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IT managers using Palo Alto Networks firewalls are now able to switch Facebook into a "read-only" mode, thanks to an update released today. There is no relationship between Palo Alto Networks and Facebook - the changes are all within the customer's network. Previously, managers using Palo Alto Networks firewalls have had the option to block all Facebook apps (but not individual apps) as well as Facebook's e-mail and chat features. The update adds the ability to disable posting, making Facebook effectively read-only.

The same day on which Facebook has rolled back changes to its default privacy settings, Pew Research has released a report on privacy and reputation among young adults that has some interesting results. Though many have proposed that older generations of Internet users are more concerned with privacy online, Pew's study found that young adults aged 18 to 29 are more likely to monitor their online reputations by changing settings and deleting items on social networks.

Togetherville is a new social networking site launching today that's aimed at young children under 10-years-old. Although some parents may balk at the idea of children this young establishing a social networking identity and presence, the purpose of the new service is to provide a training ground where parents can teach their kids important lessons about online communication, community building and what it means to be a good digital citizen.

Huddle, the enterprise-focused social networking suite, announced a $10.2 million infusion and a plan to open a Bay Area office.

Matrix Partners led the series B investment in the three year-old, London-based company, along with Eden Ventures and the company's Chairman, Charles McGregor.

Facebook announced the debut of a free mobile site called 0.facebook.com. A kind of replacement for the now spiked Facebook Lite, 0 "includes all of the key features of Facebook but is optimized for speed," according to Sid Murlidhar, Program Manager for Facebook Mobile.

Its initial rollout is through 50 mobile operators in 45 countries, mostly developing countries. This is an exciting outreach to frequently neglected and mobile-dependent information cultures around the world.

Remember when you had to have an @edu email address to gain entry into Facebook's once-closed social network? Those days are no more, but a new social network pitching itself as a "Facebook alternative" wants to bring that level of privacy back to today's students. Collegiate Nation, a site that has been in development since 2007, is now poised to take advantage of the recent Facebook privacy debacle with the launch of a new network for college students only.

Besides the network's exclusivity, there are three other factors that could make it an easy sell for those looking for a way out of the Facebook rat race. According to mom-turned-entrepreneur Evelyn Castillo-Bach, the woman behind the network's creation, Collegiate Nation's three main pillars are: Privacy, No Advertisements and Total User Control.

If social networking around where and how you spend your money isn't your bag, then Swipely will likely make as little sense to you as Blippy, but it appears to make a lot of sense to some big names in the world of investors and backers.

Swipely has launched as a invitation-only beta service right now and, according to Venture Beat, is "more than just a Blippy clone."

There's been a lot of anxiety provoked (and money made) predicting a "parade of terribles" in the workplace as a result of social networking sites and employee blogs. While there is no doubt that these sites provide additional opportunities for employees to be distracted from getting their work done, I contend that not all that much has changed.

Employees that are wasting their time on social networking sites today were gossiping at the water cooler in yesteryear, and the solution is the same: thoughtful policy implementation and vigilant managerial oversight.

Why can't privacy and connectedness go hand-in-hand? That's the question being raised by those behind the new Diaspora project, an ambitious undertaking to build an "anti-Facebook" - that is, a private, open source social network that puts you back in control of your personal data.

Envisioned by four NYU computer science students, the Diaspora project would replace today's centralized social web (yes, they mean you, Facebook) with a decentralized one, while still offering something that's convenient and easy for anyone to use.

Consumer Reports, a longtime trusted name in product ratings and reviews, has today released its annual "State of the Net" report, which finds that over half (52%) of social network users post risky information online. Among the transgressions: using weak passwords, listing full birth dates, ignoring privacy settings and making mention of when you're away from home, to name a few.

The report looked closely at Facebook and Twitter, two of the top social networks used today, and found that on Facebook, the percentage of those engaged in this type of risky behavior was even higher, at 56%. However, what's more interesting is how the survey inadvertently reveals that Facebook users clearly have no idea about how much they're publicly sharing on the network.