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Guess What? Facebook and Twitter Are Both Better Than LinkedIn at Finding You a Job

LinkedIn, the business-oriented social network, seems like the perfect place to job hunt. Profiles feature resumes, employable skills, references, and it's easy to search for people by company and rank.

So who'd have thought that Twitter, the microblogging real-time information network, and Facebook, the place where you do stupid $#!% and get fired, are both better than LinkedIn at landing you a job?

A new Jobvite study reveals that 16% of Americans got their most recent job because of social media—and of those people, 78% credited Facebook, 42% credited Twitter, and 40% credited LinkedIn.

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Facebook Hacked ... The Geeks Inherit The Earth

Facebook Hacked

Notice that I removed the word “Shall” from the title of this blog post

After I caught the news about the Facebook hack, I meandered around the internet, thought about some recent events and am connecting loose dots for those that haven’t heard about the goings on. Hell, maybe I'm way behind the eight-ball on this stuff, but it's worth noting. It all could be a “Blair Witch Project” or “Joaquin Phoenix” type hoax, so please take this lightly. Or, not.

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Google+ Joins Twitter In Saying That It's Not a Social Network. But Isn't It?

This article was originally published on Smedio.

There’s no doubt that Google+ started on the right note – it came, saw and conquered the hearts of people all over the world. It had the wow factor and it hit other social media networks where it hurts the most.

And then Facebook hit back in style, launching one innovative feature after the other. Google+ responded back by opening itself to the enterprise with the launch of Google+ Pages and critics were back to their usual best – pitting Facebook Pages against Google+ Pages.

But now it seems Google’s had enough of Facebook vs. Google+ comparisons. Google, the world’s leading online search giant, has now changed its standard pitch and is saying that Google+ is not a social network that competes directly with Facebook.

As expected, people have interpreted this announcement in their own ways. Some believe Google is afraid of pitting Google+ against Facebook while others say the online search giant is now planning to market the broader Google+ ecosystem rather than just the social networking aspect.

In my opinion, it’s fair to say that Google+ is much more than being just a social network and here’s why.

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Toshiba Wants You to Be a Holiday Hero This Season

Finding the perfect gift for all your friends and family can be a tough task. It helps to know that Canadians are hoping for lots of tech toys this season, but we need specifics!

That's where Toshiba comes in. Toshiba wants you to be a Holiday Hero—that girl or guy who gets everyone the best gift. And Toshiba makes this possible via their Facebook page. Click on the Holiday tab, then click Get Started, and you're well on your way. 

Next, choose your target: the student, the gamer, or the sports and movie fan. Then you make sub-selections, like "Watching HD movies on the go." Finally, Toshiba connects you with ideal gift options and the ability to purchase them online then and there.

Pretty cool, huh? Indeed, Toshiba is excited about the holidays and so is Techvibes. We suggest you come back soon because there's a lot more up our sleeves.

Google+ Pages vs. Facebook Pages – Let The Battle Begin!

This article was originally published on Smedio.

When Google+ launched, it was widely projected as the next big Facebook Killer. While that didn’t happen, Google did a remarkable job of exploiting Facebook’s weaknesses with innovative features such as Circles and Hangouts. The world’s leading social network eventually hit back in style and as time passed, the initial euphoria over Google+ begin to fade away.

All this while, I maintained that the true litmus test for Google+ would be in the business segment when it takes on the world’s leading social network head-to-head. To that effect, I questioned whether Google+ can stand the test of time and the intense competition from Facebook or will it die in its own course.

Yesterday, Google formally launched Pages for Google+, thereby setting the stage for a titanic clash with Facebook Pages. The idea is to let people interact with a business much as they would with people over the network. While Facebook Pages eventually proved to be a game changer, the fate of Google+ Pages remains to be seen.

None the less, Google and Facebook competing hand-on to grab a lion’s share of the enterprise segment promises to be a mouthwatering prospect.

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The World's 5 Most Powerful People in Tech

With the 2011 edition of the World's Most Powerful People now released, it's interesting to observe how potent the technology industry is. While the majority of the listees are leaders of big countries like Russia and major cities like New York, tech leaders remain affluent even on global scale. Aside from perhaps financial industry, no space stands out in the list quite like tech. So the question must be asked then—who, among the techies, are the most powerful of all?

1. Bill Gates (#5 overall)

Mr. Gates is much more about philanthropy than technology these days. In fact, Forbes lists his organization as the Bill & Melina Gates Foundation, not Microsoft, the highly impacting software giant he founded decades ago. Still, it's hard to ignore his historical significance in the tech space—and his tremendous wealth is not lost on Forbes.

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Toronto's Acuity Ads makes a giant splash in the display advertising world

Toronto-based Acuity Ads says they have become the fastest growing company in their respective advertising industry since launching in April. They are further revolutionizing the industry through their demand side platform that maximizes display advertising technology through consumer profiling, real-time bidding and machine learning technology in order to create connection with the consumer.

While they couldn't release any numbers, some of Acuity’s impressive clients include Dell, Sears, The Bank of Montreal, Ally, and RBC Financial Group.

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Would you like some Tweets to go with that wine? Best social media wine pairings

Natalie MacLean, a popular Canadian wine writer and blogger recently released a video which describes the best wines to pair with social media.

Below are some of her wine pairing suggestions for Twitter, Facebook, and Google +.

Twitter: Perhaps something low in alcohol, like the 2009 Lingenfelder Bird Label Riesling from Australia is the best bet. Natalie says this “will allow you to Tweet all evening while you drink it.” However, please drink and Tweet at your own risk. Here’s a link to the funniest drunk Tweets by comedians from the Huffington Post.

Facebook: Natalie suggests that you can toast Zuckerberg’s success with Mark West’s Pinot Noir from California.

Google +: Try Union from Ontario, because Natalie believes Google + will bring us all together in a meaningful way.

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Spread the word about your small business: Telus Elevator Pitch contest on Facebook

TELUS contest imageHave a great elevator pitch for your small business? If not, then there is no time like the present to write one. Earlier this month, Telus Business Solutions launched the Telus Talks Business Elevator Pitch contest on Facebook. The contest is open to Canadian small business employees or owners.

The grand prize is a “Business Productivity Prize Pack,” which includes an iPad 2, iPhone 4 and a $1,500 American Express gift card. Not too shabby! 

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Google+ to roll our 'major improvements' soon

Google plans to roll out several major improvements to its social network, Google+, during the next three months.

One early improvement will be Google Doc integration. This enhancement is expected to be available within a week.

Future improvements include deeper integration with Google search, YouTube, Google Maps, and the company's mobile operating system, Android.

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