CRM Update – Jun 06 : 2:47 pm

It’s more bad news for the social network giant in the wake of its IPO bust. A poll by Reuters News Services and market research company Ipsos finds that 34 percent of users surveyed spend less time on the website than six months ago. Only 20 percent of respondents said they spend more time on the website.
Of the 34 percent that said they spend less time on Facebook the number one reason for their decline in usage is the website is “boring,” “not relevant,” or “not useful…

Pepsi’s celebrity-infused “Live for Now” global ad campaign, which launched May 7, will get digital boost this summer from media conglomerate Viacom.

Viacom’s Twitter accounts for MTV, VH1, CMT and Comedy Central will aid in the campaign’s mission of “inviting and inspiring” people to live in the moment — and sharing those moments on social networks with relevant hashtags.

The summer partnership runs until September and builds on Pepsi’s existing Live for Now hub, Pepsi Pulse, a social media-driven interactive dashboard that curates trending pop culture and entertainment news…

Facebook’s tumbling IPO has one hedge fund manager predicting rough times ahead for the monolithic social network.
“In five to eight years they are going to disappear in the way that Yahoo has disappeared,” says Ironfire Capital founder Eric Jackson. “Yahoo is still making money, it’s still profitable, still has 13,000 employees working for it, but it’s 10% of the value that it was at the height of 2000,” Jackson added. “For all intents and purposes, it’s disappeared.”
Jackson predicts that Facebook’s power will erode with the emergence of mobile web—currently, a stumbling block for Facebook…

There’s a set of soft skills that candidates must possess in order to thrive in the controlled chaos of an early-stage start-up. Here’s how to identify star employees.Life as a start-up employee is nothing like putting in your daily graft for a big corporation. Long hours, incredibly diverse to-do lists, insecurity, and the promise of a future payoff make start-up culture uniquely exciting and challenging. So what kind of employees can tolerate the craziness and thrive in this sort of atmosphere? It’s a key question for founders, who need to find team members suited to the reality of life at a fledgling business…

IT consulting is booming as businesses transition to mobile and cloud-based computing.Why It’s HotThe prevalence of cloud computing is finally pushing companies to get rid of desktop computers, replacing them with mobile devices that allow employees to work from anywhere, anytime. “This year or next year, we’re going to see tablets outsell PCs,” says Jack Plunkett, CEO of market research firm Plunkett Research. “People just want the mobility.” But not all employees have the expertise to implement this technology or even to use it right off the bat…

It’s not a good day for LinkedIn. After reports that its iOS app potentially violates user privacy by sending detailed calendar entries to its servers, comes a report that 6.46 million encrypted LinkedIn passwords have leaked online.

A Russian forum user claims he has hacked LinkedIn, uploading 6,458,020 encrypted passwords (without usernames) as proof.

The passwords are encrypted with the SHA-1 cryptographic hash function, used in SSL and TLS and generally considered to be relatively secure, but not foolproof…

If you work anywhere in the American food industry — from farming to fast food, slaughterhouse to warehouse – a new report seems to indicate you’re not being treat that well. The Food Chain Workers Alliance interviewed around 700 workers and employers in production, processing, distribution, retail and services and came up with some startling conclusions.

Researchers found that food sector workers outnumber other big industries like healthcare, education and manufacturing, and that they produce $1…

Many startups use Etsy as a launching pad, but what if you’re interested in doing it the other way around? As a small business owner, you might find an advantage in expanding your existing business onto Etsy.

In case you’re unfamiliar, Etsy is an expansive ecommerce platform that hosts small business online storefronts. Etsy shop owners primarily sell handmade and vintage items, such as cross-stitch patterns and ‘70s biker jackets, but the site has plans to welcome wholesale operations, too…

From Amazon to Lego to Zappos, plenty of big corporations have won kudos for their personal touch. Here’s how you can steal their best ideas.Great customer service isn’t just about money–but dedicated staff and extra resources certainly help. So when it comes to customer service, small companies can have a hard time keeping up with deeper-pocketed retail giants.In his new book, High-Tech, High-Touch Customer Service, Micah Solomon shares some of the best practices of consumer giants like Amazon, Lego and more…

Pacific Crest, an investment banking firm with a strong focus on SaaS, has surveyed a 70 SaaS companies with very interesting results. There is some great data on topics such as growth rates, cost of customer acquisition, churn/retention, expense models, capital efficiency, etc. The full survey, which was put together by David Spitz and his team [...]

The stands in the home stadium for the Royals are filling up, thanks to a half off ticketing deal featured on Groupon on Monday.
The Royals aim to offer additional games against the Brewers and Cardinals for half off at the end of June. They claim the discount isn’t because of their 23-29 losing record and poor attendance during home games. Average attendance has actually increased by about 2,000 since the 2011 season.
With around 17,000 empty seats per game, the Royals say they’re open to trying new methods to fill the house…

Good news: Becoming a great leader isn’t rocket science. Here are four skills you can master that will set you on a path to greatness.We’ve all met them. That one person who is not just a great leader, but who also makes a lasting impression. We remember them, quote them, and refer to them long after our interaction has ended.These are the leaders who become our mentors and role models. They affect us to such a degree that we channel them when faced with tough decisions, pondering what they would have done in a similar situation…

Mobile apps that can pay for things are pretty neat, but lead to a huge headache if your phone is lost or stolen. Especially if you don’t have a credit card, and use your debit card number instead. When Megan’s iPhone was stolen, she was ready to deal with the annoyance of getting a new debit card and changing her information on each app. She didn’t expect a cascade of incompetence and obnoxiousness from Citizens Bank.

On 5/20, my iPhone was stolen while I was on a business trip…

When the Wii U comes later this year there will be a number of games that utilize the console’s unique GamePad controller, including one title starring a character you might be a little familiar with: Super Mario.

Headed for the Wii U, Super Mario Brothers U is a new side-scrolling game featuring Mario and Luigi, Toad, and your own Mii as a character in the game. As the game progresses Mario is transformed into Flying Squirrel Mario, and soars through the air in some levels hanging on to Tiny Balloon Yoshi…

Welcome to this morning’s edition of “First To Know,” a series in which we keep you in the know on what’s happening in the digital world. Today, we’re looking at three particularly interesting stories.

LinkedIn Reacts to iOS App Privacy Issues

After Skycure Security discovered that LinkedIn sends detailed user calendar entries to its servers — including subject, location, time of meeting and meeting notes — the company responded, claiming the feature is opt-in, the info is sent securely over SSL and never stored or shared with a third party…

Keep your presentation on target and compelling by asking these yes-or-no questions before you walk into the meeting.Each time you give a presentation, you’re putting your career on the line. Few things are worse than making a fool of yourself in public–and few things better than a closing round of appause.A while back, I discussed what makes a great presentation with presentation guru Terri Sjodin and Stephen M. Kosslyn, a psychology professor who’s studied how audiences perceive presentations…

Quemulus is a e-payment start-up out of Bellevue, Washington that aims to make money transfers simpler – and more social; whether the transfer is person to person, person to group or person to business.  
It seems like somewhat of a “David and Goliath” story but Elizabeth Willett, the founder of Quemulus, believes her company can take on mobile payment big-wigs, such as Paypal and Dwolla. It’s quite a feat, but Willett is hoping that her company can harness the power of social networking by integrating with those networks…

Google is taking its paid search model – which drives the majority of the company’s revenue– and replicating it for YouTube, the site Google purchased in 2007.
Google AdWords for Video, announced April 22, allows advertisers to bid for ad positioning on YouTube, and advertisers are only charged when a viewer chooses, or clicks, to view the ad (Cost-Per-Click). This differs from the original model, where advertisers were charged on a Cost-Per-thousand impressions (CPM).
Those who manage search engine campaigns in Google AdWords will be familiar with the AdWords for Video interface, because they will be able to create and manage video campaigns from the same platform as their search and display ads…

The Global Innovation Series is presented by BMW i, a new concept dedicated to providing mobility solutions for the urban environment. It delivers more than purpose-built electric vehicles — it delivers smart mobility services. Visit bmw-i.com or follow @BMWi on Twitter.

With all that Facebooking, Twittering, emailing and web browsing, your phone and computer are probably down to 5% battery by sunset. And odds are, when bedtime rolls around, you plug in your phone, tablet and laptop to let them recharge overnight…

Ashley ordered a special occasion dress from the website of a manufacturer in China. She didn’t realize that the company was in China, despite the “About Us” on their site saying so, and the deeply mangled English on display on many of the pages. But no matter–sometimes shopping direct on Chinese sites can be a pleasant money-saving experience. This wasn’t. Her dress looked nothing like the photo of what she ordered, and the company will only refund her if she ships the fluffy dress back to China…

In the long list of PC Jobs We Really Hate, there’s one task in particular which stands out from all the others: reinstalling (or relocating) applications. Installing the core program files on a new PC is easy enough, but then you have to manually recreate accounts, remember and restore all your old configuration settings, perhaps download extensions and addons: it can take forever to get everything working as it was.
You could avoid most of this hassle by using the appropriate Laplink package to relocate the programs for you, of course, but that can be a little expensive…

Samsung introduced a pair of Series 5 laptops running on Ivy Bridge, Intel’s new, more powerful 3rd generation processors. There’s a 14-inch version and a 15.6-inch model, both outfitted with JBL audio and Nvidia GeForce graphics.

At 5 and 5.5 pounds respectively, these don’t fall into the Ultrabook category, as they weigh a tad too much to qualify, but Samsung says they will yield six-plus hours of battery life.

The heftier weight does help in lowering the cost. These won’t run as much as the thinner, sleeker and much lighter Ultrabooks coming on the market…

In between “lean-and-nimble” and “huge and powerful?” You’re at the most perilous time for a company. I learned firsthand.There’s a natural danger zone that occurs in the growth of most businesses. When starting out, you are extremely nimble, with low overhead and little complexity.Once you become larger and more successful, you have plentiful resources, an established brand, and deep bench strength.Now, those phases each have their challenges, but it’s the in-between phases that are the most dangerous…

Are you wondering if measuring social media return on investment (ROI) is important?Do you cringe when you think about putting together another report?You aren’t alone. But times are changing for social media and these reasons will show you why it’s time to get serious about measuring your results.Do I Really Need to Measure ROI?Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room. Is ROI the right measure of success for social media?There are many who would argue that a financial return doesn’t show the true value of social media for the organization…

In its fifth year, Advantis Global Services expects to hit $50 million in revenue. The next milestone? $500 million.In 2007, Bryan Barber and Jeff Taylor were working in the same office in Marin County, Calif., but for different companies. Barber-;a telecom sales veteran with more than 20 years’ experience-;was working for OnFiber, while Taylor, who had worked in IT for just as long, was running his consulting and staffing firm, Ascend Quality Partners, out of the same co-working space. “We both had similar values and interests,” Barber remembers…

When NFL quarterback Tim Tebow got down on one knee in prayer after important victories, the Internet took notice. “Tebowing” — taking humorous photos in said pose and posting them on the web — became one of the biggest Internet memes of the year. Tebow talked about the phenomenon at the Hope for Children Gala in New York City Monday night.

“Let’s be honest, I’m not the first athlete to get on a knee and pray,” Tebow told Shira Lazar. “For some reason, it just caught on this year.”

Watch more videos from What’s Trending on Mashable

Lazar asked Tebow if he’s conscious of what the Internet says about him…

In just 60 days at approximately 1:30a.m., NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft, Curiosity rover, will be expected to land on the Martian equator. During that time, NASA will host a three-day social event for 25 of its lucky followers from August 3-5 at the organization’s very own Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.
Anyone affiliated with NASA through Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and other forms of social network will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to tour the agency’s JPL, participate in news and media conferences, and have the chance to engage with scientists, researchers, space enthusiasts, and members of NASA’s social media team…

Everyone (except consumer advocates like us) seems to love prepaid debit cards. You can get student loan fundage on them, unemployment benefits, and even federal and state tax refunds. And now they’re handling your paycheck. Christopher just took a job as a pizza delivery driver for a major chain, and he has only one option for receiving his pay (other than tips): a prepaid debit card. He doesn’t like it.

I just started my first day on the job as a delivery driver for a major food delivery chain…

Ever since 2007, the iPhone has relied on Google Maps to provide directions for its users. But according to BGR’s Jonathan Gellar, the next version of Apple’s mobile operating system (iOS 6) will utilize 3-D mapping features developed by Apple. It is speculated that Apple may preview iOS 6 during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference on June 11.
According to both current and former Apple employees who have spoken with the Wall Street Journal, Apple has, “quietly acquired at least three cutting-edge map companies, melding their technology with its own” and begun developing its own proprietary mapping service…

This article focuses on copywriting rates from a copywriter’s point of view – largely because they’re the ones who set the rates, even though clients have the ultimate veto! As with any marketplace, there’s a constant battle between buyers and sellers, each wanting to maximize the benefit they gain from the transaction.
Any experienced copywriter reading this will be all too familiar with some of the situations that arise when negotiating copywriting rates…