Posted by admin on Oct 28, 2008 in
Internet,
technology
I saw this article today and found it rather interesting. The number of users is skyrocketing and it might not be because of what you think. It seems a “bad” economy is behind the boom in LinkedIn’s recent success. For many professionals who might be a bit more web savvy or just any professional that wants to use the latest technology, social networking is all the buzz. In fact it is almost becoming old news.
Anyways:
By Jacqui Cheng | Published: October 28, 2008 – 09:00AM CT
“Professional” social networks—that is, the ones you’re supposed to be using for reasons other than hooking up or playing Scrabble with old classmates—are making steady popularity gains, as of late. Sites like LinkedIn and Xing have grown this year, along with other social networks, but have become some of the fastest growing sites of the group, which may be a result of the struggling economy and people’s desire to strengthen their professional relationships “just in case.”
According to Nielsen Online’s latest numbers, LinkedIn was the second fastest growing social networking site in the month of September, ranking highest among those aged 35 through 49. A broader look at the data shows that LinkedIn was the fourth fastest-growing social networking site over the last year, showing a 193 percent year-over-year increase since September 2007. The most popular social networking site on the web, Myspace, still managed to hold its spot at number one in terms of audience, but only saw one percent year-over-year growth. Facebook saw a 116 percent growth, by comparison.
LinkedIn CEO Dan Nye says that a new member joins the site every second. “The network is booming right now,” Nye told the Financial Times. “Financial services is one of our fastest-growing sectors. Clearly people are joining as they are thinking about their employment situation. People are also getting advice from their network, reference-checking vendors or searching for candidates to fill positions.”
Similarly, Germany-based Xing is experiencing growth thanks to the economic downturn, and recently reported 86 percent revenue growth for the third quarter of 2008. “We see the crisis as very beneficial for business networks because you are spending more time on your career than on luxuries,” Xing CEO Lars Hinrichs told FT.
As we know, social networks have apparently grown so much recently that they have surpassed even pornography in web search popularity. Some analysts even believe that government departments may soon move past previous failed endeavors and join the social networking craze in order to facilitate communication across organizational boundaries. So, what are you waiting for? With the economy going into the toilet, you’d better get to brushing up that résumé and looking for new connections on LinkedIn just in case.
If you would like to work with an agent who is leading the way call 715-894-1001 today or send me an email.
Tags: Social Networks
Posted by admin on Oct 28, 2008 in
Internet,
Software,
technology
Personally I don’t see much here that is all that interesting. Maybe it is to you? Anyways straight from Microsoft here are some upcoming features.
In addition to previously released updates since the launch of Windows Vista SP1, Windows Vista SP2 contains changes focused on supporting new types of hardware and adding support for several emerging standards:
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Windows Vista SP2 adds Windows Search 4.0 for faster and improved relevancy in searches.
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Windows Vista SP2 contains the Bluetooth 2.1 Feature Pack supporting the most recent specification for Bluetooth Technology.
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Ability to record data on to Blu-Ray media natively in Windows Vista.
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Adds Windows Connect Now (WCN) to simplify Wi-Fi Configuration.
- Windows Vista SP2 enables the exFAT file system to support UTC timestamps, which allows correct file synchronization across time zones.
You can read the full story here.
Honestly that sort of just sucks.
If you would like to work with an agent who is leading the way call 715-894-1001 today or send me an email.
Tags: Windows
Posted by admin on Oct 28, 2008 in
Internet,
Software,
technology
Sorry this probably isn’t as interesting as just going to the link in the story. I cant show you the new features because I don’t have access to the photos. You can however check them out for yourself. Regardless the new version of windows has some neat tricks. The biggest rumor I have heard is that there is going to be some new focus in the upcoming release. I have heard they are trying to get away from such a large install and actually make Windows smaller. Whether they achieve this or not we will have to see. They have promised further security with less intrusion like what is found when using Vista. But few are probably even aware you can turn off those features!
First look at Windows 7’s User Interface
By Peter Bright | Published: October 28, 2008 – 10:59AM CT
At PDC today, Microsoft gave the first public demonstration of Windows 7. Until now, the company has been uncharacteristically secretive about its new OS; over the past few months, Microsoft has let on that the taskbar will undergo a number of changes, and that many bundled applications would be unbundled and shipped with Windows Live instead. There have also been occasional screenshots of some of the new applets like Calculator and Paint. Now that the covers are finally off, the scale of the new OS becomes clear. The user interface has undergone the most radical overhaul and update since the introduction of Windows 95 thirteen years ago.
First, however, it’s important to note what Windows 7 isn’t. Windows 7 will not contain anything like the kind of far-reaching architectural modifications that Microsoft made with Windows Vista. Vista brought a new display layer and vastly improved security, but that came at a cost: a significant number of (badly-written) applications had difficulty running on Vista. Applications expecting to run with Administrator access were still widespread when Vista was released, and though many software vendors do a great job, there are still those that haven’t updated or fixed their software. Similarly, at its launch many hardware vendors did not have drivers that worked with the new sound or video subsystems, leaving many users frustrated.
Related Stories
The links above are interesting as well. I will follow this post up with news of the SP2 release for Vista coming to a theater near you!
If you would like to work with an agent who is leading the way call 715-894-1001 today or send me an email.
Tags: Windows
I remember a few years ago hearing about this and it interested me a lot. I love literature. When I was in college my Major was English Literature and I Minored in Creative Writing. Everyone always asked “and you’re in real estate??!!” I sure am! And the skills I learned pay off each and every day.
Well now Google Books should be coming soon. The basic premise is to put out of print or hard to find books online. It will act as a way of preserving them and offer otherwise unattainable access. There has been a huge trend to put everything in print online. I for one cant wait. I don’t like reading e-books but I know a lot of people do. I guess I am old fashioned and like them in my hand!
Anyways check this out:
By John Timmer | Published: October 28, 2008 – 10:47AM CT
Google’s long-running legal battle with the US publishing industry came to an unexpected screeching halt this morning, as the parties announced a settlement that, pending approval by a US District Court, will see the two sides cooperate on online access to copyrighted books. The settlement contains a number of provisions that clarify how libraries can access works that remain within the copyright period, and will see the formation of a group dedicated to identifying current copyright holders. But the most striking aspect of the agreement is that it turns Google into a bookseller, peddling online access to out-of-print, but still-in-copyright works.
The copyright holders’ lawsuit targeted Google Books for its use of material from copyrighted works. At the time of the settlement, they were represented by The Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers, while Google consulted many of the university libraries it is cooperating with when crafting the agreement. Not surprisingly, then, the settlement seems to have something for nearly everyone.
The agreement doesn’t cover books that are currently in print and therefore making money for publishers. Those books can still be marketed through the book search via Google’s Partners program. Books that have had their copyrights expire are likewise unaffected. What it does cover is what Google’s Chief Legal Counsel, David Drummond, calls “the vast majority of books in existence”: those that are in copyright, but out-of-print.
For those books, the agreement will see libraries in the US get free and unfettered access to the entire contents of the book. Large organizations, such as university libraries, can get access to the full collection by paying a subscription fee. Perhaps the most striking feature of the program, however, is that individual users can pay a fee to get online access to individual books that are no longer in print. Not only is this a boon for book lovers, who can now get access to books that might be otherwise difficult or impossible to obtain, it appears to have the potential to turn Google into a major book retailer.
The publishers are clearly not coming away empty-handed. Revenue from sales of books that they aren’t even printing—books the publishers did their best to ensure weren’t digitized in the first place—will now start flowing into their balance sheets. But the agreement goes beyond that; Google will pay $125 million to establish a Book Rights Registry which will try to determine who owns the copyright to out-of-print books so that they can be paid for any sales. As publishers have merged, gone out of business, and sold off properties over the years, this ownership may be pretty obscure, so the new Registry may play an essential function in ensuring that the right party cashes the checks.
All the parties, while mentioning their own vested interests that were served by the agreement, rightly tipped a hat to the big winners: readers, who might otherwise not be able to access some of this material. Roy Blount, head of the Authors Guild, stated, “As a reader and researcher, I’ll be delighted to stop by my local library to browse the stacks of some of the world’s great libraries.” Sergey Brin of Google concurred: “While this agreement is a real win-win for all of us, the real victors are all the readers.
Details are a bit sparse on some implementation aspects right now, but it’s hard to find fault with the spirit of the agreement. The primary limit from a reader’s perspective may be fact that Google’s book viewing interface can be a bit clunky and leaves a reader tethered to a computer. The alternative is for Google to negotiate some sort of DRM scheme for their scans, but that would appear to go against the company’s principles.
If you would like to work with an agent who is leading the way call 715-894-1001 today or send me an email.
Tags: Books
