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Ryan Holmes Wants HootSuite to be Worth $1 Billion. Now One-Fifth the Way There, It's Suddenly Possible

In January, Ryan Holmes told BCBusiness that he wanted to build a billion-dollar company. At the time, it wasn't clear if this company could be HootSuite, the Vancouver startup that spun out of Ryan's Invoke Media.

The social media dashboard was popular, sure, nearing three million users and a swelling staff of more than 100. But the startup hadn't raised any money recently, or really ever—its valuation and revenues were both foggy mysteries to the public. Did HootSuite even stand a chance, or was Ryan thinking of building a new business with greater potential?

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The Benefits of CEOs Who Tweet are Legion, Survey Finds

C-level executives who tweet on Twitter are held in high regard, a new study by social media branding firm Brandfog has discovered.

In a survey conducted by the firm, 78% of respondents said CEOs who participate in social media leads to better communication, while 94% stated that it leads to an enhanced brand image. And 64% believe it provides greater transparency.

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Toronto's TalentEgg Aims to Solve Youth Unemployment in Canada with #HireGenY Day on Twitter

Canda's online career resource for students, TalentEgg, has launched a campaign today called Hire Gen Y Day. Designed for Twitter, the #HireGenY hashtag will drive TalentEgg's ambition to reduce youth unemployment.

Youth unemployment in Canada is nearly 15%—or almost double the total jobless rate of just over 7%. "Students and recent graduates across the country are entering into one of the most difficult job markets in recent history," a TalentEgg statement reads.

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Lawyer: It's Illegal for Employers to Ask Job Seekers for Facebook Passwords in Canada

A week ago, Elise Moreau wrote about employers asking for job seekers' Facebook passwords during interviews as part of their screening process. No one was happy to hear about employers attempting to access potential employees' social media networks - especially not Facebook.

Now Paul Cavaluzzo, a Toronto-based labour lawyer, has come forth to put job seekers' concerns at ease. He, alongside other lawyers, says that laws in Canada offer strong protection against employers asking for this personal information.

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'She Takes on the World,' a Guide for Women Who Want to be Their Own Boss

She Takes on the World Book CoverHow does a woman turn her passion into a successful business? Canada’s very own Natalie MacNeil, an EMMY Award-winning media entrepreneur, popular blogger, and thought leader in the areas of entrepreneurship and leadership for women, tries to answer this question in her new book entitled She Takes on the World. The book just launched today and can be purchased on Amazon and at select Chapters and Barnes and Noble stores.

The focus of MacNeil’s new guidebook for aspiring female entrepreneurs is to teach them how to work happy and live on purpose. At the very beginning of the book, MacNeil suggests that the secret to success is “love plus passion plus a need in the market.”

From sharing “lessons and confessions” from other successful female business owners, to identifying ways to develop a “Master Action Plan (MAP),” MacNeil offers helpful advice and actionable steps to take in designing the business of your dreams. Throughout the book, she provides her favourite “gems” which are small tidbits of information about software, websites, or tools that she personally uses to make her work life easier and more efficient.

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Tunecore's New Rules For The Music Industry

Techvibes reported that Tunecore, which allows artists to sell their music in three steps, officially launched in Canada back in January. They have since come out with a handbook called the "Music Industry Survival Manual: New Rules For The Music Industry."

While you can view seven volumes here and order them for free, I'm going to outline in brief Tunecore's nine new rules for the music industry as it continues to shift from traditional to one with digital downloads, on-demand streams, and unlimited digital shelf space. Artists that use Tunecore have made over a quarter of a billion dollars from 500 million units of music. 

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Canadian Entrepreneur Launches Pair, an App That Brings Long-Distance Couples Closer Together

Pair is a new iPhone app designed to harden the fragility of long-distance relationships. Co-launched by Oleg Kostour, a Canadian entrepreneur who moved to Silicon Valley to participate in Y-Combinator, Pair offers a slew of couple-oriented features such as "thumbkissing."

Described as "the easiest way to stay in touch with the person you love," Pair combines texting with what is essentially a two-person-only social network. You can both sketch and draw on one canvas, share to-do lists, and see your partner's thumbprint in real-time as they touch the screen. It's also a way to send photos, videos, and texts, share your location, and keep track of all the important dates (never forget their anniversary again!). 

The app is off to a promising start. It has a five-star rating in Apple's App Store and received rave reviews in Mashable and TechCrunch. I tested it out, and it's a lot of fun—even between friends, not just partners. The live sketch makes for guaranteed laughs with anyone, and the location pin sends your pal a zoomed-in map of precisely where you are, which could prove tremendously practical. And it's all wrapped up in a sleek, simple interface.

Pair is free to download but is iOS-only for now.

How to Measure Your Social Media ROI According to Access 360

Speaking at the Merging Media Access 360 event was Scott Dodson, one of the top three “Gamification Gurus” in Seattle, and Rochelle Grayson, CEO of Vancouver based BookRiff, who focused on measuring social media’s real dollar value. Splitting the day into two sections, there was a practical focus to the event—which is quite different then most events that are in Vancouver.

After listening to the morning topics of measuring one’s social media efforts and a discussion on gamification in the afternoon, the workshop shifted to case studies. The audience was engaged throughout the event,  and once the case studies came along, the environment was filled with great ideas and problem solving. If you weren’t able to make it, here is a brief recap of what you missed.

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Facebook to Employers: Don't Ask for the Passwords of Job Seekers

Last week, there was an uproar when the topic of employers asking job seekers for Facebook login information during interviews was brought to public attention. Now, Facebook itself has stepped in with a firm stance.

The social network is warning employers not to demand the passwords of interviewees, noting that it is an invasion of privacy - and that legal consequences are plausible. Facebook cautions companies to steer clear of requesting personal social media information.

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