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These days big time corporations aren’t getting the popular vote; and some are more despised than others.

Cities all across the country are being occupied by people angry at large companies. And according to the blog 24/7 Wall Street, a partner of MSN Money there complaints might have merit. The blog put together the five most hated companies of 2011 based on two areas; public research such as customer satisfaction and pricing and financial information such as profit forecasts and product quality.  read more »

Looking for a job; because Facebook is looking for some more friends.

Facebook co-creator Mark Zuckerberg is on the road looking for some new talent. Earlier this week he made his pitch to students at Harvard, the university he dropped out of after launching the billion dollar company. The visit to Harvard followed a similar scouting trip to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  read more »

Facebook wants to be hacked; and they’re going to pay you to do it.

Under its new bug bounty, Facebook is inviting professional security researchers and hackers to send the company details about any vulnerable areas. And if you find something Facebook will make it worth your while. So far the company has paid out more than $40,000 to people who have found some weak spots.

Facebook’s chief security officer says one person was given a $5,000 bounty for one exceptional report. Another person has earned more than $7,000 for flagging down six different issues. People from more than sixteen countries have successfully submitted bounty bugs. And Facebook is now keeping a public thank you list in recognition of their efforts.  read more »

Is someone else running your online social life; they could be ruining your reputation.

Social media is a powerful business tool because it’s personal, fast and unfiltered. Unfortunately a lot of businesses place that power in the hands of the inexperienced; and it becomes that company’s downfall. According to MSN Business most business executives allow junior employees or interns to manage Facebook pages and twitter feeds. But while those people might have grown up with the social sites they don’t have the business background to make their knowledge meaningful. And their lack of experience could mean bad things for your company and your career. Instead the younger more internet savvy employees should work with the business minded to put their best online foot forward.  read more »

Facebook and Twitter are being de-friended by the French.

Mentioning either of the social networking sites has been banned by French officials on radio and television. The only exception is if they are the subject of a major news story. French officials are citing a 1992 law for the new restriction. This states that programs can not advertise or promote private companies. Journalists will also not be able to say things like “follow us on Twitter” or “visit our Facebook page.”

Instead they’re being encouraged to adopt the phrase “find us on social networks.” Officials say cutting down on the Facebook and Twitter shout-outs will also give smaller companies a chance to gain some recognition.  read more »

Not only do you have to watch what you post on your favorite social site but how long you spend doing it.

Most of us know not to post inappropriate pictures on Facebook or tweet negative comments about our co-workers but now you have to monitor yourself in another way. According to careerbuilder.com if an employer sees that you’re being overly active on social media your professional commitment could be questioned. If you are always on social sites employers will start to question how your online activity is contributing to the company. They will also wonder what is not getting done while you are connecting with old friends.  read more »

Many high tech entrepreneurs have not just become rich. They have also helped advance societies in the U.S. and around the world.

Recently I spoke with Bill Draper; author of “The Startup Game” who founded one of the first venture capital firms on the west coast almost fifty years ago. Over the years, Draper’s had an incredible track record as a founding investor in companies such as Hotmail, Skype and OpenTable, technologies that have created an open platform to the world. Draper says that success shows innovative thinkers can do much more than start a business, they can inspire a revolution.  read more »

Planning a party? Don’t tell Facebook.

A girl in Sydney is canceling her 16th birthday party after the invitation went viral and 200,000 people promised to attend. The girl was worried that no one would show up so she sent a Facebook invitation to a few of her friends. It included her address and said it was an open house party, as long as it didn’t get out of hand.

But her father says she wasn’t aware of the privacy settings to stop strangers from viewing the invitation. Police say is appears the girl’s original post had been “re-posted” by someone she didn’t know and it quickly went viral. Within 24 hours 20,000 people had said they would attend. Now the girl’s father says the Facebook page about the party will be removed and the party itself will be cancelled.  read more »

Coming soon to a Facebook page near you; movies.

Warner Brothers is testing a service that would allow Facebook users in the U.S. to purchase or rent movies. Starting this week users can visit the official Facebook page of a specific movie and pay 30 Facebook credits or $3 to view the movie. You then have access to that movie and can watch it as many times as you like over the next 48 hours.  read more »

For the past few years Google has been king of the online kingdom but one connected company is looking to steal its throne.

Facebook is challenging Google’s supremacy with a new approach to how people live, work, play and search online. Currently, Google delivers search results to people based on their web history. Facebook is stepping up to the plate by personalizing the user’s web experience with their own “likes” and recommendations from their Facebook friends.  read more »