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It has just come to my attention that a very shady FaceBook application has been going around that can cause some real damage to your computer.

This may not seem like anything new, since there are many FaceBook applications with hidden agendas that perform devious actions.

Except, according to security solutions provider, Fortinet, this application called “Secret Crush” has the ability to download and install the Zango spyware software on your computer.

Check out this page for more information on the shady application.

My tips to anyone using FaceBook is to really pay attention and to do some research on any and all applications you are thinking of installing; it’s a bad idea to just install something simply on the fact that a friend has it.

And if in fact you find a questionable application make sure to report it to FaceBook by going to the applications main page, so we can keep FaceBook good, clean, and fun.

Facebook’s ability for users and companies to make and distribute applications within its social network has been a rather unstoppable force within the Web 2.0 world. And it has been exciting seeing all the applications that have been developed and all the companies that have jumped on board to build their presence on Facebook. But until now, the only people that could actually make applications for Facebook were people with the ability to code- leaving all us non-coders out of the fun.

Therefore, WidgetBox.com has published a web-based tool that allows anyone to create an application for Facebook.

The application creation tool is one we’ve all been waiting for, and one many people and businesses can benefit from a great deal. For instance, small businesses can now setup a basic application to help promote their business and users can make tools to share with friends- all at no cost at all or having to learn any programming language.

Truthfully, I see this as just another indication that Facebook will one day be the biggest and best social network on the web.

From Mashable, among others, we find that Facebook will soon be listing profiles in search engined like Google, MSN and Yahoo. So if you have a Facebook profile and you have not set it to private, I can “Google” you and find your Facebook page.

To be more accurate, the full profiles will not return in search results, just something that looks like this (from the Facebook blog) :

So your full listing will not appear, but people will certainly be able to get to it provided that they login (or join).

What does this mean? Well, ultimately it will certainly mean more page views and traffic for Facebook, along with more users signing up for their service. Imagine if you’re looking for your old high school friend. Well, you probably do what many people do and just “Google” that friend and voila! - you spot their picture and profile on Facebook. But then how to get in touch with that person? Join Facebook, of course. Considering the number of name searches that probably take place on Google on a daily basis, this should turn out pretty well for Facebook. To be accurate, other social networks, including LinkedIn, have a similar functionality. If you Google your friend who has a LinkedIn profile, it will likely return fairly high in the search results. The page is a shortened version with only some information but also a neat invitation to join LinkedIn so you can see everything about that person.

For Google, it’s more information to index, which is good for them in their quest to index, well, everything. Knowing that you can find friends and old co-workers and the like using Google only makes it a more attractive search engine for users, which of course makes it more profitable for Google.

For the average user, it will open up their profile to more people. That’s either good or bad, depending on your preference and feelings about privacy. Other than name, I don’t believe there is any more information that Facebook will pull from your profile for now. It’s in Facebook’s best interest to get your profile showing up in search more, but from your standpoint you might not want that. Perhaps down the line there will be more opportunities to pull some other information that could help locate someone. For instance, if I don’t remember that person’s last name but I know our High School name then could I find his Facebook profile using Yahoo?

Of course, any Facebook user can control what information is out there in these searches. You can now uncheck a box on your settings page that removes your profile from search engine results. You have about a month to do that, so if you’re worried about privacy you have some time.

Another thing to consider in this development (and in others from similar sites) is how you manage your online reputation, a point brought up here. As more information about you is available to others in search engines, you need to be conscious of what is out there and what people can find. You wouldn’t want your prospective employer (or your current employer for that matter), for example, finding your profile if it had some compromising photos or rants.

That time is once again among us. The time when parents rejoice and children cringe: Back to School!

I’ve compiled a list of Web 2.0 websites sure to help you with any school related matters! So whether you’re going to college for your first year or returning yet again, this list is sure to help you out!

Facebook.com – If you have not yet created a Facebook account, there is no better time than now. Use Facebook to meet new people, learn about new activities (whatever they may be), and stay in contact with other students and friends.

RateMyProfessors.com – This one can help you GREATLY! With RMP you can find information about teachers or even add your own. Use this before you start to make your schedule to learn more about particular teachers.

Ebay.com & Craigslist.org – Use both websites to get good deals on text books and school supplies! But why these two when there are many others dedicated to solely school matters? Well with Ebay and Craiglist you can buy almost ANYTHING else too!

Yelp.com – If you’re going to school in a new location, you will need to know all the not-so-hot and HOT spots. Yelp is a review site where all reviews are user submitted, so you can learn about places before you check them out- right from other students.

Stu.dicio.us – There is nothing worse than losing notes or just leaving them somewhere. With Stu.dicio.us you can take/save/share notes, todos lists, documents, and even connect with Facebook friends, and have everything available from any computer with Internet access.

Citationmachine.net – MLA, APA- WHAT? Still having trouble writing citations? Use this website to correctly structure your citations for your papers by simply filling out a form.

Books.Google.com – Need to check out a book, but have no time to get to a real library (who still goes to those places anyway?), just try doing a search in this Google tool. You will find hundreds of books completely digitized by Google. Though, they do not have as big a selection as some libraries, it is still a good start.

All of the mentioned sites have helped me in school, but I am sure there are many other great ones out there. So if you have any not on the list, just add them to the comments section.

Good luck!

Since Facebook officially launched the “Facebook Platform” in May, it has become more popular than ever. In fact, InsideFacebook.com has reported 65 million apps added by users in the first month alone.

The added functionality has no doubt been a shot of life for Facebook. So much that just the other day Facebook reported hitting thirty million active members on the site!

This got me thinking however: what exactly determines an “active” member within social networks?!

• If a member signs in once every two months to check their page: is that an active member?

• Is the active member number based on the amount of unique members signing in for the past month?

There is great debate as to what exactly is an active user. And until there is a standard definition for “active user” established… I guess MySpace can call a user that signed in once in the past 11 months an active user or whatsoever they please.

Nevertheless, this is very troubling; something both users and online marketers need to keep an eye out for. When social networks have the ability to use the word “active user” as they please, we all must be little hesitant when believing such news.

Oh… and don’t forget the countless number of robot operated spam pages on MySpace; they count as active users too!