"Brain Hacking" - Another Unintended Consequence of Technology http://t.co/EOoZ1roK via @sharethis
Social Media Nearly Doubles As Users Grow Older
Social networking sites continue to bear significant presences in American lives. A recent report from the Pew Research Center shows that Facebook still remains the dominating social network site, used by 92 percent of respondents. MySpace followed with 29 percent, then LinkedIn at 18 percent and Twitter at 13 percent.The Pew Center's Internet & American Life Social Network Site survey threw results from a sample of 2,255 adults above the age of 18. The report had a confidence level of 95 percent with a margin of error 2.5 percent plus or minus. It sought to explain the role of digital technology in people's lives, how "trust, personal relationships, and civic and political involvement" were affected from the use of social networking sites.
The number of adults using the Internet was 79 percent, and 59 percent of these used at least one social networking site (SNS), doubling the 2008 SNS figures of 26 percent. Over 50 percent of the SNS users were 35 or over, and 56 percent were female.
Ten percent of the Facebook users sent private messages and 15 percent updated their status. Around one-fifth to one-quarter of the Facebook users commented on others’ status, photos, or content.
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IBM Expands Social Networking
IBM is embracing social media with a new option known as IBM Connections. It is the industry's first social networking platform featuring real-time compliance capabilities. The purpose of the new option is to help businesses embrace the potential of a new era of so-called social business, referring to using social media to reach customers.The new software lets businesses track and trace all social data going on throughout their organization. The information is then analyzed and presented in real-time offering an alternative to waiting for a final analysis at the end of the day. The main reason for such an effort by IBM is the increasing prevalence of social media in all aspects of our lives. The marketing opportunities available via social platforms are expected to increase to more than two billion on a global level by 2014.
The accompanying software to IBM Connections is IBM Connections 3.01 software. The software accesses various online communities, blogs, micro-blogs, wiki sources and other online social sources and presents the information to clients, employees and partners. The software gives businesses the ability to monitor social traffic, retrieve relevant data from conversations and posts and upload related files in real-time.
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Pandora Raises IPO
The IPO market is booming for tech companies. Pandora, one of the leading Internet radio companies in the world is taking full advantage of current market conditions by raising their IPO target price range from $7 to $9 per share to a target price range of $10 to $12 per share. That such a high-profile company in the tech world should be raising its initial public offering price is a sign that it is a good time for other tech companies to go public, as well.The announcement about Pandora’s IPO price range came on Friday June 10. In the same announcement, Pandora declared they expect to raise as much as $200 million when the company goes public. More the 16 million shares will be offered according to the public documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Although Pandora has a 50 percent of the market among the top 20 Internet radio stations, the company has yet to turn a profit.
Pandora’s initial filing to become a publicly-owned corporation came last February. At that time, the company only expected to bring in $100 million from the IPO. On June 2, the company raised its target price range to $7 to $9 per share, which put their expected initial offering at an estimated $142 million.
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A Win For Twitter
A new online fashion statement has reached the social market. That social media icon is known as Twitter. People of all walks of life are using Twitter to better their personal lives and their businesses. How can a business benefit from something like Twitter? Using this social media tool to expand the knowledge of their business is a huge way lots of people are grabbing customers. There is no better way to reach the public than meeting them in their market field. A lot of people are using social media to expand their businesses but how are they successful? Creating an account for your business makes the most sense. Customers can tweet right at you and make requests or ask about a product. Also, if a customer is highly satisfied they may just tweet about you. Tweeting allows for a large group of people to see your business name and the satisfaction of the businesses customers.
This way of socially communicating has changed the way we view social network marketing. People are using social media with their smart phones and most smart phones have the application built in. Many companies are looking to get the best bang for their buck. What a better way than FREE advertising. Spending a little time developing your followers and customers will gain the company an outstanding reputation.
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LinkedIN Helping Businesses Grow: 3 Reasons to Get Your Company Page Started Today
LinkedIn has over 100+M professionals listed with profiles displaying their professions, businesses, and opportunities available by knowing who they are. Everyone has an opportunity to make a name with LinkedIn, but you first have to know someone to be able to connect with others. This is where networking leans on interpersonal skills to help your business grow effectively. With the new developments underway, sole proprietors and large corporations can expect growth in their market share as well as contacts around the world.Tight-Knit Community
Who do you know and who do they know? Strategists have announced 100s of reasons to meet one new person per day – they may know 250 people who never heard of you. As a small business owner, you can branch out into new horizons by joining a tight-knit community based on personal relationships. Your name may not have flair at this moment, but investing a few hours per week in meeting one new person on LinkedIn can increase your network by 250 or even 2 people that will decide to do business with you in the future.
Develop Personal Contacts
Personal contacts are important in business because people love to work with people they like. If they do not like you or enjoy your company, they will not do business if possible. LinkedIn offers an opportunity to learn about others through their profiles, group participation, blogs, and other posts available online. Your market research turns into friend research – genuine friendships, partnerships, and sales have emerged from LinkedIn connection – impacting the bottom line from personal contacts.
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