online social networks like Facebook in hopes of bringing in more online traffic and spreading awareness of their brand name.
The New York Times offers an online crossword puzzle through Google Inc.’s personalized Web pages as well as a news quiz application on Facebook. Gannett Co.’s USA Today also offers users widgets for various uses, as does The Washington Post Co.