And we’re now LIVE in Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia and Korean!

Ed note: Starting today, professionals in Malaysia, Indonesia and Korea can now sign-up for LinkedIn in their very own local language. This is a post from Arvind Rajan, Managing Director and Vice President of APAC and Japan at LinkedIn.

Today, I am pleased to share LinkedIn.com is now available in in three new local languages – Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Malaysia and Korean. As a truly global professional network we continue to grow and deepen our footprint in the Asia Pacific region, by being more local and relevant to professionals in each of these different countries.

There are now more than 20 million members in Asia Pacific and Japan who have already established their professional identities and are building their networks and gaining access to insights and opportunities on LinkedIn.  We believe that this member base will continue to grow strongly. In addition to the launch of Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia and Korean today, we’ve also recently launched LinkedIn in Japanese and opened offices in Singapore and Japan earlier this year.

So, if you’re a professional in any of these three countries, all you’ve to do to start accessing LinkedIn is to create a LinkedIn Profile in Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Malaysia or Korean by going to , , or . Current L

Full Post…

Four Common Estate Planning Mistakes

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) recently published an informative article entitled .  Although the article is geared toward CPAs for counseling their clients, I recommend it as reading for all, as I see these problems everyday.  The four mistakes featured are:

  1. Outdated or Unsigned Estate Planning Documents (i.e., if they have a plan at all, most people’s plans are either outdated or inadequate).
  2.   Lack of Coordination between the Estate Planning Documents, Titling of Assets and Apportionment of Estate Taxes.
  3.   Lack of Understanding That a Transfer of $1 Is a Gift (i.e., that transfers (typically of real property) for less than adequate consideration constitute a gift).
  4.   Life Is a Movie, Not a Snapshot (i.e., that estate planning should be viewed as a process rather than a one-time transaction).

The conclusion provides a good summary of the article:  “For most of us, the crystal ball of planning does not go more than five years. Families change, health changes, tax law changes and the law changes. The goa

Full Post…

Hickenlooper shouted down by Occupy protesters

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper says anti-Wall Street protesters are hurting their cause after they interrupted his remarks at a groundbreaking for a new solar project.

Hickenlooper allowed the chants from about a dozen protesters in Colorado Springs to go on for several minutes on Tuesday. He then told the protesters that there are a lot of people who agree that Wall Street companies got a slap on the wrist, but he says the protesters are not helping their cause.

Protester Hossein Forouzandeh told the Colorado Springs Gazette ( ) the protesters are not opposing the solar project, but they are upset that the governor has been ignoring requests to meet with them

What is the Social Value of Your Blog?

Blogs are a great way to gain exposure for your brand, products and services. Blogs allows you to give your targeted audience information that they are interested in. Having a blog though is not about just putting up information and saying “I have a blog.” Your blog has to have value to your readership. What happens to something that has no value? You generally discard it. This can happen to your blog if it has no value to your readership. You readers will eventually discard the blog and not visit anymore. The overall goal is to increase readership; not lose it.

The Value of Social Networks

A great way to enhance the value of your blog is to harness the power of social networks. Social networks have become a catalyst to help businesses gain valuable exposure to a wide demographic. It has become a cost effective way to promote products and services to an audience that you wouldn’t normally have access to.

Social networks are platforms that are used to connect to people and to stay up-to-date on what is going on within these social structures. Peopl

Full Post…