Facebook, Bing broaden the research partnership Via the button "As"

Microsoft Monday expanded its use of Facebook in its search engine Bing, adding "like" and the recommendations of friends and strangers in the search results.

Moving forward, if you are looking for something from one of your friends Facebook has "liked", Bing which noted in its search results. Your sister and roommate "as" Italian restaurant nearby? A small photo, Facebook "thumbs up" icon and a note that said that they approve will appear in the search results, says Microsoft.

Bing will also be priority results based on what friends have liked. If you are looking for "Italian Restaurants" in your neighborhood and restaurant your sister and roommate "loved" normally have on page four regular Bing search, for example, that this restaurant will move up in search rankings because they like.

Microsoft has begun to integrate the button "like" search in February an enlargement of a partnership which was launched in October. Today's announcement also incorporates the opinion of the people not in your direct social circle. Let's say that you are looking for "Star Magazine". The results will also display links to a few stories of "Star" who liked readers, even if they are not your friends.

"Research is better when it has not only mathematics and algorithms-based, but also infused with the opinions of the people", Microsoft said in a blog. "Collective IQ input can allow research become a discovery tool, allowing you to benefit from connections, inferences, and"love"it.".

To this end, Bing will also integrate Facebook posts trademarks that you research to alert you of any new transactions.

If you are seeking information on a town, at the same time, Bing you tell if one of your friends lives or has lived in the past. The search results will include a link to their Facebook profiles, where you can ask for more on their city.

If you decide to visit, the option to travel deals might be practical. If you "like" a city particularly on Bing, Microsoft will send you deals on flights directly to your Facebook feed.

If you cannot decide where to go or what gadget to buy, you can create a list of shopping on Bing and share on Facebook, asking people to obtain advice on what must be bought. "Of" find the best prices to get reviews from people you know and trust or simply ask that if something is "you", or not, Bing has you covered, Microsoft said. "".

If you want to search for this person on Bing just information about a Facebook friend, during this time, and the search engine will be used to "a more thorough bio snapshot, location, education and employment details to help you find that you need more quickly."

How do you "like" something on Bing? If you are a user of the first time, there is an option to connect on Facebook via the link "Sign In" on Bing.com. After connect you, there will be a universal "like" bar which will tell you things favorites on the Web.

For those who are already connected through Facebook, but might not be aware of the new "like" characteristics, Bing will display a warning then five times you log them on to Bing. "Hi Chloe, Bing come better with your Facebook friends,", says the opinion. If you do not want to share your preferences, click "disable". To return, click on "connect" and connect you again.

Bing improvements come approximately one month after Google has expanded its social offerings with "+ 1" - a feature that allows you to recommend some Web sites with a click of a button, much as you would "like" something on Facebook. Pronounced ""plus one", the service adds a small icon"+ 1"next to search results which have recommended friends.".

Don't expect Google and Facebook to link such as Bing and Facebook, however. Last week, it was revealed that Facebook has hired a PR firm to launch a campaign of denigration against the search giant.

LinkedIn for $ 32 to $ 35 per share in the IPOs of research

NEW YORK - professional networking site LinkedIn Corp. wants to sell his shares for $ 32 to $ 35 per share in a public offer to come. Its introduction on the stock market may encourage other growing Internet services to make their debut in the stock market in the next year.

The target price, defined in a filing Monday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, signals that LinkedIn is almost ready to complete his introduction on the stock exchange. The actions are intended to be sold on 18 may, analyst Scott Sweet SOP. Then, the stock will begin trading under the symbol "lnkd" at the New York Stock Exchange.

Beginnings of the company could offer an overview of the demand of investors for other popular online services that connect people with common interests. Although they do not establish a plan, Facebook, Twitter, Groupon online transaction site and game maker Zynga are among the other social networking services should apply to the public.

With more than 500 million users, Facebook is regarded as the hottest of all merchandise. Market value of the company for 7 years has been set at $ 50 billion, based on a private investment in January.

The company said that the offer could raise up to 274 million dollars, including money that would go to existing shareholders who sell part of their shareholdings in the introduction on the stock exchange. Based on the objectives of price of industrial property offices, LinkedIn would have a market value of $ 3.3 billion to $ 3 billion.

Former PayPal Executive Reid Hoffman founded LinkedIn eight years ago. Venture capitalist, Hoffman remains now LinkedIn Chairman and majority shareholder with a projected game post-IPO $ 600 million to $ 665 million.

LinkedIn providing stock is expected to attract much attention because it revolves around a well known brand of the Internet with more than 100 million registered members.

Most of the revenue of LinkedIn come fresh it costs for recruiters and companies who want enlargement of access to the site Web of LinkedIn to fill vacancies. The company also sells online ads.

Last year, LinkedIn had net income of $ 3.4 million on revenues of $ 243 million. Its revenue reached $ 94 million for the first three months of this year, more than double the same period last year.

LinkedIn will provide 4.8 million shares. Current shareholders of the company, including Hoffman, Bain Capital, Goldman Sachs and publishing company McGraw-Hill, sold 3 million shares.

The company, which is based in Mountain View, California, said there is 94.5 million outstanding common shares after the stock market.

After the payment of the fees from banking services, investment and other expenditures, LinkedIn estimated that it will collect $ 147 million for the introduction on the stock exchange at a price of $33.50 midrange target. LinkedIn plans to use money for operations and possibly to buy other companies.

Morgan Stanley, BofA Merrill Lynch and J.P. Morgan manage the offer.

Google test New Look for the results of research

Google users are griping on what appears to be a new layout sparse for the results of Google search to the test by the search giant. Google said that it is sometimes called "bucket test" - experiment with changes making them only visible for some users. Google search pages that are part of this test show much more white space and inevitably, less the results of research per page.

In addition to more spacing between each result and the line of text, the familiar blue links are underlined, and each element is now separated by a dashed in the new design line. The color scheme also appears a little warmer and greener, throughout.

Testing my site in the time zone of the mountain Sunday beginning do not disclose any change in the results, but a number of Twitter users have posted screenshots of everywhere in the world.

The redesign has caused ire (sometimes laced profanity) many users on Twitter and elsewhere on the Web, with a criticism of TechCrunch declaring "ugly."

I suspect the objective of the new design can be more than just aesthetics and perhaps having to do with the integration of new features - folding research voice, which Google has recently started to test - or perhaps new ads. In any event, it is likely to get some used, but very probably not drive to Bing users or elsewhere.

Location tracking: research past the Hype (PC World)

I sat on my computer, prepared to synchronize my iPhone with iTunes 4. But I looked at the simple white cord, that I use to connect the phone and it suddenly seemed more worrying - as it was a kind of spy transmitter sending details of my life private directly to Apple.

Perhaps I should stop synchronization, thought. Perhaps a little stupid Web surfing instead. So I fired up the fire my browser and ready to enter a query in my Google search toolbar. But before that I could find "used wooden high chair", I've hesitated again. Would that happen if that search query has been stored with my site, and I was never to be bombarded with advertisements for supply stores local baby?

Hmmm. Perhaps should I just shut down the computer and let my smartphone for the day, I thought.

Or maybe I should get a grip.

With all the major titles of violations of privacy online and tracking of the location, it is easy to live in fear. Fear that large corporations such as Apple and Google know too much about me and go some way to reveal my deepest, darkest secrets in the world. Or I could do research and find out what types of data these businesses actually collect, and what they do with it. Because once you're informed, you will find that while some of the location and data collection practices can be a little underhanded, but they are not apocalyptic that some people might have us believe.

House phone?

The location-tracking brouhaha began when it was recently revealed that Apple iPhone and iPads follow and connect the locations of users and store the data in a file that is easily accessible. The file is stored unencrypted on the computers that were synchronized with mobile devices from Apple and may contain localization data that go back up to a year.

Researchers also found that Apple smartphones, and competing devices running Google's Android operating system, regularly transmit the location-based information to Apple and Google respectively. Therefore, also, making computers running the toolbar to search for Google and its Chrome browser.

And it is not only the manufacturer of these mobile devices and the software they run to collect information on the locations of users: cellular telecommunications companies are also guilty of the same thing. Verizon Wireless, which says that it will now put a sticker on new phones warning users that their location may be followed, said that it holds any personal data up to seven years. AT & T can store data for a few days - or five years. Sprint and T-Mobile, the two have similar policies.

CFPs: If you use a mobile device, it is likely that your location is being followed. But this is not a bad thing - and it is not almost ominous as it sounds. Despite the use of the word "followed", your every action is not followed. And your location is not passed on a giant map in a secret room where all your movements can be followed with a sort of flashing lights. That is not the case, not by a long shot.

The advantages of the location tracking

I agree that we should have a reasonable expectation of privacy. And I think that companies should be original and disclose the information they collect. And I truly believe that when you disable the specific characteristics of the location of your mobile device, this device should not be storing your location.

But I also know that many location data that is collected is used to provide the services that I want. I want that my iPhone to find out where I am - and quickly - find this place when I turn on Google Maps for instructions. I want that my Web browser to return the results of local research when I'm looking for the best pizza place. I want to be able take pictures with the camera of my iPhone, and follow where I took them.

I understand that the compromise for these amenities are the loss of some personal information. But isn't the same true whenever I use a credit card? The only way to win the total anonymity would dismiss all the amenities of a modern society. I am not prepared to do so. Are you?