Twitter retools the maligned suggested users list: Twitter is phasing in a new way of finding interesting accounts for new users to follow. If you join the site today, Twitter will suggest users for you to follow that the company has picked algorithmically instead of by hand. The new system surfaces interesting Twitter users to follow based on whether they engage their audience and tweet regularly about a subject like food or business. Twitter employees still handpick accounts for a few lists -- they have one they recently created for people on the ground in Haiti.
That's a big change from how the suggested users list used to work. Originally, when a new person joined the site, Twitter would provide a human-selected list of accounts to follow. As the microblogging community started growing at breakneck speed, a spot on this list could equal hundreds of thousands or millions of new followers. This inequity rankled those who didn't have the privilege of being an official suggested user. As Twitter started adding features like lists, it became clear that the Suggested Users List -- or affectionately, the SUL -- was on its way out. And so it begins....
Spotify actually making money for record labels? A senior vice president at Universal Music Group International told The Telegraph that the Swedish free music streaming startup is its fourth largest digital partner in terms of generating revenue. It's a promising sign considering that most of the music startups that have come before Spotify have bled to death on royalty fees. According to Rob Wells, the Universal executive, Spotify has some fairly unusual contracts. In Sweden, Norway, Finland and France, Spotify doesn't have to pay the record labels on a per stream basis. Instead, it can pay based on revenues generated by subscriptions and advertising. That's a much more financially sustainable model. Wells estimates that if Spotify can convert about 10 to 12 percent of its users to paid subscriptions, that will be enough to satisfy record labels.
Foursquare comes to Blackberry: The fast-growing location-based social network, which has topped 250,000 users, just came to Blackberry phones today. The New York-based startup supports all 8000 and 9000 series devices or anything with a trackball. It also works with the Blackberry Storm, but there's a better version that's more optimized for touch screen phones. Owners of older Blackberry models are out of luck.
YouTube may actually, finally be profitable this year: Google CEO Eric Schmidt told the Financial Times that the video site may finally hit the black this year after being acquired in 2006. Less than a year ago, Credit Suisse projected that YouTube would generate revenues of just $240m on a cost base of $711m in 2009.
How is the company doing it? Google includes YouTube spots in every advertising campaign. Google's chief financial officer Patrick Pichette also said that advertising space on YouTube's home page had "nearly sold out" in the fourth quarter.
Electronic Arts isn't dropping Tiger Woods: The gaming company confirmed today that Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 will come out for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, and the iPhone in June.
Posterous makes it even simpler to post files to Twitter: The short-form blogging network is building out its shortened URL service, Post.ly, even further. You can post all kinds of files, photos, documents and videos while maintaining your own domain, analytics and theme.
Icahn pushes board changes at Take-Two: Activist shareholder Carl Icahn successfully pushed the game publisher to replace three of its board members after scooping up more than 11 percent of the company last fall. CEO Ben Feder, Grover C. Brown, and John F. Levy are stepping down, although Feder will retain his position at CEO. Icahn's son Brett Icahn along with Sung Hwan Cho and James L. Nelson will be their replacements.