LinkedIn is a professional social network, and the company is constantly testing new features and asking for user feedback on them. Last year, LinkedIn launched Stories to allow members to share video updates concerning their personal and professional lives. LinkedIn is now leveraging what it's learned since Stories launched to grow the format into a reimagined video experience available across the platform.
Social networks are often associated with a younger demographic and unprofessional behavior, but the term technically includes even networks used for more serious matters. For more than a decade now, LinkedIn's name has become synonymous with professional networking, the kind of thing you'd often do at parties and social gatherings, except completely online. It might not be as big as a catch as Facebook, but that still makes LinkedIn a prime target for hacks and leaks, as shown by this latest incident involving 700 million user records.
Unfortunately, data leaks from major technology companies are far from uncommon. Professional social networking site LinkedIn has allegedly been compromised with hackers claiming they have data from 500 million LinkedIn profiles for sale. So far, the hackers have released 2 million records as proof they have compromised the LinkedIn database.
Smartphones have put a lot of power into our hands, literally, but they have also exposed potential security and privacy violations in things we've been taking for granted on desktops. Things like asking permission to use certain hardware and software capabilities were almost an alien concept on desktop operating systems until Android and iOS showed how those can be easily abused, like how some mobile apps have been discovered to be reading clipboard content even when not in use.
Job-focused social network LinkedIn has just announced an odd new feature for its mobile apps: the ability to send voice messages. As in make a recording of yourself talking and sending it to someone. In other words, it's just like voicemail, one of the most hated things among mobile users. Other than the few people who really like using LinkedIn, it's a safe bet almost no one is looking forward to this.
To some of us, Facebook is just a social network, but over the past few years, it's been attempting to become much more than that. From sending money to friends to getting rid of stuff you're not using, Facebook has rolled out a number of different services to become a one-stop shop of sorts. More recently, we've seen Facebook attempt to take the fight to LinkedIn by hosting job listings.
Most, though not all, of those born within the last 20 years or so probably have a Facebook account. That many young, and even old, people have put parts of their lives on the social network. Many have also put their businesses up there. So why not just mix the two together even further. That's exactly what Facebook is now doing by creating a more formal and official way for employers and prospective employees to connect. Which pretty much puts it at odds with LinkedIn.
As expected, Microsoft's acquisition of LinkedIn has closed. With this acquisition, we see Microsoft's focus on the professional space continue to grow, as the company says this deal merges "the world’s leading professional cloud and the world’s leading professional network." The all-cash transaction topped out at $26.2 billion, or $196 per share.
Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, or even “professional” ones like LinkedIn have become so ingrained in our modern lifestyles that we sometimes take for granted that they aren’t really as secure as real-world, physical social circles. That is a fact that cybercriminals seem to be trying to exploit, taking advantage of users’ propensity to just click on images and files downloaded from social hubs. Unsurprisingly, those images might contain or are themselves malware in disguise, ready to hold users’ data for ransom.
We're getting wind of more Facebook features today, and these new ones center around the beloved job search. Facebook has confirmed that it is testing job posting features for business pages, giving users the opportunity to apply for those jobs without ever having to leave the site. Should these roll out on a wider scale, Facebook's implementation could do a lot to threaten other networks like LinkedIn.
Attempting to find a new job can be a touchy process, especially if you don't want your current employer to know that you're on the hunt. Using an online service like LinkedIn can make the process even more risky, considering that recruiters from the company you're leaving are likely using that site as well. LinkedIn wants to make it easier for you to look for a new job in secrecy, rolling out a new feature called Open Candidates today.
Microsoft will buy LinkedIn for $26.2bn, the two companies have announced today, with the surprise acquisition of the business-focused social network continuing Satya Nadella's strategy to further invest in services. The deal - announced while Microsoft is also readying at least one new Xbox One console for unveil this morning - will see LinkedIn retain its own brand rather than be subsumed into Microsoft-whole.