Archive for the ‘Social Networking’ Category

Biz Break: Social networks making (and spending) big money

By Jeremy C. Owens jowens@mercurynews.com

Today: LinkedIn completes a social-media trifecta of continually booming revenues, following Twitter and Facebook. Also: Apple CEO openly discusses his sexuality for first time.

The Lead: LinkedIn revenues climb, but so do expenses

LinkedIn completed a week full of social-media earnings reports Thursday and followed a pattern established by Twitter and Facebook: Booming revenues that are going to be spent as quickly as the companies can manage.

LinkedIn reported a loss of $4.3 million, or 3 cents a share, on sales of $568.3 million, representing revenue growth of 45 percent year-over-year that beat Wall Street expectations. While impressive, that growth rate can't match the reports from LinkedIn's social-networking brethren: Facebook reported year-over-year revenue growth of nearly 59 percent, while Twitter more than doubled its sales.

LinkedIn lost money in the third quarter despite its growing sales -- as it has in every quarter so far this year -- because it is spending freely, funneling $336 million into product development and sales and marketing in the quarter while committing $175 million to the acquisition of Bizo, a San Francisco ad-tech company. The company also said the third quarter established a record for hiring, as recent college graduates join the payroll, which was also a theme for Google's earnings.

"We continue to make aggressive investments in our member and customer platforms in order to realize our long-term potential," Chief Financial Officer Steve Sordello said in Thursday's announcement.

Social-media companies faced doubts about their ability to keep growing revenues when they went public, but those doubts are starting to fade as online advertising revenues bloom and the companies' networks become essential to users -- an especially important part of LinkedIn's business, which generates revenues from premium and enterprise subscriptions.

All of the companies are seeking to spend that cash to keep growing, though, especially through international expansion and acquisitions. Facebook famously spent $16 billion with additional inducements for messaging service WhatsApp, added Oculus and Instagram in other big-money deals, and told investors on Wednesday that its expenses will still increase by 75 percent in the coming months. Twitter has also been active on the acquisition market, picking up smaller companies like Gnip and TapCommerce, while spending to move its advertising offerings into more overseas markets.

LinkedIn is also looking overseas for growth, with its eyes on a prize that mostly eludes Facebook and Twitter: China. While the other two services are effectively banned in the country, the Mountain View professional-networking service has made inroads by accepting demands to censor content. Executives on Thursday's conference call divulged that China is the second largest source of member growth for LinkedIn, after the United States.

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Biz Break: Social networks making (and spending) big money

Iranian Government Spying in Social Networking Sites

By: Hamid Rezai, Radio Zamaneh

This is a field report about the indifference of internet users to the Islamic republic regimes spying efforts in cyber space as it tries to identify those who are against the regime or certain policies.The only immunity for these users comes from their overwhelming multitudes and the undeniable prevalence of opposition to the regime. Despite this immunity, they have to possess a certain civic courage and regard the freedom to use the internet as a right, while paying attention to certain security details and maintaining awareness of human predators active in various government bodies.

Life on Facebook and Arrests

No one can deny that millions of Iranians rely on Facebook these days. The high number of Facebook users in Iran, which is estimated to be anywhere between four million and five million people, makes this a social phenomena. In the absence of social liberties, as young Iranians are denied the most basic freedoms even in their private lives, what these users reflect on their Facebook pages is in effect how they would like to live.

Iranians use social networking sites for, among other things, political discussion, more open posting and publication of works of art and literature, the announcement of events that cannot be publicized on domestic newspapers and to find kindred spirits or like-minded people. But is it possible for Iranians appear in any arena without Islamic Republic officials cracking down on them?

In June of 2014, three Ahwazi citizens were each sentenced to three years in jail for creating certain Facebook pages; membership on Facebook carried a one-year sentence. Some people are arrested for crimes against morality and public decency on Facebook. In July of 2014, a Revolutionary Court sentenced eight people to a total of 127 years imprisonment for being active Facebook users. In another instance, the Malayer Security chief announced the sentencing of 22 Facebook users, and this is a another long story.

All these instances raise the question of whether Iranian citizens pay attention to being under surveillance by the police and security forces in cyber space and are they effectively guarding their safety?

Constant Observation and Monitoring of Cyber Space

The main objective of Irans Cyber Police is to promote cyber security through continuous observation and monitoring of cyber space, the deputy head of Irans Cyber Police, Ali MirAhmadi, has been quoted as saying; I advise all users to comply with the laws and regulations and avoid any form of offence within cyber space because the police have complete knowledge of it.

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Iranian Government Spying in Social Networking Sites

Rational Client Support Social Networking Resources – Video


Rational Client Support Social Networking Resources
This is an overview of the several social networking channels available from Rational Client Support. Check out the links to these channels to subscribe/follow/like! Notes from Rational Support:...

By: IBM Rational Support

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Rational Client Support Social Networking Resources - Video

gang rags reborn review – Video


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TSU.CO Make Money Social Networking? (REVIEW) – Video


TSU.CO Make Money Social Networking? (REVIEW)
Link - http://tsu.co/MakeTSUmoney I #39;ve been hearing a lot about this site TSU.co so i thought i would give my 2 cents about it. The truth is no one has yet been paid yet but that is true to...

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TSU.CO Make Money Social Networking? (REVIEW) - Video