Sarah Jane IMS 201

Sarah Jane's Tumblr designated to the course IMS 201

[smiths25-blog]

Last year, Facebook joined forces to create the Social Jobs Partnership app. This initiative leverages social media to connect jobs with candidates to help improve economic growth. Facebook is now in competition with LinkedIn as it launched a job search app this past Wednesday.

Facebook has been known to be primarily a personal networking website. The new Social Jobs Partnership app is a place for recruiters  to post open positions with the Facebook community. The app launches employment opportunities provided by BranchOut, Monster.com, DirectEmployers Association and several more. With currently 1.7 million job listings already on the site, Facebook could become a direct competitor to LinkedIn.

We all know the power of social media. This could be the next big thing for job searchers throughout the nation.

[smiths25-blog]

This article is very interesting because it highlights the importance of the tech economy while lending a different perspective on politics. Some of the smartest tech entrepreneurs state what they believe will enhance our economy and revolutionize the way technology is used today. The article emphasizes eight major issues including Immigration Reform, Privacy and Personal Data Policy, Internet Freedom and other issues that Obama needs to address. 

Naval Ravikant, founder of AngelList talks about passing a Startup Visa as a way to create a more technically leveraged workforce and bring technical talent to the U.S. so that the world's most creative minds can be further developed. On the other end of the spectrum, most tech entrepreneurs talk about how they would like the government to stay out of the tech business. 

This article is interesting to hear the different perspective of how the government should be run in terms of technology. 

[smiths25-blog]

Ever get to the airport and realize your cab fare is going to be over $100?

Today, Mozio is launching a new travel search engine that focuses on that final mile of your trip. Unlike trip planners like Kayak, Orbitz and Travelocity, it will allow travelers to search for shuttles, taxis, limos, etc. The search service will also allow travelers to look up trip times and rates. 

The search service is to make that last leg of a trip easier and convenient. It also allows travelers to be prepared for an expensive round-trip cab fare and other travel options that may be accessible to the traveler. 

Mozio is a start-up based in San Francisco. The initial testing for the search engine will begin in the Bay Area but is easily expandable.

This is a great idea that will allow travelers using the service to be aware of their options in advance in order to do full end-to-end trip planning.

[smiths25-blog]

The atmosphere of Facebook may soon be changing as the company experiments with new ways to make money beyond advertising. 

Facebook has offered paid products in the past--virtual gifts, games, ads, etc., for years, but with the recent sharp decline of revenue growth they are creating new incentives. Last week, Facebook entered into the e-commerce world with the introduction of Facebook Gifts, which allows users to buy and send real gifts and gift cards to their friends. 

This week, Facebook began offering promoted-posts-for-users, where users will pay $7 to have their post appear toward the top of people's news feeds. The intent is that people will promote anything from concert photos, parties and events, garage sales or any other important announcements so that your friends and subscribers are more likely to notice it. 

Facebook's main social networking service, which reaches close to 1 billion users, will remain free. But this could change the atmosphere of Facebook. The newsfeed would typically display posts by relevance and recency, but now promoted posts will appear at the top. There is also the issue of overuse that Facebook will have to control. If too many users begin promoting posts the cost of promoting one will be decrease because the posts will become less obvious to the user and standout less.  However, it could turn into a big money maker for Facebook. Only time will tell!

[smiths25-blog]

Get ready students, the College Knowledge Challenge is kicking off on November 16! 

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is launching a competition today for college students that will award them grants ranging from $50,000-$100,000. There will be 30 grants awarded in total to those who come up with websites, apps, and other online tools that help students get into college and for their future success. 

The "hackathon" will be held at Facebook headquarters where programmers and entrepreneurs will be working to develop tools that help teens navigate through the college application and financial aid process. 

I think this grant is a great idea since the foundations newest initiative is for low-income teens to take advantage of social media and innovative apps and tools. This initiative has brought out widespread support for the cause. Many nonprofits and entrepreneurs are already creating new tools to compete for the awards. 

My only concern, if you think about it... How many low-income teens can afford iPhones to access these apps? It almost seems contradictory to a certain extent. But in terns of college applications and finding credible resources on the internet, the initiative is a good idea none-the-less. 

[smiths25-blog]

This article makes an interesting and humorous comparison between the stock prices of Facebook and the success of Annie's organic mac 'n' cheese. 

The article states that if you bought Annie's stock the day that Facebook went public, your shares would be up nearly 1/3 right now. While Facebook shares are now down more than 40 percent. 

Obviously Facebook is a more valuable and ambitious company at the moment, however, the article illustrates that like most internet companies, its shares rise and fall based on how confident investors feel it really has anything to sell. Annie's value proposition, on the other hand, is simple and straightforward, just like the product it sells. 

[smiths25-blog]

We are all anticipating the new iPhone 5. The device is 18% thinner and 20% lighter, making it the thinnest smartphone in the world. The iPhone 5  will have a wider screen and be 10 times faster with the 4G-LTE network connectivity. These are just a few of the enhancements made to the phone. However, there is s downside to the iPhone 5. 

Apple redesigned the connector cord making it different from all its previous Apple products. As Apple Executive Phil Schiller said, "It's time for the connector to evolve." I loved that all of my Apple products could all use the same charger and could connect easily. With this new change, users will have to have multiple adapters for their products, which I find to be a bit of a hassle. 

There is a solution to the product as this article highlights. There is a new Apple adaptor that you can buy for $30.  Was this a smart change for Apple to make?

[smiths25-blog]

If you havent seen it or used it already, Cat Effects is an app on itunes that is hysterical. Basically you can add images of cats to your photos. Stupid yes, but somehow funny.

[smiths25-blog]

This article reveals a new report indicating that Twitter outpaced Facebook in mobile advertising sales. This is an interesting shift that illustrates how Facebook is falling to become less relevant that other social networking sites. It also points to a shift in social media and advertising trends. 

[smiths25-blog]

This article isn't only relevant because of Social Media, but also because it hits close to home. Cincinnati police force, along with UC's Institute of Crime Science are at the for-front of these social-media efforts to find and capture criminals, especially within gangs. We have all heard to be careful of what we post on Twitter and Facebook for future employers. This is an interesting article that illustrates the importance and relevance of what information social media can provide and what its being used for. Is it legal for law enforcement officials to create fake profiles to track the locations of criminals? Is it an ethical thing to do?

[smiths25-blog]

If you havent heard of Sophia Grace and Rosie they are two little girls from London who sent a video into The Ellen Show of themselves rapping to the song Super Bass. The girls have made several appearances on the show and they are hysterical! Here is just one of the many clips that has gone viral.