Yahoo leading 'social' charge

[mandy]

Professor Marc Davis has dedicated years of his life to studying how the Internet is changing people from passive Web surfers to active content creators who post their own text, video and audio online...

As head of Yahoo's new social media research lab in Berkeley, just a brisk walk from the UC-Berkeley campus, Davis has been tasked with helping Yahoo chart a course through the rapidly evolving world of "social media" — from blogs and social networking services to interactive mobile devices...

The lab is the latest move by Yahoo to try to position itself as the leader in social media. The phrase now permeates the Sunnyvale, Calif., company's culture, and it is becoming one of the cornerstones of its business model. More than its competitors — Google, Microsoft or AOL — Yahoo is aiming to build a technological playground where individuals can create and share their own content, from audio "podcasts" and blogs to message groups and photo albums...

full article: http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.d...20312/1011