Mediaboss Marketing

More and more recruiters in the country are taking the social networking route to ascertain the credentials of prospective candidates. The trend could well be a sign for active job-seekers to spruce-up their dormant accounts on professional networking sites.

Social networking sites have transformed the way companies in India and elsewhere are recruiting talent. Its not just active job-seekers, companies even keep track of talented passive candidates, who are doing well and are not likely to move. Close to 40 per cent of quality talent is recruited through social and professional networks, which have become a key source to find quality, says LinkedIns head of communications (India, Korea and Singapore), Deepa Sapatnekar.

Maintaining a proper and complete profile has its bonuses, Ms. Sapatnekar told reporters on Wednesday.

A good profile reflects how rounded the person is. Such profiles enable individuals to build their own independent brand in the networking sites. Sites like LinkedIn do provide a lot of insights and help its members get a pulse of whats happening in their respective are of expertise, she said.

While encouraging everyone to make proper use of professional networking sites, the top LinkedIn official had a word of caution.

Dont just blindly keep on adding people. Accept invites and endorse people who add value to your profile. The recruiters will be able to see through in case users are endorsed by peers only and not by bosses. Adding value to the profile should be the main aim, she added.

For students

Earlier this month, LinkedIn launched University Pages, which is specially tailored for higher education students.

Students can interact directly with the school management, current students, parents and alumni. We have also rolled-out this service to youngsters above 13 years age. The idea is to encourage young people to build their own professional network and enable them to make their own choices, she said.

Excerpt from:
Spruce up your LinkedIn profile

WASHINGTON It's the ape equivalent of Google Maps and Facebook. The night before a big trip, Arno the orangutan plots his journey and lets others know where he is going with a long, whooping call.

What he and his orangutan buddies do in the forests of Sumatra tells scientists that trip planning and social networking aren't just human traits.

A new study of 15 wild male orangutans finds that they routinely plot out their next day treks and share their plans in long calls, so females can come by or track them, and competitive males can steer clear.

The researchers closely followed the males as they traveled on 320 days during the 1990s. The results were published Wednesday in the journal PLoS One.

Typically, an orangutan would turn and face in the direction of his route and let out a whoop, sometimes for as long as four minutes. Then he would go to sleep and 12 hours later set out on the heralded path, said study author Carel van Schaik, director of the Anthropological Institute at the University of Zurich.

"This guy basically thinks ahead," van Schaik said. "They're continuously updating their Google Maps so to speak. Based on that, they're planning what to do next."

The apes didn't just call once, but they keep at it, calling more than 1,100 times over the 320 days.

"This shows they are very much like us in this respect," van Schaik said. "Our earliest hominid ancestor must have done the same thing."

Continued here:
Apes do social networking, too, study shows

Social media and networking apps help us connect with each other in ways we couldn't have dreamed of even a few years ago. From locating friends and acquaintances to making Twitter and Facebook access more efficient, these social networking apps will keep you updated.

Apple

Pinterest* (Free): Haven't joined the Pinterest craze yet? Millions of users post on everything from craft ideas to recipes to travel destinations. (Score: 94/100)

fring* (Free): Video chat is a great way to connect with family and friends. Now you can video chat with up to four people in high definition. (Score: 92/100)

GoodReads* (Free): Looking for your next book? Join this social network for book lovers, with millions of reviews from avid readers worldwide. (Score: 91/100)

Skout - Meet, Chat, Friend* (Free): Finding your next date has never been easier. Post your location and dating preferences, and see thousands of potential dates. (Score: 90/100)

Untappd* (Free): Beer lovers, unite! This social network for beer enthusiasts allows you to post, rate and discuss your favorite brews. (Score: 74/100)

Android

Google+* (Free): Google+ continues to gain popularity, as users love the ability to divide groups of friends into separate circles. (Score: 95/100)

Go here to see the original:
Mobilewalla ranks social apps

11 September 2013 Last updated at 14:52 ET

Shares in the social networking giant Facebook have finally surpassed their previous high of $45 (28), reached on their first day of trading in May 2012.

The stock rose 3.3% to $45.05 by midday in New York.

Investors have reacted favourably to the company's efforts to better tailor its mobile site for advertisers, who provide most of the company's revenues.

Facebook's shares lost half their value in their first year as a publically traded company.

When it made its stock market debut on the Nasdaq exchange in May last year, the appetite for shares in the world's biggest social networking site was enormous.

Priced initially at $38 per share, the stock soared within hours of its debut to a high of $45. But its stock later slumped.

Efforts by the company to improve its mobile experience to attract more users have impressed investors, however.

Shares in the company have surged 60% since July, after the company reported better than expected earnings.

Facebook said mobile made up 41% of its total advertising revenue in the second quarter of the year, and said revenues from mobile advertising would soon surpass revenues from desktop adverts.

More here:
Facebook shares at all-time high

By Kate Freeman

FORTUNE -- High school senior Savannah Stehlin says she's "on every social networking site imaginable," and many of her peers would say the same. So it makes sense why ACT, the non-profit behind the popular college entrance exam with the same name, is launching ACT Profile, a new social networking site that prepares high school students for college.

ACT Profile will attract students in the digital-loving "Generation Z" to find majors, universities, and careers on a website that merges social networking with years of college and career planning data. It is just one of several websites that are making high school guidance counselors' jobs a bit easier and bringing the college guidance process to the social networking realm of the web.

Stehlin says sites that blend social media with college planning will be useful for young people -- "I usually find people on Facebook who attend the college I want to go to and message them," she explains.

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Like Facebook (FB), ACT Profile has a wall and the option to "friend" other users. A student can share her ACT test scores, college admission updates, and other college-and-career-related information. It's also completely free to create an account. ACT Profile moved into open beta on Sept. 9, and the site is open to anyone 13 years old or older.

"Since many students are already online, we designed ACT Profile to connect with today's established social networks like Facebook and Twitter," says John Corrigan, VP of consumer experience at ACT. "We want to help students engage in conversation to explore their options -- like what it takes to major in a certain subject or become qualified in a certain career --in a familiar and social context. Exactly how much someone decides to share with others will be up to the individual."

Stehlin says she sees this niche social network as an opportunity for college-bound high school students to help each other. Sharing test scores and planning next steps with other students can provide support.

Students are stronger "when they have a whole network of people behind them, encouraging and supporting them on their next standardized test endeavor."

There are three quizzes on the site; each take about five-10 minutes to complete. One is an interest test, the other an abilities test, and lastly a values test. Corrigan says what sets ACT Profile apart from other aptitude tests is its years of data and research used to make the quizzes.

Go here to read the rest:
The social side of college planning