Check out other great April Fool’s pranks in the past.

The Web April Fool's, Gmail

Now that Canada’s ISP can charge based on usage, a cheaper alternative to collecting data has come about:

Found by Jason (original file)

The Web Canada, CRTC, Internet, Stop The Meter

Some of you may be thinking this won’t affect you. You don’t use the internet enough. Well before you brush it off consider this. Do you download music? Stream videos or use Netflix? What about online gaming? Some places will only get a base of 25GB before being charged between $1-4 per GB up to $80 (which won’t take long for people like me).

If you are half as concerned as I am about usage billing, visit Open Media’s Stop The Meter page and sign the petition.

We need to find ways to get this ruling reversed. Remember, even though it’s usage billing you don’t save money by not using a lot of your bandwidth.

Where is this all going?

Net Neutrality ringing a bell? Well eventually big service providers will charge extra for or restrict websites based on traffic. It will be effectively been the end of small-time websites like GregPike.ca.

Get involved. Sign the petition.

From Open Media: Strombo Talks Internet Metering

Rants, The Web, Videos George Stroumboulopoulos, Net Neutrality, Open Media, Stop The Meter

The Web Curveball

Most people cannot comprehend the amount of time and experience that goes into good graphic design, or web development for that matter. This Venn Diagram articulates how most graphic designers feel.

From Colin Harman: How Would You Like Your Graphic Design?

The Web Graphic Design, Venn Diagram

I use both Facebook and Twitter. While some people don’t see the need to have multiple social media accounts, I use both of these networks for very different things.

Why do you use one or the other?

Analysis of 2010 demographics

Facebook is bigger and badder
With 500 million users, Facebook has almost 5 times as many users to network with than Twitter. Of course, Facebook first launched in February 2004 whereas Twitter did not start until July 2006. By the time Twitter was hitting the market Facebook was only just becoming popular. Most people had never logged into Facebook. Then Facebook has a surgence not unlike the one Twitter has been started enjoying.

People are just as aware of Facebook as they are of Twitter
This stat surprised me. 88% of people know about Facebook compared to 87% who are aware of Twitter. I would have figured it to be higher for Facebook.

Facebook boasts higher regular visits
41% of users log in every day to Facebook. Only 27% of Twitter users log in every day. Facebook seems to engage users more which entices more people to keep coming back regularly.

Twitter users are more educated
Given it’s model of presenting news, DIYs, articles, and other information in a concise, scannable format it should be no surprise that Twitter users are more educated than Facebook users. 78% of Twitter users are either in or graduated college versus Facebooks 50%. This is despite the fact that Facebook started off as a social network for colleges.

Twitter users have more to say
Twitter users are a whopping 4 and a third times more likely to update their status when they log in. Many Facebook users will log in just to browse or “creep” other people online.

Facebook users are rich!
Well, not a whole lot richer than Twitter users, but there is a slightly higher percentage of people earning $50K or higher on Facebook than Twitter.

Twitter users are mobile
More twitter users are actively using Twitter on their mobile devices. Makes sense since data on Twitter is so concise.

Twitter users are more brand loyal
Considerably more Facebook users (40%) “Like” companies than Twitter users(25) but a follower of a company on Twitter is far more likely to actually buy a product (67% versus 50% for Facebook).

Infographic from TNW: Facebook Vs. Twitter: By the Numbers [infographic]

The Web Facebook, Infographic, Twitter

Did you know you can translate your Google account into hundreds of languages?

Did you know you can translate it to Elmer Fudd?

Interest, The Web Elmer Fudd, Google, Google Translate

Google’s Gmail is renown for its incredibly intuitive spam filter, that never seems to snag your personal mail and keep your inbox free of bologna.

Well they’ve adaptated that system for detecting important emails. This cute video shows you how.

Thanks for the find Dave Lane.

Commercial, The Web, Videos Gmail, Google, Priority Inbox

Google has been quick to learn that people either check their email frequently or leave it open all day. So why create a separate website for each application they build when they can make it accessible in people’s email.

And that’s what they did when they developed a phone calling application.

From the convenience of Gmail you an can click a link located in your Chat dialog that will open the dialer to the right.

The rates a cheap but calls within North America are free until the end of 2010.

I tested this out. It ain’t bad.

Unless I get a bill for $0.20. Haha.

Business, The Web Google, Phone

I remember in Facebook’s early years, a friend of mine, Ian, told me about it and I signed up. He told me how huge social networking was going to become. I actively disagreed. I didn’t see the value.

Back then, I had 2 friends on Facebook for almost two years. No one was using it. And it wasn’t that interesting. I logged in every day and my news feed never changed. Facebook was like a failed Hi5 (which apparently still exists).

It didn’t have all the capabilities or applications it does today and Mark Zuckerberg barely had any “friends”, but then something happened. It exploded over night and within a very short period of time I found myself with hundreds of friends.

Then people who I knew who couldn’t tell the difference between a browser and CD-ROM were on Facebook, like my mother.

Here we are today. Facebook has become one of the largest, most popular websites on the internet rivaling even Google for daily visitation.

Now their making a movie about the creator’s story.

The Social Network -- Movie Trailer

Of course what would a big-time motion picture be without some parody in the blogosphere?

Twitter Movie Trailer -- Parody of The Social Network

Added:

YouTube Movie Trailer -- Parody of The Social Network

Comedy, Commercial, The Web, Videos Facebook, Movie Trailer, The Social Network, Twitter, YouTube