According to comScore, an Internet analytics company, LinkedIn had 33.9 million unique visitors in June compared to 33.5 million visitors for MySpace. LinkedIn still lags behind MySpace in terms of total active users. LinkedIn has about 115 million users compared to an estimated 130 for MySpace.

LinkedIn is an online social network geared towards business professionals. LinkedIn users can search for jobs, post resumes and network with colleagues and other professionals.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO, made the announcement that will allow its 750 million users to video calls without having to leave the application. The new Skype feature allows Facebook users to engage in a one-on-one video chat with just one click.

With the Skype partnership, Facebook is raising the bar for competitors in the social media network arena that include search engine giant Google Inc., which recently launched its own social media platform. Google’s offering, Google+, includes a video chat feature as well as Internet calls via Gmail.

The new partnership will give Skype access to Facebook’s 750 million users and provide the company an opportunity to increase its user base currently at 170 million.

Microsoft, a Google rival and Facebook investor is in negotiations to purchase Skype in a reported $8.5-billion deal which is expected to close before the end of the year. The Facebook Skype partnership is expected to strengthen Microsoft’s existing partnership with Facebook and give Microsoft a competitive advantage in the online communications playground.

Local search engine optimization helps improve organic search engine result rankings for your business within local listing search results.

You say – well, I am a small business owner and don’t even own a computer… why should I care about this? Here is one important reason why small business owners should care about local search engine optimization:

• 97% of consumers use the Internet to find and research services and products offered by local merchants – (The Kelsey Group).

Small business owners, realize the challenges of attracting new customers in today’s competitive market. Local search engine optimization helps companies improve their their online visibility. Successful companies are using local search engine optimization to increase sales and stay ahead of the competition.

To find out more about how local search engine optimization can help your small business, call (323) 434-0189 to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation and learn how your company can thrive.

Then, you should consider applying for an SBA 504 Loan, a Loan Guarantee Program offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration. An SBA 504 Loan is the best way to finance long term assets because it offers long term, fixed rate financing at a very reasonable interest rate.

One of the best parts of financing long term asset acquisition through an SBA 504 Loan is that the down payment is only 10%.  Eligible companies include for profit businesses that do not exceed $15.0 million in tangible net worth and do not have an average net income of $5 million for the past 2 years.

For more information on how to obtain low interest financing through an SBA 504 loan, contact your local SBA District Office or visit the U.S. Small Business Administration at www.sba.gov.

Listen – The first and most important thing you should do after setting up your Twitter account is to listen.  Learn about what people are saying about your company, your products and services as well as your competition.

Customize – Next, you should customize your profile by adding a picture.

Get Involved – After you have had an opportunity to listen, jump into the conversation and send your first tweets. Get involved by asking questions and offering answers.

Show You Are Human – Remember, Twitter allows people to connect with other individuals.  Let people know that you are human by asking about their personal interests and sharing about your pursuits in life.

Promote Your Business – Lastly, after you have engaged with individuals at a personal level and have learned about who they are, promote your business. People like doing business with those whom they trust. Become a trustworthy friend and the business will soon follow.

Happy Tweeting!

As a result of the partnership, Rockmelt released its latest update that includes Facebook friend requests, messages and notifications which are built in right into the browser’s top navigation panel.

The Rockmelt partnership represents an opportunity for Facebook to enter into the Internet browser arena and compete head t0 head with Google’s Chrome browser.

Rockmelt has raised $10 million from private investors including Marc Andressen, the co-founder of Netscape Communications.