One of our stellar interns from last summer, Azarias Reda from the University of Michigan, explored how users from emerging economies are interacting with social networking. He did so by analyzing LinkedIns unique data set with over 150+ million members, representing professionals from every country in the world, including several million in Africa and a strong presence in Asia and Latin America.

We recently published this large-scale data analysis in a paper [1] at the Fifth International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development (ICTD 2012) and I’m happy to present the results here:

Developing Regions

As mobile and Internet penetration improve worldwide, users from developing countries are participating in increasing numbers in online communities. Several studies of web usage patterns in developing country contexts indicate Internet users in these areas are very engaged in online social networking and communication tools, spending a significant portion of their online time on them. These observations have been made across several usage scenarios, ranging from educational institutions in urban India to remote Internet access sites in Africa and Latin America.

The Social Networking in Developing Regions paper we presented at ICTD 2012 provided the first large scale and detailed analysis of social networking usage in developing country contexts. Our ana

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If youve got a Facebook page for your business, youre probably aware of the big change thats coming on March 30, when all Facebook pages will switch over to the new Timeline design.

The change will make your Facebook page a more visual representation of your brand. It will also allow you to tell your company story by creating a narrative that shows visitors what youre all about. Take some time now to set up your page, and youll create a rich, rewarding experience for your fans.

So what do you need to know or do?

1) Choose a cover photo.

Each page will be divided into two columns, with a cover photo taking up the width of both across the top of the screen. This is going to be the first thing every visitor to your page sees, so make it count.

2) Resize your images.

The new page layout comes with a new, 810-pixel width . Visitors might be turned off by your page if its not optimized for the new layout, so at the very least, make sure your images display well.

3) Pick the stories you want to tell.

The next section is like your current wall, and will highlight your memorable posts or photos.

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Senator Baucus’ proposal to do away with stretching for most inherited IRA has not gone away as was anticipated earlier this month. A recently introduced Senate bill, S. 1813, the Highway Investment, Job Creation, and Economic Growth Act, includes a provision that would disallow lifetime tax deferred stretching of IRAs for beneficiaries other than a spouse, minor children or the disabled. Other beneficiaries would be required to withdraw and pay taxes on the entire account within five years. The new law would be effective January 1, 2013.

See

Setting up a solid company foundation is a key component to meeting lender compliance. It enables you to qualify for certain types of financing so you can begin establishing a creditworthy company.

For example, lenders and creditors expect your business to have a dedicated fax number because it is an important means of exchanging information. Even though there are so many new ways to correspond, faxing still remains a fundamental part of a company’s communication structure.

Before you go through the expense of purchasing a pricey fax machine there are other ways you can send and receive faxes without using an actual fax machine such as a free fax service.

Have you heard of online faxing?

Faxing online makes it easy for your business to send and receive faxes from anywhere in the world. It eliminates the need for a fax machine, an additional phone line and all the common expenses associated with a fax machine such as paper, ink cartridges, servicing, etc.

To the person faxing, your fax number looks and acts like any other fax number but the main difference is your faxes are converted to a digital file and emailed to you as an attachment.

This is an ideal solution for small businesses in terms of cost, convenience and efficiency. B

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