Zynga

Poll

Words With Real Friends: Is This the End of Scrabble?

What started as a dangerously addictive mobile game that was just like Scrabble, is now a physical board game that's .

What started as a dangerously addictive mobile game that was just like Scrabble, is now a physical board game that's . . . just like Scrabble.

In a lot of ways, Zynga's megahit Words With Friends had a leg up on the classic. It brought the best of word-game fun together with the best of the Internet, letting users talk trash to opponents via chat, compete with strangers, and take as long as they want on turns. So when we heard that the gaming company teamed up with Hasbro to create a Words With Friends board game, we felt a little conflicted.

On one hand, it's great that mobile-app addicts are peeling their eyes away from their phones and interacting with, well, real people, in real time. But on the other hand, what about Scrabble — the O.G. (original game), the classic, the one that started it all?

OK, so maybe the two games are slightly different: the letter "H" is worth four points in Scrabble, and only three in Words With Friends. And Words With Friends positions bonus squares in a diamond shape, while Scrabble's are placed in an X-type thing. But still, the essence is the same, and we'd like to hear from fans of the mobile app and traditionalists alike — will Scrabble be replaced by the Words With Friends board game? Or will the classic stand the test of time against its social media counterpart?

Google

Facebook's Multi-Billion Stock Market Debut & 5 Mammoth Tech IPOs

Facebook's day in the stock market arrived today as the company debuted on the NASDAQ to a valuation over $100 billion.

Facebook's day in the stock market arrived today as the company debuted on the NASDAQ to a valuation over $100 billion. The $38 a share IPO price makes Facebook the biggest company in U.S. history to go public, yet other tech companies have also raised massive amounts (yet relatively modest sums compared to Facebook) of cash with their own initial public offerings. Take a look back at tech's financial heavyweights.

Photo: Instagram User katestern

Video games

Zynga Goes Gaga, Releasing Lady Gaga Singles in Farmville

Lady Gaga is already big on Facebook, and now for the first time ever, she's about to get down on the farm.

Lady Gaga is already big on Facebook, and now for the first time ever, she's about to get down on the farm. A unique partnership between Lady Gaga and Farmville creator Zynga will allow fans to complete tasks within the Facebook game to earn listens to previously unreleased tracks from "Born This Way," set to be released on May 23.

Starting on May 17, you can visit "Gagaville," a neighboring Farmville farm, to complete quests and unlock Clear Channel's iHeartRadio player to listen to the three songs available (one each day). Her farm is said to be stocked with plenty of unicorns, glitter, and motorcycle riding sheep. Naturally. But there's other ways to get your Gaga fix. Find out more ways to win tickets to her show and visit the set of her next video after the jump.

online security

Facebook App Makers Get Called Out Regarding Privacy

Facebook's privacy practices have been a constant source of fodder for a while now, and although the company has put new security features in place, it seems that still may not be enough to keep your information private from advertisers.

Facebook's privacy practices have been a constant source of fodder for a while now, and although the company has put new security features in place, it seems that still may not be enough to keep your information private from advertisers.

We've told you before that your personal data could be collected by the applications you and your friends use if you aren't careful with your privacy settings, but new findings by the Wall Street Journal say that even if your Facebook account is set to be completely private, your details (like name and location) could still be accessed by advertisers through popular applications like FarmVille, Cafe World and Texas Hold 'Em.

Find out more, including what Facebook is doing about it after the break.

Facebook

The Best Internet Meme Ever Makes Its Way to FrontierVille

Facebook's FrontierVille, the new game from FarmVille creator Zynga, has a new decoration inspired by one of the best viral videos of all time.

Facebook's FrontierVille, the new game from FarmVille creator Zynga, has a new decoration inspired by one of the best viral videos of all time. Now, for 25 horseshoes, FrontierVille players can purchase a double rainbow as a decoration.

The description of the item reads, "Double rainbow, full on, all the way! So intense! What does it mean?!” mimicking the viral video. The double rainbow was one of 15 decorations recently added to FrontierVille and will grant users 150 experience points. I just can't get enough of this Internet meme — double rainbow all the way!

News

Lesser-Known Feature of Frontierville: Same-Sex Marriage

Shortly after Farmville was announced for the iPhone, Zynga's Frontierville hit the scene, promising the same plot-building fun but with an Oregon Trail twist.

Shortly after Farmville was announced for the iPhone, Zynga's Frontierville hit the scene, promising the same plot-building fun but with an Oregon Trail twist. Another lesser-known twist to the Western-style game? You can actually marry a partner of the same sex.

It goes like this — setting up Frontierville requires you to customize your character and settings, including gender. Later, after you've completed several quests to prepare your homestead for your arriving spouse, you can customize them with details like name, appearance, even designating them male or female — essentially choosing your character's sexual orientation. It's a big leap for games, until you realize that the post-marital Facebook announcements are still tagged with the "bride" and "groom" moniker. It's unknown if this is a bug in the system, or if Zynga just overlooked the detail.