Editor’s Note: Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), LinkedIn Corp (NYSE:LNKD), Yelp Inc (NYSE:YELP)
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) are currently testing an app built for celebrities that is designed to help them manage their public persona. Sources speaking to AllThingsD said that the VIP-only mobile app would help the famous reach out to fans, monitor their feedback, and respond quickly to “become part of the conversation”. Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) have since confirmed the app’s existence, saying: “We are currently testing some mobile features designed to help public figures interact with their fans. We are testing these features with a small group of partners and will share more details should we roll it out more widely.”
LinkedIn Still Rules As The Top Job Search Technology Tool, Survey Says (Forbes)
According to a new survey of job seekers, hiring managers, recruiters and HR executives, close to 100% of job seekers use LinkedIn Corp (NYSE:LNKD) as their number one social media site for job hunting. Hiring managers also prefer Linked in over other sites by two to one. The survey by Right Management, the talent and career management arm of staffing giant Manpower, polled 300 job seekers and 100 people on the hiring side, including hiring managers, recruiters and human resource executives throughout North America. Among the job seekers, two thirds were Baby Boomers and one third were members of Generation X. Some 95% say they are looking for a permanent job, up from 84% in 2010. Just 23% want to be entrepreneurs though slightly more Gen X job seekers, 27%, want to work for themselves.
Yelp Changes Course, Allows Review Writing From Mobile (Marketing Land)
Yelp Inc (NYSE:YELP) has announced a pretty significant change of course: Its mobile app will now allow users to write and publish full business reviews. There’s an update for Yelp’s iOS app that’s available now, and it includes a new “Add Review” button on all business profiles. (Yelp says this functionality is “coming soon” for Android app users.) It’s a big change for Yelp, which has consistently stuck to its belief that allowing mobile review publishing would lead to lower-quality reviews. That’s why Yelp Inc (NYSE:YELP) has only allowed leaving tips via its mobile app, and asked users to write full reviews only from their desktop computers (or laptops).
Facebook: four out of five daily users log on via smartphone or tablet (The Guardian)
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) is undergoing a mobile revolution with four out of five of the 24 million Britons who log on each day using a smartphone or tablet computer to sate their social appetite. More than a third of the UK population now visit the site every day, and of the daily users some 20 million – 83% – use a smartphone or tablet to check updates on Facebook. Facebook released its number of daily users in the UK for the first time on Wednesday, in part to combat data showing that its growth has reached saturation point. “It’s to make clear our audience is growing both in size and engagement,” said James Quarles, Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)’s regional director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
LINKEDIN STOCK COULD SOAR ON … ITS PUBLISHING BIZ? (Investorplace.com)
LinkedIn Corp (NYSE:LNKD) reported strong earnings a few weeks ago, and shares of LinkedIn stock have doubled so far in 2013. Competitors including online job portal Monster Worldwide (MWW) and privately held TheLadders.com should take notice of LinkedIn stock as it recreates how job seekers and employers connect … but so should Yahoo (YHOO). No, not because LinkedIn Corp (NYSE:LNKD) stock is challenging Yahoo’s Hot Jobs property. But because LNKD is increasingly getting into the content game — and could disrupt not just how folks find jobs, but how they find business news in the age of social media.
Is Yelp! Helpful Or Harmful For Small Businesses? (Asian Fortune)
Every day, people use Yelp Inc (NYSE:YELP) to decide where to eat, where to go shopping or where to go to the doctor. The company, which provides reviews and ratings for businesses, passed 100 million unique visitors this year. Although the company helps consumers make decisions and allows users to share their experiences, the website has also garnered criticism, particularly from some small business owners who feel like Yelp take advantage of their clout with small businesses. The effects of Yelp reviews are not to be ignored: Michael Luca, a Harvard Business School professor, found a correlation between high Yelp Inc (NYSE:YELP) ratings and revenues. Although he only focused on Seattle restaurants, his study found that every star in a review correlates to a five to nine percent increase in revenues.
