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In a long overdue move, Facebook is finally rolling out verified accounts. Like Twitter and Google+, users must still use their real names in order to qualify for a verified account, but they do have the option of submitting an alternate name (Lady Gaga would be required to sign up using her birth name, Stefani Germanotta). Strangely, Facebook will not display a badge or any other icon indicating that the account has been verified.

Podio, an online work and project management platform, is popular in the RepEquity office, so the recent announcement that it will incorporate Google Docs into their features was well received. In its announcement, Podio indicated that the inclusion of Google Docs was one of the top feature requests from the 40,000 companies currently using the platform.

In a new report about social recruiting activity it appears that LinkedIn still leads Twitter and Facebook in job recruiting. It is important to note, though, that the study only focused on activity by recruiters and not individuals searching for a job.

Just when the hoopla of Facebook’s IPO died down, another expected IPO is making headlines. Yelp has reported that its $100 million IPO is set for March 2. The company will sell 7.15 million shares to the public for between $12 and $14.

A month after Facebook allowed third-party apps to integrate into its timeline feature, the social network is creating new usage for non-gaming apps likes Pinterest, Yahoo and Myspace.

The IPO filing by Facebook on Wednesday didn’t just benefit the social networking company; many companies that have associations to the tech industry saw their stocks surge residually. On Thursday, Zynga’s stock rose 16.84 percent in trading and finished the day at $12.39 per share. This increase will only help Facebook in the long run as the company takes a 30 percent cut of all virtual goods sounds through Zynga games like Farmville and CityVille. Groupon, Netflix and Pandora also saw an increase in the price of their stock on Thursday.

The importance of search engines in the shopping and purchasing decisions amongst Americans is well-understood in today’s marketing, search and social industries. Facebook and other social media networks, however, are quickly gaining more influence over users who are shopping around. Brands take note: In a recent survey, 42 percent of participants said that they currently follow or have friended a brand on a social networking site. The study also showed that almost one in five individuals now look to Facebook to learn information about a brand or product.

Google France and Google Inc. have been ordered to pay $660,000 in damages to a French company called Bottin Cartographies after a commercial court found Google guilty of unfair competition. The cartography company protested against the free Google Maps service, saying the company does this to undercut competitors and to try to control the market. Bottin Cartographies offers a paid service that is very similar to Google Maps. Google has previously been fined in France for the search suggestions it proposes for certain keywords. Continue Reading…

As social networks continue to gain users and prevalence in daily life, more people report logging on to sites like Twitter and Facebook from work. In 2011, there was a 300 percent increase in social networking on the job compared to the same period in late 2010.

This week, Google+ announced that the social networking service would now be open to teenagers 13 and over. Partnered with the announcement was the introduction of new privacy and security changes by Google+ to protect younger users.

Hootsuite has partnered with Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications to provide students with a 90-day program to boost their social media skills. The school was recently ranked the top journalism school in the country. Continue Reading…

Want your tweets to be retweeted more frequently? A researcher recently studied the New York Times Twitter account for three months and determined several qualities that were common in highly-retweeted posts. For example, updates without links get 1.74 more retweets. For more of Nick Diakopoulos’ findings, read the full study.

Google announced a new algorithm tweak this week – one that will lower a website’s ranking if Google believes it is providing a bad user experience. This tweak is aimed especially at ads that fall “above the fold” on a website. The “Page Layout algorithmic improvement” will affect up to 1% of Google’s three billion daily searches.

For those who manage social media sites for brands with a global reach, one of the most difficult aspects can be monitoring sentiment across a variety of languages. Many professionals may be familiar with Google Alerts, but did you know that you can alter language settings to ensure you’re getting the most news? Over at Search Engine Watch, writer Christian Arno rounds up services and tips for monitoring online reputation in several languages. Continue Reading…