LinkedIn shares tumble on weak forecast for 2016

SAN FRANCISCO — LinkedIn shares plunged as much as 28 percent in after-hours trading Thursday after the company reported better-than-expected results for the fourth quarter but provided a weak forecast for 2016.

The professional networking service’s adjusted earnings and revenue beat Wall Street’s estimates for the last three months of 2015, thanks to strong demand for its hiring and recruiting software. But it issued a forecast that was far below what analysts were expecting.

LinkedIn also said it will phase out a new online advertising product that hasn’t worked out as planned, which will cause it to forego roughly $50 million in near-term revenue.

Mountain View, California-based LinkedIn Corp. reported a loss of $8.4 million, compared with a $3 million profit a year earlier. That amounted to a loss of 6 cents a share in the latest quarter, but the company said it earned 94 cents a share after adjusting for stock compensation and other one-time items. Analysts surveyed by FactSet were expecting adjusted earnings of 78 cents a share on revenue of $857 million.

Fourth-quarter revenue rose 34 percent to $862 million.

Despite the strong finish for 2015, the company disappointed investors by forecasting adjusted earnings for the current period will be 55 cents a share on revenue of roughly $820 million. Analysts were expecting first-quarter adjusted earnings of 75 cents a share on sales of $868 million.

The company also forecast revenue for the full year will be $3.6 billion to $3.65 billion, lower than analysts’ estimates of $3.9 billion. Among other things, LinkedIn said growth in a key segment of its “Talent Solutions” division, which provides software tools for employers and recruiters, will slow from 30 percent last year to mid-20 percent in 2016. It blamed an economic downturn in Europe and Asia.

The online company also said a new advertising program called “Lead Accelerator” would be discontinued because it “required more resources than anticipated.”

LinkedIn is often described as a social-networking service like Facebook or Twitter, which make money primarily from digital ads. But LinkedIn has a different business model: It gets more than 60 percent of its revenue from fees that employers and recruiters pay to use its platform, while advertising and premium subscriptions contribute the rest.

The company has seen steady revenue growth over the last five years, but it often reports a net loss because of big stock grants that it awards to employees.

Shares of LinkedIn have been on a roller-coaster over the last year. The stock plunged last spring when the company lowered its revenue forecast and warned of short-term costs associated with its $1.5 billion purchase of online education company Lynda.com. Shares surged again in the fall, but dropped more than 20 percent again in the last three months.

LinkedIn’s membership grew 19 percent in the last quarter, to 419 million, and executives say they expect to continue growing in China and other markets. They’re also counting on more revenue from online training courses and software that commercial sales representatives can use to drum up business from their LinkedIn contacts.

But analysts warn LinkedIn could face more competition from companies like GlassDoor, which shows job postings and workers’ ratings of companies, or Facebook, which recently launched a service for workers to communicate with their colleagues.

source: technology.inquirer.net

'Yaya Dub' ng Eat Bulaga na si Maine Mendoza, ‘secret dream’ ang maging isang artista

Nakilala ang 20-year-old netizen na si Nicomaine Mendoza dahil sa kaniyang mga nakatutuwang 'Dubsmash' videos, kung saan makikitang nagli-lip sync siya ng iba't ibang eksena mula sa mga TV shows, pelikula, patalastas, at marami pang iba.


Dahil sa milyon-milyong views na nakamit ng kaniyang mga video, binansagan na siyang “Dubsmash Queen” sa social networking sites.

Nitong mga nagdaang linggo, naging kapansin-pansin na isa na siya sa mga regular na napanonood sa “Sugod Bahay: Juan for All, All for Juan” segment ng longest-running noontime show na “Eat Bulaga.”

Video courtesy of GMANetwork.com-Entertainment

Video courtesy of GMANetwork.com-Entertainment

More from: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/522246/showbiz/chikaminute/yaya-dub-ng-eat-bulaga-na-si-maine-mendoza-secret-dream-ang-maging-isang-artista Video courtesy of GMANetwork.com-Entertainment

Dito ay kasama niya sina Jose Manalo, Paolo Ballesteros, at Wally Bayola, aka Lola Nidora.

Ipinakilala si Maine bilang si Divina Ursula Bukbukoba Smash, o "Yaya Dub" ni Lola Nidora.

Hindi man siya nagkakaroon ng dialogue, aliw na aliw naman ang mga manonood sa live niyang pagli-lip sync, pagse-selfie, at sa mga todo-bigay niyang facial expressions.

Sa episode ng “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho” nitong Linggo, ibinahagi ni Maine ang kaniyang pagkahilig sa pag-e-emote sa harap ng camera at kung paano ito naging daan upang matupad niya ang isa sa kanyang mga pangarap.

Bago siya makilala dahil sa kaniyang “Dubsmash” videos, graduate si Maine ng Culinary Arts mula sa De La Salle-College of St. Benilde.  Naging abala rin siya sa on-the-job training sa isang resort sa New York City, USA.

Estudyante pa lamang daw siya ay mahilig na siyang mag-lip sync at umarte sa harap ng camera. Kaya naman agad siyang nahumaling sa application na “Dubsmash” at walang kahirap-hirap niyang napapatawa ang mga nakakanood ng kaniyang videos.

“Nung inapload ko, noong una, nagkaroon ako ng 1,000 views. Tapos naalala ko, ang saya-saya ko na 'Wow, may 1,000 views ang video ko.' Tapos hanggang sa gabi, umabot na siya ng 50,000. So proud na proud ako, sinasabi ko pa sa mga kapatid ko, sa mga magulang ko. Tapos kinabukasan, nag-one million views! Hindi ko talaga ine-expect,” kuwento ni Maine.

Dagdag pa niya, “Napansin agad sa first video ko, yung kay Kris Aquino. Ginagaya ko siya sa pagwa-wacky ko, pero normal na sa akin 'yon. Bata pa lang ako, sanay na akong mag-wacky. Kapag kausap ko mga kaibigan ko, mga kamag-anak ko, yung reaksyon ko talaga is wacky-wacky lang.”

Ngayon, nagpapasalamat ang dalaga sa lahat ng mga nag-like at nag-share ng kanyang videos dahil naging daan raw ito upang ma-discover siya ng “Eat Bulaga” at matupad ang pangarap niyang maging artista.

Aniya, “Ito 'yung secret ultimate dream ko, maging artista. Pero hindi ko siya sinasabi sa friends ko or hit kanino kasi feeling ko pagtatawanan lang ako kapag nalaman nilang gusto kong maging artista. Ang tingin ko sa pag-aartista noon, medyo impossible. Wala naman akong talent or kahit ano."

"Nagulat din yung family ko na biglang ganito. Nakakagulat talaga kasi secret ultimate dream ko 'yon, and nandito na ako. I'm getting there. Living the dream,” dagdag pa ng dalaga.

Hindi naman itinanggi ni Maine na kinabahan siya sa unang pagsalang niya sa naturang noontime show, lalo na't makakasama niya ang mga batikang hosts at komedyante na sina Jose, Wally, at Paolo, at makakasama rin siya sa paglilibot ng mga ito sa iba't ibang barangay.

Higit umano sa lahat, naging hamon sa kanya ang pagli-lip sync sa live television. Hindi katulad ng pagre-record sa cell phone at pag-upload online, wala raw siyang pagkakataong itama ang kanyang pagkakamali sa telebisyon.

Pagbabahagi ng “Dubsmash Queen” ng Pilipinas, “Noong una po, natatakot ako kasi biglang salang. Wala akong workshop, wala akong pinagdaanang kahit ano. Dubsmash lang talaga at yung pagpapangit ko lang sa camera. Pero ayun, tingin ko medyo okay naman, saka natututo naman ako.” -- FRJ, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

Twitter back to normal, blames bug for sign-in glitch

 

Twitter on Monday afternoon (PHL time) resolved a log-in problem that had reportedly affected users of its Android platform.

 

In an update on its status page, Twitter said the glitch occurred for about five hours, where some users were unable to sign in to Twitter.

 

"This issue was due to a bug in our front end code, which has been patched. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this," it said.

 

A separate report on The Verge said that before this, the official Android Twitter app was inaccessible.

 

But now, it said Twitter's mobile site is back up after some downtime, and Tweetdeck no longer showed recently posted tweets as being sent a year ago.

 

"Users are now reporting they can access Android Twitter, and Tweetdeck is now showing the correct timestamps," it said. — Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News

 

source: gmanetwork.com

Best is yet to come, says Facebook's Zuckerberg

SAN FRANCISCO - The decade-long adventure since the founding of Facebook has been an "amazing journey," but the best is still to come, Mark Zuckerberg said.

The founder and chief executive of the world's biggest social network celebrated Tuesday's milestone in a post on his own Facebook profile.

Facebook's shares also joined the party, rising 2.07 percent to an all-time closing high of $62.75, giving a company founded by college buddies a market value of more than $150 billion.

"Today is Facebook's 10th anniversary... and I'm so grateful to be a part of it," Zuckerberg wrote.



The 29-year-old executive said Facebook succeeded because "we just cared more about connecting the world than anyone else. And we still do today.

"That's why I'm even more excited about the next 10 years than the last," he added.

He said the first decade was "about bootstrapping this network. Now we have the resources to help people across the world solve even bigger and more important problems."

Zuckerberg said he is often asked if he knew Facebook would become what it is today and he responds, "No way."

"I remember getting pizza with my friends one night in college shortly after opening Facebook. I told them I was excited to help connect our school community, but one day someone needed to connect the whole world."

"When I reflect on the last 10 years, one question I ask myself is: why were we the ones to build this? We were just students. We had way fewer resources than big companies. If they had focused on this problem, they could have done it."

Zuckerberg said he sees a different role for Facebook in the future.

"Today, social networks are mostly about sharing moments. In the next decade, they'll also help you answer questions and solve complex problems," he wrote.

The company's own Facebook page carried a short message, saying "Turning 10, Thanks to You: Our 10th birthday only happened because of all your friendships, stories and memories along the way. Thank you."

The page also showed a video of a birthday party of 10-year-old children.

For each user, Facebook provided a "Look Back" video with highlights from items shared on the network.

Facebook, which has some 1.23 billion users worldwide and has grown into one of the biggest technology firms, was planning a low-key celebration.

"Just as we do every year, we will have an internal party on Friday afternoon," Facebook spokeswoman Arielle Aryah told AFP in response to a query regarding the company's birthday celebration plans.

Facebook broke ground late last year on an expansion to its campus in former Sun Microsystems digs in the Silicon Valley city of Menlo Park. The new West Campus was designed by respected architect Frank Gehry.

A Pew Research Center survey released Monday suggests no slowing momentum, even though more than half of US users said they are turned off by over sharing and didn't like the fact that they showed up in pictures without giving permission.

According to the research firm eMarketer, Facebook has become the second-largest recipient of digital advertising spending behind Google, and is particularly strong in mobile ads.

Ben Harper at the research firm Socialbakers said Facebook got where it is because of its constant innovation.

"It's easy to forget that features such as timeline, graph search and business pages haven't always been there for us to use," Harper wrote in a blog post.

"For businesses, Facebook has become a platform for reaching and engaging with current and potential new customers," he said.

"For users, Facebook has changed the way we interact with friends, family and our favorite brands. We're sure Facebook has many more innovations and surprises coming in the near future." — Agence France-Presse

source: gmanetwork.com

Facebook plans low-key birthday bash

SAN FRANCISCO - Facebook has grown into an Internet giant over the last decade, but it is celebrating its birthday with a low-key, belated party and an eye toward the future.

While the arrival of its 10th anniversary on Tuesday has pundits analyzing the social network's past and theorizing about its future, the Internet juggernaut is trying to stay focused on the job at hand.

"Just as we do every year, we will have an internal party on Friday afternoon," Facebook spokeswoman Arielle Aryah told AFP in response to a query regarding the company's birthday celebration plans.

It remained to be seen whether the Menlo Park, California-based social network, which now boasts over a billion users, had something playful planned for its actual anniversary on Tuesday.

In an earnings call last week to discuss stellar quarterly results, Facebook chief and co-found Mark Zuckerberg gave a nod to the growth seen during the past decade but focused on the future.

Zuckerberg spoke of making "apps" for showcasing Facebook features on smartphones or tablets to stay in synch with mobile Internet lifestyles.

Long-range goals included using artificial intelligence to figure out how pictures, videos, comments and more shared at Facebook are related and of shooting toward helping people share anything they want, with anyone they want, whenever they want.

Facebook broke ground late last year on an expansion to its campus in former Sun Microsystem digs in the Silicon Valley city of Menlo Park.

The new West Campus was designed by respected architect Frank Gehry.

As Facebook celebrates its 10th anniversary, the world's biggest social network is finding its path as a maturing company, adapting to an aging user base.

Zuckerberg has repeatedly described Facebook's mission as "making the world more open and connected," and some say he has accomplished just that.

The company created in a Harvard dorm room in 2004 has established itself as a phenomenon, securing its place in the world of the technology giants.

"Facebook has made the world much smaller, much more interactive," said Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry.

In its short history, Facebook has become a part of daily life for more than a billion people around the globe.

"More than 20 percent of all time spent on the Internet is spent on Facebook," says Lou Kerner, founder of the Social Internet Fund.

Facebook says it has a global total of 1.23 billion monthly active users, including 945 million who use the social network on a mobile device.

And, a Pew Research Center survey released Monday suggests no slowing momentum for the network, even though more than half of US Facebook users said they are turned off by oversharing and didn't like the fact that they showed up in pictures without giving permission.

After a calamitous initial public offering in May 2012 plagued by technical glitches, Facebook saw its share price slump by half.

But the company has been on a roll for the past year, with its stock hitting record highs.

According to the research firm eMarketer, Facebook has become the second-largest recipient of digital advertising spending behind Google, and is particularly strong in mobile ads.

"Facebook appears the best way to play the social Internet," Morgan Stanley analysts said in a note to clients, preferring Facebook to the up-and-coming network Twitter. — Agence France-Presse

source: gmanetwork.com

Facebook Q4 revenue rises more than expected

SAN FRANCISCO - Facebook Inc's fourth-quarter revenue jumped 63 percent, beating Wall Street targets, as the Internet company's mobile ad sales continued to accelerate.

Shares of Facebook were up 7 percent at $57.36 in after-hours trading on Wednesday.

The world's largest social networking company said that revenue from mobile ads represented 53 percent of its total advertising revenue in the last three months of the year, or $1.24 billion, versus the 49 percent proportion that mobile ads represented in the third quarter.

Facebook said it now has 1.23 billion monthly users, with 945 million accessing the service on a smartphone or tablet.

Overall revenue in the fourth quarter rose to $2.585 billion, compared with $1.585 billion in the year-ago period and above the $2.33 billion expected by analysts polled by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Facebook reported net income of $523 million, or 20 cents a share, versus $64 million or 3 cents a share in the year-ago period. Excluding certain items, Facebook said it earned 31 cents a share.  — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

Too lazy to socialize? Let Google do it for you

In what could be a convenient—or creepy—move for some, Google may be planning to let automated bots do your socializing for you.

Google has just filed a patent for what it called an "automated generation of suggestions for personalized reactions in a social network."

An abstract of the patent described a "system and method for automatic generating suggestions for personalized reactions or messages."

Google said a suggestion generation module may have collector modules for credentials, a suggestion analyzer, a user interface module and a decision tree.

The modules can interact with other systems like e-mail, SMS, micro blogging services, social networks or other systems.

A separate article on tech site Mashable said the patent in effect lets the software learn a user's voice by studying his or her social media accounts.

It then suggests possible updates and replies for future posts.

"The aim is for the bot to learn how you tweet and Facebook so it can gradually manage that for you — effectively outsourcing how you digitally socialize," Mashable said.

However, a user has to give Google permission to access his or her online presence, for this to work.

Privacy concerns

Mashable said the "limitless access" has raised concerns about cyber privacy.

It quoted Nick Pickles, director of Big Brother Watch, as saying the social data to be accessed is valuable to both governments and companies.

He said he was "extremely concerned about any technology that purports to offer convenience while in reality exposing more of our private communications to prying eyes.”

On the other hand, Mashable noted  Google has yet to translate the patent into a product. — TJD, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com